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Getting started

This walk-through takes an organization from nothing to live video from its NVR. Step 1 is for a platform admin of the Hub; the rest needs the Tenant admin role in Sphere (Roles and permissions).

No NVR at hand? Follow the same steps with a simulated NVR: Trying Sphere with the simulator adds what is different.

While Sphere is in beta

Only platform admins can open Sphere during the beta (Products in beta). They are global admins in every Sphere tenant, so they can follow every step below themselves.

Before you start​

  • An always-on Windows computer on the NVR's network, with outbound TCP 443 to hub.entrosity.com and TCP 8322 to media.entrosity.com (Connectors → Requirements).
  • The NVR's LAN address, its HTTP port (80 unless changed; or its HTTPS port), its RTSP port (554 unless changed), and a user name and password on the NVR. A user of its own for Sphere makes it easy to tell apart and to revoke on the NVR.
  • Optional: the NVR's time zone, if the NVR does not report it (recording times are converted with it).

1. Enable Sphere for the organization​

A platform admin opens Administration → Organizations on the Hub, opens the organization and ticks Entrosity Sphere under Products (Products per organization), then gives members a Sphere role: Tenant admin, Operator or Viewer. A new tenant's Overview shows the next steps under Getting started.

Within about a minute the organization appears in Sphere as a tenant with the same ID.

2. Install a connector​

  1. In Sphere, open Connectors and choose Install a connector.

  2. Give it a Label (for example Head office server), pick the Site, keep Maximum uses at 1 and Expires after (days) at 7, and choose Create token.

  3. Copy the command under Windows: install the MSI (elevated prompt) and run it in an elevated command prompt on the Windows computer, in the folder of the installer (Download connector on the Connectors page downloads the newest one as sphere-connector-<version>.msi: rename it to sphere-connector.msi or use its name in the command):

    msiexec /i sphere-connector.msi /qn ENROLLMENT_TOKEN=<token> SERVER_URL=https://hub.entrosity.com/sphere

  4. Within a minute the connector appears in Connectors as Online.

The token is shown only once. Details, the command-line alternative and troubleshooting: Connectors.

3. Add the NVR​

Open NVRs, choose Add NVR and fill in the Connector, the Driver (Dahua (and compatible)), a Name, the Address (the NVR's LAN address), the HTTP port (80) and RTSP port (554), Use HTTPS if the NVR's API is on HTTPS, and the User name and Password Sphere signs in with. Keep Connect now ticked and choose Add NVR. Every field: NVRs → Add an NVR.

The password is stored encrypted: Sphere never shows it again, and it never appears in jobs, events or the audit log.

4. Check that it connects​

After a few seconds the NVR's Status becomes Online: the connector has signed in, read the NVR's model, serial number, firmware and channels, and Sphere has created a camera for each channel (open the NVR to see them under Cameras).

Test on the NVR's page signs in once more and shows the Test result: whether RTSP is reachable, how many cameras were found, and Warnings, for example H.265 or MJPEG channels, or a time zone the NVR did not report (set Time zone with Edit so recordings line up).

If the status is not Online, see NVRs → Statuses: Auth failed is a wrong user name or password (change it under Sign-in), Offline an address, port or network problem.

5. Watch​

Open Live view, choose a Layout (a split of 1 to 64 tiles) and click cameras in the list to fill the grid, or drag them onto tiles. Double-click a tile for the camera alone on its full-resolution stream. The first picture takes a few seconds: the connector starts pulling the stream from the NVR when the first viewer opens it. See Live view.

From there:

  • move a PTZ camera, and store and recall presets (PTZ cameras);
  • search a camera's recordings and play them back (Playback);
  • follow the NVRs' alarms and acknowledge them (Alarms);
  • save the grid as a view, for yourself or for the whole tenant (Saved views).