User Guide

General

As an enterprise-level video management solution, Valerus VMS can integrate with HALO sensors. These sensors can detect a range of things such as smoke, gunshot sound, vaping, and more. This integration works by using the HALO sensor as an RTSP source and sending events to the Valerus Event Listener.

Prerequisites

• HALO devices should be running a minimum firmware version 2.2 to support RTSP streaming.
• Valerus version 20.3 or higher with a PRO or ENTERPRISE license tier to support external events and a 3rd party camera license (any devices) per HALO sensor.
• HALO devices set up and running with network access to the Application Server.
• Application Server firewall open for the listener port.

Note: At this time, if using Valerus 21.1 and trying to create alarms, it is only possible to set an alarm for all external events and not possible to specify the device. This will be updated in a future version.

Halo Device Settings

This manual covers the required settings to integrate HALO sensors with Valerus. For detailed information about HALO sensor capabilities and settings, refer to the HALO sensor manuals available at https://ipvideocorp.com/.

Once the HALO sensors are configured and running on the network, follow these instructions to prepare them for integration with Valerus:

1. Set each HALO sensor with a unique name. This name will be used in Valerus to identify the sensor and set rules. Select the “Device Settings" option, enter the name in the appropriate field, and click "Set Name".

   Screenshot of the HALO sensor's 'Device Management' interface showing configuration options for device name, timezone, server settings, heat sensor offset, firmware upload, and language.

2. Configure each HALO sensor's “External Messaging” to send events to Valerus. Select the “Integration” option to open this menu. The example shows a setup to send the event text "HALO event sent from %NAME% on %DATE%%TIME%". This message is fully configurable. The address and port at the bottom of this screen are the Valerus Application Server IP address and the port used for listening to these events.

   Screenshot of the HALO sensor's 'Integration' menu, detailing 'External Messaging' configuration with protocol, message string, address, port, and available variables for event text.

3. Configure each HALO sensor's “Image Settings.” Select the “Image" option. Ensure the stream settings are configured (1280x720 is recommended) and RTSP streaming is enabled. Note the RTSP address displayed (e.g., rtsp://10.10.10.158:8554/stream), as it will be needed to add the device to Valerus.

   Screenshot of the HALO sensor's 'Image Settings' menu, showing stream resolution options and RTSP streaming configuration, including the RTSP URL.

Valerus Settings

After HALO sensors are set up and online, they can be added to Valerus to view and record their streams and receive event information for setting actions within Valerus. A typical installation displays the sensor stream alongside related camera feeds when an event is triggered, allowing for immediate visual verification.

Creating an Event Listener for the HALO Device

To receive events generated by HALO sensors in Valerus, an external event listener must be set up. Ensure the port used for the listener matches the one configured in the HALO sensor's integration screen.

1. In Valerus, navigate to “Configuration” ➡️ “Advanced” ➡️ “External Events” and click the “New” button to add a listener.
2. Fill in the required listener details:
   • Provide a name for the listener.
   • Enter remarks if necessary.
   • Select “TCP” as the transform type.
   • Enter the port number configured in the HALO sensors. (Ensure the Application Server firewall allows data over this port).
   • Select “Text” as the message type.
3. Once saved, events from the HALO sensors should appear in the “Events Received” field for testing. You may need to refresh the screen after saving.

Screenshot of the Valerus 'External Events' configuration screen, showing fields for Name, Enabled, Remarks, Transform Type (TCP), Port, and Message Type (Text), with a section for 'Events Received'.

Note: If multiple HALO sensors are used, they can all send events to the same port and be captured by a single listener. If separate listeners are needed for different sensors, ensure unique port numbers are used for each sensor.

Testing

Testing the integrated solution involves two main steps:

Rules and Alarms in Valerus

Once events are set up, you can define rules in Valerus to respond to events sent from HALO sensors. Rules are based on the configured listener. If a single listener receives all events, the rule must use the HALO sensor name to identify the correct action. Ensure the sensor name is included in the events sent.

• Open Valerus: “Configuration” ➡️ “Resources” ➡️ “Rules” and create a new rule named “HALO”.
• Under “Event Type,” select “External Events.”
• Select the previously created HALO listener and define the trigger text. For example, if the event contains "Vicon Support," which is the HALO sensor name, the rule will trigger.
• Save and proceed to set the action for the rule. Typically, this will pop up the view related to the HALO sensor and may include additional actions.
• If multiple HALO sensors exist with different names, a separate rule must be created for each with its own action.
• If multiple listeners were used, ensure the rule is correctly set for the intended listeners.

Screenshot of the Valerus 'Rules' configuration screen, showing how to set up a rule for 'External Events', specifying the listener (HALO) and trigger text (e.g., 'Vicon Support').

Screenshot of the Valerus 'Action' configuration for a rule, showing options to 'Display View' and specify the view, users, and actions for ON/OFF states.

Search Events in Valerus

Searching for events generated by HALO sensors is based on the external event listener and the search text. You will need to specify the listener name and add text (e.g., the HALO sensor name) to narrow down the search results.

Screenshot of the Valerus 'Event/Alarm Search' interface, showing query properties to search for 'External Events' on a specific listener (HALO) and containing specific text.