Nx Witness Quick Start Guide

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Table of Contents 2

Overview 3
Part 1 – Initial Setup 4
System Settings and Security ............................................................................................. 5
Activate a License ................................................................................................................ 6
Create a User / Share Access via Nx Cloud ........................................................................ 7
Create Nx Cloud Account with 2FA / Log in to Nx Cloud System ................................... 8
Connect Nx Witness System to Nx Cloud ........................................................................ 10
Configure the Storage Archive ......................................................................................... 11
Add a Camera .................................................................................................................... 14
Enable Recording on a Camera ........................................................................................ 15
Enable Motion Detection and Create a Motion Mask ................................................... 16

Part 2 – Using Basic Features 17

Create a Layout ................................................................................................................. 18
Searching Through the Video Archive ............................................................................ 18
Preview Search ............................................................................................................ 18
Smart Motion Search ................................................................................................... 20
Calendar Search .......................................................................................................... 21
Export Recorded Video ..................................................................................................... 22

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Overview 3

Overview
This guide is split up into two parts:
· Part 1 – Helps administrators get started with the initial setup and configuration of a Nx
Witness system.
· Part 2 – Introduces users to the most frequently used basic features in the Nx Witness.

The latest version of Nx Witness can be downloaded from my.networkoptix.com.

For additional help beyond this guide, you can visit Nx Support Portal or access the Nx Witness User
Manual for detailed information about Nx Witness technology, features, system setup, and
configuration.

Please visit and engage in our support community to share your Nx Witness experience with other
community members or our team.

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Part 1 – Initial Setup 4

Part 1 – Initial Setup

Begin the setup and configuration process after installing Nx Witness Server and Nx Witness
Desktop:
1. Launch Nx Witness Desktop and click on the New Server tile to begin the Nx Witness Server
setup process.
2. Click Setup New System.
3. Enter a name for your new Nx Witness system.
4. Enter a password for the Owner account.
Important: This is the system's primary account and cannot easily be changed once set. The
default username is "admin", and it is the only account with super administrator privileges.
5. View the server's information and click Finish.

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System Settings and Security

The settings below affect your entire Nx Witness system. Assess each setting carefully before making
any changes.
1. Open the Main Menu and click System Administration.
2. Toggle on/off the options under System Settings as needed:
· Enable cameras and servers autodiscovery and automated camera status check – The system
continuously discovers new cameras and Nx Witness servers on the network and sends
frequent discovery requests to cameras for status updates. If disabled, cameras must be
added manually, and cameras will appear as if they were offline due to the lack of status
updates.
Important: Multicasting must be enabled on your network for autodiscovery to work.
· Send anonymous usage and crash statistics to software developers – Automatically sends
anonymized data about the Nx Witness system (e.g. cameras, server hardware, software
version, crashes, etc.) to help improve Nx Witness.
· Allow System to optimize camera settings – Configures cameras to send two streams at the
optimal resolution. Read Camera Optimization for more information.
· Custom language for mobile notifications – If desired, select a different language to be used
for mobile notifications.
3. Click on the Security tab and toggle on/off the options as needed.
Data Protection

· Use only HTTPS to connect to cameras – Ensures that Nx Witness servers only connects to
cameras using HTTPS, preventing management traffic between cameras and Nx Witness
servers from being intercepted and analyzed.
· Force servers to accept only encrypted connections – Forces all servers in the Nx Witness system
to accept only secure HTTPS connections. This prevents API requests, the server Web Admin
interface, and other data (user accounts, device access credentials, etc.) from being
intercepted and analyzed.
· Encrypt video traffic to desktop and mobile clients – Prevents your video streams (live and
playback) from being intercepted and viewed.
· Display watermark with username over video – Watermarks will be displayed over live, archive,
and exported videos for non-admin users only

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User Activity
· Enable audit trail – Tracks and logs all user actions.
· Limit session duration – If enabled, users will be automatically logged out if their session
exceeds the specified duration.
· Display servers in tree for non-administrator users – Allows regular users to see available Nx
Witness servers in the Resource Tree.
Archive Encryption
Nx Witness stores the recorded footage in a file system. It can be accessed and viewed by someone
who has physical/network access to a Storage drive. Once enabled, this setting encrypts archive data
to prevent it from being viewed outside of the Nx Witness system (Desktop Client, Mobile Client,
Web Admin, or Cloud Portal).

Activate a License
1. Open the Main Menu and click System Administration.
2. Go to the Licenses tab.
3. Enter the license key and click Activate License.
Note: Read Internet Activation of Licenses and Types of Nx Witness Licenses for more
information.

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Create a User / Share Access via Nx Cloud

User Management allows you to search for and modify users and create custom roles.
Create a Local User

1. Open the Main Menu and click User Management.

2. Click New User.
3. Select the Local user type.
4. Enter credentials and select a role. Click OK.
Create a Cloud User / Share Access to a Nx Cloud System
Existing Nx Cloud users will receive an email stating that they now have access to your Nx Witness
system, while new users will receive an email that prompts the user to create a Nx Cloud account to
gain access to the shared system.
1. Open the Main Menu and click User Management.
2. Click New User.
3. Select the Cloud user type.
4. Enter an email address and select a role. Click OK.
Note: Nx Cloud users can access a shared system by logging into Nx Witness Desktop or the Nx
Cloud portal 8 .

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Create Nx Cloud Account with 2FA / Log in to Nx Cloud System

Create a Nx Cloud Account

1. Open the Nx Cloud account registration webpage.

2. Enter your registration information and click Create Account.
3. An activation email will be sent to you. Open the email and click Activate Account.
Log in to the Nx Cloud Portal
The Nx Cloud portal homepage displays tiles, and each tile represents a cloud-connected system to
which the user has access.
1. Open the Nx Cloud portal homepage and click Log In.
2. Enter your Nx Cloud account email and click Next.
3. Enter your Nx Cloud account password and click Log In.
4. Click on a tile to access the following webpages for the selected system:
· View – Use the Resource Tree to view live and archive footage.
· Settings – Manage users, system and security settings, activate licenses, enable recording,
create a motion mask, etc.
· Information – Use the Health Monitoring tool to check to see if the system is in good shape
and displays information such as the performance of the system and if any errors have
occurred.

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Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

Prevents unauthorized access by requiring a verification code generated by a mobile authentication
app when logging in to your Nx Cloud account.
1. Install Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Duo Mobile on your mobile phone.
2. Open Nx Cloud portal homepage and log in to your account.
3. Open the account settings dropdown by clicking on your email at the top right and click
Security.
4. Enable Two-factor authentication by clicking on the switch.
5. Enter your Nx Cloud account password.
6. Open the mobile authentication app and scan the QR code.
7. Enter the TOTP verification code generated by the mobile authentication app.
8. Click Verify to complete the setup process.
Note: For additional security, enable Ask for verification code on every login with Nx Cloud
account, or generate single-use backup codes to keep somewhere safe that can be used to log in
if you lose access to the mobile authentication app.

Log in to Nx Cloud on Nx Witness Desktop

1. Click the Nx Cloud icon ( ) on the Navigation Panel.

2. Enter your Nx Cloud account 8 email and click Next.
3. Enter your Nx Cloud account 8 password and click Log in.

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Connect Nx Witness System to Nx Cloud

A Nx Witness system connected to Nx Cloud allows users to access all servers in the system without
directly connecting to an individual server.
Additional benefits:

· Users logged in to their Nx Cloud account on Nx Witness Desktop can access any Nx Witness
system on the account without entering credentials.
· Easily share access to Nx Cloud systems with new users, only requiring a user email for the
invite.
· View and manage your Nx Witness system from the Nx Cloud portal.

To Connect a Nx Witness System to Nx Cloud

1. Open the Main Menu and click System Administration.
2. Go to the Cloud tab and click Connect System to Cloud.
3. Enter your Nx Cloud account 8 email and click Next.
4. Enter your Nx Cloud account 8 password and click Log in.
Important: If your firewall restricts most connections by default, be sure to allow the required
FQDNs to prevent cloud-connectivity issues.

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Configure the Storage Archive

Add Storage
All accessible local and network drives should automatically be detected. Network drives can be
added manually if not detected automatically.
1. Right-click on the server and click Server Settings.
2. Go to the Storage Management tab.
3. Click Add External Storage and enter the drive's location and credentials. Click OK.

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Main and Backup Storage

4. Choose which drive should be the Main drive and which drive(s) should be used as its Backup.
5. To store analytics data, hover over the desired drive and click Use to store analytics data.
Note: It is not recommended to store analytics data on the Main drive as analytics data
cannot be moved and takes up large amounts of space. If you encounter a storage issue, read
How to fix the Analytics Database Storage Issue.
6. Click on the Backup tab to access backup configuration settings.
A. Select the cameras to backup by toggling the switch on the right side. Toggle the New
added devices option to automatically begin backing up a device once it has been added
to the Nx Witness system
B. Use the What to backup menu to select what aspect of the camera's archive should be
backed up:
· All archive
· Motion
· Objects
· Bookmarks
· Motion and Objects
· Motion and Bookmarks
· Objects and Bookmarks
· Motion, Bookmarks, and Objects
C. Use the Quality menu to select which streams to backup:
· All streams
· Low-res
D. If Skip Current Queue is clicked, the backup process will ignore existing footage and only
backup recordings after that point.

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E. Click Bandwidth Limit tab and select a bandwidth mode:

· No Limit – The entire archive will be backed up. Afterward, the server will continuously
back up live streams.
· Fixed – The bandwidth remains a specified Mbit/s across all days and times.
· Scheduled – Backup is performed only during the selected days and hours. Fill in the cells
of the schedule using the following options: Unlimited, No backup, and Limited to (limit to
a certain Mbit/s, but remember that too tight a bandwidth constraint can cause the entire
backup to fail). Note that the footage will be backed up since the last time backup was
completed. If network bandwidth is insufficient, the backup may not be fully completed
within the specified time frame. In this case the date and time of the footage that was
backed up will be clearly indicated (Archive backup complete until...).

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Add a Camera
Compatible devices will usually be detected automatically since autodiscovery is enabled by
default, although sometimes devices will need to be searched for and added manually.
1. Right-click on the server and click Add Device.
2. In the Known Address tab, enter the camera location to search for the camera on the network.
If needed, enter the port or authorization credentials and click Scan.
3. In the Subnet Scan tab, enter the subnet to search for the camera on the network. If needed,
enter the port or authorization credentials and click Scan.
Authorization Credentials
Some cameras require authorization credentials before being able to access their stream. These
cameras have a lock icon next to them in the Resource Tree.
1. Right-click on a camera and click Camera Settings.
2. In the General tab, click Edit Credentials.
3. Enter the login and password. Click OK.

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Enable Recording on a Camera

1. Right-click on a camera and click Camera Settings.
2. Go to the Recording tab and enable the Recording option.
3. Select the recording schedule settings: dates/times, recording mode and type, FPS, and Quality.
Click OK.
There are three recording types to choose from: Motion, Objects, or Motion & Objects. This will
selection will change the type of Recording Modes to choose from.

Recording Modes

· Record always – Records the stream all the time.

· Motion Only / Objects Only / Motion & Objects Only – Records the stream only when motion,
objects, or both are detected.
· Motion + Lo-Res / Objects + Lo-Res / Motion & Objects + Lo-Res – Records the stream in low
resolution all the time and high resolution only when motion, objects, or both are detected.
· Do Not Record

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Enable Motion Detection and Create a Motion Mask

1. Right-click on a camera and click Camera Settings.
2. Go to the Recording tab and enable the Motion Detection option.
3. Select a sensitivity level and click and drag on the video preview to create a motion mask over
the desired area. Click OK.

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Part 2 – Using Basic Features 17

Part 2 – Using Basic Features

1. Navigation Panel – Access the Main Menu, create and organize layouts, log in to Nx Cloud, and
use the context-sensitive user manual.
2. Resource Tree – Organize all servers, cameras, layouts, webpages, and other resources. Use
Keyword Search to find resources quickly. Right-click on a resource and choose Rename to change
its name.
3. Notification Panel – Access the following tabs:
· Notifications – Displays important information about the system's state and triggered event
rules.
· Motion – Displays detected motion events from cameras with recording enabled.
· Bookmarks – Displays bookmarks that were manually created or triggered by an event rule.
· Events – Displays triggered event rules.
· Objects – Displays detected objects from plugin or camera analytics. Only visible when certain
analytics are detected.
4. Timeline – Playback controls are to the left (Play/Pause, Last/Next Frame, Last/Next Video
Segment), and stream toggles are to the right (Live, Sync, Thumbnail, and Calendar). Recorded
video appears as a solid green bar. If the Motion tab is open, motion recordings appear as red
segments. If the Bookmarks tab is open, bookmarks appear as blue segments.
5. Viewing Grid – Displays up to 64 items (e.g. cameras, webpages, etc.). Items are easily adjustable
(drag-and-drop to move) and can change dynamically in size depending on the number of items
on the Viewing Grid.

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Create a Layout
1. Click on the plus (+) icon on the Navigation Panel to create a new tab.
2. Drag and drop items onto the Viewing Grid and configure them to your needs.
3. Right-click on the newly created tab and click Save Layout.

Searching Through the Video Archive

Drag the position slider on the Timeline to select a segment of time. The position slider shows the
time currently being displayed on the selected camera or all cameras on the Viewing Grid if the
SYNC button is active. Zoom in or out of the Timeline to show smaller or larger time intervals using
the mouse scroll wheel or the +/- buttons on the upper left portion of the Timeline.

Preview Search
1. Select a camera on the Viewing Grid.
2. Click and drag the position slider on the Timeline to highlight the desired segment of recorded
video.
3. Right-click the highlighted segment and click Preview Search.

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4. Your selected time segment will automatically be divided into several equal time segments. A
new Layout will be created, and these smaller time segments will be displayed with thumbnails
for each time segment.
5. Click on a Preview Search Thumbnail to see the corresponding archive time segment highlighted
in the Timeline.
6. Preview Search thumbnails can be divided into smaller time segments by right-clicking on the
desired thumbnail and choosing Preview Search. The smallest time segment that Preview Search
will process thumbnails for is 10 seconds.

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Smart Motion Search

To search for motion events in the archive:
1. Go to the Notification Panel and click the Motion tab, or hover over a camera on the Viewing
Grid and click the Smart Motion Search icon.
2. Apply the following filters:
· Area (required) – Click and drag over the camera to define the Smart Motion Search area.
This limits the results to motion events that occurred within a specified zone of the
camera's stream.
· Camera (required) – Limits the results to motion events from the selected camera.
· Time (optional) – Limits the results to motion events that occurred within the selected time
interval: Last day, Last 7 days, Last 30 days, and Any time.
3. View the search results in the Notification Panel.

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Calendar Search
Search for and view archive video by filtering via a camera's archive recording date/time:
1. Click on the Calendar icon to the right of the Timeline.
2. Select one or more dates to view recordings from that day.
3. Select one or more times to view recordings from that hour.
Note: Hold the CTRL key while selecting dates/times to choose more than one.

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Export Recorded Video

1. Select a camera on the Viewing Grid.
2. Click and drag the position slider on the Timeline to highlight the desired segment of recorded
video.
3. Right-click the highlighted segment and click Export Video.
4. Select the file type and export location. Click Export.
Note: Read Exporting Video for more information.

Nx Witness Quick Start Guide Network Optix

Still need help? Visit us at http://support.networkoptix.com