Access Control that is integrated with a Security Camera System is proving to be one of the highest demanded integrations. Pdk has a full-fledged integration with Digital-Watchdog. This integration allows a user to create and view bookmarked videos of access events, create text overlays, and even use soft-triggers to initiate events in the access control software, such as unlocking a door.

Pdk io provides greater opportunities for third-party integration. Pdk’s open API allows customers to integrate their access control system with many other third-party platforms. Integration helps provide an attractive turn-key solution to end-users because it simplifies their security operations while providing a higher level of protection.

ProdataKey and Digital Watchdog, a leader in digital recorders, surveillance cameras, and related management software, are offering an integration between pdk io access control and the DW Spectrum IPVMS video management platform. This seamless, integrated solution allows DW Spectrum users to review all pdk io event data from within the IPVMS interface and enables more efficient and effective security monitoring through automated responses to access-related events. For example, activity at a door reader or a door propped open can activate the movement of a PTZ (Pan-Tilt-Zoom) camera to provide corresponding coverage, initiate the pop-up of a video layout, send e-mail notifications to designated users, generate an audio alarm at the monitoring workstation, and create a bookmark within the recorded video stream at the time of the event. A flexible rules engine makes it easy for installing dealers, integrators, and system administrators to program these and other sequences.

The integration also allows DW Spectrum users to send commands back to the pdk io system to open or close doors, enable or disable certain features like “do not disturb,” and even trigger a lockdown. The result is a comprehensive security solution, accessible through a single interface, which delivers more features and functionality than two systems operating independently.

For DW customers wishing to add a pdk io system to their site, installation is fast and affordable thanks to a cloud platform that reduces upfront investment in on-premise hardware and management. Together, the DW and PDK integrated solution offers one of the most affordable, feature-rich unified video/access control platforms industry-wide, both in terms of initial expense and long-term, total-cost-of-ownership.

Triggering Actions in PDK.io from DW Spectrum

Command Names

Installing the NVR Integration Tool

Using Event Rules

Invalid Rules

Filtering and Sorting the Event Rule List

Editing Rules from the List

Editing Rules from the Advanced Settings Form

Using the Event Rules Form

Adding an Event Rule from the Form

Selection Lists in Event Rules

Continuous or Instant Events

Instant, Interval, or Fixed Duration Actions

Configuring Mail Server for Email Notifications

Simple Outgoing Email Settings

Advanced Outgoing Email Settings

Other Spectrum Settings

To Show or Hide Notifications

Event Scheduling

To Set a Schedule for an Event

Configuring Mail Server for Email Notifications

Simple Outgoing Email Settings

Advanced Outgoing Email Settings

Selection Lists in Event Rules

Selecting Devices

Selecting Users

Technical Support

ProdataKey’s NVR Integration Tool (Network Video Recorder) works in conjunction with DW (Digital Watchdog), a leading provider of video surveillance solutions, that brings together the best technology and features of two security application companies to provide more powerful security solutions. Digital Watchdog’s DW Spectrum is a customizable IP video management platform that works in conjunction with ProdataKey’s powerful PDK io products to provide users with the ability to create tailored networked video surveillance projects that anyone can use on any device. See how these two platforms work together to create a seamlessly integrated experience: door activity, video pop-up, bookmarking, lock/unlock/lockdown doors, and more from one synchronized platform.

Driver Installation

Using Generic Events

Soft Trigger Creation

It is recommended to use dpkg to install the package.

1 # dpkg -i nvr-integration-tool_0.0.3_all.deb

debconf will ask you to set the following configuration parameters during installation:

Command Server Port - NVR Integration Tool starts an HTTP server that will listen to commands on this port (default is 9191).
Panel ID - Identifier of Cloud Node to connect. For specifying multiple Cloud Nodes, IDs should be separated by a semicolon ( ; ).
Spectrum username - Username in Spectrum system
Spectrum password - Password in Spectrum system
Spectrum URI - URL where Spectrum is listening for events (http://localhost:7001/api/createEvent by default)

If you want to modify these parameters after installation, you will need to edit the /etc/nvr-integration-tool/nvr-integration-tool.env file and restart the service.

The installer also asks to open a link in the browser. It is necessary in order to authenticate the system.

Commands and Scripts

There is a system service NVR Integration Tool. You can use this service to start, stop, or check the status of the NVR Integration Tool.

For example:

1 # systemctl status nvr-integration-tool

Use journalctl to get logs:

1 # journalctl -u nvr-integration-tool.service

If you see error messages in the logs that contain "Unable to find refresh token locally", or "Failed to connect to a panel because of an invalid token", or if you just want to get the new token to have access to the system, then you have to run the script /usr/local/bin/nvr-get-token.sh. This script asks to open a link in a browser. After a successful login, it starts the NVR Integration Tool service with the new token.

Generic Event

Prior to getting into the instructions of downloading and installing the tool, an explanation of how the NVR Integration Tool works and how it integrates with DW Spectrum is necessary. These two applications function with each other with what is called Generic Events.

A Generic Event occurs when the server receives an HTTP request from an external system such as an alarm, access control device, or a monitoring system. This is a default event and allows commands to be sent from DW Spectrum to third-party systems such as pdk.io.

DW Spectrum allows pdk.io devices to send an HTTP string known as a CreateEvent API call. The CreateEvent request must follow the proper format in order to be read by the server. In addition, the event fields in the rule must match the corresponding fields in the HTTP request to be acted upon. The full server API documentation is accessed on any installed server from:

http://<serveripaddress>:<servernetworkport>/static/api.xml

NOTE: Values in the Event field are case-sensitive, and an empty string functions as a wildcard, where any value is considered a match.

When a Generic Event is created in the DW Spectrum System, there are three basic parameters associated with each event; each HTTP request contains these three parameter data pieces: the Source, Caption, and Description.

These three data events are searched and filtered by the DW System. This can be leveraged in the Bookmark Log (Ctrl-B) when bookmarks are created from events, and when creating Event Rules (Ctrl-E).

Source

The resource that initiates the event: device (motion detection, input signal, etc.) or server (storage failure, server failure, etc.). The source parameter of the Generic Event is the name of the device in the pdk.io system that generated the PDK io event.

Caption

Caption is an optional class value used to identify an object type. Entries in this field should match the corresponding field in the HTTP request and is case sensitive. If the field is empty, it will always be considered a match. The caption parameter of the Generic Event is determined by the corresponding pdk.io event type that was generated. This can be any of the following values:

PDK.io Event Type	DW Spectrum IPVMS Generic Event Caption	Description
Open (DPS)	door.input.dps.opened	Door position sensor detected the door open.
Close (DPS)	door.input.dps.closed	Door position sensor detected the door closed.
AutoOpen Enabled	door.autoopen.on	Auto open became active on the device.
AutoOpen Disabled	door.autoopen.off	Auto open became deactivated on the device.
Door Propped Alarm	door.alarm.propped.on	Door propped alarm has triggered the device.
Door Propped Alarm Clear	door.alarm.propped.off	Door propped alarm has been cleared for the device.
All Prop Clear	door.alarm.propped.alloff	All door propped alarms have been cleared.
Door Forced Alarm	door.alarm.forced	Door forced alarm has triggered the device.
Communication Loss	endpoint.alarm.commloss.on	Communication with the connection has been lost.
Communication Loss Clear	endpoint.alarm.commloss.off	Communication with the connection has been re-established.
No Person Associated with Credentials	door.request.unknown	An unknown credential was scanned and access was implicitly denied.
Access Allowed	door.request.allowed	A known credential was scanned and access was allowed.
Access Denied	door.request.denied	A known credential was scanned and access was denied.
Duress PIN Entered	door.request.duress	A duress PIN was used to authenticate at the reader.
Request to Exit Open	door.input.rex.on	Request to exit was triggered on the door.
Request to Exit Closed	door.input.rex.off	Request to exit was cleared on the door.
Card Scan Error	error.card.parse	Bad data was received from the card reader connected to the door.

Description

Description is an optional attribute value used to distinguish objects within a class. Entries in this field should match the corresponding field in the HTTP request and is case sensitive. The description parameter of the Generic Event is the same text that is generated for the info text of the Live Events in pdk.io.

NOTE: Generic Events created by pdk.io do not have the following parameters defined; Metadata and Occurs are parameters defined only in DW Spectrum.

Metadata

Metadata, strictly a DW Spectrum parameter and not defined in PDK.io, is used to pass a device identifier that will specify devices the event is limited to.

IMPORTANT: PDK does not define the Metadata parameter; the Force Acknowledgement option cannot be used when using the Show Notification action as part of a rule event.

Occurs

Occurs is a DW Spectrum parameter and not defined in PDK.io. This is an optional field in DW Spectrum for the State. If there is no State field in the HTTP request, the event is considered instant. All Generic Events created by pdk.io are considered instant Generic Events.

IMPORTANT: If a continuous action such as “device recording” or “repeat sound” is bound to an instant Generic Event (one without a State field) the rule will not work.

Triggering Actions in PDK.io from DW Spectrum

After installing the NVR Integration Tool you will be able to trigger specific actions in pdk.io from the DW Spectrum interface using Event rules with the Soft Trigger Event and Do HTTP Request Action.

The parameters of the Do HTTP Request Action must be populated as shown below for the actions to complete successfully in pdk.io.

NOTE: Refer to the fields in the right-side Action panel above for an example of how the content should appear in each of the fields described below.

Do - Click on this field (or the Action panel in the list) to select from a menu of Actions.

Interval of action - Check this option to aggregate the number of times the action will be triggered. For No more than once per a given amount of time or instance, enter an integer value (1 - 999) and select a time interval from the menu (seconds, minutes, hours, or days). If unchecked, the action is instant and will occur whenever the event is triggered.

HTTP URL - This is the HTTP link to the external system that will receive the request. It can also contain the request itself. The URL should be formatted as follows:

http://localhost:9191/commands/{command-name}

The {command-name} must be one of the following Command Names in the table below and the parameter /commands/ (as shown in the s example above) precedes the command name(s) in the string of text. If more than one command name is used, each command name is separated by a comma (no spaces).

Command Names

NOTE: The {command-name} is case sensitive and must be exactly as shown in this table.

{command-name}	Action Performed in pdk.io
open	Changes the relay associated with the device to the open state.
close	Changes the relay associated with the device to the closed state.
dnd	Toggles the do-not-disturb flag on the device.
forceToggle	Forces the relay associated with the device into the opposite of its current state regardless of holds or auto opens.
tryOpen	Performs an Open/Close action on the device which is the same as an access allowed scan in that it will: Change the relay associated with the device to the open state. Leave the relay in the open state for the specified dwell time listed in the devices configuration in pdk.io. Change the relay associated with the device to the closed state.
commands	Used to specify multiple other commands to be used.

HTTP content - The HTTP content should be formatted as follows:

{“panelId”:“{Cloud Node Serial Number}”,“doors”:[{Device ID number(s)}]}

as in the following:

{“panelId”:“1070ECB”,“doors”:[1]}

Note the use and placement of colons ( : ) commas ( , ) and brackets [ ] and that each parameter is enclosed in “double-quotes” with {curly brackets} at each end of this HTTP content string of text.

{Cloud Node Serial Number} - This is the serial number labeled on the inside door of the pdk.io appliance or it can also be found on the pdk.io website. It will be something similar to 1070XXX (where XXX is a unique three-character alphanumeric designation).
{Device ID number(s)} - This is a comma-separated list of the Device IDs that you would like the action performed on (no spaces). If performing the action on a single device, no comma is needed. The Device ID is found by navigating to the device’s configuration screen in pdk.io and look in the browser URL bar. The number at the end is the Device ID.

For example: in pdk.io/appliances/1070ECB/configuration/devices/1 the Device ID is 1.

Content type - Must be left at Auto.

Login and Password - Leave these two fields blank.
Authentication type - Must be left at Auto.
Request type - Must be left at Auto.

Click OK to accept the input changes for this screen.

Advanced Use Cases

It is possible to have multiple actions triggered in pdk.io using a single Soft Trigger Event. To do so in the Do HTTP Request Action, you will use the commands {command-name} in the HTTP URL and format the HTTP content similar to the following.

{“PanelId”:“{Cloud Node Serial Number}”,“doors”:[{Device ID number(s)}],“commands”:[“{command-name},{command-name}”]}

{command-name} - This value is a comma-separated list of the Command Name options listed above that you would like to have triggered. Each command name is surrounded by double-quotes. Multiple commands can be used, separated by a comma (no spaces), and must be preceded by “commands” as illustrated here. This command string format would be entered in the HTTP content field.
{“panelId”,“1070ECB”,“doors”:[1],“commands”:[“close”,“dnd”]}

Using Event Rules

When the DW event engine is used, many interesting things can be done in response to access control events.

As an example: To trigger a bookmark in the timeline if the value of the source is "Front Door", you can put "Front", "Door", "Front D", etc. in the Source contains filter to match on it (the single word "Door" will get all events with the word "Door" in source). Most of the time the full name of the door is used in this field.

Caption Filter

The caption filter is used to choose which access control events trigger the creation of a bookmark. Leave this blank if all events from the pdk io system should execute the rule action.

If you only want to trigger an action on an Allow event, the appropriate caption value is

door.request.allowed

Put that full value in the Caption contains field.

If you want to trigger an action any time an access is attempted, whether that attempt succeeds or fails, you can put a partial value such as

door.access

in the Caption contains a field to capture all events that start with that.

Using the Event Rules List

There are several ways to open the Event Rules dialog.

Use the Event Rules icon in the Notification Panel (shortcut Ctrl+E).
Open System Administration (shortcut Ctrl+Alt+A) > General tab and click the Event Rules button.
Use the device context menu and select Device Rules to list the rules that apply to that specific device.
Click the Device Rules button in the Device Settings dialog.

Each row in the Event Rules list is a rule.

Invalid Rules

If a rule is not configured correctly, it will have a red background indicating it is invalid.

A small dot in the left-most # column indicates that an event has unsaved changes.

Filtering and Sorting the Event Rule List

You can click each of the column headers to sort rules in ascending or descending order by the values in that column.

The Filter field applies to devices (Source column) only. Filter results refresh as characters are entered and will include rules that apply to multiple devices if any one of the devices matches the criteria.

Rules that apply to <Any Device> will never be filtered out. To disable filtering, clear the field.

Editing Rules from the List

The Event Rules list provides basic editing functions. A click on any parameter in the list opens a pull-down menu where you can edit the parameter value for the selected rule. A right-click on any parameter opens a context menu where you can add a New rule, Delete the selected rule, or set a Schedule for the selected rule.

Editing Rules from the Advanced Settings Form

You can also configure rule parameters using the Advanced Settings form on the lower half of the dialog.

Using the Event Rules Form

The form opens in the lower half of the Event Rules dialog when you select a rule in the list or when you click the Add button. Often it includes parameters that are not available in the Event Rules list.

Adding an Event Rule from the Form

Click the Add button (or right-click an existing rule in the list and click New in the context menu). The form will open and a new line for the rule is added to the list.
Select the Event to be monitored and the Action to execute when that event occurs. Each requires one or more of these parameters.

For Events

When – Click on this field in the form (or the Event field in the list) to select from the menu of events.
Starts or Stops – Events that can occur continuously, such as a motion on a camera, require a state definition of either Starts or Stops.
Device(s) – Click on the at field in the form (or double-click the Source field in the list) to select one or more devices.

For Actions

Do – Click on this field in the form (or the Action field in the list) to select from a menu of Actions.
Device(s) – Click on the at field (or the Target field in the list) to select one or more devices that will execute the action. At least one device must be selected for a rule to be valid.
User(s) – Click on the To field in the form (or the Target field in the list) to select one or more user roles as the recipient of the action. NOTE: At least one user must be selected for a rule to be valid.
Schedule – Click this button to open a calendar for Setting up Schedule for Tracking Events.
Comments – Enter any desired remarks.
Interval of action and Fixed duration – Check this option to specify how long an action will last, typically in response to a continuous event. Enter the duration, in seconds; zero is not a valid entry, and depending on the action, there may be an upper limit to the duration.

Click Apply to accept changes and keep the dialog open. Click OK.

NOTE: If one or more rules are not correctly defined, you will get the error message: Some rules are not valid. Disable them?

Click Yes to disable the invalid rules. Invalid rules will remain in the list but their On checkbox will not be checked.
Click No to allow invalid rules to be active. The On checkbox will be checked and the rule will be highlighted in red.

In the Event Rule list, set or clear the On checkbox to enable or disable the rule.

IMPORTANT: Make sure notification for the event type is turned on in Global Notifications.

Selection Lists in Event Rules

Event rules use selection lists to choose devices and users. Selection and filtering behavior, described in the next topic, is consistent in both.

Continuous or Instant Events

Some events may be continuous, some can only be instant, and some may be either (Generic or Analytics Events).

Continuous – Events that can occur continuously, such as motion on a camera, require a State definition of either Starts or Stops.
Instant – These are events that occur instantly, without duration, such as a device being disconnected or a server starting. For Generic and Analytics events, instant events are labeled Occurs.

Instant, Interval, or Fixed Duration Actions

The following parameters are available for most Actions, depending on their intended behavior.

Interval of action – Check this option to limit the frequency with which an Action will occur in response to an Event. Enter an integer value (1 - 999) in the No more than once per field, and select a corresponding time increment (sec, min, hrs, days). This feature is useful, for example, with an action such as show notification where the triggering event may be continuous but it is only necessary to be notified periodically.
Instant – Uncheck this option so the Action will execute every time the Event occurs.
Fixed duration – Check this option to specify how long an Action will last, typically in response to a continuous Event. Enter the duration, in seconds; zero (0) is not a valid entry. Depending on the Action, there may be an upper limit to the duration.

Relevant Events

Generic Event

This occurs when the server receives an HTTP request from an external system such as an alarm system, access control device, or monitoring system. This is a default Event.

DW Spectrum allows third-party systems and devices to send an HTTP string known as a CreateEvent API call. The CreateEvent request must follow the proper format in order to be read by the server, and the Event fields in the rule must match the corresponding fields in the HTTP request to be acted upon. Full server API documentation is accessed on any installed server from

http:// <serveripaddress>:<servernetworkport>/static/api.xml.

NOTE: Values in the Event field are case-sensitive; an empty string functions as a wildcard, where any value is considered a match.

These three data events are searched and filtered by the DW System. This can be leveraged in the Bookmark Log (Ctrl-B) when bookmarks are created from Events, and when creating Event Rules (Ctrl-E).