Frequently Asked Questions

This page provides answers to the most commonly asked questions regarding the VMS settings.

How to Use Generic Alarm in the VMS?

Generic Alarm is a custom alarm type that can be triggered externally via an HTTPS request. It is designed to support integrations with third-party systems, allowing them to invoke alarm rules and automate actions within the VMS. This article provides step-by-step instructions on how to configure a Generic Alarm and send a request to trigger an alarm rule with it.

Step 1. Create the Alarm Rule in the VMS to respond to Generic Alarm requests:

  1. In the What tab:
    • Enter the alarm rule name
    • Select Generic Alarm as the alarm type
    • Enter the desired caption content (this will be used as a matching condition for the external trigger)
  2. In the Where tab, select at least one camera to associate with the rule
  3. In the When tab, define the operation schedule for when the rule can be triggered
  4. In the Action tab, configure the desired action (e.g., Create Alarm, Generate Notification, Open Layout, etc.) that will be executed once the rule is triggered by Generic Alarm
  5. In the For tab, assign the rule to at least one user role
For detailed guidance on configuring alarm rules, refer to the Create Alarm Rule documentation.

Step 2. Prepare and send the HTTPS request.

To configure the Generic Alarm, send an authenticated HTTPS request using the POST method to the following endpoint:

https://<your_server_ip_address>:<port>/api/v1/alarms/add_generic_alarm

Where:

  • <your_server_ip_address> is the IP address or hostname of the VMS server
  • <port> is the HTTPS port (default: 2443)

In the request body, specify the JSON structure as in the following example:

{
  "rule_id": 1,
  "message": "string",
  "source_id": "3fa85f64-5717-4562-b3fc-2c963f66afa6"
}
  • Field descriptions:
    • rule_id: ID of the alarm rule created in Step 1. It can be found in the Alarm Rules list.
    • message: A text string that should match the caption content specified in the alarm rule.
    • source_id: UUID of the camera selected in the Where tab of the alarm rule. It can be found in the Info tab of the selected Camera device item.
  • Both rule_id and source_id are mandatory fields. The message field is optional and used for matching the caption condition.

In the request headers, include the following entry:

Authorization: Bearer <your_api_token>

Replace <your_api_token> with a valid API token.

An API token is required for authorization. Refer to the API Token documentation for instructions on how to generate and retrieve a token.

Step 3. Confirm the alarm rule execution.

If all conditions defined in the alarm rule are met, the system will execute the assigned action(s) upon receiving the Generic Alarm. For example, if the Create Alarm action is configured, a new entry will appear in the Alarms tab of the Client Panel.

Additionally, alarm rules triggered by Generic Alarm can be reviewed in the System Logs section of the Admin Center.