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Affected Roles: Organization Administrators, Channel Partners, End Users

Related DW Software: myDW, COVA

Software Version: Current myDW and COVA releases

Last Edit: September 9, 2026

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COVA User Management

This article will outline what COVA can and cannot do on its own, then walk through the myDW side workflow — creating a Custom User Group, assigning platform and recorder permissions, and restricting individual camera channels.

COVA is a bridge NVR built specifically for myDW — it has no standalone user-management system of its own. Every user account, group, and access permission is created and maintained in myDW. The recorder’s web client can only show you who already has access.

COVA is designed to operate as a headless unit. While a monitor can be connected directly to the recorder, live camera view is available but navigation is limited — there is no menu or settings access from the local monitor. The only available option is the gear icon, which launches the Setup Wizard. Local monitor access is restricted to the admin account only. This design keeps the system simple and secure, with all management and monitoring handled through myDW and the COVA web client.

Supported/Affected Devices:

DW-COVA4 / DW-COVA8 / DW-COVA16 / myDW cloud platform

Resolution:

Part 1 — What COVA Can Do On Its Own (Web Client)

The following web client capabilities are available regardless of myDW subscription status, as long as the recorder is powered on and the web client is accessible.

Navigate to Settings → General → User on the COVA web client. View-only: lists existing users, but users can only be created, edited, renamed, or removed in myDW.
The only account-related action available from the web client is updating the admin password.
myDW users can access the COVA web client on the local network using their myDW email address and password as login credentials.
Under Settings → Network → myDW, an admin can view the recorder’s myDW registration status. To move the recorder to a different Organization, the admin must first unregister it — which requires the myDW password of the user account that originally registered the device. Registering the recorder to an Organization determines which users can access it: deregistering removes that Organization’s user list, and registering to a new Organization adds the new Organization’s user list.

Note: If the original registering account password is unknown or the user has left the company, delete the recorder from myDW as the recommended resolution.

Tip: DW feedback suggests registering the recorder with a service account or EU Organization Owner. This ensures continued access if the original registering account becomes unavailable.

Note: COVA has no capability to create users, groups, or permission levels — all of that lives in myDW.

Part 2 — Where User Management Actually Happens (myDW)

All user and group administration is done from the myDW dashboard under the Users icon in the left sidebar. Two tabs matter: Users (individual accounts) and User Groups. User Groups are recommended for managing multiple people at once — every user in a group inherits that group’s permissions.

Part 3 — Create a Custom User Group and Add Users

myDW Custom User Groups manage both platform permissions (which myDW pages and features a user can access) and recorder permissions (which recorders and camera channels a user can view) in a single group configuration. Every user added to the group inherits both sets of permissions automatically.

Click the Users icon in the left sidebar.
Click the User Groups tab.
Click Add Group.
Select users to add, then click Next.

Note: New users can also be added directly to a group later, during the Add New User process.

Part 4 — Configure myDW Platform Permissions

Select the myDW pages and features this group can access, then click Next.

Note: If a page permission is not selected, that page will not appear in the user’s interface. Selecting every permission automatically enforces full Administrator access — if Administrator access is enforced, it is not possible to customize the recorder permissions. Leave at least one option unchecked to allow a custom role.

Part 5 — Assign Recorder Access

Choose how the group connects to recorders: enable Apply to all current and future Recorders for blanket access, or uncheck it and use Add Systems / Add Recorder Groups to scope access to specific recorders and camera channels. Apply to all current and future Recorders must be unchecked to allow individual recorder customization.

Warning: If Administrator permissions were enforced in Part 4, recorder selection is locked. Go back and uncheck at least one platform permission to unlock custom recorder selection.

Part 6 — Select Camera Channels

Note: Camera-channel-level permissions are only available when Apply to all current and future Recorders is unchecked.

Select the recorder and click the arrow to expand it.
Choose the specific camera channels this group should have access to.
Hover over a channel icon to preview that camera’s image before selecting it.

Part 7 — Set COVA Permissions Role

Under Recorder Permissions, select a defined role or choose Custom.
If Custom is selected, configure granular permissions: Local Camera, Disk, Network, Record, Remote System, Remote Login, Remote Camera, AI/Event, Schedule, Local System, Account and Authority, Two-way Audio.

Part 8 — Name and Save the Group

Enter a Group Name and, optionally, a Description.
Click Save and confirm the “User group added successfully” message.
Once saved, members are restricted to the selected camera channels and permissions across the recorder’s web and app views, alerts, and reports.

Part 9 — What Happens if the myDW Subscription Lapses

Existing users retain access to the COVA system on the local network.
Permission settings cannot be viewed or modified until the subscription is restored.
The existing user list is locked — no users can be added or removed in this state.

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