PTZ Preset As-an-Action
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Affected Roles: Administrator, Power Users
Related Digital Watchdog VMS Apps: DW Spectrum
Software Version: 6.0
Last Edit: May 2, 2025
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PTZ Preset
A PTZ Preset As-an-Action setup utilizes an Event Rule to automatically point a PTZ camera to a pre-saved PTZ position – a method can be useful when using a PTZ camera with ONVIF Absolute Move support combined with alarm zones or external sensors.
This article will outline how to create PTZ presets in the DW Spectrum Client, as well as how to create an Event Rule that can be used to automatically trigger the PTZ Preset.
Related Articles
- DW Spectrum – PTZ Presets for SiteWatch Laser Events
- DW Spectrum – PTZ Auto-Focus and Camera Control
- DW MEGApix – Ai Analytic Rules Setup
Part 1: Creating PTZ Presets
To create a PTZ preset in DW Spectrum Client:
- Open the PTZ camera and click the PTZ control button.
- Use the PTZ controls to point the camera toward the desired area and right-click in the viewing window.
Hover the mouse over “PTZ” in the context menu then select “Save Current Position”.
- Configure the PTZ Preset position accordingly. For example, you might use “Front Driveway” to have the camera point at the first Alarm Zone where motion is detected.
- Click the OK button to save the preset.
- Continue creating PTZ Presets for any additional Alarm Zones that you want to set up.
Part 2: Creating Event Rules
Utilizing an external sensor or a region of interest (ROI) for a camera, we will create an Event Rule that will cause the PTZ camera to point toward a PTZ preset as an automatic action.
- Open the System Administration menu and select “Event Rules”.
- In the Event Rules menu, click the Add button to create a new rule.
- In the Event section of the rule form, configure the following:
- When – select the event type that will trigger the automated action. This might look like using the camera’s motion detection area, an input signal from an external I/O sensor, or video stream analytics from a DW MEGApix Ai camera.
- At – select the device that will trigger the event. In this example, we are using a camera that has had an ROI zone set for stream analytics.
- Event Type – this setting option only appears when using a camera analytic event as a trigger. Select the method of detection.
- Source Contains – (optional) event will only trigger if there are matches in the caption using specific keywords. For example, if using a DW SiteWatch laser, a keyword might be “laser” as specified in the external laser sensor. If the field is empty, the event will always trigger.
- Caption Contains – (optional) event will only trigger if there are matches in the caption using specific keywords. If the field is empty, the event will always trigger.
- Description Contains – (optional) event will only trigger if there are matches in the caption using specific keywords. If the field is empty, the event will always trigger.
**NOTE: Capitalization and spelling matter when setting up an Event Rule that corresponds with an external sensor device. Event alerts from external sensors are case-sensitive when communicating with the DW Spectrum Server.
- In the Action section, configure the following:
- Do – select “Execute PTZ Preset”
- At – select the responding PTZ camera
- Interval of Action – (optional) set a limit to how frequently this Event Rule can be triggered.
- PTZ Preset – select the PTZ preset that was configured in Part 1 of this article above.
- Click the Apply button to save the rule. Click the OK button to save the rule and close the Event Rules window.
- The PTZ camera will now respond to the configured Event Rule by pointing to the PTZ preset as an automatic action.
For More Information or Technical Support
DW Technical Support: 866.446.3595 (option 4)
https://www.digital-watchdog.com/contact-tech-support/
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