Connect your cameras first
The Windows client can place connected cameras in separate tiles. Set up each camera and check that it is online before building your layout. If this is your first camera, start with the installation and camera connection guide.
Open live video and select a camera
If you have already added the camera on your phone, sign in to the PC client with the same V380 PRO account. Open Home with the house icon on the far-left toolbar. Your cameras appear in the list beside it; double-click a camera to start watching.
Before taking a screenshot or changing the picture, click the tile that contains the camera image. The blue outline identifies the selected tile, and the tools beneath the viewing area apply to that selection. This matters when several cameras are open: selecting an empty tile makes camera-specific controls unavailable.
Most everyday viewing happens on this Home screen. The camera list stays on the left, while the viewing area takes up the main part of the window. Preview below the image is for live video; Replay is where you look for recordings stored by the camera.
The far-left toolbar is also your route to saved files and settings. The bell opens alarm messages, the folder opens images and videos stored on the PC, and the hexagon opens client settings. Cloud service and Download management are in the top bar, alongside your account menu.
Use the live view controls
With a live tile selected, look along the toolbar below the image. Screenshot and Record are near its left end. Farther along are Inversion, PTZ control, Light and Color. On the right, the quality button, speaker and full-screen control change how you watch the stream.
Move the pointer over an icon when you need its English name. Very faint icons are unavailable for the current camera or selection. Select the live tile first; if a tool is still unavailable, the camera may not support that feature.
To stop watching, use the round pause/stop control at the left end of the bottom toolbar, or right-click the camera and choose Stop. Double-click the camera in the list again to resume. If a PC recording is running, finish its save confirmation before leaving the stream.
Choose a multiple-camera layout
A grid is useful when you want to keep an entrance, a room and another location visible together. Choose the layout first, then place a camera in each tile. The 1, 4, 9, 16 and 64 buttons are at the bottom-right of the software window.
Click an empty tile and double-click a camera in the left list to open it there. Repeat for the other cameras. When you need to work with one of them, select its tile before using the toolbar. A single-camera layout gives the image more room, while a larger grid makes it easier to watch several locations.
Make the picture easier to see
For a closer look, select the camera and click the four-corner full-screen icon near the speaker control. Full-screen viewing removes the surrounding client panels from the viewing area. Press Esc when you want to return to the camera list and normal controls.
If you need more detail, use HD quality. If the picture pauses or loads slowly, try SD and allow the stream a moment to update. The small HD/SD button near the bottom-right switches directly between the two settings. Using fewer simultaneous streams can also help when the PC or network is under load.
The speaker icon beside the quality control lets you listen to camera audio through the computer. If it is enabled but you hear nothing, check Windows volume and the selected output device. The camera must also supply an audio stream. This listening control is separate from the Record audio setting used for camera recordings.
Name, find and group your cameras
As you add more cameras, names and groups make the list easier to use. Start with Search device above the Home camera list when you already know which camera you need. Enter its name or ID, expand its group if necessary and double-click the matching camera to open it. Clear the search to see the full list again.
Search device works with the cameras already listed by the client. Use Add Device at the bottom of the panel when you need to add another camera. If an expected camera is missing after clearing the filter, check the signed-in account before adding a duplicate entry.
Name a camera and check its information
Right-click the camera in the Home list and select Device details. This menu is also where you can choose Play or Stop, Move to group, Alarm message and Remove. Use Remove only when you intend to take that camera entry out of the list.
At the top of Device details, enter a useful device name, such as Front Door, and click Save to apply it. You can also check the device ID, camera user name and memory-card status here. The software and firmware version fields identify information reported by the camera, rather than the PC client version shown in About.
Use Return to leave the details page. Recording and alarm settings are farther down the same page, so review what you have changed before saving. The device-password entry is also here, but it changes access to the camera rather than the name shown in the list.
Arrange cameras into groups
For a longer list, you can organize cameras by room or site. Right-click a group heading, such as Default device, and choose Add group. This menu is opened from the heading rather than from an individual camera.
Enter the group name in the form and click Confirm. Cancel leaves the form without adding a group. To place a camera in a group, right-click that camera, choose Move to group and select the intended destination when it is available.
The group menu also offers Name group for renaming, Top group for placing a group at the top, Remove group and Refresh. Some commands are unavailable for the default group. Use the arrow beside a group heading to collapse or expand its camera list, and check the selected group before using a removal command.
Adjust supported camera controls
Once the live picture is open, you can adjust what the camera shows and how it handles the scene. Select its tile before using these controls. The available functions depend on the camera hardware, so a fixed camera will not gain motorized movement simply because the PC client has a PTZ button.
Move a camera with pan and tilt
For a camera with motorized movement, click PTZ control, the circle with directional arrows on the bottom toolbar. Move the pointer into the selected image to reveal the arrows at its edges. Use a direction briefly, release it and let the camera respond before making another adjustment.
The PTZ button enables the directional overlay. It does not choose a movement direction by itself. Click it again when you want to turn the overlay off. If it remains unavailable, check that the selected tile has live video and the camera supports pan and tilt.
Correct an upside down image
If a camera is mounted upside down, find the 180 icon with the tooltip Inversion. Click it and allow the image to update, then check the orientation. Use it again if you need to return to the previous orientation. Use PTZ when you need to change where the camera points.
Choose the light and picture modes
At night or in a dim location, start by checking Light and Color. They control different parts of the result: Light manages the supported camera lighting, while Color selects color, black and white or automatic picture switching.
Click the light-bulb icon to open the Light menu. ON keeps the supported light on, OFF turns it off and Auto lets the camera manage it. The type of light and its automatic behavior depend on the camera. Allow the picture to settle after changing a mode.
For the picture mode, click the picture icon with a gear, whose tooltip is Color. Choose Color for a color image, B/W for black and white, or Auto for automatic switching. Check the result in the actual lighting conditions. A color mode still needs enough usable light to produce a clear scene.
Auto is useful for ordinary changes between day and night when it suits the camera and location. If a night image is difficult to see, review both menus rather than repeatedly changing only the picture mode.
Common questions
Why are camera controls gray?
Select a tile that already contains live video and make sure you are in Preview. Controls can also be unavailable when the camera does not support the feature.
Why do several camera streams keep pausing?
Try SD quality and fewer simultaneous streams, then check the PC and network connection. The layout options show available tiles; they do not guarantee that a particular PC and network can handle every stream at once.
Does the speaker button enable audio recording?
The live-view speaker controls sound played through the PC. The camera’s Record audio option is separate. See recording settings and storage.
Where do I view earlier video from one of these cameras?
Select the camera and use Replay for its memory-card recordings. The playback guide also covers PC files and cloud video.
Next guide
Set up motion detection & alarms