Vision Portal: Introduction

Tour of the interface

Cameras page > Navigation pane (map)

You can use the global search to find the right camera. If you are already on a single network, you can use the Cameras page navigation pane instead.

• From here you can use the mini-map to find the right camera based on its location 

  • The blue dot refers to the selected camera, and red dots are cameras that are offline 

• Expand this for a larger view, and to switch between floor plans

• Collapse this if you don’t have any placements or don’t need this; your setting will be remembered on your device

Cameras page > Navigation pane (search and list)

Go to Cameras > Navigation pane (search and list). In addition to the global search or the mini-map, you can use the search input or the list view below the mini-map.

• Type a string that corresponds to a camera name or tag

  • Check which tags are associated with a camera by looking at the tag icon next to the camera name 

• Or, use the thumbnails to select the correct camera

  • Green dots correspond to cameras online, red dots are cameras that are offline

Cameras and video wall page → Video timeline

Go to the video timeline on the cameras or video wall page. The video timeline on both pages helps you navigate to historical video.

• Use the time-picker to type in a date and time using natural language processing, or select the date and time using the calendar and clock
• Browse through the timeline by selecting the arrows and changing the zoom level 
• The timeline also provides options to go backwards and forward by one frame or ten seconds
• The timeline also provides a way to play back by 0.25x, 0.5x, 1x, 2x, and 4x
• Use the audio on/off button on the video timeline to listen to audio, if audio is enabled

Earliest available video

Overview

The earliest available video feature is available only in the Vision portal. The feature lets you identify and jump to the earliest available video footage recorded by a specific camera. In the time-picker interface, the feature displays a timestamp, such as "March 28, 2025 at 12:30:00 am Earliest Available Video." The timestamp shows the earliest point in time for which video data exists on the camera. You can also see the earliest point directly on the timeline by the marker. 

Purpose and benefits

The earliest available video feature shows the earliest available footage date. The feature removes guesswork and lets you determine if critical footage for your investigation is accessible. The earliest available video feature helps you:

• Rapidly Access Critical Footage: Know the starting point of available video, which is important for time-sensitive investigations.
• Remove Guesswork: Avoid manually searching for the beginning of available footage.
• Streamline Investigations: Allows investigators to quickly determine the starting point of their footage review, ensuring they begin their analysis from a valid and relevant time. This helps users decide if their investigation is worth starting from that point.

Important Note on Accuracy: Due to the continuous nature of camera recording and storage management (where older footage is constantly being recorded over or deleted as new footage is captured), the displayed "Earliest Available Video" timestamp might be slightly off by up to 2 minutes. This minor discrepancy occurs because the camera is simultaneously recording new footage and managing the deletion of the earliest footage, leading to a dynamic earliest available point.

Cameras and video wall page → Motion search

Motion search on the video actions page can help you find historical video.

• By default, the drawer version searches the entire camera's field of view for a default time period. The time period is based on your currently selected time period on the timeline:

  • For live, this is backwards 50% of the timeline zoom until current time

  • For historical, this is backwards and forwards by 50% of the timeline zoom

• You can narrow down the search criteria by selecting a smaller region on the video player

Select Advanced Search for a larger, more focused motion search experience with a larger grid view and more filters.

The motion search results are provided in the form of motion recap images. These represent an entire motion event in a single frame. 

• After you select a result, you can play it back
• From here, you can download the motion recap image
• You can directly export the entire event

If you have Event Search enabled through the Meraki Early Access page, the portal directs you to a different tab.