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CVEDIA-RT Plugin for Milestone XProtect - Setup Guide

Version Notice

This documentation is valid for CVEDIA-RT version 2025.1.0 and later.

This guide is designed for technical users responsible for installing, updating, and maintaining the CVEDIA-RT plugin integration with Milestone XProtect systems.

Requirements

CVEDIA-RT XProtect Plugin

  • Appropriate CVEDIA licensing

Milestone XProtect

  • XProtect Professional+, XProtect Expert, and XProtect Corporate version 2023 R2 or newer.
  • All available patches installed.

Important

The CVEDIA-RT plugin utilizes one XProtect device license. This license is allocated for a Metadata Device that is created to stream bounding box data generated by the analytics.

Supported Decoders

  • "video/h264" for H264 streams
  • "video/hevc" for H265/HEVC streams

Initial Setup Requirements

CVEDIA-RT plugin is compatible with XProtect Professional+, XProtect Expert, and XProtect Corporate version 2023 R2 or newer.

Before proceeding to further steps, please make sure you have a compatible version and license of XProtect software installed on your machine.

Notes

Please check https://www.milestonesys.com/products/software/xprotect-comparison/ to learn more about the different variants of Milestone software.

Create a Dedicated User

CVEDIA-RT AI Analytics integration requires a dedicated administration user account in Milestone XProtect VMS to communicate with CVEDIA analytics engine and to automate the configuration of the system.

  1. On the target system, open the XProtect Management Client and sign in with administrator credentials. In the tree view on the left, choose Security > Basic Users and right-click on the Basic User view to bring up the context menu. Create basic user

  2. Choose Create Basic User and specify the user name and password.

    Make sure the "Force Basic User to change password" checkbox is NOT checked.

  3. Navigate to Security > Roles in the tree view on the left and select "Administrators" role. Press the "Users and Groups" button to view assigned users:

  4. Press "Add" to select the previously created user and assign them to the Administrator role.

    Once you complete these steps, you can proceed to install the CVEDIA-RT AI Analytics Plugin.

Installation and Activation

Components Overview

The CVEDIA-RT integration for Milestone XProtect consists of two primary components:

CVEDIA-RT Plugin for XProtect

A lightweight plugin that extends both the Management Client and Smart Client interfaces.

CVEDIA-RT On-Premise RT Server

The core AI engine responsible for real-time video analytics.

Supported Architecture

The CVEDIA-RT On-Premise RT Server for XProtect can be installed on any compatible device located within the same local area network (LAN) as the Milestone XProtect Management server.

It may also be installed on a completely independent device, as long as it resides within the same LAN.

Notes

There cannot be multiple CVEDIA-RT On-Premise Servers in the same network.

Installation

There are two installation options available for the CVEDIA-RT Plugin for Milestone XProtect:

All-in-One

  • Recommended for testing or small-scale deployments
  • A single device can host both the plugin and the server.

Distributed

  • Recommended if you prefer installing the CVEDIA-RT Server on a separate device.
  • For Production environments with distributed architecture.

Choose the installation type in the corresponding tabs below:

     ▼          ▼

All-in-One

  1. Create an admin user

    As described in the Initial Setup Requirements.

  2. Install CVEDIA-RT Server and Client

    System Requirements for CVEDIA-RT Server

    • Windows OS 10+
    • .NET Framework 4.8
    • GPU or VPU for decoding and AI inference
    • 10 GB of disk space

    • Download the "Installer for RT Server and XProtect Clients" on https://rt.cvedia.com/Milestone.

      It requires the registration of a free account.

    • Launch the downloaded file: CVEDIA-RT-XProtect-Plugin-Server-and-Client-Downloader.exe

    • Press the "Download" button to start downloading the installation files.


    • When prompted, accept the End User License Agreement


  3. (Optional) Activate the CVEDIA-RT trial license

    A trial license provides access to all features included in the CVEDIA-RT plugin for up to 4 video channels for a 30-day evaluation period.

    • The installation process is ready to start: it will only take a few minutes.

    Note

    If you choose to activate the trial license, a pop-up will appear to inform you if the operation was successful.

  4. Provide credentials for the dedicated Milestone XProtect user

    • Use the Admin User created in the setup phase.

    • Input the Address of the Milestone Management Server. You can use the IP address or the hostname.

    Note

    The Address of the Milestone Management Server can be found in Milestone Management Server -> Milestone Server Configurator -> Registering Servers Tab


  5. Configuration Validation

    The installer will confirm that the credentials are valid and that the CVEDIA-RT Xprotect Connector service has started successfully.


  6. Installation Validation.

    Open the XProtect Management Client and select Help / About to check if the plugin was correctly loaded.

    Congratulations! You have successfully completed the installation process!

Info

If you have additional client workstations, you should install the CVEDIA-RT Plugin using the "Installer for XProtect Clients" from https://rt.cvedia.com/Milestone

Distributed

Installation Steps

  1. Create an admin user

    As described in the Initial Setup Requirements.

  2. Install CVEDIA-RT Server

    System Requirements for CVEDIA-RT Server

    • Windows OS 10+
    • .NET Framework 4.8
    • GPU or VPU for decoding and AI inference
    • 10 GB of disk space

    • Download the "Installer for RT Server and XProtect Clients" on https://rt.cvedia.com/Milestone.

      It requires the registration of a free account.

    • Launch the downloaded file: CVEDIA-RT-XProtect-Plugin-Server-and-Client-Downloader.exe

    • Press the "Download" button to start downloading the installation files.



    • When prompted, accept the End User License Agreement

  3. (Optional) Activate the CVEDIA-RT trial license

    A trial license provides access to all features included in the CVEDIA-RT plugin for up to 4 video channels for a 30-day evaluation period.

    If you don't activate the trial license during installation, you can activate it later in the Plugin Settings from the Management Client.


    • The installation process is ready to start: it will only take a few minutes.


    Note

    If you choose to activate the trial license, a pop-up will appear to inform you if the operation was successful.

  4. Provide credentials for the dedicated Milestone XProtect user

    • Use the Admin User created in the setup phase
    • Input the Address of the Milestone Management Server. You can use the IP address or the hostname.

    Note

    The Address of the Milestone Management Server can be found in Milestone Management Server -> Milestone Server Configurator -> Registering Servers Tab


  5. Configuration Validation

    The installer will confirm that the credentials are valid and that the CVEDIA-RT XProtect Connector service has started successfully.


  6. Install CVEDIA-RT Plugin for the Management Client

    Download and run the "Installer for XProtect Clients" on the workstation where the Management Client is used. You can find the installer on https://rt.cvedia.com/Milestone.

    This installer will add the CVEDIA-RT Plugin to the XProtect Management Client and will allow you to manage licenses and user permissions.

  7. Installation Validation

    Open the XProtect Management Client and select Help / About to check if the plugin was correctly loaded.

    Congratulations! You have successfully completed the installation process!

  8. Install CVEDIA-RT Plugin for Smart Clients

    Download and run the "Installer for XProtect Clients" on the workstations where the Smart Client is used. You can find the installer on https://rt.cvedia.com/Milestone.

    This is necessary to enable the Smart Events filter for forensic search and to allow users to configure analytics settings.

License Management

You can activate and deactivate new CVEDIA-RT licenses from within the XProtect Management Client by navigating to the MIP Plug-ins / CVEDIA-RT Plugin page.

The operation of activating a new license key may require a few seconds. You can refresh the XProtect Management Client page by pressing F5 to check if the changes have been applied.

If you didn't choose to activate a trial license during installation, you can also do this here by clicking on the Activate Trial License button.

Notes

CVEDIA-RT XProtect Connector service needs to be running for license management to work correctly. You can check if the service is running via the Windows Services application.

License Status Panel

You can check the licensing status from within the XProtect Smart Client by navigating to the Camera / Pressing the CVEDIA logo in the top right corner.


  • No License Found - The panel shows Status: No license keys found, indicating that no valid license has been added to the system. As a result, Analytics can still be configured but remain inactive until a valid license is added.
  • License Active and Within Limits - The panel shows Status: OK, confirming that the configured Analytics are within the existing license limits.
  • License Exceeded - The panel shows Status: Too many streams, indicating that the number of configured Analytics has exceeded the maximum allowed by the license(s).

Analytics Status Identifier

Once Analytics is configured and properly licensed, the Analytics Status Indicator will display whether it was set up successfully [✓] or otherwise [x]. If Analytics is not configured, no status will be shown.

User Access Management

This feature allows administrators to control who can view or modify analytics settings by assigning permissions through Milestone XProtect Management Client roles. This ensures per-user access control, helping maintain system integrity and compliance with organizational policies.

To manage user access to CVEDIA-RT Plugin analytics settings, follow these steps:

  1. Milestone XProtect Management Client -> Roles -> Security-Roles Settings -> CVEDIA-RT Plugin tab

  2. Milestone XProtect Management Client -> Roles -> Overall Security -> CVEDIA-RT Plugin

    Important

    Managing access through the Overall Security is only available in the Corporate version of Milestone XProtect.


    Users who do not have permission to view the CVEDIA-RT Plugin analytics setup will encounter the following pop-up when attempting to open it.


    Users who have permission to View the plugin analytics setup, but not to Edit it, will see the window in read-only mode. No options to modify or save changes will be available.

Advanced Configuration

This section provides details about advanced configuration options designed for XProtect system administrators. While these settings are not necessary if the installation and initial configuration have been successfully completed, they can be useful for addressing specific or specialized use cases.

User Credentials

If you need the integration to use a different XProtect user, you can update the credentials directly through the command line without editing any configuration files.

Follow these steps:

  • Stop the CVEDIA-RT XProtect Connector service:

    Ensure the CVEDIA-RT XProtect Connector service is stopped via the Windows Services application before proceeding.

  • Open an Administrative Command Prompt:

    • Navigate to the folder where the integration is installed:

    C:\ProgramData\CVEDIA\CVEDIA-RT-XProtect-Plugin\Server\files\MilestoneController

    • Open a command prompt session with administrative privileges in this directory.

  • Update the Credentials:

    Use the following command format to update the credentials:

    .\RTController.exe -c -u <username> -p <password> -a <method> -s -m <server_uri> -r -i <remote_ip>

    Example: Changing Credentials for Local Setup

    Below is an example command to configure the system to use the basic XProtect user TestUser, with both the XProtect server and CVEDIA-RT running on the local machine:

    .\RTController.exe -c -u TestUser -p Password123! -a Basic -m http://localhost

    See the table below for detailed information about each parameter.

  • Verify and Save:

    The application will attempt to log in to the XProtect system using the specified credentials. If the login is successful, the new settings will be saved and used automatically in future sessions.

  • Final Step:

    Restart the CVEDIA-RT XProtect Connector service in the Windows Services application.

Parameters Reference Table

The following table provides details about the parameters used with the RTController.exe command to update XProtect user credentials

Parameter Required Description
-c YES Runs the XProtect Connector in credential setting mode.
-u username YES Specifies the new user name that should be used
-p password YES Specifies the password for new user
-a method YES Authentication method to use when logging into XProtect. Basic is the only supported value.
-m server_uri YES Specifies the URI of the XProtect server to use (eg. http://localhost)
-s NO Optional parameter that enforces using a secure connection when connecting to XProtect. Depending on your system setup, this might have to be used in order to correctly log into XProtect VMS.
-r NO Optional parameter that enables CVEDIA-RT remote mode. Should not be used unless you have CVEDIA-RT running on a different server
-i remote_ip NO Optional parameter specifying the IP to use for the remote CVEDIA-RT server. Can be used only when using the -r parameter above. If the IP is not specified, the CVEDIA-RT server will be auto discovered in the network

Updating

  • Check for new plugin versions on the official website: <https://rt.cvedia.com/Milestone>
  • Download the new version.
  • Before running the installer to update to a new release of the CVEDIA-RT Plugin, make sure to close the Smart Client and the Management Client, and stop the Management Server.
  • All configured settings and applied licenses will be preserved.

Uninstalling

  • Close the Smart Client and the Management Client, and stop the Management Server.
  • Open Settings: press Windows key + I or click the Start menu.
  • Go to Apps: click on Installed Apps and find CVEDIA-RT Plugin for VMS in the list.
  • Uninstall the Plugin: select CVEDIA-RT Plugin for VMS and click Uninstall. Confirm if prompted.
  • If prompted, restart your computer to complete the process.
  • Done! The Plugin is now uninstalled.

Warning

After uninstalling the plugin, the Metadata Device must be manually deleted from one of the recording servers. If not removed, it will continue to consume one device license from XProtect.

Technical Support

For comprehensive technical support information, including troubleshooting guides, log file locations, and reporting procedures, please refer to our Technical Support Documentation.

Key support resources:

  • System troubleshooting guides
  • Log file collection procedures
  • Hardware diagnostics
  • Performance optimization
  • Bug reporting workflows

For immediate assistance, you can also submit a support request through the CVEDIA Tech Support Portal.