How it works

How AI CCTV monitoring works with Woodcock AI

Woodcock AI connects to the cameras and recorder you already have over RTSP or ONVIF, runs AI detection on an on-site edge server or in the Woodcock AI Cloud, and sends an alert with the video clip by app, email or SMS within seconds. Alerts to a monitoring centre (ARC) and phone-call alerts are available as optional add-ons. On the edge server, relay outputs can also trigger your fire panel or sirens.

Explore the system Setup steps
Meet the night shift (1:04, with sound and subtitles). A one-minute narrated film with on-screen subtitles. It shows how Woodcock AI watches the CCTV cameras a site already has overnight and, instead of only recording, tells you what it sees in plain English: smoke and then flame in a yard, and other scenes on a site at night. Alerts arrive with the clip. Most scenes are illustrative AI-generated footage; one detection sequence is real Woodcock AI output.
Interactive system diagram

From camera to alert, step by step

Tap each part of the system. Switch between edge and cloud to see what changes.

3D render of CCTV cameras on a site connected to a recorder

Edge vs cloud

On-site edge server or the Woodcock AI Cloud

3D render comparing an on-site Woodcock AI edge server with the Woodcock AI Cloud

Edge server

  • Processes video on your local network
  • Detection and relay outputs keep working offline; app and email alerts need a connection, which a 4G router can provide
  • Footage stays on site, with no high-bandwidth streaming off site
  • Flags faint smoke or small flames in under four seconds
  • Relay outputs for fire panels, sirens and other safety systems

See what the edge server detects on smoke and fire detection cameras.

Woodcock AI Cloud

  • No NVR required on site
  • Central monitoring across sites
  • Remote management
  • 60-day cloud recording as standard, longer on request
  • Needs an internet connection
Setup timeline

How to set up AI monitoring on existing CCTV

  1. 1

    Free site assessment

    We review your cameras, recorder and network, and the risks on your site, and recommend which cameras should watch for what.

  2. 2

    Connect over RTSP

    Enter each camera or recorder login on the edge server or the Woodcock AI Cloud. Video streams over RTSP or ONVIF. Our technical team helps for free, including remote setup.

  3. 3

    Choose modules

    Pick the detection each camera runs, such as smoke and fire on stockpiles, intrusion on the perimeter or PPE in the yard.

  4. 4

    Set zones and schedules

    Draw detection zones on each camera view, set when each camera watches, and choose who receives which alerts.

  5. 5

    Go live

    Alerts start arriving with the video clip. During the 30-day trial you review real events, with no obligation to continue.

Book a free site assessment
For installers

RTSP setup for AI on Hikvision cameras and NVRs

Hikvision kit connects like any other ONVIF or RTSP device. The usual checklist before connecting a camera or recorder:

  • Find the device on the networkNote the IP address of each camera, or of the NVR if you are connecting through the recorder.
  • Check RTSP and ONVIF are enabledIn the device's network settings, make sure RTSP is on. On Hikvision, ONVIF is under Configuration > Network > Advanced Settings > Integration Protocol: enable it and add an ONVIF user.
  • Use a dedicated loginCreate a separate user for the AI rather than sharing the admin account, so access can be managed on its own.
  • Know the stream addressesHikvision devices use RTSP port 554 by default. The main stream is usually rtsp://<ip>:554/Streaming/Channels/101 and the sub-stream rtsp://<ip>:554/Streaming/Channels/102; on an NVR, channel 2 is 201 and 202, and so on.
  • Main or sub-streamThe sub-stream uses less bandwidth and processing, which suits most detection. Use the main stream where you need detail at distance, such as smoke at the far end of a yard. Woodcock AI accepts H.264, H.264+ and H.265 streams from 360p to 8K.
  • Never expose RTSP to the internetKeep RTSP on your local network. Do not port-forward 554 on the router; the edge server connects locally.
  • Enter the loginAdd the camera or recorder on the edge server or the Woodcock AI Cloud using its address and login. Our technical team helps for free, including remote setup.
  • Closed systemsIf a system does not offer ONVIF or RTSP, we will say so on the assessment and advise on a compatible upgrade.

Selling AI to your customers? See the installer and reseller programme.

FAQ

How it works: common questions

Hardware, bandwidth, data and alerts, answered plainly.

Technical question?office@woodcock.ai
What hardware sits on site?
With the edge option, a Woodcock AI edge server sits on your local network alongside your cameras and recorder. It runs the AI on site and has built-in relay outputs for fire panels and sirens. Detection and relay outputs keep working if the internet drops; app, email and SMS alerts need a connection, which a 4G router can provide. With the cloud option, no NVR is required on site and the cameras stream to the Woodcock AI Cloud. In both cases you keep your existing cameras.
How much bandwidth does it need?
It depends on how many cameras you connect and where the AI runs. The edge server processes video on your local network, so there is no high-bandwidth streaming off site and it suits sites with limited bandwidth. The cloud option streams video over the internet, so it needs a connection with enough upload capacity for the cameras you connect. The free site assessment checks this for your site.
Where is footage processed and stored?
On the edge server, video is processed on your local network and footage stays on site, on your NVR or a Woodcock virtual NVR. With the Woodcock AI Cloud, video is processed in the cloud and recordings are kept for 60 days as standard, with longer retention on request. Event clips can be downloaded as MP4 files from the app.
Is it GDPR compliant?
As the CCTV operator, you remain responsible for using CCTV lawfully under UK GDPR, including signage, a clear purpose and sensible retention periods. Woodcock AI gives you choices that help: the edge server keeps footage on your own network, and you control which cameras are analysed, the detection zones and who receives alerts. If you need details for a data protection impact assessment, ask us at office@woodcock.ai.
How are alerts delivered?
Alerts go out within seconds by push notification, email or SMS, each with the video clip and a plain-English description of what the camera saw. Alerts to a monitoring centre (ARC) and phone-call alerts are available as optional add-ons. You choose who gets alerts, for which cameras and at what times. On the edge server, relay outputs can also trigger a fire panel, siren or other safety system.
Related

Keep exploring

Guides, the app and the detection that runs on this system.

Video smoke detection guideHow it sees smoke, and its limits Smoke & fire detectionFeatures and alerts Intrusion detectionPeople and vehicles, not foxes and headlights Industrial sitesFire, PPE and intrusion The appAlerts, live view and recordings For installersResell AI on every CCTV install
Free site assessment