About

Agent DVR is a standalone replacement for iSpy that runs as a service, uses less CPU and features a web user interface that is accessible from anywhere with no port forwarding required!

We recommend that you use either iSpy or Agent - you can use both but it may cause issues with device drivers and network access.

Tip: Click the Menu button above to show/ hide the userguide index.

Using Agent DVR

Agent does not have a windows forms user interface like iSpy does. The user interface is all browser based via the local portal, web portal or mobile applications

Agent runs it's own webserver. By default this is running at http://localhost:8090 on the PC running Agent (although it may be using a different port if that wasn't available or was changed when it was installed - see the link "Agent UI" on the desktop on Windows). Agent will also work over your local network - you can use private IP addresses or computer names to access Agent locally (examples: http://192.168.1.10:8090 or http://nvr:8090). You may need to open your firewall to Agent for your local network.

Getting Started

Once you have the local UI open you can start adding devices to Agent. To add your first device click on the red Edit button in the UI:

You can use the top left menu to navigate Agent's interfaces. The padlock indicates whether Agent is armed or not (will generate alerts). Click it to toggle. A green unlocked padlock means it's disarmed. The icon opens a menu to configure your Agent server settings. The menu next to that provides links to all the content views in Agent. The icon will change depending on which view you are currently working with.

Agent has help built into it - click on the "?" icon at top right of nearly all panels and menus to access contextual help.

Tip: Enable shortcut keys in Account menu - Theme Settings. "C" opens the Commands menu, "S" opens the server menu. Numeric digits open the various views. Enable Tool-Tips and mouse-over the bottom controls in the UI to show additional shortcut keys.

Any issues? First thing to check is the logs at /logs.html on the local server. That will give you details about any problems Agent is having. If that doesn't help please feel free to jump onto our Reddit group and ask a question - include the logs and steps to reproduce the problem if possible.

Supported Languages

The Agent DVR application has been translated into English, Arabic, Bengali, Czech, Danish, German, Spanish, Finnish, French, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Polish, Portugese, Russian, Swedish, Mandarin and Taiwanese.

To change the language, click on Account - Language.

Installing

Download Agent DVR from here and run the installer. Agent runs as a service or as a console application on Windows 7+, Linux X64 (tested with Ubuntu 18.04+), OSX (+M1), Arm and Arm64 based operating systems (like Raspberry Pi).

Follow the setup instructions for your operating system on the download page

Once Agent is running, you can access it via most web browsers at http://localhost:8090. Some web browsers (notably Firefox) require a media permission to start WebRTC which is needed to communicate with the Agent service. Just the permission is required - Agent won't actually use it. If you decline the permission and Agent fails to connect you'll need to grant it and click on Reload. You can grant the permission by clicking on the icons to the left of the Address bar in the web browser.

Installing (offline/ manual) on Windows

If for some reason you can't use the installer from the download page (eg: no internet on the target device) then you can install AgentDVR on Windows offline instead. Note that the computer you install Agent DVR on will need to have network hardware installed and active for it to be able to start the server. Follow these steps:

• Get the latest download location by calling the API: Download Location (Windows). Copy the link in the response and paste it into the browser URL bar to download it (the link is the text starting with https://)
• Download the zip file (the download link in the response starts with https://...)
• Unzip this file on the target computer into a folder
• Run (double-click) agent-install-service.bat
• Double click AgentTray.exe to start the tray app (optional). To have AgentTray start on startup you will need to add it to the startup folder.
• For LAN access you will need to add an exception to the windows firewall for the Agent.exe application
• Open a web browser at http://localhost:8090 to start

Updating

You can check the update log for update inforrmation

If you have a business license or a subscription you can update Agent by clicking on the server menu and "Update Agent" at the top (will only display if an update is available).

To update Agent for Linux or OSX manually see the update instructions on the readme page of the install scripts

To update Agent for Windows manually just re-run the installer from the download page.

Uninstalling

If you installed Agent using the installer it will be in the add/ remove programs list on Windows. Use that to uninstall it. If it's not there:

If Agent is running as a service then stop the service:

• Windows: double click agent-uninstall-service.bat in the C:/Program Files/Agent directory. Right click and quit the AgentTray application in the task bar.
• Linux: Open a terminal and run
  sudo systemctl stop AgentDVR.service
sudo systemctl disable AgentDVR.service
• OSX: Open a terminal and run :
  sudo launchctl unload -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ispy.agent.dvr.plist
sudo rm -f /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ispy.agent.dvr.plist

To remove the Agent DVR files just delete the Agent directory. By default Agent DVR is installed to C:\Program Files\Agent on Windows. On Linux/ OSX it will be installed wherever you ran the install script.

Troubleshooting Install

If the installer on Windows fails to complete and Agent doesn't start or you are having issues accessing Agent or you need to use functionality that isn't available when running as a windows service (like some GPU drivers and desktop monitoring) then you can run Agent from a command prompt:

• Stop the Agent service if it is running: Click Start - Run - Type "services.msc" - press enter. Right click "Agent" in the list and click Stop. You can prevent it from starting as a service when you reboot by right clicking on Agent, click Properties and set the startup type to "Disabled". Click Apply and OK.
• Open a console window: Click Start - Type "cmd", right click on "Command Prompt" and click "Run as administrator"
• Change directory to the Agent directory. Usually this would be "cd C:\Program Files\Agent"
• Run Agent DVR as a console application - type "Agent.exe" - press enter

Agent will then tell you if there are any problems starting and what local port it is running on. You can quit Agent at any time by pressing the enter key. When Agent is running in the console it is able to use more GPU devices and can record from the Desktop.

If there is an anti virus app or firewall blocking Agent from listening on a local port then you may need to add Agent.exe to a safe list or open the port it is listening on in the local firewall.

If you are using a Windows N variant you will need to install the media feature pack for Windows N

On OSX, Linux and Raspberry Pi your system may not have some required libraries installed and Agent may fail to start with an error like libcvextern.so could not be found. You will need to use ldd or "objdump -r --dylibs-used /path/to/failed/library" on OSX to find which libraries are missing. To do this, open a terminal window, change to the Agent directory and run ldd libcvextern.so (or whatever library is causing issues). The output should tell you which dependencies need to be installed. Please let us know what's needed and what operating system you are using so we can update our docs.

Corrupted Video / Playback Issues

Agent defaults to using UDP to connect to cameras. UDP is a fast network protocol which prioritises real-time, low delay video. Unfortunately UDP doesn't have any error correction built into it so any electronic noise from faulty cabling to interference from power cables, amplifiers or other sources can result in corrupted video by the time the signal gets to Agent. You can switch to TCP instead which does have error correction built into it - but at the cost of some buffering and potential lag on the live feed. To switch to TCP instead, edit the camera, click to edit the Source on the General tab, select "FFMPEG" in the menu at top right and change the RTSP mode to TCP.

Corrupted video can result from too much noise on the network or when your computer is under too much load to decode the live video stream. Other ways to avoid it are to use a lower resolution video feed from the camera or to check the Resize option on the General tab and set a resize size in video source settings - Advanced.

Reolink Cameras are known to be susceptible to corrupted RTSP streams. You may get better results by going into the camera's own User Interface and setting the encoder to use H264 instead of H265 (if available). Reolink cameras sometimes have alternate video endpoints that use the RTMP:// protocol instead of RTSP://. You can try using the Add Camera wizard in Agent DVR to scan the camera for RTMP:// options instead.

Stuttering Video? Some cameras (notably Reolink) emit frames in groups of audio and video which can result in stuttering live and recorded playback. To work around this, edit the camera, click to configure the videosource settings, select the FFMPEG tab and set a value for Max Delay (for example 4 seconds) and a value for Max Reorder Queue Size (for example 500).

Accessing Logs

Agent provides formatted live logs on the local server at /logs.html (so on a default install at http://localhost:8090/logs.html). As of version 3.5.6.0+ Agent also saves the 5 most recent raw logs in .json format to your Media location (on Windows that's C:\Program Files\Agent\Media). You can use these for debugging and getting more information on what Agent is doing. You can also download the raw logs remotely via the server menu in the web portal. Feel free to jump on our Community boards to ask questions!

Upgrading from iSpy

• Save your object list in iSpy (File - Save object list)
• Close iSpy (make sure it's not running in the task bar)
• Install Agent DVR
• Click on the Server icon in Agent DVR (top left), Backup/ Restore, Upload and choose the file you saved. Note this will only update your object list - you may need to adjust server settings manually.
• Click on the account menu in Agent DVR and Remote Access to pair it with the remote portal (optional)
• If you have multiple servers connected using the old version and the new version you'll need to swap between them using the account menu (top right of Agent DVR) and "Change Platform".
• It's recommended you uninstall iSpy from Add/ Remove programs after you have setup Agent DVR as they may conflict for device access.

Moving to a new Computer

Windows

• Double click agent-uninstall-service.bat in the Agent directory (C:/program files/Agent) on your old computer
• Download and install Agent on your new PC
• On your new PC, click Start - Run, type "services.msc" press Enter. Find Agent in the list, right click it and click Stop.
• Copy the /Media directory from your old Agent directory to the new Agent directory. This might be very large so you may need to use a large USB drive to transfer it. To only copy the configuration you can just copy the Agent/Media/XML directory (excluding Media/XML/fileDB.db3)
• On your new PC, click Start - Run, type "services.msc" press Enter. Find Agent in the list, right click it and click Start.
• You can optionally delete the original Agent directory from your old PC when everything is running OK

Linux

• In a new terminal window run (on your old PC):
  sudo systemctl stop AgentDVR.service
sudo systemctl disable AgentDVR.service
• Download and install Agent on your new PC
• On your new PC, open a terminal window and run
  sudo systemctl stop AgentDVR.service
• Copy the /Media directory from your old Agent directory to the new Agent directory. This might be very large so you may need to use a large USB drive to transfer it. To only copy the configuration you can just copy the Agent/Media/XML directory (excluding Media/XML/fileDB.db3)
• On your new computer, open a terminal window and run
  sudo systemctl start AgentDVR.service
• You can optionally delete the original Agent directory from your old PC when everything is running OK

OSX

• In a new terminal window run (on your old PC):
  sudo launchctl unload -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ispy.agent.dvr.plist
sudo rm -f /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ispy.agent.dvr.plist
• Download and install Agent on your new PC
• On your new PC , open a terminal window and run
  sudo launchctl unload -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ispy.agent.dvr.plist
• Copy the /Media directory from your old Agent directory to the new Agent directory. This might be very large so you may need to use a large USB drive to transfer it. To only copy the configuration you can just copy the Agent/Media/XML directory (excluding Media/XML/fileDB.db3)
• On your new computer, open a terminal window and run
  sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ispy.agent.dvr.plist
• You can optionally delete the original Agent directory from your old PC when everything is running OK

Important

If you have a subscription you will now need to connect the new instance to your account - click on the Server icon in the local UI and Remote Access to pair it with your online account.

If you have a business license you will need to copy the license code to the new PC. See your license receipt email for instructions.

If you have a basic subscription and have 2 instances of Agent connected to your account only one will be visible on the web portal - you will need to stop the first one for the other to connect successfully.

If you had setup drives and storage directories on your old PC you will need to go into settings on the new PC and configure the storage settings for your new environment

Remove an instance from my account

You can either just uninstall Agent or if you want to keep it running just not connected to your account then:

• Stop Agent:
  Windows: click Start - Run - Type "services.msc" Find Agent in the list, right click -> click stop.
  Linux: open a terminal window and run sudo systemctl stop AgentDVR.service
  OSX: open a terminal window and run sudo launchctl unload -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ispy.agent.dvr.plist
• Run agent-reset-account.bat on Windows or agent-reset-account.sh on linux/ OSX. If this file doesn't exist then delete the file Media/serial.txt and edit the file Media/XML/config.xml to remove the UserIdent element from that file and save it.
• Restart Agent:
  Windows: click Start - Run - Type "services.msc" Find Agent in the list, right click -> click start.
  Linux: open a terminal window and run sudo systemctl start AgentDVR.service
  OSX: open a terminal window and run sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ispy.agent.dvr.plist

Using Claim Codes

99% of the time you won't need a claim code - they're only used if you have installed Agent DVR on an operating system without a GUI and have retrieved a claim code by using the command line options. To connect your server to website services you just need to click on the server icon in the local Agent DVR UI and Remote Access. This will pass through the code to the website automatically.

Move instance to another account

• Remove the instance from the existing account
• Navigate to the local web interface. Click on the server icon, remote access
• Pair Agent with your new account

Reset local login

If you've forgotten your login for local Agent DVR you can reset it (back to no login):

• Stop Agent:
  Windows: click Start - Run - Type "services.msc" Find Agent in the list, right click -> click stop.
  Linux: open a terminal window and run sudo systemctl stop AgentDVR.service
  OSX: open a terminal window and run sudo launchctl unload -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ispy.agent.dvr.plist
• Run agent-reset-local-login.bat on Windows or agent-reset-local-login.sh on linux/ OSX (you might need to make this file executable by calling

  chmod +x agent-reset-local-login.sh

  ).
• Restart Agent:
  Windows: click Start - Run - Type "services.msc" Find Agent in the list, right click -> click start.
  Linux: open a terminal window and run sudo systemctl start AgentDVR.service
  OSX: open a terminal window and run sudo launchctl load -w /Library/LaunchDaemons/com.ispy.agent.dvr.plist

Remote Access

Agent DVR uses WebRTC to setup remote connections so doesn't require any port forwarding setup and will work even over mobile internet connections. To connect remotely you will need to pair Agent with your iSpyConnect account. To do this, click on the server icon in the local web interface and "Remote Access". You'll be redirected to the online portal.

Important: You do not need to install Agent DVR on other computers or setup port forwarding for remote access. Just open up a web browser on any device at https://www.ispyconnect.com/app once Agent is connected. Remote access to Agent is a subscription service.

Subscription not applied?: Usually payment notifications come through immediately and you are good to go - but sometimes it can take a few days for things to clear. With Agent DVR you don't need a license code so no need to waiit for one to appear in your inbox - it's all automatically done on our side.

If your trial had ended before you subscribed you will need to use the local UI of Agent DVR and click on the server icon and Remote Access button. This will tell Agent to reconnect to your account.

Is Agent is connecting with the same account you have upgraded? If it isn't you will need to change it to link with the right account Any problems? Please Contact Us

No UI?: If you have downloaded Agent DVR to a VPS or a PC with no graphical UI you can still setup Agent for remote access by calling "Agent.exe register" on Windows or "agent-register.sh" on Linux/ OSX. This will give you a claim code you can use to access Agent from another PC.

Can't connect?: In rare instances a connection may fail due to content filtering on a VPN connection. You'll need to add exceptions in your content filtering software for *.ispyconnect.com and *.azurewebsites.net

Why use the website?: Agent uses webrtc for media connections which gets around most firewalls and port forwarding issues. On your local network your web browser can connect directly to Agent but for remote access web browsers can require SSL connections, STUN, TURN and relay servers for connection establishment which we provide via ispyconnect.com

Port Forwarding Access

Port forwarding is disabled with the free version of Agent DVR. To enable port forward access you will need to purchase a license. Note that port forward access isn't guaranteed to work as some networks and firewalls will block the traffic that webrtc needs to establish a connection. If you have issues accessing Agent via port forwarding check that your firewall is not blocking the application and you have forwarded ports 8090 (the default server port), 3478 for Stun and 50000- 50010 for Turn server connections. (UDP and TCP)

LAN Access

To access Agent over your LAN you will need to open up the port Agent is using in your Firewall for your local network (default is port 8090). When you have done this you can browse to Agent at http://IPADDRESS:8090 (where IPADDRESS is the IP address of the computer running Agent - for example, 192.168.1.2).

To secure LAN access setup a login under Server Settings - Users. If you forget this password you can reset it by stopping Agent and calling "Agent.exe reset-local-login" on Windows or "agent-reset-local-login.sh" on OSX and Linux.

Some browser extensions can also block access so if you have issues connecting locally try a different browser (Safari, Chrome, Firefox and the latest version of Edge should all work). Also try disabling any extensions and clearing your cache.