More users are continuously buying NAS hardware solutions from Synology due to the options of software services available. We know the Diskstation Manager has applications ranging from communication, file management, and backups to multimedia, server syncing, etc. However, both business and home users continue using one application, and it is the Surveillance Station. Today, we are going to talk about Synology Surveillance Station 9, the latest version of one of the leading surveillance software available.
Just recently, Synology announced the availability of its Surveillance Station 9. It is the newest update for scalable and comprehensive monitoring. Also, the company introduced their C2 – a cloud service companion for sharing and footage backup.
We will summarise all the changes and optimisations during this update in our Synology Surveillance Station 9 Review. It will help you determine where the surveillance platform will head out in 2022.
Synology Surveillance Station 9 Review – Design and Functionality
A simple user interface (UI) like Windows or Mac will greet you when you log into Surveillance Station 9 on your Synology NAS.
The revised Surveillance Station 9 user interface is for more extensive and complex installations. Its updates seamlessly integrate multiple features and functions. These include camera feeds, maps, playback controls, and alarms in a single dashboard to improve situational awareness.
While writing and gathering information for our Synology Surveillance Station 9 Review, we learned some things you will love. You can use the current streamlined wizard to set up multiple cameras within minutes. Plus, it allows batch configuration by importing pre-populated spreadsheets or copying settings from currently deployed cameras.
Synology Surveillance Station 9 Apps
There are five applications on the screen, plus a help button for any questions you may have. The applications are all the tools necessary for setting up the system. Let us take a look at each of these applications.
IP Camera
IP Camera is the app for importing cameras that you can manage by batch. You can migrate and batch-import cameras currently set up by utilising spreadsheets in a single go. Or, you can even copy and replicate settings between cameras to expand the current installations.
Monitor Centre
The Monitor Centre is where you track real-time recordings. It has an optimised UI that combines Timeline and Live View of version 8.2 in one intuitive app.
Recording
Recording stores all the videos. Download or export some videos based on different parameters. Also, it is where you access other apps and functions to include more features to the Surveillance Station.
Maps
This feature allows you to include map services and images to mark the position of your cameras.
Google Maps and OpenStreetMap integration to the Synology Surveillance Station 9 platform was a highly requested feature. Synology possibly overlooked this due to licensing of an API or commercial use.
Using these well-liked online map tools will simplify the visibility of your entire surveillance network. It is useful when you cover a much larger area or run widespread multi-site setups.
There was always an option to upload custom eMaps of your office environment, like digital blueprints of your building. You could also place markers for camera locations and coverage.
Once you input the location of your setups, you can access them through an expansive geographical interface. And then, you can hover over these to see live feeds.
Although eMaps are still an option, you cannot deny the value of implementing these well-liked third-party mapping services.
Application Centre
It includes a variety of apps for different scenarios and industries. The Application Centre offers various recommendations for education and retail, offices, factories, etc.
With the Application Centre, you can have live viewing and mobile applications for real-time monitoring and management.
What is New in Synology Surveillance Station 9?
Optimised Security and Privacy
The NAS solution allows businesses to include separate encryptions to recorded footage for increased protection. It will help when the NVR, administrative credentials, or drives are compromised or stolen.
Management Data and video streams are possible via encrypted SRTP/HTTPS protocol to maximise protection and privacy from attacks.
The Centralised Management System (CMSremote ) update management for online and offline recording servers makes it easier to maintain multi-site deployments. The update ensures that all devices get the most recent security updates and functional upgrades.
Cloud-supported Data Protection
Let us also discuss this enhancement in our Synology Surveillance Station 9 Review. Synology took a step further with this element since Surveillance Station 9 currently supports dual recording. It will help simultaneously stream surveillance footage to the C2 Surveillance.
It minimises potential data loss, and C2 Surveillance guarantees that footage is accessible.
The online portal of the new service lets you review recordings anywhere. The good thing is you do not have to restore data from the backup server. If needed, you can efficiently share clips whether the recording server is still working or not.
Generally, the C2 Surveillance protects and secures surveillance footage during vulnerable situations. That means everyone can have peace of mind without purchasing expensive, complicated solutions. It is all thanks to Synology for making complete data protection just a click away.
Dual Recording
Businesses must have a range of cameras that capture feeds around the clock. And in most cases, these cameras send their feeds to a Synology NAS across a network. The network is directly connected to the physical NAS or branched into the NAS system.
Records go to the NAS, which has many built-in backup and sync options. But what happens if someone gets into your property and steals or destroys the NAS? The live NAS syncing depends on how quickly it can transmit the duplicate recording data.
Burglaries are fast activities. That means the time an alert/finished recording block can reach the second storage location will not be enough. Thus, it will result in the loss of a break-in.
Synology addressed this issue by implementing updates to their C2 cloud platform, a solution now available as Dual Recording. This feature allows you to send footage from your camera feed to the NAS server and an area through C2 cloud storage. You can access the videos via the Synology C2 Surveillance portal. Also, Surveillance Station 9 allows shorter recording times than backup and previously synced operations.
Key Features of the Synology Surveillance Station 9
What makes the ninth update of Surveillance Station better than the previous versions? Let us find out by discussing the features in our Synology Surveillance Station 9 Review.
New and Improved
Synology re-engineered the interface of the Surveillance Station to make it more flexible and customisable for any deployment. Due to its upgrades, you can keep your on-premise security in check.
Its flexible layout allows drag-and-drop, resizing, and swapping video feeds to create a monitoring dashboard suitable for your needs. With I/O widgets, you can move controls to your dashboard to start actions like unlocking doors and activating sirens.
Monitor also feeds in real-time and can recognise licence plates for DVA Series NVRs with expanded features.
Synology Surveillance Station 9 – Easier to Expand
Regardless of the size, you can get your deployment up and running in no time. Synology allows you to manage it quickly and effectively with the new features implemented in Surveillance Station.
Assisted Camera Deployment
Faster camera importing and onboarding wizards allow you to protect large deployments quickly. You can also specify IP ranges or locate cameras for starting the new batch-capable camera wizard.
Surveillance Station 9 also allows migrating and importing cameras by batch using spreadsheets. Plus, it quickly replicates the settings of cameras for quick expansion.
Monitor Everything Using Synology Surveillance Station 9
Surveillance Station 9 lets you see the placement of all cameras and triggered events at a glance. These are possible with the redesigned multi-site and multi-floor map view. It also has automatic zoom features to view triggered events on the map and focus on the most vital angles.
The multi-floor layouts categorise and sort floor plans to help you better understand the location of cameras and events.
Plus, online map integration allows overlaying cameras and on-prem layouts directly to OpenStreetMap or Google Maps.
Stay Updated
The expanded centralised management options allow you to keep the Surveillance Station updated for intranet and internet-enabled deployments.
Strengthened Security and Privacy with Synology Surveillance Station 9
Surveillance Station 9 offers strengthened security to comply with constantly evolving privacy and data protection requirements. It encrypts recordings with a separate encryption key to prevent unauthorised access, even with compromised NAS or administrative credentials.
You can also add privacy masking to block sensitive areas from recordings and apply watermarks on live feeds. The latter can help you track which recordings are unauthorised.
With support for newer HTTPS and SRTP-enabled IP cameras, Surveillance Station 9 offers improved network privacy and security.
Recording to the Cloud for Ensured Safety and Security
Keep critical footage safe and secure by dual recording to C2 Surveillance. It has end-to-end encryption and a streaming architecture for low latency. As a result, you can retrieve and play footage in case of server theft or damage.
Specifications
We will discuss the different specifications of the solution in our Synology Surveillance Station 9 Review. Let us see what it has in store for us after its recent update.
The web-based interface utilises HTML5 for streaming videos and allows multiple streams, sequential layouts and image enhancements. It only means you will not need any plug-ins to watch recordings and live feeds.
The Surveillance Station Web Player on Google Chrome
The web player is most compatible with Google Chrome, but you can still utilise other browsers like Safari or Firefox. However, the stability will not be perfectly optimal and technical support is not guaranteed.
To utilise and take advantage of its features without any limits, download the Synology Surveillance Station Client for desktop.
Hands-on with the Synology Surveillance Station 9
We tried the solution for our Synology Surveillance Station 9 Review to see its different optimisations and updates.
Is it better now, or were the older versions better? Getting insights into your experience with it will let you know what to expect once you update.
The solution offers flexible layouts that let you drag & drop, resize, and swap video feeds easily. It is easy to use, and its intuitive UI allows you to customise without fiddling with the settings.
Significantly Faster with Synology Surveillance Station 9
The programme was always quick when adding many IP cameras to a Surveillance Station configuration. The IP Camera application has the option to scan your local area network and other IP networks in different ranges.
With higher deployment, Synology further enhanced Surveillance Station 9. Here is an example: add 300 cameras to five already-existing Synology NAS systems. In the previous update, this would take nine hours, but in 9.0, it will take around 30 minutes.
Even though we made this comparison using the default or suggested settings from the interface, it is still amazing. The ability to copy/paste whole camera settings is excellent.
Optimisations in the Surveillance Station CMS + Update Deployment
Station has always had a central management system component allowing the management of Synology NAS surveillance systems. It also provided control, alarms, and a more secure setup on the enterprise side.
You can push servers to download/install recent upgrades using this upgraded CMS remotely if the server has internet connectivity.
Also, if you connect your NAS and cameras to an offline network, you can remotely push updates from the CMS. It is possible with an internet-connected device or if you have the latest update file for Surveillance Station locally.
Synology Surveillance Station 9 Review Summary
Synology Surveillance Station is one of the best VMS solutions for private and enterprise users. It managed more than 2.5 million cameras, proving the commitment of Synology to upgrading products and services. Like their NAS products, the Surveillance Station continues to develop in preparation for complex implementations in the future.
The newly updated solution is ideal for security and privacy. We enjoyed using the new features during our tests for this Synology Surveillance Station 9 Review.
Like the previous version of the surveillance solution, everything worked excellently. Also, we loved the new improvements that Synology implemented. The interface was simple and intuitive, making the system easy to personalise.
With its user-friendliness, efficient features, and compatibility with many cameras, we highly recommend Surveillance Station 9.
Learn more about Surveillance Station 9 by visiting the official product page of Synology.
