Push-to-talk (explained)

The push-to-talk feature allows you to communicate via the VMS system from a PC microphone with people near one camera or to start broadcasting audio to multiple video cameras with audio equipment. You can also listen to the recorded conversations in playback mode or include the two-way audio recordings in the audio package when preparing video exports.

XProtect Web Client supports the push-to-talk (PTT) feature:

• While you are watching live video from one camera or multiple cameras (see Viewing live video (explained))
• When you play the recorded outgoing audio in video recordings (see Playing back audio in video recordings (explained))
• In investigations and video exports
• In actions (see Activate actions)
• In alarms (see View alarms)

You must allow your internet browser to have access to your PC microphones (see Requirements for using push-to-talk).

When the push-to-talk (PTT) feature is available for use, you will see the Push-to-talk button on the camera toolbar. Its icon has the following states:

Icon	Description
(Available)	In live mode, shows that the push-to-talk (PTT) feature is available and that you fulfilled the necessary requirements for using it. Click and hold to start using push-to-talk. Release the button to end transmitting audio.
(Active)	In live mode, shows that you are currently using the push-to-talk (PTT) feature. The PC microphone and the speaker of the video camera are in an active state. The blue pulsating circle indicates the sound level.
(Disabled)	In live mode, shows that the push-to-talk (PTT) feature is available, but that you did not fulfill the necessary requirements for using it (see Requirements for using push-to-talk).
(Unavailable)	In live mode, shows that push-to-talk (PTT) is currently unavailable because: A user with the same or a higher level of user rights already started using the push-to-talk through the same camera speaker A user with a higher level of user rights interrupted your push-to-talk session The camera speaker is disabled The hardware device is disabled
	In playback mode, shows that you can listen to two-way audio while playing back a video recording and that you can select the audio source that you want to listen to (see Playing back audio in video recordings (explained)).

Rules for interrupting push-to-talk in live mode

Based on the level of your user rights (Administrators or Operators), there are two rules for interrupting a push-to-talk session in live mode: 

• Users with the same level of user rights cannot interrupt each other
• Users with a lower level of user rights (Operators) cannot interrupt users with a higher level of user rights (Administrators)