The video module by Wialon enters the telematics and IoT market

It’s a big day for the Wialon partners: starting from June 1, the updated and improved video module is ready for commercial use. It can be advertised, sold, and used in any fleet video monitoring project of your clients. 

From June 1 to July 1, the video module will work in a trial mode. After this, you will be able to charge your clients for video surveillance for fleet management – the corresponding functionality has been added to the CMS.

Read on to learn more about the product, its billing options, and benefits it can bring to your clients. 

The Wialon video module was released in June 2021. What has happened since then?

A year ago, we presented the video module to our partners. The solution merged disparate features that the Wialon GPS tracking system had had before into a single video monitoring system. 

Since then, we have been constantly improving the video module and adding new features to it. You could learn about the work in progress on our blog, in monthly updates, and newsletters. Let's highlight major areas of development:

• Work on mobile devices. Now you can connect to an MDVR, playback video or request a file in the Wialon mobile app. 

• Transparent and intuitive billing system. Billing is integrated into the CMS, so that you have 24/7 access to traffic and storage data. You can also use the billing system to buy extra traffic packages and get statistical data for the client.

• Fine-tuning the functionality. Dozens of service providers joined the video module beta version, shared their feedback and sent their comments and suggestions. Such active participation helped us better understand the market needs and add the features that our partners lacked.    

• Device reintegration. All the MDVR models integrated with Wialon stably work with the video module. Of course, the list of devices will grow and be supplemented with new models. Providing our partners with full freedom in choosing equipment for their projects remains our top priority.

Here are some key facts about the new video module functionality available from June 1.

The video module is more effective and easy-to-use. All thanks to its new functionality

Simultaneous vehicle control on the map and in the video player

To provide full visibility into what is happening with a connected vehicle, the video tab displays a map next to the video player. The user can watch a video from any number of cameras and at the same time monitor a vehicle following the route. If an incident occurs, it is immediately clear where it happened.

Video from several MDVRs

You can watch a video from multiple cameras not only online but also in recording. To get a video of what happened from different angles, just specify the cameras and the time period. You can also save multi-camera footage as a single video file and avoid wasting time searching for each individual clip.

Saving a video without a preview

You can watch and manually save a video file from the device's memory without a preview. Just specify an MDVR and time interval, and the video module will save the recording. This is important for the owners of those devices that don’t support a video recording preview.

Three ways to search for a video

In general, we’ve tried to make video search as quick and easy as possible. There are three new features to help you find the right file.

First, we've added filters by date, name, and notification type. 

Second, you can search and sort video files by tags selected for notifications. For example, it can be a sharp turn or a sharp braking.

You can also tag files as important. Why does it matter? Every user has a 5GB video file storage. The storage is cyclic: as it fills up, older files are deleted to be replaced by new ones. If some video files need to be saved regardless, mark them as important.

Your client can check how much storage is left right in the Wialon interface. The rest of the information (how much traffic has been consumed and how much is left) can be found in the CMS.

Video markers on the map

Saved video files are displayed on the map as markers. You can turn on the feature when building a track in the Tracks tab, as well as when building a report in the settings. With the help of a marker, you can immediately determine where the recording was made. It also saves time when looking for the right file.

Saving all the manipulations in the Logs 

Every manipulation in the video module is duplicated in the Logs. If the user has a problem saving a file (unstable connection or an extra long download), they can check the log to see if the file has been saved.  

Video in the mobile app

Video monitoring is now available in the Wialon app for iOS and Android. You can use all the functionality in your smartphone or tablet at any time. If your client gets a notification on Saturday night, they can watch a video on their phone to see what happened.

All these improvements make the video module a flexible and precise video monitoring tool for commercial vehicles that works with the widest possible range of MDVRs and takes the most of their technical capabilities.

Now you can subscribe your clients to video monitoring. Here’s how billing works

The billing system is a simple tracking and charging tool integrated into the CMS. It is designed to make traffic use and payment as transparent as possible for you and your customers. Now you can clearly explain to your customer what they are paying for. 

Billing is based on the following principle: the user pays for the traffic from a video device to Amazon Web Services (AWS) cloud storage. The traffic is spent when the user watches a video online and playbacks it, as well as when a file is saved manually and automatically. Users do not spend traffic to watch videos that have already been saved.

We calculate traffic in packages, one package equals 1GB. Packages can be purchased an unlimited number of times in any quantity. The billing system provides the option of purchasing traffic packages for multiple units simultaneously. At the end of the month, the unspent traffic expires. 

The billing system has an auto-pay option where the user chooses the maximum amount of traffic they agree to add, or removes any restrictions. When the traffic is used up, a new package will be purchased automatically. The option is a go-to solution when there is no possibility (or desire) to spend time on constant cost control, but you always need access to data from MDVRs.

When you purchase a package, each unit gets 5GB of storage. The amount is fixed and cannot be increased. When 5 GB are full, old files are erased to be replaced by new ones. 

It doesn’t apply to video files marked as important.

If a traffic package expires and automatic purchase is not set up, the user won’t be able to work with the video module. To avoid it, notifications are sent 100MB prior to traffic expiration – this makes it easier to control costs.

All information about the video module and billing settings can be checked in the CMS. Here you can buy packages, monitor their consumption and check how much traffic or space is left.

To learn more about video billing and how to bill the end user, please contact your manager.

The trial period is June 1 – July 1. Why we offer it

Of course, it's important for you to try the video surveillance solution for fleet management before you offer it to your clients. And they also want to see what they're paying for. 

That's why we offer you to work with the video module during the trial period and test the new product for free. The trial period starts on June 1 and ends on July 1 at midnight. From July 1, the video monitoring services will be charged. 

If you decide that the video module is just the right solution for you and your customers, please contact your manager before June 28 and keep using the video module without a hitch. 

For those who don’t contact their manager, the updated video module will be disabled on July 1. 

Up to this point we talked about Wialon Hosting. What about Wialon Local?

For now, the video surveillance solution for fleets is available for the cloud-based Wialon Hosting users only. But the solution will further develop. This also applies to the server-based Wialon version. If we get enough requests, we will include it in the Wialon Local update plan for the next year. 

If you use Wialon Local and would like to connect video monitoring, please tell your manager about it. This way you will help us plan upcoming work on the product. 

Any questions? Here are some useful links

We’ve prepared detailed documentation on how to use the video module. You will find answers to all your questions there.

And, of course, you can always get the necessary assistance at support@gurtam.com. 

I want to subscribe to the video module! Tell me how

If you have already connected the beta version, you will be automatically switched to the updated video module in its commercial version. 

If you haven't worked with video monitoring yet, your manager will activate the video module in your account in no time.  

We have huge plans for the Wialon video module. At the same time, the old video functionality will be deactivated in the future, and we will inform you about it in advance. 

To get the pricing and ask other questions about the video module, please write at sales@gurtam.com or contact your manager.