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VIVOTEK VORTEX tailgating detection

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This feature is in early release. Please talk to your account manager to join the program.

Kisi admins can set up tailgating detection to monitor and identify unauthorized entry attempts by detecting line-crossing incidents through connected cameras.

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This is a Kisi-built integration, maintained and supported by Kisi.

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Follow the text guide below for camera installation and VORTEX account setup. Once your camera is installed, your account is created, and the camera is imported to the VORTEX dashboard, you can follow the video guide for all remaining configuration steps.

Camera requirements​

Tailgating detection requires a VORTEX camera with onboard AI analytics, specifically line crossing detection. Not all AI-capable VORTEX models are compatible. Only the following fisheye models are supported for Kisi tailgating detection. Other VORTEX camera models can still be used with the VORTEX by VIVOTEK video integration for video surveillance and access event footage.

The following models can be included with the Kisi tailgating detection subscription:

Additionally, ensure that both the camera and the Kisi controller are properly connected to the network.

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A third-party camera connected to a VORTEX NVR may potentially support tailgating detection on a rare basis. See Tailgating detection with a third-party camera for the requirements. We recommend using one of the officially supported VORTEX cameras listed above.

Camera installation and setup​

Proper installation and configuration of your VORTEX camera are crucial for effective tailgating detection. Follow the guidelines below to set up your camera correctly.

Positioning of the camera​

Install the camera under the roof, directly in front of the door you wish to monitor. The optimal distance between the camera and the door should be between 1 and 1.5 meters. This placement ensures that the camera captures clear images of individuals entering and exiting through the door.

Installation height​

Mount the camera at a height ranging from 2.7 meters to 8 meters from the floor. This height provides a comprehensive field of view while minimizing blind spots and ensuring that the detection algorithms function effectively.

Avoiding misdetections​

To prevent false alarms and ensure optimal performance, consider the following:

  • Field of view: Do not set the detection region or line too close to the edges of the camera’s field of view. Keeping the detection area within the central portion minimizes potential algorithm errors.
  • Reflections: Be mindful of reflective surfaces such as mirrors or water puddles near the detection area. Reflections can cause the system to misinterpret images, leading to false detections.
  • Bright light sources: Avoid positioning the camera where direct light sources or surface reflections can obscure or distort the images. Adjust the camera angle if necessary to reduce the impact of bright light.

Setting up your VORTEX Cloud account​

After installing your camera, you need to create a VORTEX Cloud account that will serve as the platform for setting up Kisi tailgating functionality.

Creating your VORTEX organization​

  1. Visit the VORTEX Portal
  2. Start creating your VORTEX organization
  3. When selecting the type of organization, choose VORTEX xPro License
  4. Select your data storage location based on your geographical region:
    • US-based: Choose United States
    • EU-based: Choose Germany
    • Australia-based: Choose Australia
    • South East or East Asia: Choose Japan
    • In other cases choose the region geographically closest to you.
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It is critical to select VORTEX xPro License as the organization type. Failing to choose this license type will prevent the tailgating detection functionality from working properly.

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The timezone configured for a camera in VORTEX must match the timezone of the Kisi place where tailgating is set up. A mismatch will cause tailgating detection not to work correctly.

Adding the camera to VORTEX portal​

After physically installing your camera, you need to add it to your VORTEX account using the mobile app:

  1. Ensure your camera is connected to the network and powered on
  2. Download and open the VORTEX mobile app on your phone
  3. Log in to your VORTEX account
  4. Tap on Account
  5. Select Add Devices
  6. Scan the QR code of your VORTEX camera
  7. Click Add
  8. Verify that your camera appears in the device list and shows as online

For detailed instructions, see the VORTEX Getting Started guide.

Setting up reseller management​

  1. When logged in for the first time, navigate to System
  2. Go to Reseller Management
  3. Click Add reseller
  4. Enter support-team@getkisi.com

Setting up the tailgating detection trigger​

Watch the video guide to see how to set up line crossing detection, webhook configuration, Kisi integration, and incident policies!

To ensure that the Kisi API can successfully query line-crossing detections, you need to set up a trigger that notifies the API when to perform queries.

Configuring the trigger in the VORTEX portal​

  1. In the VORTEX Portal, select the installed camera under Device
  1. Navigate to Video Content Analysis from the left-hand menu under Detection
  2. Click on the Add button
  1. Select Line Crossing Detection.
  1. Configure the crossing_in trigger: Set up a V-shaped detection line with the direction set to "Out -> In". Ensure that the detection line spans the entire entrance, extending slightly beyond the doorway for optimal coverage, and that the V-shape points toward the inside of the building. Once you've completed the setup, click Save.
  1. (Optional) Test the setup by walking through the line, waiting for 5 minutes, and then clicking the Search button to perform a search. If the detection result of your line crossing appears on the right, your setup is successfully completed for this step.
  1. Locate the 3-dots button in the bottom-right corner and click Copy line crossing coordinates.
  1. Store the copied coordinates in a text editor or notepad for later use.

Setting up the webhook​

  1. In the VORTEX Portal, navigate to System > Alarm Management and select Add alarm
  1. Select Video Content Analysis events as the alarm source
  1. Select the installed camera as the source device
  1. To set up actions, select Webhook as the action type
  2. Select Configure Webhooks and enter the following URL: https://marketplace.kisi.io/trpc/vortex.webhook
    • This URL is standardized and remains the same across all organizations
  1. Include the following JSON payload: 
       {
       "organizationName": "{{.OrganizationName}}",
       "organizationId": "{{.OrganizationId}}",
       "eventType": "{{.EventType}}",
       "eventName": "{{.EventName}}",
       "eventId": "{{.EventId}}",
       "deviceName": "{{.DeviceName}}",
       "deviceId": "{{.DeviceId}}",
       "deviceGroupName": "{{.DeviceGroupName}}",
       "deviceGroupId": "{{.DeviceGroupID}}",
       "localTime": {{.LocalTime}},
       "timezone": "{{.Timezone}}"
       }
  1. Once you've set up your webhook, select it from the configured webhooks list and proceed to the next step
  2. Adjust your alarm schedule according to your requirements (e.g., an all-day schedule)
  1. After reviewing the summary, click Save

Adding the VORTEX integration to Kisi​

With the coordinates obtained, you can now integrate the VORTEX camera with the Kisi system.

Add the integration​

  1. Sign in to Kisi
  2. Click the integrations icon (3x3 grid of dots) > Add Integration
  3. Select VORTEX as the integration type and enter a name for the integration
  4. When you click the Add button, you'll be redirected to the sign-in page to enter your VORTEX account credentials
  5. If sign-in is unsuccessful, contact our support team to enable access to your development environment. You will need to provide your integration ID, which you can find by clicking on the integration and clicking on Copy Id
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If your VORTEX authentication expires, you will be prompted to log in to your VORTEX account again the next time you open the VORTEX integration page.

Configure the integration​

  1. Click Configure Integration and then select Add Camera
  1. Under Select Device, choose your VORTEX by VIVOTEK camera
  2. In Select Place, select the Kisi location where the camera is installed
  3. Under Search Doors, choose the door you want to link to the camera
  4. Paste the line-crossing coordinates into the Line Crossing field
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Ensure that the coordinates you paste include quotation marks around both "x" and "y" values. You may need to add these manually.

  1. After adding the camera, you can adjust the snapshot duration. The default length is 10 seconds, but you can extend it to 15 or 30 seconds. To change this, go to Settings > Select Clip Duration.

Setting up the incident policy​

After completing the above procedures, the tailgating detection system is correctly installed. The final step is to set up the incident policy to effectively monitor incidents.

Configuring the incident policy​

  1. Navigate to Incident > Incident Policies and select Add Incident Policy
  2. Choose Tailgating as the incident type
  3. Configure the severity level based on your organization's needs
  4. Select the corresponding user as the audience who will receive incident notifications
  5. Save the policy configuration

Now, every time a tailgating incident occurs, you will receive an incident notification containing detailed event information and an attached camera snapshot.

When the same subject tailgates again while an incident is still open, Kisi adds a new occurrence to the existing incident rather than creating a new one. Once the incident is resolved, a subsequent tailgating event from the same subject will create a new incident.

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Administrators will not receive new notifications for additional occurrences until the ongoing incident is resolved. To trigger notifications for subsequent occurrences, resolve the current incident first.

Setting up tailgating notification emails​

When a tailgating incident is acknowledged, Kisi can automatically send an email to the user linked with the unlock event that caused the tailgating detection. This allows you to notify members directly when a tailgating incident involves their entry.

Enable the email notification​

  1. Sign in to Kisi
  2. Click on the VORTEX video integration
  3. Click Settings
  4. Toggle on Send Tailgating Notification Email

Customize the email​

Once enabled, you can edit the default email subject and message. The following placeholders are automatically replaced per email based on the incident:

  • {orgName} - your organization's name
  • {memberName} - the name of the user linked to the unlock event
  • {incidentTime} - the time of the incident
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The email is only sent when an admin clicks Acknowledge on the incident report, not automatically on detection. Only one email is sent per incident — new occurrences added to an already-acknowledged open incident do not trigger additional emails, and resolving an incident without acknowledging it sends no email at all.

Visual analytics​

VORTEX cameras also support visual analytics, allowing you to track occupancy across areas you define directly on the camera feed. See the Visual analytics page for setup instructions.

Notes and limitations​

  • To enhance the accuracy of the detection algorithm, the tailgating detection pipeline operates in near-real-time.
  • An incident report is generated 15 minutes after detection if no valid unlock or line-crossing events occur at the door during that period.

Setup completion checklist​

Ensure you have completed all the following steps. Tailgating detection will only work properly once every item is checked off:

If you have completed all items in the checklist above, your tailgating detection system should now be working properly. You can test the system by tailgating someone through the monitored entrance and verifying that incidents are detected and reported correctly.

Troubleshooting​

If you're experiencing issues with your tailgating detection setup, use the VORTEX Tailgating Troubleshooting page to diagnose problems before contacting support.

  1. Sign in to Kisi
  2. Click on the VORTEX video integration
  3. Click on the settings icon of the camera you use for tailgating
  4. You will see the tailgating troubleshooting page with two sections:
    • Setup Health Check: Verifies that your camera is online, line crossing coordinates are configured, live line crossings have been received in the past 24 hours, and the incident policy is enabled
    • Live Line Crossings: Displays the 10 most recent line crossing events received in the past 24 hours to confirm events are being detected and transmitted to Kisi

If no line crossings appear or the data seems outdated, first check that the timezone in VORTEX matches the timezone of the Kisi place, as a mismatch will cause the health check to show no crossings. If the timezones match, review your line crossing detection configuration and webhook setup.

Customer onboarding checklist​

If you are working with the Kisi onboarding team to set up VORTEX tailgating detection, this checklist outlines the tasks you need to complete yourself. The Kisi onboarding team will handle all remaining configuration steps.

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This checklist is only for customers who have onboarding included in their package. If you do not have onboarding support, you need to complete all tasks in the setup completion checklist above.

Tasks for you to complete​

Tasks handled by Kisi onboarding team​

Once you have completed the tasks above, the Kisi onboarding team will complete the remaining configuration, including webhook setup, Kisi integration configuration, and incident policy setup.

Get in touch​

If tailgating detection is not functioning as expected, first use the troubleshooting page to check your setup health and verify that line crossings are being received. Review the setup completion checklist and ensure every step has been completed.

If you have verified all steps and the troubleshooting page doesn't show any problems, contact our support team for assistance.

Last updated on by Timofejs Golubevs