First Login

After completing the installation, this guide walks you through your first login to the Meridian VMS web interface, securing your admin account, and understanding the main navigation.

Accessing the Web Interface

Open a web browser and navigate to:

http://your-management-server-ip:8000

The management server hosts the web interface on the same port as the API. You will be presented with the login screen.

Note

If you cannot reach the login page, verify that the meridian-management service is running:

sudo systemctl status meridian-management

Also ensure port 8000 is not blocked by a firewall.

Default Admin Credentials

The default administrator account is created automatically during installation using the credentials you configured in the installer. Log in with the email and password you provided during setup.

Change the default password immediately

After your first login, change the password through the Settings page to a strong, unique password.

Session Management

Meridian VMS uses secure token-based authentication:

• Your session is managed automatically by the web interface.
• Sessions are refreshed transparently in the background.
• You will be automatically logged out after a period of inactivity. If your session expires, you will be redirected to the login screen.

Changing Your Password

After your first login:

1. Navigate to Settings in the sidebar.
2. Find the User Management or Account section.
3. Update your password to a strong, unique value.
4. Save the changes.

Navigating the Web Interface

The Meridian VMS interface is organized around a sidebar navigation menu on the left side of the screen. Here is an overview of each section:

Dashboard

The landing page after login. Displays a high-level summary of your system:

• Total number of cameras and their current status (recording, online, offline, error)
• Recording server health and connectivity
• Storage usage across recording servers
• Recent events and alerts

Live View

Real-time camera monitoring. Features include:

• Location tree on the left to browse cameras by site hierarchy
• Camera grid displaying multiple live streams simultaneously
• Saved views for custom multi-camera layouts
• Click any camera to view its stream in full size
• Camera streams are delivered via WebRTC for low-latency viewing

Playback

Access recorded video from any camera:

• Select a camera from the location tree
• Use the timeline scrubber to navigate through recorded segments
• Recorded segments appear as filled bars on the timeline
• Click on any time to begin playback from that point

Events

Browse and filter detected events:

• Filter by camera, event type, time range, or detection class
• View event thumbnails and associated video clips
• Events are generated by object detection and alarm triggers

AI Detection

Note

AI detection requires a supported hardware accelerator on the recording server.

Configure and monitor real-time object detection:

• Define detection zones on camera views
• Set per-zone class filters (e.g., detect only people in a specific area)
• View live detection overlays
• Adjust detection sensitivity and scheduling

Heatmap

Visualize activity patterns across your cameras:

• View heatmap overlays showing areas of highest activity
• Filter by time period and detection class
• Useful for identifying traffic patterns and optimizing camera placement

Settings

System configuration and administration:

• Locations — Create and manage the location hierarchy (region, city, area, site)
• Recording Servers — Register and manage recording servers
• Cameras — Add, edit, and remove cameras; ONVIF discovery
• User Management — Create and manage user accounts and roles
• System Configuration — General system settings

Alarms

Configure alarm rules and manage alarm events:

• Define alarm conditions based on detection events
• Create standard operating procedures (SOPs) with step-by-step checklists
• Track alarm lifecycle: new, acknowledged, closed
• View alarm history and operator actions

User Roles

Meridian VMS supports role-based access control (RBAC). The admin account created during installation has full system access. Additional users can be created in Settings with appropriate role assignments to restrict access to specific features and locations.

Next Steps

Now that you are logged in and familiar with the interface, proceed to the Quick Start guide to add your first locations, recording servers, and cameras.