Support / You expected a notification when something moved, or a recording of last night
Does ViewTile alert me, or record around the clock?
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The short answer
No, and no — on purpose. ViewTile is a viewer and a configuration tool with no server behind it. A notification while the app is closed needs something that watches the cameras around the clock and can reach your phone from outside; that is a cloud service or a recorder, and ViewTile is neither. Continuous recording needs storage that is always on; a phone is not.
What it does do
- Alarms while you watch. The camera’s motion and other alarms are shown as they happen while the camera is on screen, so you can check that a detection zone is set right from the ground.
- Recordings the camera keeps itself. A camera with a memory card or built-in storage that offers its recordings through the standard is listed and played back in ViewTile (Profile G cameras). This is the camera’s recording, not ours.
- Clips you take (with Pro). Up to five minutes at a time, straight into your photo library; snapshots are free.
- The last minute (with Pro, off until you switch it on). While a camera is on screen, the phone keeps its last sixty seconds; when the camera reports movement, or you tap, that minute becomes a clip. Only while you watch — it is not a recorder.
For the rest
- Alerts: the camera maker’s own app, or a recorder’s app, both of which run a service for it. They can run alongside ViewTile; using ViewTile does not change anything on the camera.
- Around-the-clock recording: a recorder (NVR), or a camera with a memory card and recording switched on. ViewTile then shows those recordings where the camera offers them.
A camera that records to its own card and a phone that looks at it when you want to is a complete, private setup for a small shop; ViewTile is built for that shape.