In DW Spectrum IPVMS, one license covers one recording channel: an IP camera, an RTSP stream, or an HTTP stream. Live viewing does not consume a license, so you only pay for the channels the system actually records. There are two commercial options: perpetual Professional licenses (per channel) and Enterprise subscriptions for 12 or 36 months. For stable installations with a known camera count, Professional is usually the right call, while Enterprise suits organizations that budget the system as an operating expense and prefer a subscription model.
How DW Spectrum licensing works
The rule is simple: 1 license = 1 recording channel. A channel can be an IP camera, an RTSP stream, or an HTTP stream. A license is only consumed once recording is enabled for that channel on the server. Live viewing alone does not use a recording license, which sets DW Spectrum apart from systems that license every connected device.
Example: a site with 40 cameras where 32 are recorded needs 32 licenses. Operators can still watch the remaining 8 cameras live at no licensing cost. With multi-sensor cameras, check how many recording streams a given model produces before you size the system, because the license count follows channels, not physical devices.
License binding to the server (hardware ID)
Once activated, a license is tied to the hardware ID of the recording server. This is a unique 34-character identifier generated when the DW Spectrum server is installed, regardless of platform: Windows, Ubuntu Linux, or an ARM device.
This has two practical consequences. First, in multi-server systems, decide at the design stage which server will hold which license pool. Second, replacing a server or reinstalling the system produces a new hardware ID, so the licenses must be reactivated against the new identifier. Report such a migration to your distributor in advance, before you decommission the old server.
DW Spectrum license types
Professional - perpetual per-channel license
A one-time purchase with no expiry, bought per recording channel. You buy exactly as many licenses as you record, and add more as the system grows. It is the natural choice for installations funded from a capital budget: once activated, the license runs on the server indefinitely.
Enterprise - 12 or 36 month subscription
The subscription option, listed in the xProsec catalog as DW SPECTRUM ENTERPRISE subscription, 1 year or 3 years. Instead of a one-time purchase, you renew the licenses periodically, which moves the system cost from capital to operating expenditure. The 12-month term fits projects budgeted annually; the 36-month term suits longer-horizon installations where you want fewer renewals.
Trial license
The trial license unlocks full system functionality and typically expires after 30-60 days. That is enough time for a proper pilot: connect the target cameras, check server load, and validate recording scenarios before committing. The DW Spectrum client is also available in Polish, so end-user operators can take part in the pilot without training on an English interface.
Which license to choose
- Professional - a fixed channel count, capital funding, and a system expected to run for years without license renewals.
- Enterprise 1 year - operating-expense billing, annually budgeted projects, deployments where flexibility matters.
- Enterprise 3 years - the same subscription model with a longer maintenance horizon and fewer renewals.
- Trial - a proof of concept before purchase, integration and performance testing on the target hardware.
Whichever option you pick, sizing starts with counting recording channels, not cameras. List the devices, mark the ones that must be recorded, include RTSP streams from non-camera sources, and add headroom for planned expansion.
Licenses and hardware from a single source
DW Spectrum IPVMS is software from Digital Watchdog, the American manufacturer behind NDAA/TAA compliant MEGApix cameras and NVR recorders. You will find the current license SKUs in the CCTV software section of the catalog, and the full video surveillance range under CCTV. xProsec is the only Polish distributor of Digital Watchdog cameras, imports them directly from the manufacturer, and backs them with a 5-year warranty; the brand offer is described on the Digital Watchdog page. That means licenses, cameras, and technical support come from one place, with no middlemen.
Frequently asked questions
Does live viewing in DW Spectrum require a license?
No. A license is consumed only by a channel with recording enabled. Cameras used purely for live monitoring do not draw from the license pool, which makes it inexpensive to bring lower-priority viewpoints into the system.
What happens to a license when the server is replaced?
The license is bound to the 34-character hardware ID of a specific server. A new server or a reinstall means a new identifier, so the licenses must be activated again. Plan this before the migration and contact your distributor before retiring the old machine.
Can I test DW Spectrum before buying?
Yes. The trial license provides full functionality and typically expires after 30-60 days. It is the standard path before a larger rollout: pilot on the target server and cameras, then purchase Professional licenses or an Enterprise subscription.
Need help matching licenses to a specific installation, or a quote? Contact xProsec - we will count the recording channels with you and pick the right Professional or Enterprise option for the scale of your project.