Table of Contents
Timezones
TetherX uses two clocks: the clock at each physical site and the clock for each user. Set both correctly and the system can run schedules locally while each person reads dates and times in the way that makes sense to them.
Which Timezone Should You Set?
| Set | Use it for | Choose |
|---|---|---|
| Site timezone | TetherBoxes, cameras, monitored hours, dates and monitoring windows. | The timezone where the site physically stands. |
| User timezone | Timestamps, dates and time-of-day event filters shown to that user. | The timezone where that person works. |
A TetherBox assigned to a site uses the site's timezone. There is no separate TetherBox timezone to manage after installation.
Set a Site Timezone
Set the site timezone before configuring its monitored hours or camera schedules.
- Go to Admin → Sites and select the site.
- On the details card, find Time Zone below the what3words address.
- Choose the timezone at the site's physical location.
- Select Apply.
The control shows the current local time at the site, so you can compare it with the clock on site before saving. The New Site form has the same field.
Change Several Sites
- Go to Admin → Sites.
- Select the sites, then choose Edit.
- Tick Time Zone, choose the timezone, then apply the changes.
Use bulk editing only when every selected site is in the same timezone.
What the Site Clock Controls
- Monitoring schedules and exceptions. A monitored-hours rule of 18:00 until 09:00 means evening to morning at that site.
- Monitoring status and temporary windows. Holiday dates, Pause Monitoring and Engineer on Site windows use the site's local days and times.
- TetherBoxes and cameras at the site. Their recording and notification schedules, camera time synchronisation and Timelapse organisation use this clock.
- Time-limited event access. A selected-zone footage period is entered in the timezone shared by its selected zones, so changing a user's timezone never moves the period.
Warning: Changing the site timezone moves schedule times; it does not convert them. A rule that says 18:00 until 09:00 still says 18:00 until 09:00, but it now happens at different moments. Each TetherBox whose clock changes restarts its recorder, causing about 30 seconds of missed footage. Set the timezone first, then review the hours.
Tip: A TetherBox without a site keeps a temporary timezone. As soon as it is assigned to a site, it follows the site's clock.
Set Your User Timezone
Your user timezone affects only what you see. It does not change a site's schedules, its TetherBoxes or its cameras.
- Select your profile icon in the top-right corner.
- Choose your local Timezone in your profile settings.
- Select Update User.
Your timezone controls:
- Timestamps on events, recordings and audit logs.
- Dates shown throughout TetherX.
- The Morning, Afternoon, Evening, Night and Business Hours event filters.
It does not change a selected-zone event-access period. That period always uses the timezone shared by the selected event zones.
For example, a user in London viewing a Sydney site sees the event time in London time. The site's schedules still run in Sydney time.
Use Time-of-Day Filters
The time-of-day filters always use your user timezone.
| Filter | Local time in your timezone |
|---|---|
| Morning | 06:00 - 11:59 |
| Afternoon | 12:00 - 17:59 |
| Evening | 18:00 - 23:59 |
| Night | 00:00 - 05:59 |
| Business Hours | 09:00 - 17:59 |
If you are in London and choose Morning, the result includes events from 06:00 to 11:59 London time, including events from sites in other timezones. Use a custom time range when you need to investigate a particular local time at a remote site.
Working Across Sites
Set every site to its own physical location and let each user choose their own local timezone. This works whether a monitoring team, installer and site are all in different places.
| Situation | Set the site to | Set the user to |
|---|---|---|
| One site | The site's local timezone. | The user's local timezone. |
| Sites in different countries | Each site's own timezone. | The user's local timezone. |
| A monitoring team elsewhere | The timezone at the monitored site. | The timezone where each operator works. |
Troubleshooting
Event Times Look Wrong
Check the user's timezone first. Event and recording timestamps are shown in that user's timezone, not in the site's timezone.
A Schedule Runs at the Wrong Time
Check the site's Time Zone and the timezone named above the schedule. Camera schedules and monitored hours use the site clock, never the user's clock.
Camera Times Do Not Match the TetherBox
Confirm that the site timezone is correct and that the camera is available through ONVIF or its native API. Camera time synchronisation runs daily, so a change can take up to 24 hours to reach the camera. See Camera Time Synchronisation.
Learn More
See TetherBox Time Synchronisation for the TetherBox clock, NTP, VPN fallback, hardware clock modules and camera time synchronisation.
Referenced in: