---
title: "Using ZenMode for Operator"
source: /gcxone/operator-guide/using-zenmode-for-operator
locale: en
updated: 2026-09-15
---
## **What ZenMode for Operator Does**

ZenMode is an operator-focused mode inside Video Search that compiles alarm events from a selected customer, site, or device into a grid of camera tiles — one tile per camera, each showing its own event count. Instead of opening alarms one by one, the operator sees every camera's events grouped together and can open any tile to review, classify, and act on its events without losing context or switching screens.

## **Why It Matters**

During a busy shift, an operator can face dozens or hundreds of alarms across multiple sites. Reviewing each one individually wastes time and causes fatigue. ZenMode solves this by grouping all events for a selected scope into a streamlined viewing session — letting one operator cover more ground, faster, without missing anything important.

## **How It Works**

### Before You Begin

- You are logged in with the Operator role.
- ZenMode is activated in the Marketplace (contact your administrator if not available).
- You have at least one customer or site with recorded alarm events.
- If using Multi Monitor, your workstation has multiple physical screens set up.

### Step 1: Open Video Search and Select Your Scope

1. Click **Video Search** from the left navigation menu.
2. Select a **Customer**, **Site**, and optionally a **Device**. Once selected, the ZenMode button appears.
3. Use the **Select Sensor** filter to choose which cameras to include — it supports checkboxes, so you can select multiple cameras at once and compile all of their events into the same ZenMode session.

![1](/api/media/file/Screenshot-2026-09-15-092721-edited-d3013974.png?prefix=media)

### Step 2: Launch ZenMode

1. Click the **ZenMode button** (labeled **Enter Zen Mode**) in the top-right toolbar of Video Search.
2. ZenMode compiles events for the selected scope into a grid of camera tiles, one per selected camera.
3. The total number of events is displayed so you know how many events are in the session before you begin.
4. Use the **Zen Mode Limit** selector to control how many events load per camera (100 / 200 / 300 / 400 / 600).
5. Use the **Speed** selector to set the playback speed multiplier for the session (e.g., 1x).
6. Use **Pause** to pause the live session feed, **Reset** to restart it, or **Exit Zen Mode** to leave and return to the regular Video Search grid.

![2](/api/media/file/Screenshot-2026-09-15-093021-edited-5404a51e.png?prefix=media)

### Step 3: Filter Your Events

At the top of ZenMode, use **Open Filters** to narrow down what you review:

- **Detections** — Quick-filter by Vehicle, Motion, or Person.
- **Alarm Type** — Filter by All, Real Alarms, False Alarms, or None.
- **Date & Time** — Set the time window to review (defaults to the last 24 hours).
- **Overlay** — Toggle **Heatmap**, **Mask**, or **History Mask** layers on the footage.

Click **Show more filters** for additional options:

- **User feedback** — Show all events, or only those already marked Up (real) or Down (false).
- **Detection type** — Filter further by Vehicle, Unknown, Person, Tree, Insect, Reflection, Animal, or Rain/Snow.
- **Verified only** — Show only events that have already been reviewed.

![4](/api/media/file/Screenshot-2026-09-15-093143-edited-ad28f0f8.png?prefix=media)

### Step 4: Select and Review a Camera's Events

1. Click on any camera tile to open a detailed popup for that camera. The popup shows the customer, site, device, camera name, and the timestamp of the currently displayed event, and updates in real time as you scrub through its events.

![](/api/media/file/8852cf7ec14c7effb4e1fdf016944dd665b944fc-1024x737.png)

The following controls are available in the popup:

| Control | Shortcut | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Pause/Play | C | Start or pause the current event |
| Playback | P | Open the full playback timeline for this camera |
| Jump Back | J | Rewind to review a moment again |
| Live | L | Switch to the camera's current live feed |
| Mask | M | Apply a mask to a detection zone directly from the player |
| Share | S | Copy or share the event link with a colleague |
| Thumbs Up / Thumbs Down | - | Classify the event as a real incident or a false alarm |
| Download Clip | - | Save the event clip locally for evidence or reporting |

Use the **Speed** selector (top-right of the ZenMode session) to adjust playback speed for the whole session — faster to skim, slower to inspect.

### Step 5: Use ZenMode with Multi Monitor

Multi Monitor lets you view alarms in Video Search and live footage in Video Viewer at the same time. Enable it in both before starting your session.

**Step 1:** Turn on Multi Monitor in both Video Search and Video Viewer.

**Step 2:** In Video Search, select an alarm — it will be highlighted.

![](/api/media/file/de39cad59c17799954b394b4d0c45845e4624f16-1844x795.png)

**Step 3:** Open the Video Viewer tab — the selected alarm appears there automatically, in a four-pane view: **Current**, **Live**, **Playback**, and **Preview**, with the Customer, Site, Camera, and Event Time shown above it.

![](/api/media/file/7c0f29ef69089c89222dc8f2f956048f704ecefb-1812x724.png)

**Step 4:** Toggle **Zen Mode** at the top of the Video Viewer alarm view to switch to the same camera-tile grid described above, with its own Pause, Reset, and Speed controls. Click **Back To Video Viewer** to return to the four-pane view.

![](/api/media/file/dd20056e45f5c522f82fee31c8cc348c8254839e-1884x790.png)

## **Real-World Use Cases**

- **High-volume shift** — A site generates 80 alarms overnight. Instead of opening each one individually, the operator launches ZenMode filtered to that site and reviews all 80 events in a single session, classifying each as real or false without switching screens.
- **Pattern spotting** — An operator notices the same sensor keeps triggering. Watching its events back-to-back in ZenMode makes the pattern obvious — it's always the same corner at the same time. A mask is applied and the false alarms stop.
- **Shift handover** — Before handing over, an operator uses ZenMode to quickly walk the incoming operator through the key events from the past few hours, using the speed selector to skip through low-priority events.
- **Multi-site review** — An operator filters by customer (rather than a single site) to get a cross-site view of all events for that customer in one ZenMode session.

## **Best Practices**

- Always set your **Customer, Site, and Sensor filters before launching ZenMode** — a focused scope gives more useful results than reviewing all events at once.
- Use the **Detections** and **Detection type** filters to separate person detections from vehicle detections and review each type in its own session.
- Use the **Speed** selector to move faster through low-confidence events and slow down only when something looks worth investigating.
- Enable **Multi Monitor** before starting ZenMode to get the full benefit of simultaneous live view, map, and alarm review.
- Use **Mask** directly from a camera's popup when you spot a recurring false alarm area — no need to leave the session.
- Check the **event count** and set the **Zen Mode Limit** before starting so you can plan how long the session will take.