What this solves

A PTZ camera without a disciplined preset and tour plan is a manual camera. Every operator drags the joystick to a different angle, every shift change produces a different view, and nobody can prove the camera covered the yard at 02:00. Presets and tours turn that into a repeatable routine: the same positions, the same order, the same dwell time, every cycle.

The Dahua web interface (Web 5.0, manual V3.0.1) handles this in two linked screens — PTZ > Preset and PTZ > Tour. Presets are the building blocks; tours are the schedule that strings them together. Get the presets wrong and the tour is wrong, so the order of work matters.

This article is written for installers and integrators who have to hand a working tour to a control room and then support it. It covers the confirmed menu path, the parameters you actually tune, and the checks that catch problems before the customer does.

How the workflow works

The camera saves PTZ parameters — the current pan/tilt status and focus, plus zoom and iris — into memory as a preset, so the same view can be recalled later (manual p. 95). That saved state is what a tour replays. A tour group is an ordered list of those presets with a stay time and a rotation speed attached (manual p. 96).

Two tour modes exist. Original Path rotates in the order you selected the presets. Shortest Path rearranges the presets by distance and rotates along the shortest route — and the manual states this function is available on select models (p. 96). Do not assume it on a quotation until you have confirmed it on the actual unit.

There is a second, separate consumer of presets worth knowing about: Auto Patrol, which lets the camera patrol according to presets, and Preset Scan linkage, where an IVS rule triggers a preset or scan. Auto Patrol supports selecting up to 5 presets, and if multiple presets are configured the patrol executes in the order of the presets (manual p. 224). That is a different mechanism from a tour group and should not be conflated in a handover document.

Prerequisites and site checks

Before touching the web interface, confirm you can reach the camera's web UI and that you have the rights to change PTZ configuration. The manual's procedure assumes you are logged into the camera web interface and can open the PTZ menu; the exact account role required depends on model/firmware.

Physically, you need a clear line of sight to each position you intend to save. A preset saved while the camera is looking through a tree branch is a preset that will fail in summer. Walk the site and decide the positions first — gate, loading bay, perimeter corner, car park entrance — then save them in a deliberate order.

For tours, the manual lists a prerequisite explicitly: you need to set up several preset points in advance (p. 96). There is no tour without presets. Plan for at least the number of stops you intend to show, plus one or two spares for future use.

Finally, decide who owns the tour. If the control room is going to stop the tour by nudging the PTZ — which it will, because the manual notes the ongoing tour stops if any operation is made to the PTZ (p. 96) — someone must know how to restart it. That is a training item, not a configuration item.

Step-by-step configuration

The preset procedure below follows the manual exactly (p. 95). Work through it once per position, naming each preset as you go so the tour list is readable later.

1. Click the menu icon, then select PTZ > Preset.
2. Set the step length and click the direction buttons to adjust PTZ direction. Use the zoom, focus and iris controls to set the camera to the desired position.
3. Click Add Preset. The current position is added and appears in the preset list.
4. Double-click the preset title to rename it in the page.
5. Click to save the preset.

Related operations on the same page: click to delete a single preset, or click Clear to delete all added presets (p. 95). Treat Clear as a destructive action — it removes every preset, including ones other people rely on.

Once the presets exist, build the tour (p. 96):

1. Click the menu icon, then select PTZ > Tour.
2. Click Add Tour Group, then double-click Name to rename the tour.
3. Select the tour group, click Add Tour Group, and pick presets from the Preset Point drop-down list on the left. Repeat to add several presets to the group.
4. Configure Stay Time (S) and Speed — the camera's dwell at each preset and its rotation speed.
5. Select the tour mode: Original Path or Shortest Path (select models only).
6. Click Apply to complete the settings.
7. Click to start the tour. Click to stop it.

Related operations: click to delete a tour group, or click Clear to delete all added tour groups (p. 96). Note that the manual's step 2 and step 3 both reference the Add Tour Group control; follow the on-screen flow and confirm the group is selected before adding preset points, as the exact button behaviour depends on model/firmware.

Tuning and verification

The two parameters that decide whether a tour is useful or annoying are stay time and speed. Stay time is measured in seconds and the manual gives a range of 15 to 3600 seconds (p. 96). That is a wide band, and the right value depends entirely on what the operator is watching for.

Verification is a physical exercise, not a checkbox. Start the tour and watch it complete at least two full cycles. Confirm each stop is framed as intended, that focus is sharp at each preset, and that the camera returns to the correct starting position. Then hand the controls to an operator and let them interrupt the tour — the manual confirms the tour stops on any PTZ operation (p. 96) — and have them restart it without your help.

If the tour is also expected to feed alarm handling, check the linkage separately. Auto Patrol and Preset Scan are configured through the IVS/alarm parameters, not the tour screen, and Preset Scan requires preset and scan rules to be configured in PTZ in advance (p. 224). Auto Tracking is a further separate feature, only supported on some devices, and is not part of the tour configuration.

Buying notes and deployment fit

For a specifier, the practical question is not whether a camera has presets — most PTZ units do — but whether the tour behaviour matches the operational procedure. If the site needs a fixed patrol order, Original Path is sufficient and you do not need to pay for anything extra. If the site has many scattered presets and you want the camera to take the efficient route, Shortest Path matters, and you must confirm it on the model you are quoting because it is available only on select models (p. 96).

Consider the number of tours the site will actually run. A single tour group covering the whole perimeter is easy to maintain; five overlapping groups with duplicated presets become a change-control problem. Where the camera is also expected to respond to alarms, remember that Auto Patrol supports up to 5 presets and that IVS scan linkage requires preset and scan rules to be configured in PTZ in advance (p. 224). Budget configuration time for that separately from the tour build.

On the hardware side, browse the PTZ camera range to match lens and housing to the site, and pair the camera with a recorder from the network recorder collection so tour activity is recorded and reviewable. If analytics-driven patrol is part of the design, the WizMind range is the relevant family to review — but verify each capability against the datasheet for the exact model, since features such as Auto Tracking are only supported on some devices (p. 224).

For interoperability planning, the camera's PTZ control may also be exposed to third-party systems; check the ONVIF profile support on the model datasheet rather than assuming preset and tour behaviour is identical across clients. Manufacturer documentation is at Dahua Security.

FAQ

Can I build a tour without presets? No. The manual lists setting up several preset points in advance as a prerequisite for configuring a tour (p. 96).

What is the stay time range? Stay time is measured in seconds and ranges from 15 seconds to 3600 seconds (p. 96).

Why did my tour stop by itself? The ongoing tour stops if any operation is made to the PTZ (p. 96). An operator nudging the controls will end it; restart the tour afterwards.

Is Shortest Path available on every Dahua PTZ? No. The manual states Shortest Path is available on select models (p. 96). Confirm on the specific model and firmware before relying on it.

Does clearing presets affect my tours? Presets are the content of a tour, so removing them undermines the tour. The Clear control under PTZ > Preset deletes all added presets (p. 95); use single-preset delete where possible.

Is Auto Patrol the same as a tour? No. Auto Patrol is a separate parameter that lets the camera patrol according to presets, supports up to 5 presets, and is configured in the alarm/IVS parameter area (p. 224). It is not the same screen as PTZ > Tour.

Sources

• Dahua Network PTZ Camera Web 5.0 User Manual V3.0.1 — Section 4.5.1 Configuring Presets, p. 95; Section 4.5.2 Configuring Tour, pp. 96–97 (User Manual pp. 86–87); Auto Patrol / Preset Scan parameter descriptions, p. 224 (User Manual p. 215).
• Official manufacturer site: https://www.dahuasecurity.com/
• ONVIF interoperability: https://www.onvif.org/