Add several devices

Use Add Several… to prepare saved connections before the devices are reachable. You can mix cameras, recorders and network equipment in one draft. Testing a connection is optional; Add saves the selected, valid rows even if the devices did not answer or refused the password.

On Mac, switch to Devices and choose Devices → Add Several… (⇧⌘N). On Android, open Devices → + → Add Several…, or open it from the add-device form. In builds with licensing, this is a work tool. The current iPhone and iPad apps do not offer this table.

Set the defaults

Choose the site, device type and credentials before filling rows. On Mac, the defaults also include Way In: the protocol port for a camera or recorder, or an interface scheme and port for network equipment.

A row inherits values it leaves to the defaults. Enter a value in the row to override it. Clearing its user name or password returns that field to the default, so an empty-looking cell does not necessarily mean an empty credential. Changing a default affects every row that still inherits it and clears the connection test results.

For cameras and recorders, choose Xiongmai, Hikvision or ONVIF as part of the type. Hik-Connect accounts, Cloud ID and HTTP-camera profiles are outside this tool. Network equipment has an interface instead of a camera protocol and never appears in Live.

The Live switch is off by default. Leave it off to prepare connections without starting them after adding. Turn it on if the new cameras and recorders should connect and appear in Live immediately. Equipment stays in the registry either way.

Enter rows on Mac

Fill the name and address, then any values that differ from the defaults. The address accepts IPv4 or a host name, with the port in its own field. Do not paste a URL or an IPv6 address into it. A name is optional; without one, Watchpost uses the type and address.

Key	Action in the table
Tab	Move to the next cell
Return	Advance to the next row; after the last filled row, prepare a similar one
⌘D	Copy the same field from the row above
⇧⌘V	Open spreadsheet paste
⌘Return	Add the ready rows

A suggested row increments the IPv4 address and the last number in the name where possible: Camera 09 becomes Camera 10. Check the suggestion. A host name or an address ending in .254 leaves the next address empty.

Untick a row to keep it in the draft without adding it. Delete Row in its context menu removes it from the draft.

Paste from a spreadsheet

Copy cells from Numbers or Excel, or copy CSV text with commas or semicolons. Each device should occupy one line. For example, these fictional entries use addresses reserved for documentation:

Name,Address,Type,Port
Entrance,192.0.2.10,IPC Hikvision,8000
Recorder,192.0.2.20,NVR XM,34567

1. On Mac, choose Paste from Spreadsheet… (⇧⌘V).
2. Check First row is headers and the meaning assigned to every column. Available meanings are name, address, type, port, user name and password; choose Skip for an unwanted column.
3. Review the preview and choose Add to Rows or Replace Table. Replacement removes the existing draft rows.
4. Confirm the paste, then check the resulting table before testing or adding.

The Type cell can combine a kind and protocol: IPC Hikvision, NVR XM or camera ONVIF. It also recognizes equipment words such as router, switch, bridge and UPS. A brand by itself means a camera. There is no separate brand-column mapping; unrecognized type text falls back to the defaults.

For an unbranded camera or recorder on Mac, paste uses the camera protocol selected in the defaults. If those defaults describe equipment, it uses the most common supported camera protocol in the registry, or ONVIF when there is none. Choose the intended camera protocol before pasting if you need a predictable result.

Empty cells inherit defaults. An invalid pasted port can also fall back to the default or usual port rather than block the row. Check the effective port, especially after changing a type. The preview does not test connections. Cancel leaves the main draft unchanged.

Resolve row marks

Mark	Effect
Missing or invalid address	Row cannot be added
Same as an earlier included row	Row cannot be added; correct it or untick one of the duplicates
Already in Devices	Row cannot be added as another copy
Outside the site network	Warning only; row can still be added

Duplicate checks compare address and port, taking the site and direct connection path into account. A network warning uses the configured or inferred site network; it does not prove that an address is unreachable. Review it for typing mistakes.

Test and add

Test Connection checks ready rows in sequence. For cameras and recorders it attempts sign-in and reads device information; for equipment it checks whether the selected port answers. It does not configure the devices. On Mac, Stop interrupts the remaining checks.

After a refused login, Watchpost skips later rows with the same protocol, user name and password to avoid repeated failed sign-ins. Correct the credentials first. On Mac, Check Anyway lets you continue despite that guard; it can cause further refusals or an account lock on the devices. Android has no equivalent override.

A check failure does not block Add. Untick any row you do not want to save. Add N saves the ready rows and removes them from the draft. Unselected or blocked rows remain so you can fix them later. Check the added count and the device list before assuming every row was saved. Saving a connection does not change the device’s own settings.

Keep or clear the draft

On Mac, Close keeps the draft, including credentials, under Watchpost storage protection. Reopening the table restores it and its own selected site. Clear… asks for confirmation and removes all draft rows while retaining the current defaults in the open table. It does not remove devices already added to the registry.

On Android, tap a row to edit it and use Add Row to prepare the next one. OK keeps the row edits; dismissing that row dialog also keeps them. Use Remove Row to delete it. Paste from Clipboard opens column mapping and appends the pasted rows; Android has no replace-table choice. Unbranded camera types use the defaults’ protocol, or ONVIF when the defaults describe equipment. Its defaults have no shared port control; set the port per row when needed. Equipment port checks through a non-direct route are skipped.

The Android draft stays in memory when you leave the screen, but it does not survive the app process ending. Clear Rows asks for confirmation. Do not rely on closing the Android screen to preserve unfinished work across a restart.