Account and license

On Mac, open Settings (⌘,) → Plan & License. The pane appears in builds that use Watchpost licensing. It shows the current plan and the features it opens. Live view, PTZ and device settings remain available without a license; support for a particular camera still depends on its protocol.

On Android, builds with licensing offer Plan & License in the Devices menu. The controls follow the same account and installation model, but offline activation through files is a Mac feature. The current iPhone and iPad apps use a Watchpost account for Inbox without the Mac license pane or trial controls.

Sign in and choose a license

A Watchpost account uses your email address and a code from a letter. It is separate from the Hik-Connect account used to connect cameras.

1. Enter your email address and choose Send Code.
2. Enter the received code and choose Sign In. If the address is wrong, choose Another Address. Codes expire; request a new letter if the form reports an invalid or expired code.
3. Review the account and licenses shown in the pane.

In a build with licensing, signing in can activate the account’s only usable license automatically when this installation has no lease. This takes an installation place. If several licenses are available, choose Use on This Mac beside the one you want. An expired or revoked license cannot be selected.

Signing in for Inbox does not start a trial by itself. Receiving an invitation does not grant a license either.

Start a trial

Choose Start Trial from the plan controls or a locked feature. The form offers a 30-day trial and asks you to sign in if needed. No payment card is required. Review the account before starting, then check the result and end date shown by Watchpost.

The server may report that the trial has already been used, that the email address is unsuitable or that too many requests have been made. Follow the message in the form. Requesting another sign-in code does not create another trial.

After the trial, Live view, PTZ and device settings keep working. The pane’s feature list shows whether your current license includes archive, export, work tools and Watchpost services. A feature in that list still needs a compatible device and connection.

Redeem a code

If you received a license code, sign in to the intended account first. Enter it under Redeem a Code and choose Redeem. The code joins the license to that account and can be used only once. Then check the license list and activate the license if needed.

The license code is different from the email sign-in code and the storage recovery key.

Manage installation places

The license list shows occupied places and the maximum allowed. Installations of the License identifies this Mac and other installations, with activation and last-seen dates.

If all places are occupied, activation can show those installations with Use This Place. That action deactivates the selected installation before trying to activate this Mac. Check which installation you are replacing. If the new activation fails, review the list again: the old place may already have been freed.

Deactivate… for this Mac asks for confirmation and removes its current license lease after the server accepts the action. Choose the license again to reactivate it. Deactivating another installation frees its place on the server; an offline installation may continue using its existing lease until that lease expires.

Sign Out removes the account session from this Mac. It leaves the current lease to run until its end and does not free the installation place. To release the place before signing out, deactivate this Mac first. These actions do not delete camera connections or recorder footage.

Activate a Mac without internet

Offline activation uses a request from the Mac that needs the license:

1. Choose Save Request File… and save the .wpr file.
2. On a computer with internet, sign in to your Watchpost account. In its license section, select the license and upload the request file through the offline activation form.
3. Bring the returned .wpl lease file to the original Mac and choose Open Lease File….
4. Check the plan, available features and end date.

The file is tied to the requesting installation. A file for another installation will not activate this Mac. An old request may be refused; save a new one if requested. Offline activation also requires the server to support issuing offline leases.

An offline lease has an end date and does not renew itself. Obtain a new file before it expires. The date in Watchpost is the one to follow; keeping the old file does not extend it.

Check a restriction or warning

On Mac, Check Now requests the current license state and refreshes account information. It needs internet. If the server cannot be reached, read the displayed state and lease end date before trying activation again.

An approaching end date can concern the trial, an offline lease or updates and services. These have different effects. The end of updates and services does not by itself remove the archive, export and work tools already included in a purchased license. Review the pane’s explanation and feature list.

Closing a plan notice with Not Now or Stay on Free dismisses the notice. It does not change the license or start a trial.