LILIN · Product & Sales Essentials

Don't replace what the customer already has

All three product lines come down to the same thing: what the customer has already paid for stays, and the new piece connects in to fill the part that was missing. The most important thing in the field is to get the brand and model of each device and bring them back.

Customer says“Our fixed cameras are all in the VMS, but the body-worn cameras are a separate thing. If we need footage, someone has to go through it by hand.” → LiveEdge Customer says“We've got gear from several brands, some of it's old, and to check one spot I have to open three different systems.” → XMap Customer says“The recorders are all out on site and I can't get into them. When one breaks, I only find out once someone goes out there.” → Merlink+

Three product lines

Every card follows the same structure: what the customer will say, what you're selling, three benefits they'll understand, who buys, the opening question, and what to nail down.

LiveEdge

Body-worn cameras (BWC) plus the Nexus command centre — and it connects into the customer's existing VMS.

What the customer will say “Our fixed cameras are all in the VMS, but the body-worn cameras are a separate thing. If we need footage, someone has to go through it by hand.”

Three benefits

Connects into the customer's existing VMSTo the customer's existing VMS, each body-worn camera is simply an ONVIF camera (video over RTSP). You add it the same way you'd add any camera — it isn't one more platform.

Video, two-way voice and location in oneWhile people are out in the field, the command centre can see where they are and what the scene looks like; once SOS is pressed, two-way talk opens up.

Evidence stays under controlFootage is filed to cases automatically, the chain of custody is kept, and audit logs can be exported; footage is deleted automatically when retention expires, and can be frozen when it's tied to a case.

Animation: body-worn camera

Out in the field there are two modes. Live + Record: one press, and it records and streams back to the command centre at the same time. Buffer: normally everything stays on the device (including a pre-record from just before the press, with configurable length), and only when SOS is pressed does it alert the command centre, send the video back and open two-way talk. Location, meanwhile, goes straight to Nexus the whole time they're out.

Open the full version →

Dashcam: 3D digital twin

The dashcam on a patrol car records front and rear as soon as the engine starts, stored only on the device; sharp turns and hard braking are just marked in the recording. Only a long-press on SOS or an impact alerts the command centre and sends the front and rear views back through Vault, and that clip can be set to go into Vault right away. Calls placed from the console are answered automatically. Back at base, the whole shift's recording uploads over Wi-Fi.

3D scenario thumbnail: patrol car crash SOS

3D digital twin: patrol car crash SOSImpact triggers → front and rear feeds sent back, call answered automatically

How the architecture works: two scenarios

Indoors and out in the field, a body-worn camera takes two completely different paths. Once that is clear, the customer understands why both roles, Vault and Nexus, are needed.

Scenario A Back at the station (indoors) Just the body-worn camera and Booth — the goal is backfill

The wearer comes back to the station and docks the camera in Booth; footage not yet uploaded is backfilled to Vault in a batch, and that's it. This indoor leg involves no command at all.

Scenario B Out in the field (streaming) Video goes through Vault; location and talk go to Nexus

Video goes only through Vault, which relays it as-is without re-encoding; the service endpoints for location and two-way talk are on Nexus. To the customer's existing VMS, each body-worn camera is an ONVIF camera (video over RTSP); Nexus does not connect to the customer's system directly.

Which path uses which protocol

What's being sent	Protocol	From → to
Video on the move	RTMP	BWC → Vault
Live video for the command centre	WebRTC	Relayed by Vault → Nexus
Video for the customer's existing VMS	ONVIF · RTSP	Relayed by Vault → existing VMS
Location	HTTP POST	BWC → Nexus
Two-way talk (after SOS)	WebRTC	BWC ⇄ Nexus
Backfill after returning to the station	Booth	BWC → Booth → Vault

What Vault does

Ingest: over RTMP while on the move, backfilled from Booth after returning to the station
Relay: converted to WebRTC for live viewing in Nexus; to the customer's existing VMS, each body-worn camera is an ONVIF camera
Evidence management: automatic filing to cases, chain of custody, exportable audit logs
Retention: automatic deletion at expiry, frozen when tied to a case
Each licence includes 5 direct RTSP connections, so temporary fixed cameras can be brought in too

What Nexus does

Live command: where people are (location comes in over HTTP POST) and what the scene looks like (WebRTC relayed by Vault)
Two-way talk: WebRTC, with the service endpoint on the Nexus side
Dispatch and reporting: assigning tasks, status reported back from the field
Event handling: events come in, and the handling process and outcome are kept on record

What you can say on site “Your fixed cameras stay as they are, and you don't need to change your VMS. What we're adding is the part that moves — in your current VMS, each body-worn camera is just another ONVIF camera, so you see it on the same screens you already use. It's not one more platform.”

Who buysCustomers who already have a VMS and fixed cameras in place, but haven't connected anything on the move yet. Customers who have already invested are usually the easiest conversation — the budget is there, and so are the people who manage it.

Opening question“How do you match up your body-worn camera footage with your fixed-camera footage today?”

What to nail downWhich existing VMS and which version · how many devices · self-hosted or cloud · how long evidence needs to be kept

XMap

Brings devices from every brand into one interface: map, event management and CMS. It sits on top of the customer's existing VMS, so the current system doesn't need replacing.

What the customer will say “We've got gear from several brands, some of it's old, and to check one spot I have to open three different systems.”

Three pillars

Map

Every point on one map, regardless of brand or site. When an alarm comes in, the map automatically zooms to its location, so whoever is on duty doesn't have to work out which camera it is.

Event Management

The extra layer on top of the map, built specifically for security companies: events come in, work is dispatched, SOPs are checked item by item, handling is kept on record, and reports come out afterwards. It's what security companies do every day, and usually the part customers value most.

CMS — monitoring management

Again, devices from every vendor are integrated. What the customer sees is one interface:

Map ViewCMS ViewLive ViewPlaybackEvents

What it looks like once integrated

Read it from the bottom up: devices of every brand connect in → live view, playback and events treat them all the same → the top layer presents Map View, CMS View and Event View. Not a single device needs replacing; the dashed box is a brand that isn't connected yet.

How far the integration goes

XMap supports LILIN and also Network Optix's Nx Witness, so devices from different systems can go on the same map. If the customer has other brands on site, there's only one thing to do in the field — bring the brand and model back to confirm.

A question that comes up often

When XMap goes into a project running another company's VMS, whose customer is it?
ResellerHub is an unlimited-tier structure: a customer belongs to whichever tier it sits under, that tier can use its own domain and logo, and the tiers above see only aggregate data — ownership and branding both stay with the original tier.

What you can say on site “You won't need to replace a single device. The main brands are already connected; if there's anything else on site, give me the model and I'll go back and confirm the best way to connect it.”

Who buysMulti-site operations, mixed-brand installations, campuses and plants, and security companies that need event management and dispatch. Customers who already have a VMS but want the whole picture on one screen are the fastest way in.

Opening question“Right now, to check what's going on at one location, how many systems do you have to open?”

What to nail downWhich brands and models are on site · how many cameras go on the map · whether event management and dispatch are needed · any license plate, face recognition or access control systems to connect

Merlink+with Merlin cloud

A software gateway installed on the customer's own machine that connects the cameras and recorders of every brand on site to the Merlin cloud — and also an on-site AI Operator that helps look after the equipment.

What the customer will say “The recorders are all out on site and I can't get into them. When one breaks, I only find out once someone goes out there.”

Three benefits

Connects the site to the Merlin cloudDevices from different brands reach the cloud through it, with no fixed IP or VPN needed; it can also bridge into other VMS. Nothing needs replacing or standardising.

An AI Operator looks after the equipmentIt checks the site automatically every day: whether recording has dropped, whether a camera has been knocked off position or blocked — no waiting for the customer to call and report it. This part runs entirely locally.

Reports sent out automaticallyInspection results are emailed regularly to the customer or the site manager. For a security company, that's something to hand over every month.

What the architecture looks like

One Merlink+ takes in all the mixed equipment at a site. To go to the cloud, connect it to Merlin and view every site together; if the customer doesn't want the cloud, it works just as well on site on its own — for projects where the cloud conversation isn't settled yet, this is a step you can take first.

What you can say on site “It connects the equipment at all your sites to the Merlin cloud, so you can see everything even when you're out. And it's like someone on duty who never needs a break — it checks your equipment every day, tells you first when something's wrong, and emails you a report at the end of the month.”

Who buysSecurity companies with many sites, chains, and property management. Those who often have to send someone out before they find out recording has failed see the value most.

Opening question“How do you find out today that recording has failed at one of your sites?”

What to nail downHow many NVRs and how many channels each (by actual unit: 4 / 8 / 16 / 32 / 64 / 128) · which brands · cloud or not · who should receive the inspection reports

How to answer “Can it connect to this?”

Every “can it connect to this?” from a customer gets the same answer. Don't decide in the field that something can't be done.

“Can you connect to my brand?”

The main brands are already integrated — LILIN, Nx Witness and other major brands. For any other brand, all you need to do in the field is bring back the brand and model; you don't have to answer on the spot.

“What if playback can't be connected?”

It isn't that it can't be done — it just hasn't been integrated yet, and that's homework still being done on the product side. Bring it back to confirm; only truly old equipment with no interface at all would go the side-recording route — and that's a fallback, not the main approach.

“What if events don't come through?”

Again, integration comes first. If the device has its own event output, it simply gets integrated; old equipment without software events almost always still has a set of dry contacts, which connect to Merlink+ and become events that pop up on the map. Side recording plus AI is another option, but it comes after integration.

Two habits

Lead with what works, then what needs confirming. “You'll be able to see all of your locations; a few of these units are older, so let me go back and confirm the best way to connect them” — don't open with “this one isn't supported.”
Don't make the call on the spot. Whether something can connect isn't for the field to decide — bring the model back to confirm.

Two together are easier to sell than one alone

A single product solves a single pain point; put two together and the customer can see what “the whole picture” is worth. And when you discuss two together, customers are less likely to compare prices on just one of the features.

Merlink+ ＋ XMap — the control centre for a security company

First use Merlink+ to bring in the equipment already installed at each site, then use XMap to put it all on one map, with event management and dispatch on top. What used to take a dozen or more systems to see becomes one screen. This pair is usually the easiest to sell, because neither one replaces any of the customer's existing equipment.

LiveEdge ＋ XMap — mobile and fixed in one

The point isn't one more command console, it's integration: the location and live video of patrol staff appear on the same map as the fixed cameras in the customer's existing VMS. The line that resonates most with customers: “Wherever my people go, the video goes with them — and it's on the same screen as my existing cameras.”

All three — a complete command centre

The core is XMap ＋ Merlink+: Merlink+ takes in and looks after the equipment of every brand on site, XMap provides the map, events and CMS on top, and LiveEdge adds the mobile side. That's what a large project looks like, but there's no need to push the whole set at the start — solve one clear pain point with XMap ＋ Merlink+ first, then build on it once it's up and running.

What customers will always ask

Answer this way — don't improvise on the spot.

“Do I have to replace my current system?”

No. All the devices and VMS the customer has already bought stay, and the new part connects to them. What the customer has spent doesn't become a sunk cost — get this point across first, before anything else.

“My equipment is old and it's a mix of brands. Can you connect to it?”

The main brands are already integrated; anything else gets brought back to confirm. Bring back the brand and model — don't say no on the spot, and don't promise a timeline on the spot either.

“Should it go in the cloud or in my own server room?”

All three work: fully on-premise, fully cloud, or hybrid — the command centre (Nexus) in the cloud and the video kept on Vault in the customer's server room, with Nexus reading recordings back from Vault when someone needs to watch them. When a customer hesitates, ask whether they're willing to run their own servers and backups; the answer usually becomes clear.

“Isn't the cloud more expensive than on-premise?”

In the first year the difference is small, and the customer doesn't have to set up servers, configure the network or handle backups. Make this point first — lead with a monthly per-device price instead, and all they'll do is multiply it by the number of devices.

“How much does it cost?”

Don't quote in the field; follow the internal quoting process. What you bring back is the requirements and the equipment list, not a price negotiation.

Three things that are easy to get wrong

Don't say “this one isn't supported.” Bring the brand and model back to confirm first.
Don't describe hybrid deployment as the video also being stored in the cloud. When the command centre is in the cloud, the video is still stored on Vault in the customer's server room; Nexus only reads it back for viewing.
Don't commit to an integration timeline or a price on the spot. Both go back for confirmation — get either one wrong once and it's hard to recover.