Subscriber Discussion

What Format Do You Prefer For Camera Manuals?

Avatar
Brian Karas
Oct 17, 2016
IPVM

Cameras today are coming with anything from a full printed manual, to a mini-CD with documentation and software, to a quick start guide, to nothing at all (all information needs to be downloaded). These each seem to have their pros and cons, along with personal preferences.

What do you prefer to see included in the box with a new camera? VOTE:

Avatar
Sean Nelson
Oct 17, 2016
Nelly's Security

Great Question. In my honest opinion, it shouldnt take much of a manual at all to get a camera set up. If the instructs have to fit on more than one page, then thats too much. The only printed thing that should exist is for basic physical power and network hookup instructions. After that, everything should be done with an interactive quick start guide on your computer or cell phone.

Sad thing is, this only exists in the retail world for the little indoor wifi cameras such as nest and the like. The large manufacturers havent caught on, on how to do this.

(1)
MI
Matt Ion
Oct 17, 2016

Where the poll option for "what's a manual?"

Personally, about the only manual I ever look for is a quick-start with the default IP and password, how to do a hard reset, those sort of little things you need quickly to get a camera online. Would be nice to have that basic info printed and included - a "quick start" guide, as it were. Beyond that, if I do need more details, I can look it up online.

Accessories are another matter - some camera mounts (pendant/ceiling) and monitor mounts can be unnecessarily convoluted and USUALLY benefit from having some sort of assembly instructions (then again, in some cases, instructions just make it worse).

MI
Matt Ion
Oct 17, 2016

Ah man, the poll has been fixed... I wanna change my vote!

U
Undisclosed #1
Oct 17, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Incidentally, the caustic rejoinder of "RTFM" has lost much of its sting today since it is increasingly a case of

  1. FTFM (Find)
  2. GEFM (Get)
  3. RTFM (Read)

Just issuing the last barb will leave you open to WFM?

MI
Matt Ion
Oct 17, 2016

Yeah, "find" is often the trickiest part with online manuals... some sites, you have to dig through multiple levels of a website to find it.

(2)
UI
Undisclosed Integrator #2
Oct 18, 2016

Manuals! We don't need no stinking manuals! I did a big Sony job a long time ago and it pissed me off that I had a giant pile of manuals in every language on the planet. Wasting paper in this day and age like that should be a crime. Put in a little slip of paper with the download links for manuals or software and leave it at that.

Avatar
Mike Dotson
Oct 18, 2016
Formerly of Seneca • IPVMU Certified

Agreed.

Perhaps a good idea would be for the camera itself to have a link to where the company keeps the docs and supporting software so we do not have to do a lot of searching.

The little paper slip just needs the default login and IP info to get us that far.

(1)
Avatar
Peter Anderholm
Oct 18, 2016

Videos - when I need to learn how to do something, I now watch videos.

New discussion

Ask questions and get answers to your physical security questions from IPVM team members and fellow subscribers.

Newest discussions