99 Cents to Configure an IP Camera

I've never understood the need to have a third party configure an IP camera. It just seems like you would spend more time getting all the information together and getting it to the right person at Scansource than just doing it yourself. Maybe this makes sense for large jobs where the time spent to configure 100+ Cameras would exceed an hour. Do many people use this service?

*cough*

Camera Commissioning Labor Standards

This is a topic I feel strongly about, and this reply is long because of it.

I used services like these (not from ScanSource) in my past jobs and even at $10-15 they were worth it. If you're just looking to have them IP address a camera and nothing else changes in the process, it's likely not useful.

First, they're addressing out of box failures for you. You no longer have to worry about it. That alone is worth 99 cents. Unless the camera somehow fails between their offices and the job site, which is less likely.

These are what I consider the fundamental steps in a mid-to-large install.

1. Integrator receives material at office.
2. Tech unboxes and does initial config (IP address, firmware, time sync, base stream config maybe, even setting up a single motion zone with base settings).
3. Camera and box are labeled.
4. Tech reboxes, maybe throwing out trash, maybe not.
5. Integrator delivers to site.
6. Install.
7. Final commissioning. Yes, at this step there will likely be changes to the base configs, but they should be minimal.

Unboxing alone takes at least a minute. Reboxing takes a minute. Labeling takes another minute. Throwing out the trash, breaking down cardboard takes maybe 5-10 minutes total for even a small project and on large projects can be a disposal nightmare.

You can't consider only the time it takes for each individual task here. Yes, IP addressing a camera only takes seconds. Yes, throwing a manual and packet of fasteners you don't need in the trash takes seconds. But there is downtime in between all of these things which adds up to what is likely 3-5 minutes per camera. It's the line item which falls under the vague "staging" category on estimates or might just be taken out of the even more vague "miscellaneous" category.

Also, in projects where the integrator is not doing the actual installation, these services are even more valuable. You never even have to see the cameras at your office, as they can be shipped to the site and clearly labeled, and installed by a sub or electrical contractor.

Coordination should not take much time. On projects of any size you're going to have a spreadsheet or something similar with the camera label, location, and IP address, anyway (I hope). On small projects you're probably just going to make them 192.168.1.X through 192.168.1.Y. Neither of those is particularly time consuming to send off to ScanSource.

I'm not saying these services are for everyone, but I can tell you from experience that there are valid reasons to use them if you're in the mid-to-large install business. And the more you work with the services department, the easier they are to coordinate. Even if it's a few dollars more per camera than the cost to have your staff do it, these are hours they could be doing other billable work.

I think integrators take a certain amount of pride in posting pictures of the huge amounts of boxes of cameras they just got shipped in and now have to install and configure, like that's the measure of success somehow. But I think you're truly successful when fewer boxes flow through your doors and you're maximizing your skilled labor to make you more money doing other billable things.

I've seen very few OOB failures in my time with IP cameras (I started when they had vidicon tubes!) however - we are situated offshore in Bermuda where import taxes are paid on every item at landing and returns are a nightmare. I'd pay for this in a heartbeat.

I could see this being worth it they configure port forwarding, NTP, Static IP, software upgrades, user/password additions, storage card inserts and formatting, and testing. If they do all this I'm sold. Doubt they do. All it would take for me to lose confidence in them is one incorrect setup though.

What I like about this service is 1)it forces someone to think about the IP addressing scheme before going to the site to install. Maybe get them talking to IT. 2) I see all too often people who should know better having difficulties with changing their PCs IP address, configuring the camera IP from default, changing their PC back, etc.

For larger networks where an auto discover utility may not pass subnets/VLANs, this is also useful. Of course in a perfect world, they would be staged and configured before being hung and plugged in, but it just doesn't always happen...