CCTV and Security System Installation Management
Surveys, cabling, cameras, recorders, access control and handover, followed by years of service. How security installers keep a clear record of projects and maintenance.
Security installation is detailed work. Cameras have to sit exactly where the customer needs coverage, cabling has to be hidden and reliable, recorders need configuring, access control has to work on day one, and the customer needs a handover they understand. Then come years of maintenance and fault calls.
The installation workflow
1. Site survey
Walk the site with the customer. Note the areas to cover, camera positions and fields of view, cable routes, power, where the recorder and switch will go and the lighting conditions. For access control, list each door and who needs to get through it. Photograph everything.
2. Design and approval
Choose camera types and lenses, recorder capacity and retention, and the network design, then prepare the quote. Get the customer to approve camera positions before you install. That heads off the most common complaint: "that camera doesn't show what I wanted".
3. Installation
Cabling, mounting, recorder and network setup, and access control hardware. Record the serial number and position of every camera, recorder and controller as it goes in.
4. Configuration and testing
Set recording schedules, motion detection, remote viewing, retention and user accounts. Test every camera, by day and by night where you can, and every door.
5. Handover
Show the customer how to view and export footage and manage access. Hand over login credentials securely, never on a sticky note. Get the customer's signature on completion.
Maintenance
Security systems wear out without anyone noticing: a camera goes offline, a lens gets dirty, a hard drive fills up or fails, a door lock wears. Maintenance visits find these problems before the customer goes looking for footage that is not there. A visit should:
- Check every camera's image and recording
- Clean lenses and housings
- Check recorder health, storage and retention
- Check the time and date settings on recordings
- Test access control readers and locks
- Update firmware where appropriate
- Report anything that needs replacing
What to record per device
Model, serial number, position, install date and warranty, plus every visit and fault since. If a camera fails under warranty, the claim needs the serial number and install date.
In Movtro
In Movtro, surveys, installation stages and maintenance visits are all jobs at the customer's site. Checklists, photos, notes and the customer's signature are captured on the installer's phone, with or without signal. Cameras, recorders and controllers can be recorded as assets with serial numbers, warranty dates and a service history. Parts and materials come out of stock as they are used. Maintenance contracts run as recurring jobs created ahead of time, either one job per device or one per visit. Sites carry access notes, and customers can follow jobs and report faults through the portal.
Movtro does not monitor cameras or recorders remotely. Each job has one assignee, so an installation crew is assigned through its lead.