12/08/2022
This might be a problem. Product claims to
let data device installers do job “without being data network experts.” Yikes!
We occasionally get promotional materials for products aimed at our techs, with the good intention of helping them do their jobs.
Today’s promo item included a description for a test tool used to install security cameras. Part of the description read:
“The QuickIP™ feature allows installers who are new to IP camera systems to quickly and easily connect to cameras without being network experts.”
While meaning well, a test tool that describes itself like this illustrates a real problem: oversimplification.
IP cameras are data network devices. And they are bandwidth-hungry devices too. They probably ought to be installed by someone with at least some network experience.
Too often we find  camera systems tacked onto a customer’s data network without any real planning or thought.
Adding IP cameras to a data network can cause a number of issues, including bandwidth saturation, DHCP address pool depletion, and competition with other business-critical systems, like VoIP phones. If a camera installer doesn’t recognize these data network terms, how can they possibly be aware of the potential problems their project could cause?
While installing a couple of IP cameras should not greatly impact a well-designed network, the issues can start with scale, as the number of cameras increase beyond those first few.
Skilled techs can properly estimate the data network capacity needed, and determine if a project might need additional resources. Then, an engineer can look at a project and properly plan not only for immediate needs, but future expansion options as well.
We don’t mean to disparage security cameras installers. They are an important part of any comprehensive security plan for your business. But you should be wary of anyone who wants to ‘plug stuff in’ to your business data network as part of their install, and at least have them talk with your IT network specialist before proceeding.
It’s entirely possible that your IT data network specialist can give a go-ahead on a camera installer’s project without suggesting any changes at all. But it’s also very likely that, just by having the conversation, the IT data network specialist can make recommendations that will both keep a camera project from impacting your business data network, and at the same time, ease the installation steps for the camera installer as well.
Our suggestion is to think of different systems as parts of a larger whole, that needs to work together, and to include all the parties as close to the beginning of projects as possible. 
In this day and age no installers should be bothered by having conversations about integrating systems before new projects are initiated. Most should welcome the interaction between groups. If there is pushback, you might want to reconsider the project, or the installer putting it in.
