During a hardware installation, problems can arise. Issues can be caused by the network, physical environment, component failure, misconfiguration, or improper installation techniques. This guide covers ways to solve and prevent installation challenges by presenting a best-practice deployment approach in the field. It also suggests a simple staging process intended to mitigate costs and complexities related to post-install troubleshooting. The six parts to deployment are:

Note: Verkada Technical Support requires a support access token to troubleshoot Verkada cameras. This token can only be generated by users who have admin permissions in the organization containing their cameras.

Verkada cameras require connectivity to the Verkada Cloud and NTP servers located on the internet. Without network connectivity, the platform will have limited functionality and may report inaccurately in Command.

Before installing a Verkada system, the network environment needs to support the following protocols and services:

Refer to this KB for more detail on network requirements.

Verkada Technical Support will ask to troubleshoot these services when there is a network issue. The troubleshooting process can require a packet capture of network traffic to analyze the root cause.

Note: Cable integrity is important to supply PoE and data to a camera. Cable termination, interconnects, distance, and bends must all be taken into account.

Each Camera requires PoE power to function. Make sure your network switch has enough PoE power to support all of the connected cameras at full power draw.

Don't forget: Cameras use less power during the day. When cameras switch to night mode, the IR emitters activate to illuminate the scene for better visibility. The IRs increase power draw. If multiple cameras are connected to the same PoE switch, the PoE draw can increase significantly at night. If the switch does not have enough power to deliver to all the cameras, some cameras will go offline. A telltale sign of your switch not having enough power is that cameras will go offline each night around the same time as other cameras on the same switch when entering into night mode.

An easy way to spec power on a switch is to multiply the number of cameras connected by 30 Watts which is the maximum power delivered by PoE+. For example, if you had 10 cameras you would calculate like this:

10 cameras X 30 Watts = 300 Watt PoE budget on the switch

Note: Full power draw can be found on the datasheet for your camera model. Remember, each switch port should be able to supply the maximum amount of power required by the camera.

Staging devices helps you to avoid the costs and difficulties of troubleshooting a faulty camera after it has been installed (such as needing a lift to physically access the camera). Staging involves confirming the devices function correctly before they are installed at their intended locations. Once a camera is staged correctly, further troubleshooting can focus on the physical and network environments.

Stage devices as follows:

Note: The plastic protective film on the camera dome should not be removed before installing at the actual end location.

Verkada Technical Support recommends investing in a mobile staging environment to test and upgrade devices before installing them at their final install location. A mobile staging lab can be transported in a case and shipped to a site before installation. The staging lab is made up of the following components:

Typically your staging lab will use the customer network for internet access. It is good practice to include a 5G mobile hotspot router in your staging kit so the cameras can get internet access when the customer network is not prepared or is having issues.

Pro Tip: Verkada Technical Support recommends not using a firewall in your staging environment because blocking the camera's traffic could result in additional troubleshooting. The staging lab should only contain what is necessary for the cameras to operate.

Once staging is complete the cameras should be ready to install in their intended locations. You can find step-by-step guides to installing each camera model here. When you install cameras be sure to take into account image quality during the day and the night when determining orientation and placement.

Pro Tip: Verkada Technical Support recommends using the Verkada Command Mobile App during the installation process. You will be able to see the camera stream on your phone which will allow more accurate placement and orientation of the device when installing it in its final location.

Keep the following in mind when installing cameras:

The most important aspect of an installation is delivering a working solution to the customer that they can maintain and get help on when you leave. This means demonstrating to them that they have access to all of the devices they purchased and that the devices are fully functional. Complete the checks below to demonstrate that the installation was successful before you leave the site.

When installing cameras into production, issues may surface that were not present during staging.

Pro tip: Before contacting Verkada Technical Support for camera troubleshooting assistance:

Most issues yield LED behavior that suggests a probable root cause. Below are the LED statuses, their associated causes, and remediation steps. The LED is located on the front bezel of any Verkada camera.

What if the camera worked in staging, but doesn’t work when installed in the install location?

First, try to eliminate the core network as the issue. With your mobile testing kit, you can test using your mobile hotspot, taking the customer network out of the equation.

This simple battery of tests uses your laptop and the IP address used by the camera to confirm the network is configured to work with Verkada.

If any of the above requests fail, work with the network administrator to permit outbound connections:

Checking network bandwidth

Run an Internet speed test to confirm the network has adequate upload and download bandwidth. You should have enough upload bandwidth to support the number of cameras the customer plans to view simultaneously.

If all the above tests succeed yet the camera LED continues to flash blue, reach out to Verkada Technical Support.