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Roles and Permissions for Cameras
Roles and Permissions for Cameras

Learn about the roles and permissions available for Verkada Cameras

Updated over a week ago

This article describes the set of roles and associated permissions for Verkada Cameras.

  • Permissions are set using roles, which define the level of access users and groups have to devices and settings within an organization and its sites/subsites.

  • User permissions specify what tasks users can perform and what features users can access in Command.

  • Site-level permissions define what access a particular user or group has to the cameras within the site. Site-level permissions are configured using roles.

See Roles and Permissions for Command users for an in-depth explanation of the features and configurations available for overall Verkada Command usage and administration.

Org-level roles

Organization-level roles are configured on a per-user basis. Groups cannot be used to set organization-level roles.

Below, click the down arrow to the left of the role to learn more about the role and access.

Org Member

All users added to an organization are organization members. A user added to the organization who has not been made an Organization Admin (Org Admin) has the minimum level of access needed to sign in to the organization.

Access allows you to:

  • View the organization when logged in.

  • Configure personal notifications (which alerts the user wants to receive).

  • Set personal 2-Factor Authentication (2FA) settings.

Org Admin

Any organization member can be promoted to an Org Admin.

Access allows you to:

  • View the organization when logged in.

  • Configure personal notifications (which alerts the user wants to receive).

  • Set personal and org-wide 2FA settings.

  • Create floor plans.

  • Add, delete, and modify access users.

  • Set user and group permissions for the organization and all sites/subsites.

  • Configure organization-wide settings, including maximum archive duration, enable/disable cloud backup globally, and default camera playback quality.

  • Rename or delete the organization.

  • Create new sites and subsites.

  • Add and remove cameras to the organization.

  • Adjust camera stream encoding settings.

  • Adjust camera onboard retention

  • For the CP52-E PTZ camera, has full access to controls and features, including Sentry Mode.

Site-level roles

Site-level roles can be assigned to individual users or to groups and pertain to a specific site or subsite. Subsites inherit the permissions from the subsites and parent sites above them.

No Access

Users and groups do not have access to the site or subsite's camera live feeds, historical video, or archives. For the CP52-E PTZ camera, has no access to controls or Sentry Mode.

Site Live-Only Viewer

Permits users to only view live streams (no access to historical video) of the cameras within the site/subsite. Access allows you to:

  • View individual camera live streams.

  • Utilize digital zoom.

  • Create and view grids.

  • View floor plans.

  • For the CP52-E PTZ camera, has no access to controls or Sentry Mode.

Site Viewer

A Site Viewer can access live and recorded footage for cameras within the site or subsite. Access allows you to:

  • View live streams.

  • Utilize digital zoom.

  • View historical video.

  • Perform motion searches.

  • View camera settings.

  • View camera stats.

  • Take live feed snapshots.

  • Archive and download video (non-private archives only).


    For the CP52-E PTZ camera, a Site Viewer has full access to controls, but limited features and settings access (cannot enable, disable, or edit Sentry Mode settings, but can view settings).

Site Admin

Site Admins can access live and recorded footage for cameras within the sites/subsites they have permissions for and can also configure site/subsite permissions and camera settings.

Access allows you to:

  • Add, delete, and set user permissions on a site (user must be added to org first).

  • Add cameras to the organization and to sites for which the user is Site Admin.

  • Remove cameras from the organization only from sites for which the user is Site Admin.

  • Create, rename, and delete sites and subsites.

  • View live streams.

  • Share live links (SMS and link).

  • View historical video.

  • Perform motion searches.

  • Take live feed snapshots.

  • Archive video and download as mp4.

Required: Site Admins can only view non-private archives. Org Admin permissions are also required to view private archives.

  • Configure camera settings including name, orientation, and location.

  • Utilize auto and manual focus.

  • Utilize optical and digital zoom.

  • Access and configure additional settings including custom focal point, cloud backup, motion events, and audio.

  • Create camera embeds.

  • View camera stats.

  • For the CP52-E PTZ camera, has full access to controls and features, including Sentry Mode.

Note: Site Admins cannot edit sites or subsites they have not been granted permissions for.

CP52-E PTZ permissions

The CP52-E PTZ camera permissions determine who can manage the Sentry Mode feature.

  • Org Admin/Site Admin: Full access to controls and features, including Sentry Mode.

  • Site Viewer: Full access to controls, but limited features and settings access (cannot enable, disable, or edit Sentry Mode settings, but can view settings).

  • Live-Only: No access to controls or Sentry Mode.

  • No Access: No access.

Permissions model (example)

Here's a simple example of a permissions model that a typical organization with several sites and users may employ:

Users and their required level of access

  • Dean of Students—Ability to view all cameras in the College University organization

  • IT Director—Ability to view and edit all cameras in the College University organization

  • Librarian—Ability to view cameras in the Library subsite

  • Cafeteria Manager—Ability to view cameras in the Cafeteria subsite

  • South campus security officer—Ability to view live streams in the South Campus site (and its subsite)

Permissions each user should be assigned

  • Dean of Students—Organization member and Site Viewer on all sites

  • IT Director—Organization Admin and Site Admin on all sites

  • Librarian—Organization member and Site Viewer on the Library subsite

  • Cafeteria Manager—Organization member and Site Viewer on the Cafeteria subsite

  • South campus security officer—Organization member and Live-Only Viewer on the South Campus site

Note: Org Admin permissions are unrelated to site/subsite permissions. When you are an Org Admin, it does not mean you automatically get Site Admin permissions. However, as an Org Admin, you can configure yourself as a Site Admin for any site.

Set Org Admin permissions

  1. In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Admin.

  2. Under Org Settings, scroll down to and select Users.

  3. Select the user who you want to grant Org Admin permissions.

  4. Click the User Actions dropdown and select Grant Org Admin.

  5. When prompted to confirm, click Confirm.

Revoke Org Admin permissions

  1. In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Admin.

  2. Under Org Settings, scroll down to and select Users.

  3. Click the User Actions dropdown and select Revoke Org Admin.

  4. When prompted to confirm, click Confirm.

Set site and subsite permissions

You can set site and subsite permissions by adding a user, a group, or by existing users and groups.

Add a user

  1. In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Admin.

  2. Under Org Settings, scroll down to and select Users.

  3. At the top right, click Add User.

  4. On Add User:

    1. Enter the user's first name, last name, and email address.

    2. (Optional) Check the Grant Organization Admin box to give Org Admin permissions.

    3. Click Assign Groups to add them to one or more existing groups,

    4. Click Add.

  5. Under Site Roles, click Manage Roles and grant the user the desired role for each site and subsite.

Add a group

  1. In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Admin.

  2. Under Org Settings, scroll down to and select Groups.

  3. At the top right, click Create Group.

  4. On Create Group, enter the group's name, and click Create.

  5. On Add Members to this Group, check the box next to the members you want to add to the group and click Add.

  6. On the new group page, at the top, click Site Roles > Assign Roles.

  7. On Assign Roles:

    1. Under the Role column, select the permission level you want to assign for each site and subsite.

    2. Click Save.

Existing users and groups

You can set the site and subsite permissions for existing users and groups by managing the user roles or the sites.

Manage roles

  1. In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Admin.

  2. Under Org Settings, scroll down to and select Users or Groups.

  3. Select the desired user or group.

  4. At the top right, click Manage Roles.

  5. On Manage Roles:

    1. Grant the desired site and subsite roles.

    2. Click Save.

Manage sites

  1. In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Cameras.

  2. At the top right of Cameras, click Manage Sites.

  3. Select the desired site to manage and in the right pane, click Manage Permissions.

  4. Grant the desired roles for users and groups.

Customize roles and permissions

Verkada's Roles & Permissions Customization feature enables Org Admins the ability to add or remove certain permissions from Site Admins and Site Viewers more granularly. Some organizations may want to limit or extend the permissions of the members of their organization based on their needs. Currently, we allow customization of permissions related to archives, link sharing, and user management.

  1. In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Admin.

  2. At the top, select Org Settings > Roles & Permissions Customization.

  3. Click Edit to configure the camera permissions that you want to grant to different roles.

  4. Click Save when you've completed your settings.


    You should see the current permissions that Site Viewers and Site Admins have, adjust these permissions, or click Restore Default Settings to return to the default if desired. Changes apply to all Site Admins and Site Viewers in the org.


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Related resources

Need more help? Contact Verkada Support

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