First-Time Login

When a new GC Surge account is created, the account owner goes through a short registration and setup process before reaching the dashboard. This applies to the Super Admin setting up the account and to every team member invited after that. GC Surge accounts use phone OTP for identity verification during registration — SSO and Google login are not supported. After registration, all logins use email and password. Covers: What the First Login Does, Why It Matters, How It Works.

What the First Login Does

Why It Matters

GC Surge is designed for speed from the start. Registration takes only a few minutes — fill in your details, verify your phone, complete a quick site setup step, and you are in the platform. The sidebar shows only the modules that match your role — no additional configuration needed.

How It Works

Signing Up

On the sign-in screen, click Register to open the sign-up form. This creates the Super Admin account for your organization. Complete the following fields:

• Country code — select your country's dial code from the dropdown. The phone number you enter must match this country code.
• Email — becomes your primary login. Use a role-based address (e.g., security-admin@company.com) rather than a personal address.
• Tenant Name — your organization’s account identifier. Cannot be changed after creation. Choose a clean name without special characters.
• Phone Number — enter your number without the country code. The country code is set separately using the dropdown above. This number receives the OTP verification code during registration.
• Password — minimum 8 characters. Must satisfy at least 3 of the following: lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers, special characters (e.g. !@#$%^&*).

OTP Verification

After signing up, an OTP is sent to your registered phone number via SMS. You must complete this step before accessing the platform. Successful OTP verification logs you in automatically — no separate login step is needed for first-time access. After verification, a one-time setup step guides you to add your first sites before you land on the Sites dashboard. After successful OTP verification, the user is taken into the tenant with the role assigned during sign-up or invitation.

• OTP codes expire 2 minutes after they are sent.
• Maximum 3 resend requests per 12-hour window. If this limit is exceeded, the platform shows: "Too many OTP requests for this tenant in the last 12 hours (3/3). Please try again later." Wait for the window to reset or contact support.
• If an OTP is already active, requesting a new one is blocked — wait for the current OTP to expire (up to 2 minutes), then use the resend option. If you did not receive the SMS, check that your country code and phone number are correct.

Logging In

After your account is created and your phone is verified, all subsequent logins use your email address and password. If your email is registered across multiple tenant accounts, specify which account to log into at sign-in. If only one account exists for that email, the system selects it automatically.

1. Open the GC Surge login page.
2. Enter your registered email address and password.
3. Click Sign In and wait for the redirect to the Home dashboard.

What to Expect After Login

• Email Verification: Your Home Dashboard shows an ‘Email Verification — Action required’ callout on first arrival. Click through it to confirm the email tied to your tenant before you can receive shift reports or scheduled notifications.
• Spotlight Tour: On your very first login, the Spotlight Tour launches automatically. It walks you through platform navigation, how to add your first camera, how to read the Alarm Viewer, how to access the Operator Monitoring View, and how to read the Dashboard KPIs. The tour can be minimised but cannot be fully skipped on first activation. To replay it at any time, use the Take the Tour link in the Help menu.
• 48-Hour Assessment Report (Super Admins): Starting from Day 1, your Home dashboard displays an auto-generated Assessment Report showing site readiness, onboarding mode breakdown, and recommended next actions. This report refreshes every 24 hours during the trial period.
• The sidebar displays only the modules accessible to your assigned role. If a module you expect is not visible, your Super Admin needs to review your role assignment.
• On a new account, Analytics and Video Search will show empty states until cameras are onboarded and events start flowing. This is expected.

What to Validate During Your Trial

Your 7-day free trial is the time to confirm GC Surge works against your real operational environment. Use this checklist to structure your evaluation — test each area explicitly before your Day 7 decision.

• Onboarding: Site creation completes without errors. Cameras are added via Public IP, Private/VPN, or Edge without errors. Cameras appear in Configuration and events start flowing after activation.
• Operations: Operators can locate a specific event type within 60 seconds using Video Search filters. ZenMode reduces context-switching during active monitoring. The event detail view provides enough context for triage decisions.
• Administration: User invitation and role assignment work as expected. Role-based access controls restrict the correct modules per role. My Subscription accurately reflects the cameras onboarded during the trial.
• Repeatability: Your team could follow the same onboarding process for a second site without support. Naming conventions used during the trial are consistent and readable across all platform views.

If Something Goes Wrong

• Credentials rejected — verify you are using the email from sign-up. Use password reset if needed. During sign-up, "Account already exists" means the email or tenant name is already registered — choose a different one or contact support to recover the existing account.
• OTP not received — check your country code format. Wait 2 minutes and resend. During sign-up, "Phone number already exists" means the number is registered to another account — use a different number or contact support.
• Module missing from sidebar — your role does not include that module. Contact your Super Admin.
• OTP expired — request a fresh code instead of retrying an old one repeatedly.
• Login succeeds but tenant does not load — confirm the account has an active role and a valid tenant assignment.
• Login succeeds but redirects to a blank page — clear browser cache and try a private/incognito window.

Logging Out

Click the logout icon at the bottom of the left sidebar. A confirmation modal appears — click Yes to complete the logout. Any open forms or unsaved changes in modals will be lost, so close or save any active work before logging out.

The logout icon is at the bottom of the left sidebar (the arrow-out icon). Click it to start the logout process.

The logout confirmation modal. Click Yes to end your session. Any unsaved work in open modals will be discarded.