Before you add a device, check what you need and which way of adding it fits your device. This page helps you choose.
Who it is for: Admins who set up sites and devices, and the technician or site contact who helps on site.
Have this ready for each device:
You need | Why |
|---|---|
The device IP address or hostname and the HTTP/S port | GC Surge or the local agent connects to the device to write the alarm settings. |
A device user name and password with rights to change settings | Without admin rights on the device the alarm settings cannot be written. |
The device brand | GC Surge uses the brand to apply the right settings. |
To know if the device is reachable from the internet | This decides the path: public camera or private camera. |
Internet access from the device to the outside | The device sends its alarms to GC Surge itself. |
Use |
|---|
Section |
|---|
The device has a public IP, DDNS or forwarded ports, and its brand is on the list | Public camera | |
The device is in a LAN or behind a VPN, and its brand is on the list | Private camera with the local agent | |
The brand is not on the list, but the device can send alarms by REST API, e-mail or FTP | Configure the device yourself | |
The device only streams video and cannot send alarms | GC Edge (coming soon) | — |
You are not sure | Guided setup asks two questions and picks the path | Guided setup, below |
The brands that GC Surge sets up for you are Axis, Dahua, HikVision and NxWitness. Each has its own guide for checking the device: Hikvision, Dahua, Axis and Nx Witness.
If a device is stuck and sends no alarms, use Not Receiving Alarms.
Watch:
Choice | Use it when |
|---|---|
Guided setup (Recommended) | You want GC Surge to pick the path. It asks a few questions. |
Add sites manually | You already know the path and want to enter the device details directly. |
Configure the device yourself | The device can send alarms by e-mail, FTP or API and you enter the settings on the device yourself. |
If you start from the button Add sites & devices at the top of the page, you first choose or create the site and then follow the same steps.
Watch:
A diagram at the top shows your site, the path and the GC Surge cloud. It changes with each answer.
Answer | Result |
|---|---|
A brand from our list | GC Surge sets the device up for you. The list Brands we set up automatically shows the supported brands. Continue with the next question. |
My device can send alarms (API, FTP or SMTP) | You get connection details to copy into the device. Continue in Manual & Self-Configured Devices. |
Use GC Edge — works with any device | For devices that only stream video. GC Edge is coming soon. |
Answer | Result |
|---|---|
Yes — public IPs or port forwarding | Public access — ready to go. Continue in Public Camera Setup. |
No — private network only | Private network — connected via local agent. Continue in Private Camera Setup (Local Agent). |
Not sure about the second question? If you can open the device web page from a computer outside the site network, answer Yes. If not, answer No.
Do I need to open ports on the site firewall? For a public camera, the device must be reachable on its HTTP/S port during setup. For a private camera, no inbound port is needed. In all cases the device must be able to send data to the internet.
Thank you — your feedback goes to the team that owns this page.
