Usage recommendations

The environment that maximises your chances of detection.

An IA‑N box exists to maximise the chances of detecting an intrusion and alerting the right people as quickly as possible. Those chances also depend on the environment it works in: the power supply, the network, the condition of the cameras, the settings and the human response behind the alert. Here is what we recommend to our installers and their customers. Nothing exotic: common sense, applied consistently.

01 · Power supply

A backed-up power supply

A UPS for the box, the switch that powers the cameras and the network equipment: a power cut often comes just before the intrusion.
Target backup time: at least thirty minutes, long enough for the alert to go out and for someone to react.
The box restarts by itself when power returns; check that the cameras and the switch do too.
A dedicated socket, surge protection, and no shared extension lead with a heater on it.

02 · Network

A healthy, wired local network

Cameras connected by cable, never over Wi‑Fi. A PoE switch whose power budget covers all the cameras.
Good-quality cables, under 100 metres: a damaged cable that only negotiates a low speed leaves a camera silent or choppy.
The box on the same local network as the cameras, ideally in a camera network isolated from the Internet.
The Internet connection is only used for notifications and updates; a 4G backup is welcome on remote sites.

03 · Cameras

Cameras maintained regularly

Clean the lenses every quarter: dust, cobwebs, condensation, sea salt on the coast. A dirty lens means hesitant detection.
Check the aim after every storm or any work on the façade. Mounting height of 2.5 to 4 metres, with an angle that covers the real access point.
No backlighting or floodlight in the line of view. At night: infrared or sufficient lighting of the zone.
Time synchronised, firmware up to date, passwords changed, substream enabled (ONVIF^® or RTSP).

04 · Settings

Zones and schedules that match the site

Detection zones drawn over the real access points, never over the public highway or the neighbour's property, which are masked by design.
Schedules consistent with the site's activity, so that every alert is worth looking at.
An alert test after installation and after any change: someone walks through the zone and the photo arrives on the phone.
The same test once a month. Three minutes that are worth any amount of theory.

05 · Alerts

An organised response behind the alert

Notifications allowed on the phone, including in “do not disturb” mode for this channel.
Several recipients: a single person is a person in a meeting.
A monitoring centre connected if an intervention is expected, with a transmission test once a quarter.
A written half-page plan: who watches, who calls, who goes to the site.

06 · Storage

Recording with room to spare

A disk dedicated to recordings (second 500 GB or 1 TB SSD optional on the box), a NAS or a network share, sized for the chosen retention period.
The box warns you when a camera goes silent or when space runs low. Those alerts are to be read, not ignored.
A retention period that is set, 30 days by default: it is good for compliance and for the health of the disk.

07 · Follow-up

Updates and supervision

The box stays connected to receive updates, which are pushed remotely and free of charge.
A glance at the dashboard every week: cameras online, latest alerts, disk space.
An annual visit from the installer: cables, aim, settings, full test.

08 · Compliance

A site in good order

The information sign at the entrance, the register kept, the privacy masks in place, the retention period set.
Access to the box restricted to authorised people, each with their own passwords.

09 · Limits, honestly

What no system does

Thick fog, an obstructed lens, an unscrewed camera or a cut network reduce the chances of detection. The box reports what it can see, a silent camera for example; the rest depends on maintenance.
Detection triggers the alert. It does not replace locking access points, human intervention, or a monitoring contract when an intervention is expected.

Quarterly check in ten points

UPS tested, backup time checked
All cameras online in the dashboard
Lenses cleaned, aim checked
Night lighting or infrared working
Real alert test: photo received on the phone
Test transmission to the monitoring centre, if connected
Disk space and retention period checked
Alert recipients up to date
Updates applied
Information sign in place, register up to date

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