Why it matters
A modern camera system is a set of small computers connected to your network and often to the internet. Left on factory settings, it can be viewed by strangers, used as a way into the rest of your network, or quietly switched off. None of this needs a sophisticated attacker — just a system nobody has looked at since installation.
1. Change every default password
Each camera and the recorder should have its own strong password, set during installation — never the one printed in the manual. Store them somewhere safe and hand them over in writing at the end of the job.
2. One login per person
Give family members, staff or guards their own accounts with only the permissions they need — live view but not deletion, one site but not another. When someone leaves, you remove one account instead of changing a password everybody knows.
3. Keep firmware up to date
Manufacturers fix security flaws through firmware updates. Check for them regularly, or have them applied as part of a maintenance contract.
4. Be careful with remote access
Viewing your cameras from your phone is the point of a modern system, but how it's done matters. Opening ports on the router straight to the recorder is the riskiest option. Use the maker's secure app service or a VPN, and switch off features you don't use.
5. Put cameras on their own network
Cameras and the recorder belong on a separate network (a VLAN) from your computers, tills and guest Wi-Fi. If one device is compromised, the problem stays contained. See Wi-Fi and wireless networks.
6. Buy from known makers, installed properly
Cheap unbranded cameras often ship with weak security and no updates. Buy equipment from makers that publish security updates, installed by someone who configures it properly rather than plugging it in and leaving.
7. Check it once a year
Review who has access, confirm updates are applied, and make sure recordings are still being kept for as long as you need. It's a short job — and it's part of every AMC visit we make.