Still choosing the equipment for this installation? Compare PoE system configurations against your camera positions, recording channels and planned expansion before preparing the installation list.
Install in five steps
- Confirm the views. Use the approved drawing to record each camera's task, target distance, night lighting and cable route. Check faces or other required detail at the intended angle; megapixels alone do not prove the result. Use the 4, 8 and 16-camera design worksheet before buying equipment.
- Bench-test the selected equipment. Record camera, NVR, switch and drive models, firmware and required functions. Check PoE per-port and total power, recorder bandwidth and drive support. Test mixed-brand video, audio and events separately.
- Cable and mount. Label both cable ends. Follow equipment documentation for cable type and supported distance; protect outdoor connections and wall entries. Check stable mounting, service access, glare and infrared reflections. Plan exposed-route and surge protection with the installer.
- Configure recording. Connect cameras to compatible NVR PoE ports or a PoE switch with a working path to the recorder. Fit and initialize the drive. Set channel names, time zone, recording schedule and overwrite policy. “No HDD” means no recording drive is supplied.
- Prove the result. Create an identifiable event on every channel, then find, replay and export it. Review moving subjects after dark, focus, glare, event zones and timestamps. Test agreed remote access separately from local recording. Record failures and untested functions before handover.
PoE camera power consumption: size the supply
Use the exact camera's documented maximum power demand to select the supply. A daytime reading can miss infrared lighting, heaters or PTZ movement where fitted. Check the required PoE type, power available at each camera and the source's shared budget separately.
Work through a mixed-camera power budget
For illustration, assume four fixed-camera branches require 12 W each and one PTZ branch requires 25 W, including cable losses at the source. These are assumed loads, not QuarkView specifications.
| Branch | Quantity | Source load |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed camera | 4 | 4 × 12 W = 48 W |
| PTZ camera | 1 | 25 W |
| Total | 5 | 73 W |
An illustrative 20% planning allowance gives 73 W × 1.2 = 87.6 W. A 60 W total PoE budget fails this example. A source above 87.6 W still needs a compatible port for the 25 W branch and enough ports for the planned cameras. The allowance is a planning choice, not a universal standard.
Check whether the source reserves power by PoE class or actual demand. When using camera-side watts, account for cable losses; do not add them twice to a source-side figure. The PoE output budget is separate from the switch's own consumption and the NVR load when sizing backup power.
Record each model's power type and maximum demand before ordering. At commissioning, check all intended night lighting and movement together, inspect available port power readings, and replay new recordings to look for resets or gaps. A short test does not replace the documented maximum. See the camera power supply guide for supply selection. Axis explains maximum demand and cable losses; its model values do not specify QuarkView equipment.
How to connect a PoE switch to an NVR
For a recorder that supports cameras over its LAN interface, power the cameras from the switch and connect the NVR's LAN port to the same local network. Confirm this connection method in the exact recorder's manual; camera PoE ports can belong to a separate internal network.
↕ Ethernet: power + video
NVR records to its fitted drive. A separate LAN connection provides access to the site's network.
↕ Ethernet: power + video
↕ Network link: video
The switch also connects to the site LAN/router if needed. Power the NVR from its specified supply; the LAN link does not imply PoE power for the NVR.
These are conceptual layouts, not a model wiring diagram. Do not bridge the recorder's internal camera ports back into the site LAN or add parallel links unless its documentation explicitly supports the design. Reolink's switch connection guide illustrates why port choice and network arrangement are model-specific.
Connect, add cameras and verify recording
- Check capacity. Confirm camera power, spare recording channels, supported codecs, recorder incoming bandwidth and switch uplink speed. More powered ports do not add NVR channels.
- Connect one camera first. Connect it to a compatible switch PoE port. Connect an appropriate switch network/uplink port to the NVR LAN interface, or connect both through the same approved LAN. Follow port labels and equipment instructions.
- Check addressing. For a simple setup, place the camera and NVR on the same reachable subnet with unique addresses. Use supported DHCP or assigned static addresses; avoid duplicates. VLANs or routed networks need matching routing and access rules.
- Add the camera. Use the NVR's device search or manual-add function with the camera address, supported protocol and camera credentials. Menu names and automatic discovery vary by recorder. Working video does not establish audio, events or PTZ compatibility.
- Verify saved video. Set the recording schedule and time zone, confirm the fitted drive is usable, then create, replay and export a new event. Repeat for each added camera and test simultaneous night operation.
If the camera does not appear or video drops
- No link or repeated resets: check PoE compatibility and available power, then isolate the port or cable with known-good equipment.
- Link works but discovery fails: check camera address, subnet, VLAN and NVR LAN reachability. Try supported manual addition before changing the whole network.
- Login or stream errors: check camera credentials, selected protocol and supported stream settings. Do not factory-reset before preserving configuration and important recordings.
- Video fails after adding cameras: check aggregate stream load, uplink and recorder bandwidth, channels and total power. Test cameras individually and together to isolate the limit.
Keep the error time, affected channels, models, firmware and results for the support enquiry. Do not send passwords. See the PoE switch guide for equipment selection and the ONVIF guide for mixed-brand functions.
Can PoE cameras record without internet?
A compatible camera-and-NVR system configured for local recording can save video without internet. Power, camera connections and usable storage must remain available. Confirm the selected models, firmware, activation and app requirements; this is a planning method, not a completed QuarkView model test.
Test on a bench or in an approved maintenance window. Do not disconnect a live customer's network without approval.
No Wi-Fi, no internet and no subscription are different requirements. PoE uses Ethernet; local recording need not use cloud storage. Optional apps or online services can have separate terms. An internet outage also does not prove offline first-time setup or cold-start operation.
Check local, remote and online-dependent functions
| Function | Required check |
|---|---|
| NVR recording and local monitor | With WAN disconnected, keep camera links and power on; replay and export a new event locally. |
| Phone or PC at the site | Verify the LAN path and client/account requirements. NVR-only camera wiring does not automatically provide phone access. Disable cellular fallback during this test. |
| Viewing from another location | A fully isolated site has no internet path for remote access. A cellular router adds connectivity; it is not an offline design. |
| Push, email, detection and smart search | Identify device, recorder, license, app or cloud dependencies. Do not promise internet-based alerts while disconnected; test recovery. |
Reolink's connection-specific guidance illustrates these distinctions for its equipment. It is not evidence of QuarkView model performance.
Compare the two local recording layouts
Built-in NVR PoE: cameras connect to compatible powered recorder ports; the NVR records to its drive and supplies local monitor playback. The router uplink is separate.
Separate PoE switch: camera traffic crosses the LAN to the NVR. Preserve that path during the test and confirm switching power, network settings and recording bandwidth.
Neither layout guarantees cross-brand functions or recording during a power cut. If backup power is required, include the NVR, camera power source and every essential network device, then test the agreed runtime.
Run the offline acceptance test
- Agree the duration and acceptance criteria. Test on a bench or in an approved maintenance window. Save the equipment list, layout, recording settings and storage status.
- With internet connected, create, replay and export an identifiable event from every camera as a baseline.
- Disconnect only the internet uplink. Keep LAN links, cameras, switches and recorder power connected; log the time.
- Create another event on each channel. Replay and export that interval locally; record gaps and failures. Live view alone is insufficient.
- Test required local phone or PC access separately, with cellular fallback off. Record account, activation and client dependencies.
- Restore WAN. Log the time; check recording continuity, device time and recovery of required online functions.
- If needed, run a separate approved power-off/restart test without internet. An outage test does not establish offline activation or cold start.
Keep representative day and night clips. A short test does not demonstrate long-term retention or every failure scenario.
Keep a usable handover record
Deliver the drawing, cable labels, equipment and firmware list, recording settings, sample exports, exceptions and maintenance owner. Confirm user access, supplied parts and support terms. Keep passwords and private customer footage out of an initial enquiry.
Check capacity and recording days, then request a configuration review with camera count, site country, retention target and local/remote access needs. State whether internet is permanently absent or occasionally unavailable.