A video surveillance project, after installation, must enter the commissioning phase. Commissioning is more than simply restoring images; it is the process of configuring and verifying the system until it operates correctly and meets design requirements. The following outlines a structured approach to commissioning and the preparatory work required.
Basic commissioning workflow
Commissioning is a systems engineering task, not just getting an image on screen. A typical, structured workflow is as follows:
- Before commissioning, prepare the equipment layout plan, cabling diagram, and other required technical documentation.
- Commissioning should be led by the project responsible person or a professional with qualifications equivalent to an engineer, who should prepare a commissioning outline.
- During commissioning, maintain commissioning records and address issues promptly.
- After commissioning is complete, prepare a commissioning report based on the records. The system may enter trial operation only after the report is accepted by the owner.
The commissioning report should include a project overview, main equipment information, outstanding issues and recommended actions, and commissioning results. The report becomes effective after signatures from the commissioning team, the end user, the installer, and the designer.
Preparation before commissioning
- Inspect construction quality before commissioning. Record and resolve construction defects such as wrong wiring, cold joints, open circuits, or short circuits.
- Verify installed equipment specifications, models, quantities, and spare parts against the formal design documents.
- Before power-up, inspect power supply voltage, polarity, and phase relationships for the power equipment.
Also emphasize: power up each active device individually to verify proper operation before system-level commissioning, and record the results.
Commissioning procedures
- According to applicable standards, check and adjust each camera's monitoring coverage, focus, illumination handling, and backlight performance so that image clarity and grayscale meet design requirements.
- Adjust camera angles, pan/tilt units, and lens remote-control functions; eliminate control delays and mechanical impacts so the surveillance coverage meets design requirements.
- Check and adjust the operation of the video management system or video switch control host, including image switching, distribution, recording playback, character overlay, and time display to ensure normal operation and compliance with design requirements.
- Adjust monitors, recorders, printers, image processors, synchronizers, encoders, decoders, and servers to ensure normal operation and compliance with design requirements.
- When alarm linkage is present, verify functions such as automatic camera power-on, automatic audio/video switching to designated monitors, and automatic real-time recording. The system should overlay camera time and camera location identifiers (including elevator floor display) and display them stably. If lighting linkage is required, verify that image quality with lights on meets design requirements.
- Compare live view and playback image quality. Under normal lighting conditions, live image quality should not be lower than level 4 as specified by applicable standards.
The above describes commissioning methods that comply with applicable standards for video surveillance systems.
