Configuration

Summary

Configuration (labeled Sites & devices in the platform) is the administrative hub for all site and device operations. It is the source of truth for your operational structure — which sites exist, how many cameras are connected, who the onsite contacts are, and each site’s current activation status. Every deployment and expansion workflow begins and is validated in Configuration. Once initial setup is complete, Configuration is your day-to-day management view for monitoring site health, reviewing device status, and making changes. Covers: Summary Cards, Added Sites Table, Site Status States, Device Detail Panel, Adding a Device, Add Sites Controls, Standard Deployment Workflow.

What Configuration Contains

Summary Cards

The summary area at the top of Configuration shows different information depending on which tab is active. On the Added Sites & Devices tab, four cards group related real-time counts of your environment. Each card has four controls at the top right: 123 (count view), % (percentage view), an expand/collapse toggle, and an info icon. In collapsed state, each card shows a single aggregate number and a View breakdown → link to expand the sub-metrics. On the IMPORT STATUS tab, an Overall onboarding progress bar sits above the cards, labelled with the completion percentage and camera count (for example 0% — 0/0 cameras). Below it the same area shows four import progress cards: TOTAL (Valid, Invalid, Failed, Created), DEPLOYMENT (Public, Private, Edge), DEVICES (Online, Offline, Alarm), and PROGRESS (Done, Left, Online, Active). The four cards on the Added Sites & Devices tab are:

• SITES — site-level counts: Active and Inactive (by the 24-hour heartbeat rule — see Site Activity below), Devices (total cameras across all sites), and Online (cameras currently connected).
• DEVICES — camera-level counts: Active (onboarded and not Disabled), Inactive (added but not currently active), Online (currently connected to the platform), and Manual (configured by hand — see Manual Fallback in Adding Devices).
• DEPLOYMENT — a breakdown by connection mode: Public, Private, Edge, and Inactive (see Site Activity and Deployment Modes below).
• SITE STATUS — onboarding state across your sites: Done, Pending, Part. Pend., Error, and Part. Err. (each defined in Site Status States below).

Site Activity and Deployment Modes

Active vs Inactive. A site counts as Active when at least one of its cameras has sent a heartbeat or alarm within the last 24 hours. If every camera goes silent for longer than that, the site flips to Inactive. Recovering one is usually just camera-side connectivity: confirm the camera or NVR is online and reachable from outside the customer network (or that the Local Agent is still running for private sites), re-verify the credentials haven't been rotated, and if the camera replies but sends no alarms, check its SMTP/REST settings. The site returns to Active automatically on the next heartbeat or alarm — the site record never has to be re-created.

Deployment modes. Sites are also broken down by how cameras connect. Public IP is the fastest to onboard because the cloud auto-configures the camera with no field work — preferred wherever the camera is publicly reachable. Private/VPN is the most common for monitoring-station deployments where customers keep cameras off the public internet. Edge is for cameras that only stream video and cannot send alarms on their own. GC Edge software runs on a PC at the site, connects to the camera’s RTSP stream, and handles alarm detection locally. After setup, the GC Edge software must be armed manually before alarms flow — it does not arm automatically. The mix is whatever fits the underlying networks — there’s no price premium for one mode over another.

Added Sites Table

Under the Added Sites & Devices tab, the primary view is a table listing all registered sites. Each row shows: Site, Contact email, Device count, Connected devices, Disabled (indicates whether the site is currently disabled — Yes or No), Site key (the activation key distributed to the onsite contact), Status, and an Actions menu.

• Site Name — the unique identifier for this location. Appears in Video Search, Analytics, and subscription filters.
• Status — whether the site record is enabled: Active or Inactive. This is independent of onboarding progress — a site shows Active as soon as it is enabled, even while its onboarding state is still Pending. Onboarding progress (Done, Pending, Part. Pend., Error, Part. Err.) is tracked separately in the SITE STATUS summary card and per device in the Devices panel. See Site Status States below for definitions. For error resolution, see the Troubleshooting Guide.
• Device count — total number of cameras registered to this site.
• Contact email — email address of the onsite contact responsible for field activation.
• Connected devices — number of cameras currently sending events to the platform.
• Site key — the per-site activation secret, shown so you can view or rotate it. Rotating revokes the old key immediately and generates a new one — distribute it only to the rightful on-site contact. The Site Key never grants access to view cameras or alarms; it only authorises the one-time activation handshake between the Local Agent and the site record. Once a site is Active, rotating the key has no operational impact.
• Actions Menu (…) — per-site quick operations, accessed by clicking the three-dot button on any site row. Five actions are available: Add device — opens the Add device dialog for that site directly, without leaving the sites list. Send site key — share VPN credentials with the onsite contact via WhatsApp or email. Edit site — opens the Update site dialog, which contains a single Site name field; confirm with Update Site. Forward alarms — configure CMS forwarding for this site (Webhook or SIA-DC09). See CMS Forwarding. Delete site — permanently remove this site.

Site Status States

The Status column shows where each site sits in onboarding. Resolution steps for problem states are in the Troubleshooting Guide; the states themselves are:

• Done — fully onboarded and operational. GC Surge marks a site Done only when four things succeed: every camera has a configured forwarding path, at least one heartbeat has been received from each camera, at least one test event has flowed through to Video Search, and the site has been Active for more than one full check interval. If any fail, the site stays in Pending, Part. Pend. or Error.
• Pending — created but not finished onboarding. Most Public IP sites move to Done within 5–10 minutes of credentials being entered; Private/VPN sites can stay Pending until the Local Agent runs on-site (expected). A Public IP site stuck in Pending for more than 30 minutes is worth checking — camera credentials, brand selection and the port number.
• Part. Pend. (Partially Pending) — the site is online but at least one camera hasn't finished onboarding while the rest are Done. Each camera carries its own state (Done, Pending, Error) in the site's Devices panel. The usual cause is credentials that differ from the rest of the site, or a misspelled brand on that one row.
• Error — at least one camera failed its configuration push. Open the Devices panel to see the last error per camera; the most common are connection refused (IP/port wrong or device offline), 401 Unauthorized (wrong camera username/password), and unsupported device profile (brand mismatch). Correcting the field is enough — the platform retries on the next health check, with no need to delete and re-add.
• Part. Err. (Partially Errored) — some cameras work while others have failed. Urgency depends on what's failing: tertiary cameras (overview shots, duplicate angles) can run in Part. Err. while you still get alarms from the working ones; cameras covering critical assets should be fixed promptly. Part. Err. sites count toward Inactive deployment density in Analytics, so a long-lived flag will skew reports.

Site Search

The search bar at the top of the Added sites panel narrows the site list by name, filtering in real time as you type. Next to it, an All statuses dropdown filters the table by site status. Both are useful for accounts with many sites.

A + Add Site button at the top right of the Added sites panel opens a direct path to add a single new site, as an alternative to the full Add sites & devices menu at the top of the page.

Beside the search bar, a single button toggles the sample environment: Add demo site with devices creates a ready-made site with devices so you can explore the platform, and once it exists the same button reads Remove demo site with devices to delete it again.

Device Detail Panel

Clicking a site row opens a Devices panel at the bottom of the page (headed Devices · [site name] — Devices linked to the selected site) showing all cameras for that site. A Search camera box narrows the list by name. Buttons at the top right of the panel give direct access to the most common actions: + Add device — connect a camera to this site. Send site key — share VPN credentials via WhatsApp or email. View edge — opens Live status from the edge device on site (shown on sites that have an edge device). The dialog lists the edge device with a Refresh control, and shows No status reported yet until the device sends its first status update — check that it is powered on, connected to the network, and running the edge software, then refresh.

Device table columns: Device (camera name), Device brand, Cameras (number of cameras on this device), Connection type (public / private / edge / —), Configuration status (pending, configured, or reassigned), IP / Host, Date (date the device was added), Actions. A camera shows pending until GC Surge has pushed the alarm-forwarding configuration; configured once confirmed; reassigned after the integration config has been successfully re-pushed via Retry.

Device actions menu — click the three-dot (…) button on any device row. Available actions vary by connection type and setup state.

Public cameras

The platform auto-configures public cameras, so Complete setup never appears.

• View — open device details and configuration.
• Edit — review and update connection details.
• Retry — push integration config again.
• Delete device — remove this device from the site.
• Forward alarms — forward alarms to a preferred alarm receiver through DC09 or webhook.

Private/VPN cameras (setup pending)

• Complete setup — opens the Complete device setup dialog (Finish on-site configuration for this device). Appears only while setup is pending. It confirms the device was added, then shows:An agent status chip — Agent connected (v1.2.0) once the NXGEN Local Agent on site has checked in.The SITE KEY (GCSK-XXXX-XXXX) with SETUP PROGRESS: Site key activated in Surge (activation happens automatically) and Click Refresh status to confirm the device is connected. Status chips show Pending — waiting for on-site setup and Activated — retry in mm:ss.Manual SMTP settings (collapsible) — “If automatic setup fails, configure your device manually using the settings below in its alarm or email configuration.” This section opens expanded when automatic setup did not complete, above the message “Your device was added, but automatic SMTP setup did not complete. Use the manual steps below to finish configuration on the device.” Each value has a copy button: SITE, DEVICE ID, HOST, PORT, USERNAME, PASSWORD, ENCRYPTION, TO EMAIL, FROM EMAIL.Buttons: Apply via local agent, Manual Configuration, and Refresh status.Go to Alarm center or Add another site closes the flow; a Trouble getting an alarm? Get support link is also shown.
• View — open device details and configuration.
• Edit — review and update connection details.
• Retry — push integration config again.
• Delete device — remove this device from the site.
• Forward alarms — forward alarms to a preferred alarm receiver through DC09 or webhook.

Edge cameras (setup pending)

GC Edge manages the camera connection directly, so View, Edit, and Retry are not available.

• Complete setup — opens the Complete device setup dialog (Finish on-site configuration for this device). Appears only while setup is pending. It shows: Connect this device through GC Edge — “Your device only streams video. GC Edge running on site reads the stream and creates the alarms for you.”Install GC Edge — choose the CUDA (GPU) or CPU Windows installer (use CUDA if the site PC has an NVIDIA GPU, otherwise CPU). A Learn more (specs) link opens the requirements.Three steps: (1) Download and install GC Edge on the site network. (2) The site key below is activated automatically — enter it in the GC Edge software. (3) GC Edge connects to the device stream and triggers alarms into Surge.The SITE KEY (GCSK-XXXX-XXXX) with SETUP PROGRESS and a Refresh status button, then Go to Alarm center or Add another site.
• Delete device — remove this device from the site.
• Forward alarms — forward alarms to a preferred alarm receiver through DC09 or webhook.

Retry opens a Retry integration config confirmation dialog — click Retry to push the saved connection details to the device again. Use this when the platform shows a configuration error. On success, an “Integration config pushed successfully.” banner appears and the camera’s configuration status changes to reassigned. On failure, a “Port check failed: Failed to fetch” banner appears.

Adding a Device

Add device in the Devices panel (or Actions … → Add device on a site) opens the Add devices to “[site name]” dialog — Choose how you want to add devices to this site. It offers three paths:

• Guided setup (RECOMMENDED) — answer a few quick questions and Surge picks the fastest onboarding path and estimates the time.
• Add devices manually — add one device at a time, or upload a device spreadsheet for this site.
• Universal device support — for devices that work through REST API, SMTP, or FTP.

Choosing Add devices manually opens a two-tab screen (a ← Back link returns to the three choices): Add One Device and Add Multiple Devices.

Add One Device — under ADD DEVICE (Enter the device details for this site), fill in the DEVICE INFO card:

• GC Edge device toggle — turn it on when the device connects through GC Edge (“Alarms are triggered from the device’s stream by GC Edge running on site — no brand configuration needed.”). An Edge Deployment chip appears on the card, Device brand locks to GCEdge (Unsupported brand — use case forced to Edge.), and an RTSP port * field (default 554) appears next to the HTTP/S port.
• Device name *, Device IP or hostname *, Device brand, HTTP/S port * (defaults to 80), Use case (auto-detected based on device IP, port, and brand), HTTPS (secure) toggle, Username *, Password *.
• CONTACT INFORMATION (all optional): Contact person, Contact email, and Contact phone with a country selector.
• Click Add device to save.

Add Multiple Devices — under ADD DEVICES (Upload a device sheet. The selected site is applied to every row), add several devices to the same site in one upload:

1. In UPLOAD SHEET, drop an Excel file on the Upload device sheet zone or click the Upload device sheet button (.xlsx or .xls). The table on screen holds example rows only until your file replaces it. Download file gives you a starter template, and Need help setup your spreadsheet? opens the formatting guidance.
2. Under SEND OPTIONS, turn on Auto-send site key to owners after import if the site owners should receive the key automatically.
3. Click Add devices. Track the result in the IMPORT STATUS tab.

This sheet adds devices to the one selected site. To create several sites and their devices in a single upload, use Import from spreadsheet from Add sites & devices instead.

Send site key

The Surge Onboarding - Mobile App - site key modal (headed with the site name) shows:

• The SITE KEY (GCSK-XXXX-XXXX) in large text and as a QR code the technician can scan directly.
• Site key activation — “Activates this key in Surge for 30 minutes. You can reactivate without sending WhatsApp or email again.” Click Activate site key.
• Send site key — a two-step flow. Step 1 of 2 asks How would you like to send it?: choose WhatsApp (send via WhatsApp to the contact phone) or Email (send via e-mail to the site owner email). The second step collects the recipient for the method you picked.

Add Sites Controls

Configuration has two tabs: Added Sites & Devices (default view showing all registered sites) and IMPORT STATUS (shows upload progress and results after a bulk spreadsheet import). To add sites or devices, click Add sites & devices. Choose from four options: Guided setup (RECOMMENDED — We pick your fastest path), Add sites manually (New site, or a device to an existing one), Import from spreadsheet (Add multiple sites and devices in one upload), or Universal device support — Works with REST API, SMTP, or FTP-enabled devices.

The Universal device support flow has three steps:

1. How should alarms be sent to GC Surge? — enter a Device name and pick or type a Site name, then choose the method: REST API (HTTP POST JSON), Email (SMTP) (device emails alarms to a GC Surge address), or FTP (device uploads alarm images to a GC Surge FTP server). Click Add Device. A Device added successfully banner confirms and step 1 is marked complete.
2. Connection details — GC Surge auto-generates credentials with copy buttons: Device ID, FTP host (or SMTP address), Port, Username, Password. Copy these into the camera alarm-forwarding settings. Click Next when done.
3. Forward Alarms (optional) — configure forwarding to a CMS. Can also be set up later from CMS Forwarding.

Contact info is optional if you are on-site yourself — select I’m at the site instead (no contact info required).

Standard Deployment Workflow

1. Create sites (manually or via spreadsheet import).
2. Validate that all site entries have correct contact details, names, and addresses.
3. Use the site Actions menu to distribute Site Keys to onsite contacts.
4. Monitor site status as field activation is completed — sites should transition to Active.
5. After activation, verify device counts match the expected camera count per site.
6. Identify and investigate any sites that remain in pending status beyond the expected activation window.

Data Quality & Governance

Configuration data quality directly affects downstream operations. Poor data here creates problems everywhere:

• Incorrect site names make it difficult to filter events in Video Search and produce confusing analytics reports.
• Wrong contact details mean Site Keys get sent to the wrong person, delaying activation.
• Missing device counts make it impossible to tell whether a site is fully activated or partially broken.

Assign one named owner responsible for Configuration data accuracy. This person should audit the site roster weekly during active deployment phases and monthly during steady-state operations.