Tho Cam · Free ebook
The CCTV Installer's Handbook
A field handbook for CCTV and network installers, in the order of a real job: survey, choosing cameras, cabling, networking, recording, handover, and then the faults you will meet most often. Read it to learn, keep it on your phone to look things up, and use the checklists so nothing gets missed.
Edition 1.3 · November 2026 · free
Download the phone-size PDF (A5, about 9 MB)
Download the A4 PDF for printing (about 9 MB)
About the name
"Tho Cam" is Vietnamese for "camera installer": thợ means a skilled tradesperson and cam is the everyday short form of "camera".
What is inside
- Surveying before you install: tools, a survey form, what to measure and what to ask the customer.
- Choosing cameras, lenses and mounting angles: camera types, infrared, backlight, usable viewing distance.
- Cable routing and crimping RJ45: conduit, fish tape, T568A and T568B, the 100 m limit, common crimping faults.
- Outdoors: water, lightning and power: waterproofing, junction boxes, grounding, working at height.
- Powering with PoE: power budgets, Extend mode, recorders with PoE ports, isolating a camera that keeps rebooting.
- Recorder hard drives: sizing storage, H.265, memory cards in Wi-Fi cameras, schedules, audio.
- Getting on the network: activating Hikvision and Dahua, setting IPs, adding cameras, Wi-Fi cameras.
- Forgotten passwords: the official route only, brand by brand.
- Security and remote viewing: seven deployment types, P2P, firmware, privacy, and Vietnam's QCVN 11:2026/BCA regulation.
- Acceptance testing and handover: checklist, a handover report template, questions customers ask.
- Quoting for customers: a quote structure and a complete worked example.
- A full day on the job: four cameras for a small shop, hour by hour.
- Quick troubleshooting guide: a symptom table, likely causes, what to try first.
The appendix has quick reference tables: drive sizing, PoE power, default addresses seen while scanning, RTSP syntax and a glossary.
Please note
The book is compiled from manufacturer documentation, field experience and simple calculations. Specifications, menus and firmware differ by brand and model, so always check the documentation for the exact model you are working with. Some chapters describe Vietnamese regulations, prices and mains voltage and say so. Work on mains power and work at height call for an experienced person.
You are welcome to share the book unchanged. Please keep the last page and do not resell it.
Corrections and feedback
If something does not match your equipment or your situation, tell us so it can be fixed in the next edition. Discord: discord.gg/MWPVvuDyp. WhatsApp group: chat.whatsapp.com/BNyE96XnaI22xVOWpOUrYu. Or email hello@kaifuz.com.
About Tho Cam
Tho Cam is an app that scans for cameras, sets IPs, and makes quotes and handover reports right on your phone. See the Tho Cam app. Also available in Vietnamese: Cẩm nang thợ lắp camera.