Recommendations for multi-camera updates: Remote Portal vs. Configuration Manager
Firmware Update for Multiple Cameras: Remote Portal vs. Configuration Manager
This article explains the two available methods for updating firmware on multiple cameras and helps you choose the right method for your situation.
Which Method Should I Use?
Criteria | Remote Portal | Configuration Manager |
Update Behavior | Sequential – Cameras are updated one after another | Parallel – All selected cameras are updated simultaneously |
Camera Downtime | Only one camera offline at a time | All selected cameras offline simultaneously |
Total Duration | Longer (sum of all individual updates) | Shorter (parallel processing) |
Automated? | Partly - You can close the browser window and update will continue | Not automated - If you close Configuration Manager, updates will stop/fail |
Can Be Cancelled? | No – running campaign cannot be cancelled | Not recommended – may cause corruption |
Bandwidth Requirement | Low - Only for 1 camera at the time | High - Bandwidth for multiple cameras at once |
Firmware Selection | Automatic - Latest available version per camera platform | Manual - User needs to select and limit to one platform per update process |
Remote Portal: Sequential Update
How does it work? The Remote Portal maintains a repository of the latest approved firmware per camera type. You can choose to update your cameras to this latest version by performing a bulk update via the Update function in the Web-User Interface (UI) of Remote Portal. In this bulk update procedure cameras are updated one after another (sequentially). This means: While one camera is being updated, all other cameras remain online and operational. All cameras selected for updating will show a spinning icon in the update column. Cameras that finished updating will change to show the green checkmark. A progress information in the upper-right part of the user interface indicated the overall progress.
Why Does It Take Longer?
The total duration equals the sum of all individual updates. For 20 cameras with 5 minutes update time each, the total duration is approximately 100 minutes. This approach was deliberately chosen to maximize system availability.
Advantages
Minimal downtime: Only one camera offline at a time
Continuous monitoring: Security system remains largely functional
Lower network load: Firmware packages are transferred individually
Ideal for remote connections: Less bandwidth required
Visual indication of progress in Web Interface
Recommended Number of Cameras
For Remote Portal, there is no technical limit on the number of cameras per update campaign. However, we recommend to test the performance of your network first and start with a reasonable amount (e.g. 20 cameras at once). Since cameras are updated sequentially, the number only affects total duration, not stability. Important: Once started, an update campaign cannot be cancelled.
Configuration Manager: Parallel Update
How does it work? In Configuration Manager, you need to provide the file that you want to update the camera with. Then, all selected cameras are updated simultaneously (in parallel). This means: All selected cameras are potentially offline at the same time during the update process. The Configuration Manager can use the cloud connection provided by the Remote Portal to establish a connection to each camera. This connection behaves similar to a local network connection. This means that all firmware files are uploaded individually from the Configuration Manager to the camera.
Why Is It Faster?
The total duration is approximately equal to a single update, since all cameras are processed in parallel. Example: For 20 cameras with 5 minutes update time each, the total duration would be approximately 5-10 minutes.
Advantages
Shorter total duration: Ideal for planned maintenance windows
Efficient for large installations: Many cameras in a short time, if bandwidth is available
Local execution: Direct connection to the camera via the Remote Portal relay connection
Recommended Number of Cameras when using Configuration Manager to update
The number of cameras to update simultaneously in Configuration via Remote Portal connection depends on multiple factors and therefore no recommendation can be given. The main factor is available bandwidth to transfer the update files from your computer running Configuration Manager to the camera. As this happens per camera and at the same time, make sure your device running Configuration Manager has high upstream bandwidth and the sites with the cameras have high downstream bandwidth.
Note on firmware size: Firmware packages for newer platforms can be up to 1 GB in size. With parallel updates, this package is transmitted to all cameras simultaneously, which places significant demand on network bandwidth.
For example, with an average uplink bandwidth of 20 Mbps (on your device running Configuration Manager), you can expect to upload 1.5GB in 10 minutes (roughly equal to 1-2 cameras), with 100 Mbps uplink, you may upload 7.5GB in 10 minutes (roughly equal to 7-8 cameras). Consider this when selecting the number of parallel updates.
Important Notes for Both Methods
CPP Compatibility
In case of Configuration Manager, ensure that all selected cameras belong to the same CPP family (Camera Platform) and the right firmware package is chosen. In case of Remote Portal, the latest available firmware package will automatically be chosen based on camera platform.
Recommended Approach
Test: First perform a test update with a single camera and site.
Expand: After successful testing, gradually expand to additional cameras at the site.
Scale: Once successful, you can extend to additional sites.
Summary: Which Method to Choose?
Choose Remote Portal when:
| Choose Configuration Manager when:
|