Quick answer: Use the approved CASE discovery/configuration utility with a written device and address plan. Confirm its current name, supported operating system and functions before deployment. Discovery, batch configuration and storage estimates all need verification on the actual tool/device version.
On this page
First confirm which tool you are downloading
The catalog describes a Search Config Tool for locating devices, adding/configuring them and estimating storage. Its download table uses the name CASE Setup Tool. That naming difference does not by itself prove that every package or version bearing either name is identical. Obtain the approved package through the Anabon Download Center or technical support. Confirm the package name/version, supported operating system, eligible devices and intended functions. Avoid unknown download mirrors.
This is a technician deployment task. CASE Connect is the primary next-generation CASE camera-control software, and CASE Station has a separate desktop viewing role. Do not install a configuration utility on a customer workstation merely because the customer needs live view.
Prepare the bench and camera schedule
Before connecting a batch, record full SKUs, labels/MAC addresses, intended locations, planned addressing and recorder channels. Use an authorized isolated bench or the site’s approved camera segment. Agree with IT which interface and network the service laptop should use. Check laptop software, endpoint policy and the tool’s documented discovery requirements. An authorized cabled connection is often useful, but Wi-Fi, VPN or multiple interfaces are configuration questions, not automatic explanations for every discovery failure. Do not turn off a firewall or VPN indiscriminately.
The camera IP-planning guide explains static addressing and reservations. A tool’s current discovery list is an observation; the schedule records what the finished installation is supposed to contain.
Discover and identify before changing anything
Match each result to the physical label and inventory. A device being listed does not prove that its web interface is reachable or that you have authority to change it. Investigate unknown units rather than applying settings to every discovery result.
| Check | Safe next action |
|---|---|
| Power and link | Check the actual camera power/link and the planned switch port. |
| Laptop interface and segment | Use an authorized interface on the intended segment; verify VLAN and addressing with IT. |
| Firewall and endpoint policy | Apply the tool’s documented permission with IT approval. Do not disable protections broadly. |
| Device identity | Match label/MAC/model to the inventory; distinguish a found device from a reachable, authenticated service. |
| Recorder camera-side network | Confirm the supported management path; the laptop’s LAN-side discovery may not reach it. |
Discovery behavior across IP ranges, routed boundaries and an NVR’s internal PoE interface depends on the actual tool and deployment. Do not promise that a camera on any forgotten subnet will always appear. If a unit cannot be found, preserve the observed topology and ask for the supported recovery procedure before resetting it.
Use batch functions in controlled groups
- Select only the verified devices in scope for this job.
- Apply supported activation/credential changes through the approved secure process.
- Apply planned static addresses only through supported tool/device functions. Have IT configure reservations on the approved DHCP server; do not assume a camera utility creates them. Check address overlap before applying changes.
- Apply only shared settings that the actual tool/device versions support.
- Test a representative device, then verify every affected device’s identity, address, time and required stream.
- Add devices to the recorder using the supported method and test recording/playback.
A successful batch message is not a commissioning result. Record failures individually and do not mark unresponsive cameras as complete. Confirm third-party ONVIF conformance and required functions for the exact products; there is no universal profile list that makes a batch compatible with every VMS. Where conformance is required, match the exact device/client and firmware/software version in the official ONVIF product record; a discovery result is not that verification.
Treat the storage calculator as an estimate
Confirm the inputs the tool actually offers. The catalog describes estimation by camera count and resolution; bitrate, codec, recording hours or other controls depend on the version. Record the assumptions rather than presenting the displayed number as guaranteed retention. For an illustrative arithmetic check, 16 cameras averaging 4 Mbps each total 64 Mbps. Continuous recording at that average is about 20.7 TB over 30 days in decimal units, before practical storage allowances. This is an example, not a promise about a scene or codec.
Check supported drives, bay count, usable capacity and recording behavior for the selected recorder. A per-drive maximum alone does not establish total installed storage. Confirm observed retention after enough history has accumulated. Record the usable capacity and practical allowances with the agreed retention target; observed history is the final check.
Keep a deployment record
Save tool/version, device inventory, final addresses, changes applied, configuration references and test results in the protected project folder. Keep credentials separately. Update the record when hardware or addressing changes. Show the customer only the approved operational tools and access they need. Keep this deployment evidence with the handover record so the next technician can distinguish intended configuration from an unexpected discovery result.
FAQ
Are Search Config Tool and CASE Setup Tool definitely the same package?
The catalog uses both labels. Confirm the current download and version with Anabon rather than treating the names as proof of equivalence.
Can the tool configure every camera at once?
Use only batch functions confirmed for the tool version and eligible devices, then verify the result on each affected unit.
Is the storage estimate the retention the customer will get?
No. It depends on the assumptions and actual recording conditions. Check the recorder and later observed history. Send the tool version, complete SKUs, topology and exact failure to security camera technical support. Select recorders and PoE switches against that verified deployment plan.
References
- CASE Catalog 2027 Q1, physical page 106, describes Search Config Tool and labels the download CASE Setup Tool. RFC 2131 (March 1997, with later updates) is DHCP background, not evidence of this utility’s discovery or server-management capabilities. ONVIF’s official record is linked at the integration check above.
