Count Licenses from the Device Schedule, Not the Camera Count

On a recent access control and video proposal, the manufacturer's license quote and our device schedule did not agree. The schedule carried 13 video streams and 5 readers. The quote listed 8 camera licenses and 6 reader licenses.

That does not mean someone made a mistake. It usually means two people counted different things.

Why the counts drift

Multi-sensor cameras are the common cause. Depending on the platform and licensing model, one multi-sensor camera can count as a single license or as one license per lens. Some cloud subscriptions count every lens as a connection. Some on-premises editions count the camera once.

Reader counts drift too. A spare, a future door, or an exit reader can move the number by one either way.

What our team does before a price goes to the owner

1. List every device and every stream it presents to the platform.
2. Match that list line by line to the manufacturer license quote.
3. Write down which count is being priced and why.
4. Ask the manufacturer to confirm anything that does not reconcile.

A few licenses sounds small. With maintenance years attached to each one, a miscount follows the system for its whole life.