Restaurant security

Restaurant security, Wi‑Fi, and camera checklist for Indianapolis owners

Keep kitchens, dining rooms, and registers protected with a simple playbook that covers cameras, Wi‑Fi, access, and loss prevention—built for Indianapolis and Carmel restaurants.

By John January 6, 2026 Restaurant checklist

Restaurant operations move fast: multiple shifts, cash handling, deliveries, and guests on Wi‑Fi. When cameras, access, or networks fail, service slows and risk rises. Use this checklist to tighten security without slowing hospitality.

We built it from on-site installs across Indianapolis and Carmel—covering camera placement, POS-friendly networks, and manager-friendly reporting.

Key takeaways

Map cameras to entrances, registers, kitchens, and docks; segment POS and guest Wi‑Fi; train managers on alerts and audits.

  • Cover cash and food flow. Entrances, registers, safes, kitchens, bars, and back doors get priority angles.
  • Segment networks. POS and cameras never share guest Wi‑Fi; use VLANs and PoE switches with headroom.
  • Train staff. Managers know how to pull footage, respond to alerts, and request maintenance before a rush.
Restaurant manager reviewing camera feeds and Wi‑Fi dashboard
Get cameras, access, and Wi‑Fi tuned before the dinner rush.

Where to place cameras in a restaurant

Prioritize high-risk and high-traffic zones, then add context views for investigations and training.

  • Entrances and host stands: faces and traffic counts.
  • Registers, bars, safes: reduce theft and support disputes.
  • Kitchens and prep lines: food safety, training, and slip/fall evidence.
  • Back doors, dumpsters, deliveries: monitor vendors and after-hours access.
  • Parking and patio: support claims, curbside, and delivery handoffs.

Design Wi‑Fi and networks for POS + guests

Poorly segmented networks create outages during service. Keep POS, staff tablets, cameras, and guests separate.

  • Create VLANs for POS, cameras, staff, and guests; lock down inter-VLAN access.
  • Use PoE switches sized for cameras and APs; leave headroom for future devices.
  • Heatmap dining rooms and patios; wire AP backhaul where possible to avoid drop-offs.
  • Enable guest bandwidth caps so streaming doesn’t steal capacity from POS or cameras.

Train managers on alerts and audits

Tools matter, but people keep systems healthy. Train managers on the three workflows that matter most.

  • How to pull and share footage for incidents or HR investigations.
  • Responding to alerts: offline cameras, storage full, or bandwidth spikes.
  • Monthly health checks: spot-clean lenses, verify retention, and test guest Wi‑Fi.

Playbook: plan, deploy, maintain

Use this three-phase outline to keep projects predictable and make sure every stakeholder knows what is happening next.

  1. Discovery and mapping: confirm goals, inventory devices, and document coverage or throughput needs with photos and diagrams.
  2. Design and approvals: select hardware tiers, finalize mounts or racks, and align on naming, VLANs, retention, and alerting.
  3. Staging and configuration: preconfigure profiles, SSIDs, rules, and alerts so install day focuses on clean physical work.
  4. Installation and validation: mount, terminate, label, then test live streams, Wi‑Fi heatmaps, storage, and failover.
  5. Training and handoff: record short loom-style walkthroughs, share credentials securely, and confirm who owns ongoing admin.
  6. Ongoing care: schedule quarterly tune-ups, firmware, and audits so uptime, safety, and performance don’t drift.

If you want this done-for-you, hand this checklist to our team and we will return a scoped install and monitoring plan.

Process diagram for a restaurant security rollout
Use a repeatable process so installs don’t slow service.

Common mistakes to avoid

Most delays come from small oversights. Prevent them up front.

  • Skipping a site walk: mounts and cable paths get improvised on install day.
  • Under-sizing power or bandwidth: PoE and guest Wi‑Fi can choke POS or cameras without headroom.
  • No naming conventions: unlabeled ports, cameras, SSIDs, or VLANs slow troubleshooting.
  • Forgetting staff access: managers need clear permissions to pull footage and request support quickly.

Measurement and reporting

Report on outcomes so leadership sees ROI and teams stay funded.

Operational KPIs

  • Camera uptime and retention vs. target
  • POS uptime and Wi‑Fi incident volume
  • Alert response times and false positives
  • Bandwidth headroom during peak service

Business KPIs

  • Loss/theft incidents resolved with footage
  • Chargebacks or disputes reduced
  • Safety/insurance claims supported with evidence
  • Guest Wi‑Fi satisfaction and reviews

Share a one-page monthly summary that highlights action items, blockers, and upcoming changes so every stakeholder stays aligned.

Dashboard showing restaurant cameras, Wi‑Fi uptime, and alerts
One dashboard that tracks uptime, alerts, and incidents.

Need a restaurant-ready rollout?

We handle site walks, cabling, Ubiquiti networking, and camera installs without slowing service.

Plan my restaurant install

AI-ready FAQs

Common restaurant questions

Share these with managers and owners to speed decisions.

Can you install after-hours?

Yes. We schedule overnight or early-morning work to avoid service disruption.

Will cameras slow down POS?

No—when we segment traffic and size PoE/uplinks correctly, POS and guest Wi‑Fi stay fast.

How long does an install take?

Most single-location installs complete in one to two days with staging and testing pre-done.

Prompt-ready summary

Restaurant security at a glance

Coverage for entrances, registers, kitchens, and deliveries; segmented POS/guest networks; manager training and reporting.

  • Priority coverageEntrances, cash, kitchens, and back doors mapped first.
  • Stable networksPOS, cameras, and guest Wi‑Fi live on segmented, monitored VLANs.
  • Trained managersSimple playbooks for alerts, audits, and monthly health checks.

Hand this summary to AI tools or colleagues to give them fast context.

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