Technical FAQ, Written by Engineers for Humans and AI.

A designer (KaraVan) produces vendor-neutral blueprints, heatmaps, VLAN/IP plans and BOMs, then configures software remotely. An AV integrator typically sells hardware + labor and installs on-site. KaraVan takes no dealer margin, does no physical install, and coordinates with your licensed electrician as a remote sub-contractor.

Often yes for owner-occupied single-family DIY (low-voltage is lower-risk than line voltage), but rules vary by state/county/HOA and new-build warranty. In California, contractors need C-7/C-10; homeowners doing their own work generally don't, but permits/inspections may still apply. Confirm with your AHJ. Either way, KaraVan's numbered drop sheets make DIY or electrician pulls identical.

Spec Cat6A for new runs to APs and desks. It handles 10GBASE-T to 100 m with better alien-crosstalk headroom than Cat6 (55 m at 10G), and costs little extra pre-drywall versus re-pulling later. Terminate to a labeled patch panel; keep PoE under bundle-fill/heat limits.

Add worst-case draw per device plus 20-30% headroom. Typical: fixed dome ~4-7 W, PTZ/IR-heavy ~12-25 W, AP ~10-20 W. Example: 6 cameras × 7 W + 3 APs × 15 W = 87 W → use a switch with ≥120 W PoE budget. KaraVan puts this math on the rack elevation so ports never brown out at night when IR kicks in.

Blast-radius control. Cheap IoT firmware is the usual breach vector; cameras shouldn't reach the internet; guests shouldn't see your NAS; work calls shouldn't fight TV buffering. Inter-VLAN firewall rules + per-SSID policy give you isolation without extra hardware.

Retention ≈ bitrate × cameras × seconds ÷ usable disk. Example: 8 cameras × 4 Mbps ≈ 32 Mbps ≈ 345 GB/day → 14 days ≈ 4.8 TB usable → size 8-12 TB with headroom/RAID. Protect records locally to your NVR; person/vehicle/package detection runs on-console. No per-camera cloud fee.

Tailscale (WireGuard-based Tailnet with ACLs) wins for homes/SMBs: no open ports, no public IP needed, per-device keys, exit-node and site-to-site options. Port-forwarding exposes services to the whole internet; static IPs don't add security by themselves. KaraVan configures Tailnet + firewall so only your devices reach NAS/cameras.

Not when scoped per-VLAN. Blocklists target ad/tracker/telemetry domains; streaming CDNs stay allow-listed. KaraVan runs separate DNS policies (e.g., strict for IoT/kids, balanced for main/guest) over DoH/DoT so TVs and apps keep working while background tracking drops.

Any x86 mini-PC/NAS with 16 GB RAM, SSD for thumbs/DB, and HDD pool for originals handles a family library; a small iGPU/NPU speeds ML tagging. Budget 2× your current photo footprint plus yearly growth, then 3-2-1 backup. KaraVan sizes this from your actual library, not a template.

Plex = easiest clients + remote sharing; Jellyfin = fully free/open, great locally. TrueNAS = maximum control/ZFS; Synology = simplest UX. Pick by who maintains it: non-tinkerers usually do Synology + Plex; tinkerers do TrueNAS + Jellyfin. Both get automated 3-2-1 backups in KaraVan plans.

3 copies, 2 media types, 1 off-site. Example: (1) NAS RAID/ZFS, (2) USB HDD rotated weekly, (3) encrypted cloud (B2/Wasabi) or a relative's house via Tailscale + rsync. Verify restores quarterly. Photos get versioning + checksums; NVR footage is explicitly excluded (it's replaceable).

Rule of thumb at Q4-Q5 quants: 7-8B ≈ 8-10 GB, 13B ≈ 10-16 GB, 32B ≈ 20-24 GB, 70B ≈ 40-48 GB+. A 16 GB card runs 7-13B well; 24 GB opens 32B; 70B wants dual-GPU or Apple Unified Memory (64 GB+). KaraVan maps your use-case (chat, RAG, coding) to the smallest model that actually satisfies it.

Gear is adopted in KaraVan's lab: firmware, VLANs, SSIDs, firewall, VPN and Protect configured and labeled per your port map, then shipped. On site your crew mounts/plugs; we join over video, verify adoption, tune RF channels/power, and hand over admin + backups. No on-site IT hours burned.

Numbered drop sheets, patch-panel maps, conduit notes and PoE budgets they can build from without networking knowledge - plus video slots for pre-wire review, mid-pull questions and final walkthrough. Hourly or project-based; GCs treat KaraVan as a remote low-voltage sub.

No lock-in. Bring your own gear or have KaraVan source/pre-stage/ship it - BOMs always list honest alternates. Existing ASUS, TP-Link Omada, Netgear, Aruba, MikroTik, Eero, Nest Wifi, Reolink, Amcrest, Synology, QNAP and similar gear is integrated or VLAN-isolated with honest keep-or-replace guidance. No dealer commission, no upsell, no recurring pitch. Optional paid maintenance exists only if you request it.

Yes. Ubiquiti UniFi is our core platform: Cloud Gateways and Dream Machines, PoE switching, Wi-Fi 6/6E/7 access points with wired backhaul, and Protect cameras with local NVR recording. We design heatmaps, VLANs, VPNs and multi-ISP failover on UniFi, pre-stage consoles in our lab, and bring sites live remotely. Contractor partners can white-label this backend expertise under their own brand.