First-Time Login
When a new GC Surge account is created, the account owner goes through a short registration and setup process before reaching the dashboard. This applies to the Super Admin setting up the account and to every team member invited after that. GC Surge accounts use phone OTP for identity verification during registration — SSO and Google login are not supported. After registration, all logins use email and password.
Why It Matters
GC Surge is designed for speed from the start. Registration takes only a few minutes — fill in your details, verify your phone, complete a quick site setup step, and you are in the platform. The sidebar shows only the modules that match your role — no additional configuration needed.
How It Works
Signing Up
On the sign-in screen, click Register to open the sign-up form. This creates the Super Admin account for your organization. Complete the following fields:
- Email — becomes your primary login. Use a role-based address (e.g., security-admin@company.com) rather than a personal address.
- Country code — select your country’s dial code from the dropdown.
- Phone number — enter your number without the country code. This number receives the OTP verification code during registration.
- Company name — your organization’s name in GC Surge.
- Password — minimum 8 characters. The strength indicator shows 5 requirements: 8+ characters, uppercase, lowercase, symbols, and numbers.
- Retype password — confirm your password.
- Terms of Use — check “I have read and agree to the Terms of Use” before submitting.
The form shows: “After creating your account, we will send you a verification email. Please check your inbox and verify your account.” Click Create account to submit.
OTP Verification
After signing up, an OTP is sent to your registered phone number via SMS. You must complete this step before accessing the platform. On the verification screen, enter the 6-digit code sent to your phone. If you entered the wrong phone number during registration, click Change phone number on the screen to correct it before submitting. Successful OTP verification logs you in automatically — no separate login step is needed for first-time access. After verification, a three-step account setup wizard runs before you land on the Home Dashboard. After successful OTP verification, the user is taken into the tenant with the role assigned during sign-up or invitation.
Account Setup Wizard
The wizard runs once after your first successful OTP verification. It cannot be skipped in full, but the last step (Site & Device) has a Skip for now option.
1. Welcome — Choose your platform language (English or Deutsch). The screen shows HOW IT WORKS with three steps: Your profile (add your name and photo so teammates recognize you), Site & device (add your first site and connect a device to unlock monitoring, alarms, and Surge onboarding), and Go live (open the alarm center and start monitoring your sites). Click Get Started to continue.
2. Your Profile — Set your display name and optionally upload a profile photo. This is how teammates will identify you in the platform. Click Save.
3. Site & Device — Choose how to add your first site and device: Add a site and device (set up a new location and connect its first device) or Add multiple sites and devices (import several sites and devices at once with flash bulk import). If you are not ready, click Skip for now — you can add sites later from Configuration. Completing this step shows a confirmation screen with a Go to Alarm center button and an Add another site button; a “Trouble getting an alarm? Get support” link is also shown. Skipping this step takes you directly to the Home Dashboard.
Logging In
After your account is created and your phone is verified, all subsequent logins use your email address and password. If your email is registered across multiple tenant accounts, specify which account to log into at sign-in. If only one account exists for that email, the system selects it automatically.
- Open the GC Surge login page.
- Enter your registered email address and password.
- Click Sign In and wait for the redirect to the Home Dashboard.
What to Expect After Login
- Email Verification: Your Home Dashboard shows an ‘Email Verification — Action Required’ callout on first arrival. Click through it to confirm the email tied to your tenant before you can receive shift reports or scheduled notifications.
- Getting Started Checklist: The Home Dashboard shows a GETTING STARTED CHECKLIST widget with 8 tasks to complete during onboarding. Items are checked off automatically as you complete them. The badge shows how many remain. The 8 tasks are: Setup your first site, Verify your email, Add a device, Receive an alarm, Invite an operator, Assign your operator to a shift, Setup your alarm closure tags, and Close an alarm. Clicking any checklist item launches a Spotlight Tour for that task — tooltip-based steps guide you through the relevant platform area. Each step has a Skip button.
- The sidebar displays only the modules accessible to your assigned role. If a module you expect is not visible, your Super Admin needs to review your role assignment.
- On a new account, Analytics and Video Search will show empty states until cameras are onboarded and events start flowing. This is expected.
Emails After Registration
GC Surge sends the following emails automatically after you create your account. No action is required to trigger them — they arrive in the order below.
- Email Verification GC Surge Application — arrives immediately after phone OTP verification. Contains a Verify Email Address button that confirms the email address tied to your account. The verification link expires in 24 hours. If the button does not work, copy and paste the link from the email directly into your browser. Your email must be confirmed before you can receive shift reports and scheduled notifications.
- Your GC Surge Trial Is Live — Start Measuring Capacity Gain — arrives after your first login. Confirms your trial environment is live. The email states: “This is not a demo. This is your proof environment.” It lists what your trial includes: up to 10 cameras, unlimited NOVA99x with no per-camera alarm cap, NOVA99x filtering up to 99% of false alarms before they reach any operator, and access to Alarm Workflow, ZenMode, Analytics, and Flash BulkImport. Includes an Access My Dashboard button.
- Your Weekly GC Surge Operations Summary — sent once per week. Shows the past 7 days of alarm activity across your organization: total alarms processed, alarms passed to operators, and average alarm processing time. Use this to track how GC Surge is performing against your operation over time.
A performance summary email is also sent every 2 days during the trial, covering each operator's individual activity. This arrives separately from the weekly summary.
What to Validate During Your Trial
Your 7-day free trial is the time to confirm GC Surge works against your real operational environment. Use this checklist to structure your evaluation — test each area explicitly before your Day 7 decision.
- Onboarding: Site creation completes without errors. Cameras are added via Public IP, Private/VPN, or Edge without errors. Cameras appear in Configuration and events start flowing after activation.
- Operations: Operators can locate a specific event type within 60 seconds using Video Search filters. ZenMode reduces context-switching during active monitoring. The alarm detail view provides enough context for triage decisions.
- Administration: User invitation and role assignment work as expected. Role-based access controls restrict the correct modules per role. My Subscription & Billing View accurately reflects the cameras onboarded during the trial.
- Repeatability: Your team could follow the same onboarding process for a second site without support. Naming conventions used during the trial are consistent and readable across all platform views.
If Something Goes Wrong
- Credentials rejected — verify you are using the email from sign-up. Use password reset if needed. During sign-up, "Email already exists" appears when the email is already registered — use a different email address or contact support to recover the existing account.
- OTP not received — check your country code format. Wait 60 seconds and resend. During sign-up, "Phone number already exists" means the number is registered to another account — use a different number or contact support.
- Module missing from sidebar — your role does not include that module. Contact your Super Admin.
- OTP expired — request a fresh code instead of retrying an old one repeatedly.
- Login succeeds but tenant does not load — confirm the account has an active role and a valid tenant assignment.
- Login succeeds but redirects to a blank page — clear browser cache and try a private/incognito window.
Logging Out
Click the logout icon at the bottom of the left sidebar. A confirmation modal appears — click Yes to complete the logout. Any open forms or unsaved changes in modals will be lost, so close or save any active work before logging out.
The logout icon is at the bottom of the left sidebar (the arrow-out icon). Click it to start the logout process.
The logout confirmation modal. Click Yes to end your session. Any unsaved work in open modals will be discarded.