Before you start, make sure you have:
- A Sentry account — log in with your phone number
- A mini-PC or NUC at the store running Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)
- At least one RTSP camera on the same network
ffmpeg installed on the mini-PC- Internet connectivity (uploads go to Cloudflare R2)
No account yet? Go to the dashboard, enter your phone number, and verify the OTP. Your account is created automatically.
A site represents a physical store location. Each device binds to a site.
- Go to the Sites page in the dashboard.
- Click "Add Site".
- Enter the store name (e.g. "Downtown Yangon") and select the timezone.
- Click Create Site.
2
Generate an enrolment code
The pairing code links a device to your site. Valid for 30 minutes.
- Go to the Enrolment page.
- Find the site you just created.
- Click "Generate Code".
- Copy the 12-digit code from the popup.
Codes expire after 30 minutes. If yours expires, generate a new one — no harm done.
On the mini-PC at the store, install the edge agent and ffmpeg.
Install ffmpeg
sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y ffmpeg
Download sentry-edge
wget https://github.com/code2lab/sentry-edge/releases/latest/download/sentry-edge-linux-arm64 -O /usr/local/bin/sentry-edge && chmod +x /usr/local/bin/sentry-edge
Verify
sentry-edge version
Enrolment binds the device to your site and issues a device token.
Enrol
sentry-edge enrol --code YOUR_12_DIGIT_CODE --cloud-url https://sentry.qikbite.asia
On success you'll see:
Device enrolled: dev_xxxxxxxxxx
Site: site_xxxxxxxxxx
Token stored. Run 'sentry-edge run' to start.
The device token is stored locally. You only enrol once per device.
Once enrolled, configure cameras and start the agent.
Add cameras
sentry-edge add-camera -l "Front Counter" -u "rtsp://user:pass@192.168.1.50/stream1"
sentry-edge add-camera -l "Back Door" -u "rtsp://user:pass@192.168.1.51/stream1"
Run the agent
sentry-edge run
For production, set up as a systemd service to start on boot. See the deployment guide for the unit file.
Within a few minutes, the device appears in your dashboard.
- Go to the Devices page.
- You should see your device with an online badge.
- Check that the agent version and site are correct.
Or verify from the device
sentry-edge status
sentry-edge doctor
The agent uses store-and-forward. If the internet goes down for up to 60 minutes, no video data is lost — it queues locally and uploads when connectivity returns.
Common issues and how to fix them.
Device shows offline
Check in this order:
- Is the mini-PC powered on and connected to the network?
- Is the service running?
sudo systemctl status sentry-edge
- Can the device reach the cloud?
sentry-edge doctor
- Check the logs:
journalctl -u sentry-edge -n 50 --no-pager
Camera not recording
- List cameras:
sentry-edge cameras
- Test a camera URL:
sentry-edge test-camera -u "rtsp://..."
- Test with ffmpeg directly:
ffmpeg -i "rtsp://..." -frames:v 1 test.jpg
Enrolment fails
- Check the code hasn't expired (30-minute window)
- Check the cloud URL is
https://sentry.qikbite.asia
- Verify network:
curl https://sentry.qikbite.asia/health