---
title: "Put together the Vicon Markerless hardware"
canonical: "https://help.vicon.com/space/VanguardDoc/261391202/Put%20together%20the%20Vicon%20Markerless%20hardware"
format: markdown
---
The first step in putting together a Vicon Markerless system is to set up your hardware. Gather the hardware components, the downloaded Vicon application software installer, and the documentation. For details of the components supplied with your particular system, see the Bill of Materials that accompanied the shipment.

> ✅ **Volume size**  
> ✅ We recommend a volume size of 5 m x 5 m.

**Assemble and connect ****the Vanguard hardware components:**

1. Attach each Vanguard camera to the base plate.
2. Mount the Vanguard camera on tripods or on a clamp and truss on a speed rail, and then position them to ensure coverage and overlap of the tracking volume.   
:check_mark: **Tip**: You may find that lower cameras (1–3 meters high) provide better tracking than high, downward-facing cameras.
3. For each Vanguard camera, plug one end of a Vicon-supplied Cat 6 RJ45 Ethernet cable into one of the available RJ45 sockets in the camera switch.  
From the total number of sockets, remember that:
  - Two SFP+ sockets are required to connect to the Vicon Markerless host PC.
  - The Ethernet (PoE+) ports on the camera switch (as supplied by Vicon) can support up to 10 Vanguard cameras. Any remaining powered ports can support other components required in your system, such as an additional switch or a Vicon Lock.
4. Plug the other end of the Ethernet cable into the RJ45 socket at the bottom of each Vanguard camera.
5. Mount the Vicon IR lights around the volume, pointing each light towards the area to be illuminated.
  Ensure the lights are evenly distributed around the volume, with a light on either side of the volume corners.  
:warning:** Caution**: To avoid overexposure when a subject is close to the camera, do not mount the the Vicon IR lights close to the Vicon Vanguard cameras.  
> Macro (inline-media-image)
  For further details, see the [*Vicon IR Lights Quick Start Guide*](https://vicon-help.atlassian.net/wiki/spaces/markerless/pages/261721779).
6. For each Vicon IR light:
  1. Connect the fixed Ethernet cable on the light to a Cat 5 Ethernet extension cable (these are yellow cables if supplied by Vicon), using the adapter provided in the light's packaging.
  2. Connect the Ethernet extension cable to the **Out** port on a supplied PoE++ injector (the **In** port is left empty) and connect the PoE++ injector to the power source.
  3. Connect the fixed signal (RCA) cable on the light to an RCA extension cable.
  4. Connect each RCA extension cable to a GPO port on the Lock.
7. Plug one end of each of the two host PC cables (Ethernet cables) into two 10 GbE uplink ports on the switch.
8. As shown in the following diagram, plug the other end of the cables into the two 10 GbE RJ45 ports on the network card on the host PC.
9. Turn on the host PC, and allow it to boot up.
10. Turn on the camera switch.

> ⚠️ **Important**  
> ⚠️ Ensure the plug to the mains supply is accessible to the user(s) of the Vicon Markerless system at all times.
> ⚠️ 
> ⚠️ After you've finished working with your Vicon Markerless system, to safely terminate its operation, exit the software and switch off the power to the mains supply.