Dad has agreed to a camera at the side door. That is a small win, and it can turn into a mess if the install is treated as a box to hang and forget. Carry it from the wall to a first night test, and settle the account, the alerts, and the handover before the installer leaves.
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Pick the door he really uses
Stand outside the side door at the hour he would actually use it, not at the hour the box suggests. Look at what is in the frame: the light, the step, the hedge, the gate, and whether the door swings in or out. A camera aimed at the wrong spot is worse than no camera, because it creates a false sense of coverage.
Check the wall, power, and signal before the mount
Note the wall material, because brick, stone, and older siding take different anchors and different drilling. Check whether there is existing doorbell wiring, and whether a battery unit or a plug-in unit suits the spot. Walk the planned mount point with a phone and check the Wi-Fi signal there. If it drops, the fix is a signal extender or a different mount point, not a return visit you have to pay for.
Own the account from the start
Decide who owns the login before the installer starts. The owner should be you or another family member Dad has agreed to, with Dad added as a user if he wants access. Write down the email on the account, where the password is kept, and the names on the notification list. Ask whether alerts go to a phone, an email, or both, and whether they fire only when someone is at the door or on any motion. Those settings decide whether the camera is useful or just noisy.
Ask about recording before the first setting
Ask the installer or the product's setup guide what the camera records, how long clips are kept, and where it is allowed to point. Rules about recording audio and about aiming at a neighbor's property vary by place, and this article cannot settle them for your address. Get the answers in writing before you set the audio and view area.
Finish with a night test and a handover
Ask the installer to stay until the camera has been tested after dark. Walk to the side door yourself, trigger the alert, and confirm it reaches every phone on the list. Check the picture at the door and the clip that follows. Then show Dad how to see the feed, what the alert looks like, and how to silence it, with him in the room and without making it sound like he needs watching. Leave a one-page note with the account owner, the notification list, the mount location, and the number to call if it stops working.
Next move
Before you book the installer, stand at the side door at the hour Dad uses it, take three photos of the frame, and note the wall material and the Wi-Fi bars at the planned mount point. Send those to the installer and ask for the night test to be written into the job.