Troubleshooting Local Storage on Your Aiphone Intercom System
Many Aiphone video intercom systems, particularly models in the IX Series, offer the ability to record video and audio directly to a local SD card. This is a fantastic feature for capturing visitor logs and security footage without relying on a network recorder. However, if you are having trouble getting the system to save recordings, the issue is often related to the SD card itself or a simple configuration setting.
This professional guide, written in British English, will help you diagnose and solve the most common problems with local storage on your Aiphone device.
## The Critical Importance of the Right SD Card
Aiphone systems, like many professional security devices, can be very specific about the type of SD card they support. Using an incompatible, low-quality, or counterfeit card is the number one cause of recording failures.
### Key SD Card Specifications
- Speed Class: The card must be fast enough to handle video recording. Look for a card with a Speed Class 10, U1, or U3 rating. This is usually indicated by a number inside a 'C' or 'U' symbol on the card.
- Capacity: Check your Aiphone model's technical specifications for the maximum supported SD card capacity (e.g., 32GB, 64GB, 128GB). Using a card that is too large may cause it to not be recognised.
- Brand: Always use high-quality, authentic SD cards from reputable manufacturers like SanDisk, Kingston, Samsung, or Western Digital. Avoid unbranded or suspiciously cheap cards, as they are often unreliable.
- Type: Ensure you are using the correct physical size (e.g., microSD or full-size SD) as required by your device.
## Step 1: Formatting the SD Card Correctly
This is the most important configuration step. The SD card must be formatted with a compatible file system. While you can format a card in a computer, it is always best to format it inside the Aiphone device itself. This guarantees the correct file structure is created for the recordings.
- Power off your Aiphone master station or device.
- Insert the SD card into the designated slot.
- Power the device back on.
- Log in to the device's settings, either through its screen or via a web browser.
- Navigate to the "Storage," "SD Card," or "Maintenance" menu.
- Look for an option called "Format" or "Initialise."
- Execute the format command and wait for it to complete. This will erase all data on the card.
## Step 2: Configuring the Recording Settings
Once the card is formatted and recognised, you need to tell the system when to record. By default, recording may be disabled.
- Find the "Recording Settings" or "Schedule" menu.
- You will likely see options for "Continuous Recording" (24/7) or "Event Recording."
- For a video intercom, you typically want to enable event recording. This means the device will start recording when a specific trigger occurs, such as:
- A visitor pressing the call button on the door station.
- Motion being detected by the camera (if supported).
- An external sensor being triggered.
- Ensure you have enabled the desired recording triggers and saved the configuration.
## Step 3: Troubleshooting Common Errors
- "SD Card Error" or "No Storage": This usually means the card is incompatible, counterfeit, faulty, or not formatted correctly. Go back to the steps above. Try a different, high-quality SD card.
- Card is "Locked": Full-size SD cards have a small physical lock switch on the side. If this switch is in the "lock" position, the Aiphone system cannot write data to it. Ensure the switch is pushed to the unlocked position.
- Card is Recognised but No Recordings Appear: This points to a misconfiguration in the recording schedule. Double-check that you have enabled recording for the correct events or set up a continuous recording schedule.
By using a compatible, high-quality SD card, formatting it within the device, and correctly configuring the recording schedule, you can reliably enable local recording on your Aiphone system.