Annke Snapshot Not Working? Here’s the Full Solution

Annke Snapshot Not Working? Here’s the Solution

The snapshot feature on Annke security systems is a powerful tool, providing an instant image of what triggered a motion alert, often sent directly to your email. When this fails, you lose valuable information. Whether you're getting emails with no images attached, or no snapshots are being saved at all, this guide will help you troubleshoot the common configuration issues on your Annke DVR, NVR, or IP camera.

## Step 1: Verify Email (SMTP) Server Settings

For email alerts, the most frequent point of failure is the SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) configuration. These are the settings that allow your Annke system to log into an email account (like Gmail, Outlook, etc.) to send emails on your behalf.

1. Access your DVR/NVR's main menu, usually by right-clicking on the live view screen.
2. Navigate to Configuration > Network > Advanced Settings > Email.
3. Carefully check every field:
   • SMTP Server and Port: These must be correct for your email provider (e.g., smtp.gmail.com and port 465 or 587 for Gmail).
   • Enable SSL/TLS: Most modern email services require this to be checked for a secure connection.
   • Username/Sender: Your full email address.
   • Password: Your email account password. For services like Gmail, you may need to generate a specific "App Password" instead of using your main password.
   • Recipient: The email address where you want to receive the alerts.
4. Use the "Test" button. If the test fails, the settings are incorrect. If it succeeds, the email part of the system is working.

## Step 2: Configure Motion Detection Linkage

Just because motion detection is enabled doesn't mean it's automatically linked to take a snapshot. You must explicitly tell the system to perform this action when an event occurs.

• Go to Configuration > Event > Basic Event > Motion Detection.
• Select the camera (Channel) you want to configure.
• Make sure "Enable Motion Detection" is checked.
• Click on the "Linkage Action" tab or button.
• In this menu, you must check the box for "Send Email" to receive an email alert.
• You also need to ensure that a snapshot is being triggered. This may be a checkbox labelled "Capture" or selecting the channel under a "Trigger Snapshot" section.
• Click "Apply" to save the settings for that channel. You must do this for every camera you want snapshots from.

## Step 3: Check Storage and Snapshot Settings

If snapshots are not being saved locally or to an FTP server, the issue could be with the storage path or the capture settings themselves.

• Local Storage: Ensure your system's hard drive is installed, formatted, and has free space. If the HDD is full, it cannot save new images.
• FTP Storage: If you are uploading to an FTP server, double-check the server address, port, username, and password in the FTP settings menu. Ensure the remote directory exists and has write permissions.
• Snapshot Configuration: Navigate to the camera's settings under Video & Audio > Video. There is often a separate tab for "Snapshot" or "Capture". Here you can set the image size (resolution) and quality. If the settings are too high, it might cause issues. Try a lower resolution as a test.

By systematically working through your email, linkage, and storage settings, you can identify the misconfiguration that is preventing your Annke system from capturing and delivering snapshots. Always use the "Test" button in the email settings to confirm that part is working before moving on to linkage actions.