How to Troubleshoot and Fix Anran Missed Recordings
Your Anran security camera is designed to provide peace of mind by capturing important events. It is incredibly frustrating and worrying when you discover that your camera has failed to record a crucial moment, leaving you with gaps in your security footage. Missed recordings can happen for various reasons, ranging from software settings to hardware limitations.
This guide will walk you through the most common causes of missed recordings on Anran cameras and provide effective solutions to ensure your system is reliable and captures everything it should.
Why Do Recording Gaps Happen?
Missed recordings usually occur due to one of the following reasons:
- The motion detection did not trigger correctly.
- The camera's connection to the network or storage was interrupted.
- The storage medium (SD card or cloud) has an issue.
- The camera's settings are not optimised for your environment.
By systematically checking each of these areas, we can identify and fix the problem.
Step 1: Check for Common Symptoms
First, let's clarify the exact nature of the problem. Which of these best describes your issue?
- Late Recordings: The recording only starts when the person or vehicle is halfway through the frame, missing the beginning of the event.
- No Recording at All: You know an event occurred (e.g., a delivery driver came), but there is no corresponding video clip.
- Random Gaps: The camera records some events perfectly but completely misses others for no apparent reason.
- Recording Stops Prematurely: The video clip cuts off before the motion event has finished.
Understanding the specific symptom will help you target your troubleshooting efforts more effectively.
Step 2: Optimise Motion Detection Settings
The most common reason for missed events is that the motion detection settings are not correctly configured for your camera's environment.
Adjust Motion Sensitivity
- Open the Anran or ARCCTV app and select your camera.
- Go to Settings > Alarm Management or Motion Detection.
- You will find a Sensitivity setting, often a slider from 'Low' to 'High'.
- If you are experiencing missed events, the sensitivity is likely too low. Increase the sensitivity level one step at a time and test the results. A setting that is too high may give you false alerts, so finding the right balance is key.
Configure Activity Zones
Activity zones tell the camera where to look for motion. If motion happens outside of your defined zone, it will be ignored.
- Go to the motion detection settings and find 'Activity Zone' or 'Motion Area'.
- Ensure the zone covers the entire area where you expect to capture events, such as a walkway or driveway.
- If no zone is set, the camera should monitor the entire scene, but it is always good practice to check this setting.
Check Humanoid Detection
Many Anran cameras have an 'AI' or 'Humanoid Detection' feature to reduce false alarms.
- If this feature is enabled, the camera will only record when it thinks it sees a person. This can sometimes fail, causing it to miss actual human activity.
- As a test, try disabling Humanoid Detection temporarily. If the camera starts capturing all motion events, you know the AI filter was being too aggressive. You can then try adjusting its sensitivity if such an option exists.
Step 3: Verify Network and Storage Health
A stable connection and healthy storage are vital for uninterrupted recording.
Check Wi-Fi Signal
A weak or unstable Wi-Fi connection can cause the camera to miss the 'start recording' command.
- In the app, go to the camera's Settings > Device Information or a similar menu.
- Look for a Wi-Fi Signal Strength indicator.
- For reliable performance, the signal should be 75% or higher. If it is lower, you may need to move your Wi-Fi router closer to the camera or install a Wi-Fi extender.
Inspect the MicroSD Card
If you are recording locally, the SD card could be the problem.
- Use a High-Quality Card: Ensure you are using a Class 10, high-endurance microSD card from a reputable brand. Cheap or old cards can be too slow to handle video recording, causing them to fail.
- Format the Card: If you are having issues, try reformatting the SD card from within the Anran app. This can clear up file system errors. Go to Settings > Storage Settings and select Format SD Card.
By carefully optimising your motion settings and ensuring your camera has a solid network and storage foundation, you can significantly reduce or eliminate the problem of missed recordings.