Resolving Avigilon Live View Not Working: A Step-by-Step Guide
When you need to see what's happening on your premises, a non-responsive live view in the Avigilon Control Center (ACC) can be a significant problem. Whether you're seeing a black screen, an error message, or a perpetually loading icon, the cause often lies in a few common areas.
This troubleshooting guide provides a professional, systematic approach to diagnosing and resolving issues preventing you from accessing your Avigilon camera's live stream.
Initial Symptoms of a Live View Failure
You'll know you have a problem if you encounter any of the following:
- A black screen where the video feed should be.
- An error message such as "Cannot connect to camera" or "Video stream not available".
- The live view is constantly buffering or lagging severely.
- The video feed appears frozen on a single, old frame.
- The camera's status icon in the ACC system explorer is red or shows it as disconnected.
How to Restore Your Avigilon Live View
Work through these steps in order, starting with the most common and easiest-to-fix issues.
1. Verify Basic Network Connectivity
The most frequent cause of a lost live view is a breakdown in communication between the camera and the ACC server.
- Check Physical Connections: Ensure the Ethernet cable is securely plugged into both the camera and the network switch. Look for the link lights on the camera's port to confirm a physical connection.
- Ping the Camera: Use the Command Prompt (on a Windows PC) to ping the camera's IP address (
ping 192.168.1.100, for example).- If you get a reply, the camera is online, and the problem likely lies with software or firewalls.
- If the request times out, there's a network issue or the camera is powered off.
2. Check Camera Power
It might sound simple, but it's a necessary check. If the camera has no power, it can't send a video stream.
- For PoE (Power over Ethernet) Cameras: Verify that the network switch port it's connected to is providing PoE power. Check the switch's admin panel or try plugging the camera into a known working PoE port.
- For Externally Powered Cameras: Check the power adapter and ensure it is plugged in and functioning correctly.
3. Review Avigilon Control Center (ACC) Software
If the network is healthy, the issue may be within the ACC software configuration.
- Restart the ACC Server Service: On the server machine, go to 'Services', find the 'Avigilon Control Center Server' service, and restart it. This can resolve many temporary software glitches.
- Verify Camera Status in ACC: In the ACC Client, go to the camera setup page. Check that the camera is discovered and connected. If it shows as disconnected, try to reconnect it using the correct credentials.
- Check User Permissions: Ensure your user account has the necessary permissions to view live video from that specific camera.
4. Investigate Firewall and Antivirus Settings
Firewalls are designed to block traffic, and they can sometimes mistakenly block the video stream from your cameras.
- Server & Client Firewalls: Temporarily disable the Windows Firewall or any third-party antivirus/firewall software on both the ACC server and the client machine you're using. If the video appears, you've found the culprit. You then need to create specific rules to allow traffic for Avigilon's ports.
- Network Firewall: Your organisation's main network firewall could also be blocking the stream. Contact your IT administrator to ensure the required ports for Avigilon video streaming are open.
By methodically checking the network, power, software, and firewalls, you can effectively diagnose the root cause of your Avigilon live view problem and get your security feed back online.