Troubleshooting Missed Recordings on Your Avigilon Security System
For any professional security installation, the integrity of your recorded footage is paramount. Gaps in this footage, where events are missed, can pose a significant security risk. If you've discovered that your Avigilon camera system is experiencing missed recordings, it's crucial to diagnose and resolve the underlying cause promptly.
This guide provides a systematic approach for administrators and security professionals to troubleshoot the common issues within the Avigilon Control Center (ACC) ecosystem that lead to recording gaps.
Primary Causes for Gaps in Avigilon Recordings
Missed recordings are rarely random. They are typically symptoms of a specific issue within your security infrastructure. Here are the most common culprits:
- Motion Detection Configuration: The camera may not have been triggered to record. This could be due to motion sensitivity being set too low, incorrectly defined motion detection zones, or the event being too subtle for the current settings.
- Network Instability: The connection between the camera and the ACC Server is critical. Intermittent network packet loss, bandwidth limitations, or a faulty network switch can prevent video data from reaching the server, resulting in a gap.
- Storage Issues: The server's storage is a common failure point. This can include hard drives that are full, failing, or have read/write errors. A lack of available storage will prevent new video from being saved.
- Incorrect Recording Schedule: The camera may be configured to record only during specific times or on specific events. If an incident happens outside of this schedule, it will not be recorded.
- Server Performance: The ACC Server itself might be overloaded. Insufficient CPU or RAM resources can lead to dropped frames and missed recordings, especially in systems with a high number of cameras or high-resolution streams.
- Camera or Firmware Faults: A fault with the camera's hardware or a bug in its firmware can cause it to stop streaming video intermittently.
A Systematic Guide to Resolving Recording Issues
Follow these steps in a logical order to efficiently identify and fix the problem. You will need administrative access to the Avigilon Control Center software.
1. Analyse the Timeline and Camera Settings
Start by investigating the specifics of the missed event within the ACC Client.
- Review Motion Logs: Check the motion event logs for the camera in question around the time of the missed recording. If there are no motion events logged, the issue is likely with the motion detection settings.
- Check Motion Detection Configuration: Go into the camera's setup. Are the motion detection zones correctly drawn over the area of interest? Is the sensitivity appropriate for the scene? Consider if a change in lighting or environment could have affected performance.
- Verify Recording Schedule: In the camera's recording setup, confirm that it was scheduled to be recording at the time of the incident. Check for any rules that might have temporarily stopped the recording.
2. Investigate Network Health
If settings appear correct, the network is the next logical place to look.
- Check Camera Status: In the ACC Site Setup, view the camera's status. Look for any reported packet loss or high latency. Consistent packet loss is a clear indicator of a network problem.
- Ping the Camera: From the ACC Server, perform a continuous ping test to the camera's IP address. Look for any dropped packets or erratic response times, which would indicate an unstable connection.
- Inspect Network Hardware: Check the physical network components. Ensure Ethernet cables are securely connected and inspect the status lights on the network switches that connect the camera and the server. A simple port swap or cable replacement can often solve the issue.
3. Examine Server Storage and Performance
The health of your recording server is critical.
- Check Storage Capacity: In the ACC Admin Tool or Client, navigate to the server's storage management section. Verify that there is sufficient free space on the hard drives allocated for video recording.
- Review Drive Health: Check the health status of the hard drives. ACC monitors the S.M.A.R.T. status of drives and will report any warnings or failures. A failing drive is a common cause of recording gaps and data loss.
- Monitor Server Resources: Open the Windows Task Manager on the ACC Server. Monitor the CPU, RAM, and Disk usage. If any of these are consistently maxed out (running at 90-100%), the server is overloaded and may be dropping video frames. You may need to optimise settings or consider upgrading the server hardware.
4. Update and Reboot
Sometimes, a simple software or hardware refresh is all that is needed.
- Reboot the Camera: Access the camera's settings and perform a soft reboot. If that's not possible, a physical power cycle (disconnecting and reconnecting power) can clear temporary faults.
- Update Firmware: Check that the camera's firmware and your ACC Server software are on the latest stable versions. Avigilon frequently releases updates that resolve bugs and improve performance.
By methodically working through these areas, you can effectively diagnose the root cause of missed recordings and restore the integrity of your Avigilo security system.