Avigilon System Not Recording 24/7? A Diagnostic Guide
An Avigilon security system is a powerful investment in enterprise-level surveillance, and its primary function is to provide an unbroken, continuous record of events. Discovering that your system has failed to provide 24/7 recording can have serious security implications, creating blind spots you cannot afford. This issue is often not a single fault but can stem from problems with storage, software settings, or even licensing. This guide provides a systematic approach for administrators and operators to troubleshoot and resolve a lack of continuous recording within the Avigilon Control Center (ACC) platform.
## Initial Triage: Common Causes for Recording Gaps
When continuous recording ceases, it's typically due to one of a few key reasons. Understanding these helps focus your troubleshooting efforts.
- Storage Failure or Insufficiency: This is the leading cause. A hard drive on the NVR or server has failed, the RAID array is degraded, or the entire storage volume has run out of space.
- Incorrect Recording Schedule: The camera may have been inadvertently configured to record only on motion or during a specific schedule, rather than continuously.
- Network Disruption: The camera may have lost its network connection to the ACC server, preventing the server from receiving and recording the video stream.
- Licensing Issues: An expired or invalid camera licence can prevent the server from storing its footage.
- Server or Software Problems: A software glitch or a problem with the ACC Server service itself could interrupt the recording process.
## A Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Workflow
Follow these steps within the Avigilon Control Center platform to diagnose the root cause.
### 1. Check Server Health and Storage
Your server's storage is the foundation of your recording. Start your investigation here.
- Open the ACC Client and log in with administrative credentials.
- Navigate to the Server Setup section and select your server.
- Go to the Storage tab.
- Examine the Storage Status:
- Capacity: Check the total capacity and the amount of free space. If the drive is 100% full and data aging (overwrite) settings are misconfigured, recording will stop.
- Drive Health: The interface provides health status for the hard drives. Look for any warnings, errors, or failed drives in the list. A single failed drive in a RAID array can disrupt performance and eventually halt recording.
- Data Aging: Ensure that the "Data Aging" or "Overwrite" setting is configured correctly. This feature should automatically delete the oldest footage to ensure there is always space for new recordings. Check the 'Recorded Days' setting to ensure it meets your organisation's retention policy.
### 2. Verify the Camera's Recording Schedule
If the server storage is healthy, the next step is to check the individual camera's settings.
- In the ACC Client, navigate to the Camera Setup section.
- Select the specific camera that is not recording continuously.
- Click on the Recording tab.
- You will see the Recording Schedule, which is a colour-coded grid representing the days of the week and hours of the day.
- Ensure the Entire Grid is Set to "Continuous": For 24/7 recording, the whole grid should be filled with the colour corresponding to continuous recording. If you see sections set to "On Motion" or left blank ("Do Not Record"), this is the cause of the gaps. Adjust the schedule as needed and save the changes.
### 3. Inspect Camera Connectivity and Health
A camera that isn't connected cannot be recorded.
- Check Camera Status: In the site browser tree, check the icon for the camera. A red 'X' or other warning icon indicates a connection issue.
- Review Event Logs: Go to the Event Log viewer in the ACC Client. Filter the logs for the specific camera and look for "Device connection failed" or "Video loss" events. This will tell you if the camera is intermittently losing its connection to the server, which would explain recording gaps. If you see these errors, you need to investigate the physical network infrastructure between the camera and the server.
### 4. Confirm Licensing Status
- Open the ACC Admin Tool on the server itself.
- Check the Licensing section.
- Ensure that a valid, active licence is installed for every camera connected to the system. If a camera is listed as unlicensed or the licence has expired, the server will not record its footage.
By methodically investigating these four key areas—server storage, camera schedule, network connectivity, and licensing—you can effectively diagnose and rectify the vast majority of issues that cause an Avigilon system to stop recording 24/7.