Is Your Security System Crying Wolf Too Late?
In the world of security, timing is everything. When an event occurs, you expect to be notified immediately. However, experiencing a lag in your Avigilon notifications can undermine the effectiveness of your entire security setup. A delay of even a few seconds can make the difference between proactive response and reactive investigation. This guide will walk you through the common causes of notification lag and provide clear, actionable steps to restore the real-time responsiveness of your system.
Understanding the Source of Notification Delays
Avigilon notification lag isn't usually caused by a single issue but rather a bottleneck in the communication chain. This chain runs from your camera detecting an event, to the Avigilon Control Center (ACC) server processing it, to a notification service sending it, and finally to your mobile device receiving it.
A problem at any of these stages can cause a delay. Common culprits include:
- Network Congestion: Insufficient bandwidth or high latency on the local network or internet connection.
- Server Overload: The server running the ACC software is under-resourced (not enough CPU, RAM, or disk speed).
- Complex Rules: Overly complicated or numerous rules firing simultaneously can overwhelm the event processing engine.
- Software Issues: An outdated version of the ACC software or the mobile app could have bugs affecting notification speed.
Initial Troubleshooting Steps to Fix Lag
Let's start with the basics. These simple steps can often resolve notification delays without needing deep technical changes.
1. Check Your Network Connectivity
Your network is the highway for your notifications. A slow network means slow alerts.
- Test Server Connection: From the Avigilon server, run an internet speed test to ensure it has sufficient upload bandwidth.
- Check Device Connection: Run a speed test on the mobile device receiving notifications. Poor Wi-Fi or mobile data signal is a frequent cause of delays.
- Reboot Network Hardware: Restart your routers and network switches to clear any temporary glitches or memory issues.
2. Verify Server Health
The ACC server does the heavy lifting. If it's struggling, everything slows down.
- Monitor Resources: Open the Task Manager on your server. Check the CPU and RAM usage. If they are consistently high (over 85%), your server may be underpowered for its workload.
- Free Up Space: Ensure the server's hard drives, especially the one with the operating system, have adequate free space.
3. Update All Software Components
Running the latest software is crucial for performance and security.
- Update ACC Software: Check for and install the latest version of the Avigilon Control Center software on your server.
- Update Mobile App: Visit your phone's app store to ensure you have the latest version of the ACC Mobile 3 app.
Advanced Solutions for Persistent Delays
If the initial steps didn't solve the problem, you might need to look deeper into your system's configuration.
### Optimise Rules and Analytics
A busy system is a slow system. Streamlining your rules can have a big impact.
- Simplify Your Rules: Review the rules that trigger notifications. Can any be combined or made less complex? For example, instead of five separate rules for motion in one area, perhaps one rule with a larger detection zone would suffice.
- Adjust Motion Sensitivity: If your cameras are set to be too sensitive, they generate a flood of events. Fine-tune the motion detection settings to only trigger on significant events, reducing the load on the server.
### Review Notification Service Settings
Check how the notifications are being sent. If you are using email notifications, ensure the SMTP server settings are correct and the email server itself is not slow or blacklisted. For push notifications, the connection is managed through Avigilon's services, so server connectivity is key.
When to Contact Avigilon Support
If you have worked through this guide and are still experiencing significant notification lag, it may be time to seek professional help. There could be a more complex underlying issue with your system's configuration or hardware. Prepare by gathering information about your ACC software version, server specifications, and the troubleshooting steps you've already taken. This will help the support team diagnose the problem more efficiently.