Dahua Recording Failed? A Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide

Troubleshooting Guide for Dahua Recording Failures

A security camera system's primary purpose is to record footage. If you discover your Dahua NVR (Network Video Recorder) or DVR (Digital Video Recorder) has stopped recording, it's a critical issue that needs to be resolved quickly. This guide will walk you through the most common causes and how to fix them.

Step 1: Initial System and Status Check

Before diving into complex settings, let's check the basics. Look at your monitor connected to the Dahua recorder.

Check the Live View and Icons

• Is the camera online? Can you see a live video feed from the camera in question? If a channel is black or says "Video Loss," the problem is with the camera or its connection, not the recording settings.
• Look for the recording status icon. On the live view for each camera, you should see a small icon.
  • A green square indicates that the camera is recording continuously according to its schedule.
  • A red square indicates that the camera has detected motion and is recording an event.
  • If there is no icon, it means the system is currently not recording on that channel.

Check the Hard Drive (HDD) Status

This is the most common point of failure.

1. Log in to your NVR/DVR's main menu.
2. Navigate to Storage or HDD Management.
3. You should see your hard drive(s) listed. Check the Status. It should say "Normal" or "Healthy".
4. If the status is "Error," "Uninitialised," or something similar, the recorder cannot write data to it. You may need to try "formatting" or "initialising" the drive. Warning: This will erase all existing footage. If formatting fails, the hard drive has likely failed and needs to be replaced.
5. Check the "Free/Total" capacity. Is the drive full?

Step 2: Verify Your Recording Schedule

If the hard drive is healthy, the next step is to ensure the camera is scheduled to record.

1. From the main menu, go to Storage and then Schedule (or Recording Schedule).
2. At the top, select the channel (camera) you are troubleshooting.
3. You will see a grid representing the days of the week and the hours of the day.
4. Different colours correspond to different recording types. Green is typically for continuous recording, and yellow is for motion detection.
5. Ensure that the time periods you want to record are coloured in. If the grid is blank, no recording is scheduled.
6. You can click and drag to set the schedule. For 24/7 motion recording, for example, you would colour the entire grid yellow.
7. Make sure you "Apply" or "Save" your settings.

Step 3: Check Motion Detection Settings (for Motion-Only Recording)

If your schedule is set for motion detection (yellow) but it's not recording events, your motion settings may be incorrect.

1. From the main menu, go to Event or Alarm, then Video Detection and Motion Detection.
2. Select the correct channel.
3. Make sure the "Enable" box is ticked.
4. Check the "Region" settings. You need to draw the areas on the screen where you want to detect motion. If the whole screen is not covered by the red grid, motion will only be detected within the grid.
5. Adjust the "Sensitivity". If it's too low, it may not pick up movement. If it's too high, you'll get false alarms. A mid-range value is a good starting point.
6. In the "Record Channel" or "Linkage" settings for the motion event, ensure the box is ticked for the camera to record itself when it detects motion.

By systematically checking the hard drive status, recording schedule, and event settings, you can solve the vast majority of "recording failed" issues on a Dahua system. If problems persist after trying these steps, there may be a more complex hardware or software fault that requires professional attention.