How to Troubleshoot and Fix Hik-Connect Missed Recordings
Discovering that your Hikvision security system failed to record a crucial event is a serious concern. The reliability of your recordings is the most important aspect of any surveillance setup. Whether it's a security incident or just a missed delivery, gaps in your video history need to be investigated and resolved promptly.
This comprehensive guide will walk you through the most common reasons why a Hikvision or Hik-Connect system might miss recordings, helping you to diagnose the problem and ensure it doesn't happen again. These steps are applicable whether you are managing your system via an NVR/DVR interface or through the web interface.
Common Reasons for Recording Failures
Before diving into the configuration menus, it's helpful to understand what can go wrong. The most common issues include:
- Incorrect Motion Detection Settings: The sensitivity is too low or the detection area is misconfigured.
- Improper Recording Schedule: The system is not scheduled to record on 'event' or 'motion' during the time the incident occurred.
- Hard Drive Issues: The hard disk drive (HDD) is full, has errors, or is not initialised.
- Camera or System Errors: A camera may be offline or there could be a system fault.
Step-by-Step Guide to Fixing Missed Recordings
Let's systematically work through the settings to find the root cause of the problem. It is recommended to perform these checks from the NVR/DVR local interface or the web interface for full access to all settings.
1. Review Your Motion Detection Configuration
For the system to record an event, it must first detect it. This is the most common point of failure.
- Log in to your NVR/DVR or camera's web interface.
- Navigate to Configuration > Event > Basic Event > Motion Detection.
- Select the camera that missed the recording.
- Enable Motion Detection: Ensure the main checkbox is ticked.
- Check the Detection Area: You will see the camera's view with a grid. Make sure the area where the event happened is covered by the red detection grid. If you have drawn a specific zone, ensure it is correct.
- Adjust Sensitivity: The sensitivity slider determines how much change in pixels is needed to trigger an event. If it's too low (e.g., 20%), it may ignore subtle movements. Try increasing it to a mid-range value like 50-60% and test again.
2. Verify the Recording Schedule
You need to tell the system when to record based on the events you've just configured.
- Navigate to Configuration > Storage > Schedule Settings.
- Select the correct camera.
- Enable Schedule: Make sure this is ticked.
- Examine the timetable grid. Each day is represented by a bar. You need to have time blocks configured for Motion or Event. If the schedule is set to Continuous, you will have 24/7 footage but it won't be tagged as a specific motion event, making it harder to find. If the schedule is blank, nothing will be recorded.
- Click Save after making any changes.
3. Check Hard Drive (HDD) Status
If the storage medium is full or has failed, the system cannot save new recordings.
- Navigate to Configuration > Storage > Storage Management.
- You will see a list of the hard drives installed in your recorder.
- Check the Status: The status should be 'Normal'. If it shows 'Error' or 'Uninitialised', the drive has a problem. You may need to format it (which will erase everything) or replace it.
- Check Capacity: Look at the free space. If the drive is full, you need to ensure the Overwrite setting is enabled. This is usually a checkbox on this screen or in a 'Basic Settings' menu for the drive. When enabled, the system will automatically delete the oldest recordings to make space for new ones. This should almost always be enabled.
4. Review Camera Status and System Logs
Ensure the camera itself is online and functioning correctly.
- Navigate to Configuration > System > Camera Management.
- Check the status of the camera in question. It should show as 'Online'. If it is offline, you need to troubleshoot the camera's power and network connection.
- Check the system logs by going to Maintenance > Log Information. You can search the logs for errors related to the hard drive, cameras, or recording processes that might give you clues about the problem.
By thoroughly checking these four key areas—Event Detection, Recording Schedule, HDD Status, and Camera Status—you can solve the vast majority of issues related to missed recordings on your Hikvision system.