Hik-Connect Not Recording 24/7? How to Fix It
One of the primary reasons for investing in a Hikvision security system is the ability to have a continuous, 24/7 record of events. However, it can be alarming to check your playback and discover that the system has only been recording short clips when motion is detected, or worse, has not been recording at all. This leaves significant gaps in your security coverage, which can be a major issue.
This problem is almost always due to the system's configuration rather than a fault with the hardware itself. By default, to conserve hard drive space, many Hikvision DVRs and NVRs are set to "Event" or "Motion Detection" recording. This guide will show you how to change that setting to "Continuous" and troubleshoot other potential issues preventing 24/7 recording.
Common Reasons for a Lack of Continuous Recording
Let's pinpoint why your system might not be recording around the clock.
- Incorrect Recording Schedule: The schedule is set to "Motion" or "Event" instead of "Continuous". This is the most common cause.
- Hard Drive (HDD) Issues: The internal hard drive may be full, unformatted, in an error state, or not installed at all.
- Camera is Offline: The system cannot record footage from a camera that is disconnected from the network.
- Stream Settings: Incorrect configuration of the camera's video stream might cause recording failures.
Step-by-Step Guide to Enable 24/7 Recording
You can perform these steps either through the recorder's direct interface (with a monitor and mouse) or through a web browser logged into the recorder's IP address. The menu names are very similar.
1. Check Hard Drive (HDD) Status
First, we must ensure the system has a healthy, working storage device to record to.
- Navigate to the main menu and go to Storage or HDD Management.
- You should see your installed hard drive(s) listed.
- Check the Status. It should show as "Normal" or "R/W" (Read/Write).
- If the status is "Uninitialised", you must select it and use the "Init" or "Format" option. WARNING: This will erase all existing data on the drive.
- If the status shows "Error" or if no drive is listed, it may indicate a physical connection problem or a failed drive that needs replacing.
2. Configure the Recording Schedule
This is the core step to enable continuous recording.
- From the main menu, navigate to Storage > Schedule Settings. In some firmware versions, this may be under Record > Schedule.
- At the top, select the camera you wish to configure from the dropdown list. You must do this for each camera individually.
- To the right of the timetable grid, ensure the "Enable Schedule" box is ticked.
- Select the "Continuous" recording type. It is often represented by a green colour.
- Now, "paint" the schedule. Click and drag your mouse across the entire grid, from Sunday to Saturday, 00:00 to 24:00. The whole grid should turn green (or whatever colour corresponds to "Continuous").
- Click "Apply" or "Save" to store the settings for that camera.
- Repeat this process for every camera you want to record 24/7.
3. Verify Camera Status
You can't record a camera that isn't connected.
- Go to Camera Management or Camera Settings.
- Check the list of connected cameras.
- The status for each camera should be "Online" (often indicated with a green icon).
- If a camera is "Offline", you need to troubleshoot the network connection to that specific camera. Check its Ethernet cable, power supply, and network configuration.
4. Check Playback to Confirm
After waiting for 10-15 minutes to allow the system to record some new footage, you should verify that the changes have worked.
- Go to the Playback menu.
- Select the camera(s) you configured.
- Select today's date on the calendar.
- The timeline at the bottom of the screen should now show a solid green (or blue) bar, indicating continuous recording, rather than just small, scattered clips. You should be able to click anywhere on that timeline and see the recorded video.
By following these steps, you can switch your Hik-Connect compatible system from motion-only recording to the continuous 24/7 surveillance mode, ensuring you never miss a moment.