How to Fix Hikvision Not Recording 24/7
One of the primary purposes of a Hikvision surveillance system is to provide a continuous, unbroken record of events. When you discover gaps in your timeline or find that the system is only recording clips of motion, it can be a major security concern. This guide will walk you through the essential settings to ensure your Hikvision NVR or camera is recording 24/7 as intended.
## Understanding Recording Modes
Hikvision systems typically have several recording modes:
- Continuous: The system records 24/7 without interruption. This provides the most complete coverage but uses the most storage space.
- Motion Detection: The system only records when it detects movement in the scene. This saves storage but means you won't have footage of the moments before and after the motion event.
- Alarm: Recording is triggered by an external alarm input.
- Event: Recording is triggered by specific smart events, like line crossing or intrusion detection.
The problem often arises when the system is set to "Motion" or "Event" instead of "Continuous".
## Step-by-Step Guide to Enable 24/7 Recording
Follow these instructions carefully to configure your system for continuous recording.
### 1. Verify Hard Drive Status
First, you must confirm that your NVR has a functioning hard disk drive (HDD) or your camera has a functioning microSD card.
- Log into your NVR or camera using a web browser or a directly connected monitor.
- Navigate to Configuration > Storage > Storage Management.
- Check the status of your hard drive. It should say "Normal" or "R/W" (Read/Write).
- If the status is "Uninitialised," you must select it and click "Format" to prepare it for use. Warning: This will erase all data on the drive.
- If the drive shows an "Error" status or doesn't appear at all, it may be faulty or disconnected.
### 2. Configure the Recording Schedule
This is the most critical step. You need to explicitly tell the system to record continuously.
- From the main menu, navigate to Storage > Schedule Settings.
- In the top-left, select the camera you wish to configure from the dropdown list.
- Ensure the "Enable Schedule" checkbox is ticked.
- On the right, you will see different recording types (Continuous, Motion, Alarm, etc.). Click on "Continuous".
- Now, draw a box across the entire weekly timetable grid. The easiest way is to click and drag from the top-left corner (Sunday, 00:00) all the way to the bottom-right corner (Saturday, 24:00). The entire grid should turn blue, indicating continuous recording is scheduled for all times.
- Click "Save" to apply the settings. Repeat this process for any other cameras you want to record 24/7.
### 3. Enable Overwriting
To ensure the system doesn't just stop recording when the hard drive gets full, you need to enable overwriting.
- Go to Configuration > Storage > Basic Settings.
- Select the hard drive.
- In the properties for the drive, make sure the "Overwrite" setting is selected. This will instruct the NVR to automatically delete the oldest footage to make room for the new recordings.
### 4. Check Camera Stream Settings
Ensure the camera is sending the correct stream to the NVR for recording.
- Go to Configuration > Video & Audio.
- Check the "Main Stream" settings. This is typically the high-resolution stream used for recording. Ensure the resolution and bitrate are set appropriately.
- Go to Configuration > Record Stream. Ensure the "Main Stream" is selected for continuous recording.
By correctly configuring the storage device, recording schedule, and overwrite settings, you can be confident that your Hikvision system is capturing everything, 24/7.