Hikvision Not Recording? A Complete Troubleshooting Guide

How to Fix a Hikvision System That Is Not Recording

When your Hikvision security system fails to record, it undermines its very purpose. Whether you're using an NVR, DVR, or recording directly to a camera's SD card, the problem needs to be addressed quickly. This troubleshooting guide will take you through the most common reasons for recording failures and provide clear, step-by-step instructions to get your system working again.

## Common Causes for Hikvision Recording Failures

Most recording issues on Hikvision systems originate from one of a few areas. Understanding these will help you diagnose the problem more efficiently.

• Hard Drive (HDD) Issues: The hard drive in your NVR/DVR is the most common point of failure. It could be full, uninitialized (not formatted), suffering from bad sectors, or completely failed.
• Configuration and Scheduling Errors: Your system might be configured to record only at specific times. If the schedule is set incorrectly or disabled, it won't record.
• Motion Detection Settings: If you are using event-based recording, the motion detection sensitivity might be too low, or the detection area might be improperly configured, causing events to be missed.
• Camera and NVR Communication: The camera may have lost its connection to the NVR, or its settings may have been changed, preventing the NVR from pulling the video stream to record.

## Step-by-Step Troubleshooting Guide

Follow these steps to systematically identify and fix the issue.

### Step 1: Check the Hard Drive (HDD) Status

The first and most important place to check is the storage itself.

1. Log In to Your NVR/DVR: Access your recorder's interface either directly with a connected monitor or via a web browser.
2. Navigate to Storage Settings: Go to Configuration > Storage > Storage Management.
3. Check HDD Status: You will see a list of the hard drives installed. Look at the "Status" column.
   • Normal/Healthy: If the status is normal, check the "Free Space" column. If it's full, you need to enable overwriting. Go to Recording > Parameters and set "Overwrite" to "Yes".
   • Uninitialized: If the status is "Uninitialized," the drive needs to be formatted. Select the drive, click "Format," and wait for the process to complete. Warning: This will erase all existing data on the drive.
   • Error/Abnormal: If the status shows an error, it could indicate the drive is failing. First, try rebooting the NVR. If the error persists, the hard drive may need to be replaced.

### Step 2: Verify the Recording Schedule

If the hard drive is healthy and has free space, the next step is to check if the system is actually told to record.

1. Go to Schedule Settings: Navigate to Configuration > Storage > Schedule Settings.
2. Select the Camera: Choose the camera that is not recording from the dropdown list.
3. Check the Schedule: You will see a grid representing the hours of the day and days of the week. Ensure that the time blocks are coloured in for the type of recording you want. For example, green usually indicates continuous recording, and yellow indicates motion-triggered recording. If the grid is blank, the NVR is not scheduled to record anything.
4. Enable the Schedule: Make sure the "Enable Schedule" checkbox is ticked.
5. Copy to Other Cameras: If the schedule is correct for one camera, you can easily copy the settings to other cameras using the "Copy" button.

### Step 3: Check Motion Detection Configuration

If you are only recording on motion, these settings are critical.

• Enable Motion Detection: Go to Configuration > Basic Event > Motion Detection. Select the camera and ensure "Enable Motion Detection" is checked.
• Set Detection Area: Click on the "Area" settings. The screen should have a red grid over the areas you want to monitor for motion. If the screen is clear, no motion will be detected.
• Adjust Sensitivity: The "Sensitivity" slider determines how much movement is required to trigger an event. If it's too low, it may not pick up subtle events. Try increasing it slightly.
• Check Linkage Actions: Under the "Linkage Action" tab, ensure that the correct channels are set to trigger recording when motion is detected on this camera.

### Step 4: Verify Camera Status

Finally, ensure the camera itself is properly connected and configured.

• Go to Camera Management: Navigate to Configuration > System > Camera Management.
• Check Camera Status: Find the camera in the list. The status should be "Online." If it is "Offline" or shows an error, the NVR cannot receive a video stream to record. This indicates a network problem or an issue with the camera itself that needs to be resolved first.

By following this structured approach, you can effectively diagnose why your Hikvision system is not recording and take the correct steps to resolve the issue.