Swann System Not Recording 24/7? How to Fix It
A key feature of a reliable CCTV system is the ability to record footage continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. If you've noticed that your Swann security system is only recording short clips or has significant gaps in the timeline, it's likely set to 'Motion Detection' mode by default.
This guide provides a professional and helpful walkthrough, using British English, to help you configure your Swann DVR or NVR for continuous 24/7 recording and troubleshoot common storage issues.
## Understanding Swann's Recording Modes
Swann systems typically offer a few different recording modes, and understanding them is the first step to solving your problem.
- Continuous (or Normal): In this mode, the system records constantly, 24/7, without interruption. This is ideal for monitoring critical areas where you cannot afford to miss a moment. It uses the most hard drive space.
- Motion Detection: The system only records when its video analytics detect movement in the camera's field of view. This saves a significant amount of storage space but risks missing events if the motion is not detected correctly.
- Schedule: This allows you to combine modes. For example, you could set it to record continuously during business hours and only on motion overnight.
If you are seeing gaps in your recordings, your system is almost certainly set to 'Motion Detection'.
## How to Enable 24/7 Continuous Recording
To change the recording mode, you will need to access the main menu of your Swann DVR or NVR using a connected monitor and mouse.
- Log In: Right-click on the screen and select Main Menu. You will be prompted to enter your system's password.
- Navigate to Record Settings: Once logged in, find and click on the Record or Recording icon. This may be under a broader Settings or Setup menu.
- Open the Schedule Menu: Inside the Record menu, look for an option named Schedule or Recording Schedule. This is where you control when and how the system records.
- Configure the Schedule:
- You will see a weekly calendar grid, with hours of the day along the top and days of the week down the side.
- Select the camera channel you want to configure from a dropdown list (e.g., CH1, CH2).
- You will see colour-coded options for 'Continuous', 'Motion', 'Alarm', etc.
- To set 24/7 recording, select the 'Continuous' (often coloured green) option.
- 'Paint' the entire grid for that channel by clicking and dragging your mouse across all the cells.
- To apply this to all cameras, use the 'Copy' or 'Apply to All' function.
- Save Your Settings: Click Apply or Save to confirm the changes. Your system will now begin recording continuously on the selected channels.
## Troubleshooting Hard Drive (HDD) Issues
If you've set the schedule correctly but recording is still intermittent, the issue may lie with your hard drive.
### Check Hard Drive Status
- In the main menu, navigate to Settings > Storage or HDD Management.
- Here, you should see the status of your internal hard drive. It should show a status of 'Normal' or 'Healthy'.
- If the status is 'Error', 'Not Found', or 'Unformatted', the DVR is not able to save footage.
### Ensure 'Overwrite' is Enabled
A full hard drive will stop recording if it's not set to overwrite the oldest files.
- In the same Storage/HDD Management menu, look for a setting called 'Overwrite' or 'Recycle Record'.
- Make sure this is set to 'Auto' or 'Enabled'. This is a crucial setting for continuous recording, as it allows the system to automatically delete the oldest footage to make room for the new.
### Format the Hard Drive
If the drive shows an error, a reformat can often resolve the issue.
- In the HDD menu, select the drive and choose the 'Format' or 'Initialise' option.
- Warning: This will permanently erase all existing recordings.
- After the format is complete, the DVR will likely reboot, and the drive status should return to 'Normal'.
By correctly configuring your recording schedule and ensuring your hard drive is functioning properly, you can have confidence that your Swann system is capturing all the important moments, 24/7.