Uniview Camera Not Recording 24/7? A Troubleshooting Guide
One of the primary reasons for investing in a Uniview security system is its capability for continuous, 24/7 recording, ensuring that you never miss a critical moment. When you discover gaps in your video timeline, it can undermine your sense of security. This guide will walk you through the most common reasons why your Uniview (UNV) system might not be recording continuously and how to fix it.
### Identifying the Problem
The main symptom is straightforward: you review your playback footage and find that the video is only available in clips, usually when motion was detected. Between these clips, there are gaps in the timeline where nothing was recorded. This indicates the system is set for event-based recording, not continuous recording.
Key Troubleshooting Steps
Let's dive into the settings within your Uniview NVR (Network Video Recorder) or camera's web interface to resolve this.
### 1. Check the Recording Schedule
This is the most frequent cause of the issue. Uniview systems allow you to set a detailed recording schedule for each camera, and the default setting might not be what you expect.
- Log In: Access your NVR's interface directly with a monitor and mouse, or by typing its IP address into a web browser on a computer connected to the same network.
- Navigate to Schedule: Find the main menu and go to Storage > Schedule. In some newer interfaces, this might be under Setup > Storage > Schedule.
- Select Your Camera: There will be a dropdown menu to select the specific camera you are having issues with.
- Examine the Timetable: You will see a grid representing the hours of the day and days of the week. Different recording types are colour-coded:
- Green typically represents Normal/Continuous recording.
- Yellow typically represents Event/Motion recording.
- Purple may represent other alarm types.
- Adjust the Schedule: If the grid is yellow, your camera is only recording on motion. To enable 24/7 recording, you need to set the entire schedule to 'Normal' (Green). You can usually click and drag across the timetable to change it all at once.
- Save Your Changes: Make sure to click Apply or Save to confirm the new schedule for that camera. Repeat for any other cameras as needed.
### 2. Verify Hard Drive (HDD) Status
If the schedule is correct, the next place to look is your storage. The NVR cannot record if there's a problem with the hard drive.
- Navigate to Storage Settings: Go to Setup > Storage > Disk (or similar wording like HDD Management).
- Check HDD Status: The page will list the installed hard drive(s). The status should read 'Normal' or 'Healthy'.
- Address Errors: If the status is 'Error', 'Unformatted', or the drive isn't listed, there's a problem.
- If 'Unformatted', you will need to format the drive. Warning: This will erase all existing footage. Select the drive and click the 'Format' button.
- If there's an 'Error', the drive may be failing and could need replacement.
- If it's not detected, check the physical data and power connections inside the NVR (after powering it down).
- Enable Overwrite: In the same section, ensure the 'Overwrite' setting is enabled. This allows the NVR to automatically delete the oldest footage to make room for new recordings when the drive gets full. If this is disabled, recording will stop once the drive is full.
### 3. Camera and Stream Settings
While less common, a mismatch in settings between the camera and the NVR can sometimes cause recording issues.
- Check Camera Status: In the NVR's camera management section (Setup > Camera > Camera), ensure the camera you want to record has a 'Online' status. If it's offline, the NVR can't receive a video stream to record.
- Bitrate Settings: If the camera's bitrate (the amount of data it sends) is set too high for the NVR or network to handle, it could lead to dropped frames or recording failures. While this usually doesn't prevent continuous recording entirely, as a test, you could try slightly lowering the bitrate in the camera's encoding settings to see if it improves stability.
By methodically checking your schedule, hard drive status, and camera connectivity, you can resolve the vast majority of issues preventing your Uniview system from recording 24/7.