Guide to Troubleshooting Verkada Audio Not Working
Verkada's integrated security platform provides powerful video insights, and audio recording adds an essential layer of detail for incident investigation and overall awareness. If you are unable to hear audio from your Verkada cameras, the cause is often a simple configuration or permission setting within the Verkada Command software.
This professional guide will walk you through the necessary steps to enable and troubleshoot audio on your Verkada cameras, ensuring you are capturing the complete picture.
### 1. Enabling the Microphone in Verkada Command
The most common reason for no audio is that the feature is disabled by default at the camera level. This is done to ensure organisations consciously opt-in to audio recording, respecting privacy regulations.
You must be a Site Administrator to perform these actions.
- Log in to your Verkada Command account.
- Navigate to the All Devices page and select the camera you wish to enable audio for.
- Click on the Settings gear icon to open the camera's settings panel.
- Under the Device tab, scroll down to the Audio section.
- You will see a toggle for Enable Microphone. Switch this to the on position.
- The camera will now begin recording and streaming audio. This change applies moving forward; it will not retroactively add audio to past recordings.
### 2. Checking User and Group Audio Permissions
Verkada Command has granular permissions that control who can access audio. Even if the microphone is enabled on the camera, your specific user account may not have the rights to listen to it.
- Live Audio: To hear live audio, your user account or the group you belong to must have the "View live video with audio" permission for that camera.
- Historical Audio: To hear audio on past recordings, you need the "View historical video with audio" permission.
If you cannot hear audio, contact your organisation's Verkada administrator and ask them to review your permissions for the specific cameras in question.
### 3. Confirming Your Camera Model's Capability
While most modern Verkada cameras include high-quality built-in microphones, it's important to verify that your specific model has this hardware.
- Check the Data Sheet: Refer to the official Verkada data sheet for your camera model (e.g., CD52-E, CM42-E). The specifications will clearly list "Built-in Microphone" if the feature is present.
- Older Models: Be aware that some older generation models may not have audio capabilities.
### 4. Troubleshooting Audio Playback Issues
If the microphone is enabled and your permissions are correct, but you still can't hear audio, try these steps:
-
Check Your Browser/Computer:
- Ensure the volume on your computer is turned up and not muted.
- Look for a speaker icon within the Verkada Command video player and make sure it is not muted.
- Test audio playback in a different web browser (e.g., Chrome, Firefox) to rule out browser-specific issues.
- Check your browser's site settings to ensure it has permission to play sound from the Verkada Command URL.
-
Mobile App: If you are using the Verkada mobile app, check the app's audio settings and your phone's media volume.
### 5. Rebooting the Camera
As a final troubleshooting step, you can initiate a remote reboot of the camera through Verkada Command.
- Go to the camera's Settings page.
- Under the Device tab, you will find a Reboot Camera option.
- This can sometimes resolve temporary firmware glitches that may be affecting the audio stream.
If you have followed all these steps and are still experiencing no audio, it may indicate a rare hardware fault. In this case, you should reach out to Verkada's technical support team for further assistance.