How to Troubleshoot a Verkada Camera That Is Not Recording
Verkada's hybrid cloud security cameras are engineered for high reliability, with onboard storage designed to prevent footage gaps. However, if you notice that a camera is not recording or has significant gaps in its history, it's a critical issue that requires immediate investigation.
This guide provides a structured approach for administrators to troubleshoot recording problems using the Verkada Command platform, ensuring the integrity of your security footage.
## Identifying the Symptoms of a Recording Failure
First, it's important to accurately identify the problem within the Verkada Command interface. Look for these key indicators:
- Gaps in Video History: When scrubbing through a camera's timeline, you see grey bars indicating periods with no available footage.
- "No Recent Footage" Status: The camera may be online, but the system flags it as not having saved any recent video.
- Camera is "Offline": A camera that is completely offline cannot record or upload footage. It will be marked with a red dot in the Command interface.
- Storage Retention Mismatch: The camera is not retaining footage for the duration specified in its settings (e.g., set for 30 days, but only has 15).
- Motion Events Not Recorded: Your settings are configured to record on motion, but no motion-triggered events are appearing in the history.
Step-by-Step Guide to Resolving Verkada Recording Issues
Verkada's platform provides excellent diagnostic tools. Follow these steps to pinpoint and fix the problem.
### 1. Check Camera Status and Network Connectivity in Command
The first step is to check the camera's health directly from the Command dashboard.
- Log in to your Verkada Command account.
- Navigate to the Devices page.
- Find the camera in question. Look at its status dot. A green dot indicates it is online and connected. A red dot means it's offline.
- If the camera is offline, it cannot upload footage. This is a network issue. You must investigate the camera's physical network connection. Check the Ethernet cable, the switch port it's connected to, and its power source (PoE). You can use the network tools in Command to see the last known IP address.
### 2. Analyse Video History and Timestamps
If the camera is online, dive deeper into its recording timeline.
- Select the camera to view its live feed and history.
- Carefully examine the timeline at the bottom of the screen. Note the exact times and dates of the recording gaps.
- Correlate these gaps with any known events, such as power outages or network maintenance in your building. Verkada cameras should continue recording during a network outage, but not during a power outage.
### 3. Review Camera Recording Settings
An incorrect configuration is a common cause of apparent recording gaps, especially with motion-based settings.
- Go to the Settings tab for the specific camera.
- Under the Recording section, verify the current settings. Check if the camera is set to Continuous Recording or Motion-Based Recording.
- If it's set to motion-based, review the Motion Detection settings. Ensure the motion grid is active for the correct areas and that the sensitivity is set appropriately. If sensitivity is too low, events may be missed.
- Also, check the Recording Quality settings. While unlikely to stop recording altogether, incorrect settings might affect performance.
### 4. Check Onboard Storage Status
Verkada cameras have solid-state storage onboard. While highly reliable, issues can occur.
- In the camera's Settings tab, look for information regarding storage.
- The Command interface will show you the storage capacity and the current retention period being achieved.
- If the camera is consistently failing to meet its advertised retention (e.g., a 30-day camera only storing 10 days of footage despite being set to standard quality), this could indicate an issue with the internal drive.
### 5. Reboot the Camera Remotely
A simple remote reboot can often resolve temporary software glitches that might be affecting the recording process.
- Navigate to the camera's Settings page in Command.
- Scroll down to the Support section.
- Click on the "Reboot Camera" button.
- The camera will restart, which will take a few minutes. Monitor its status and recording timeline after it comes back online.
If you have followed all these steps and the camera is still not recording correctly, it is advisable to contact Verkada's technical support. Provide them with the camera's serial number and the troubleshooting steps you have already taken for an efficient resolution.