Recording does not save and the hard drive is not detected
Confirm the drive is a surveillance-grade model, that power and SATA connections are sound, and that it has been initialised.
Recording timestamps are wrong or inconsistent
Clock drift undermines the evidential value of footage. The usual causes are NTP configuration, time zone settings and a dead on-board battery.
Motion detection triggers far too many false alarms
Most false alarms come from sensitivity settings, environmental interference and the type of analytics used. Tuning these typically cuts...
Can footage be recovered from a failed hard drive?
It depends on the failure mode: logical damage is often recoverable, physical damage needs a cleanroom. Never keep power-cycling the drive.
Smart analytics are enabled but never detect anything
Usually the feature is not switched on, the rule was never deployed, compute is oversubscribed, or the recorder cannot consume the event.
Face and licence plate recognition accuracy is poor
Accuracy is driven by optics, angle, lighting and algorithm together. Nine out of ten problems are upstream in the imaging stage.
Multiple channels play out of sync
There are two distinct cases — mismatched timestamps and mismatched latency — and they need completely different fixes.
Remote viewing lags badly compared with the local view
Remote smoothness depends on upstream bandwidth, stream choice and network path. Switching to the sub stream usually helps immediately.
Smudged lens or water marks make the picture hazy
Cleaning the wrong way permanently damages the coating. Blow first, then wipe with lens solution and a lint-free cloth.
The picture has shifted or tilted — how do I realign it?
Rule out a loose bracket or physical displacement first, then restore the preset or re-aim and re-focus.
