Troubleshooting DVR Video Loss 2

Surveillance systems are meant to record and monitor suspicious activity so even a few minutes of downtime can be a serious security breach for your property. Experiencing downtime is like not even having a security system in place so it’s important to resolve any issues quickly. In this post, we will go over common reasons for security video loss on DVRs and their solutions. Keep in mind that these fixes are only for DVRs as NVRs will follow different protocols.

What is Video Loss?

Video loss means that your surveillance system is not showing any video feed. There are 2 types of video loss: monitor video loss and camera video loss. Monitor video loss (can also be referred to as screen video loss) means that the DVR is unable to be seen on the connected monitor. Camera video loss occurs when the cameras are not able to be seen on the DVR and as a result, the monitor that the DVR is connected to.

To determine which kind of video loss you are experiencing, bring up the DVR’s menu screen. If you do not see a menu, then it is an issue with the monitor. If you do see a menu, then the DVR video loss is due to the camera.

Monitor Video Loss

Monitor video loss is generally an easy fix. To solve this issue, follow these steps:

1. Check that the output of the monitor is correct (VGA or HDMI).
2. Make sure that the VGA/HDMI cable is working correctly.
3. Check if the resolution output of the DVR matches the resolution of the monitor.

Camera Video Loss

Camera video loss can be caused by a few things:

• Insufficient power to the camera(s)
  • If multiple cameras are connected to the same power supply and are all losing video at the same time, it is most likely a power supply issue.
  • If a single camera is connected to its own power supply, only the power supply for that one camera needs to be checked.
• Bad coaxial cable or BNC connection
  • Check the coaxial cable with one camera to make sure that it is working first. Then use the cable on the camera that has video loss to check if it will work with a new cable.
• Wrong signal type
  • Check the specifications of the DVR to check what camera signal types it will read (TVI, AHD, CVBS, and CVI). Then check your camera to see which signal type it is.
• Camera port in the DVR is possibly bad
  • Have one camera connected to the DVR and make sure that it is working properly before disconnecting it. Plug the non-working camera in its place and see if it will show video or not.

DVR Stuck On the Boot-Up/Loading Screen

If your DVR is stuck on the boot-up or loading screen, it might be caused by:

• Insufficient power to the DVR
  • Check the power supply of the DVR.
  • It is best to have it plugged directly into the wall instead of a power strip.
  • Make sure that nothing is on top of the DVR.
  • Replace the power supply/brick.
• Hard drive is using up too much power
  • Unplug the hard drive from the DVR and boot it back up to see if the DVR will move past the loading screen.
• Firmware issue of the DVR
  • If it is a firmware issue of the DVR, then most likely the DVR has expired at this point.

If you are still having issues with your DVR after all of these steps, be sure to get in touch with our technical support team so we can help you.

As always, don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any more questions. You can call us at 877-926-2288 or connect with us on social media
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