Troubleshooting: Cameras are not recording

If you cannot record video, or if there are missing video archives or gaps in the archives, you can determine the cause of the issue.

To troubleshoot why a camera is not recording:

1. Verify that the unit is supported by Security Center, and that it is running the certified firmware.
   For a list of video units supported by Security Center, see our Supported Device List.
2. Verify the camera recording type to ensure that the camera is set to record video on the correct schedule:
   1. In the Config Tool Video task, select your camera.
   2. Click the Recording tab.
      • If the Recording settings option is set to Custom settings, ensure that all the recording settings are correct, and then click Apply.
      • If the Recording settings option is set to Inherit from Archiver, then continue with the next substep.
   3. In the Video task, select the Archiver.
   4. Click the Camera default settings tab.
   5. In the Recording modes section, make sure the Archiver is set to record on the correct Schedule, and that the recording Mode is not set to OFF.
3. If the camera recording mode is set to On motion / Manual, ensure that motion detection settings are configured properly:
   1. In the Config Tool Video task, select your camera.
   2. Click the Motion detection tab.
   3. Verify the motion detection settings.
      For more information about motion detection settings, see the Security Center Administrator Guide.
4. Check the status of the Archiver role database:
   1. In the Config Tool Video task, select the Archiver.
   2. Click the Resources tab.
      • If the Archiver database status is Connected, go to the next troubleshooting step.
      • If the Archiver database status is Disconnected or Unavailable, continue with the next substep.
   3. Switch to a different archive database or create a new one.
      CAUTION: Perform this step at a noncritical time, because all the units connected to the Archiver will temporarily go offline. Do not delete or overwrite the existing database, or your video archives will be deleted.

      1. In the Database field, enter a different name and click Apply.
      2. Wait for the role to connect to the new database. If the database does not exist, it will be created.
      3. If the camera can record using the new database, you can continue to use the new database.
         CAUTION: When you switch to a different database, the video archives referenced in the old database are no longer included in Security Center searches, and will not be deleted by the Archiver's automatic cleanup.
      4. If the camera is still not recording, revert back to the original database, and continue with the next troubleshooting step.
5. Check how much disk space is available for archiving:
   1. In the Config Tool Video task, select the Archiver.
   2. Click the Resources tab.
   3. In the disk information table, make sure the Min. free space value is at least 0.2% of the total disk space.
      The Min. free space is the minimum amount of free space that the Archiver must leave untouched on the disk.
   4. If the Min. free space value is less than 0.2% of the total disk space, click the value and increase it.
      To see the total disk space, point the mouse cursor to the Disk usage meter.
6. Check for Archiving stopped and Recording stopped events that occurred on your system.
   In Windows, on the server where the Archiver role is running, open the .log files, found in C:\ArchiverLogs.

   If there are Archiving stopped or Recording stopped events in the Entry type column, restart the Genetec™ Server service:

   1. Open your Windows Control Panel.
   2. Click Administrative Tools > Services .
   3. Right-click the Genetec™ Server service and click Restart.
7. Check for Transmission lost and RTP packets lost events that occurred on your system.
   In Windows on the server where the Archiver role is running, open the .log files, found in C:\ArchiverLogs.
   • If there are many Transmission lost and RTP packets lost events in the Entry type column, there could be a CPU usage or network issue. Continue with the next troubleshooting step.
   • If there are not many Transmission lost and RTP packets lost events, then skip the next troubleshooting step.
8. Check your CPU usage:
   1. Right-click the Windows taskbar and open Windows Task Manager.
   2. Click the Performance tab, and check that the CPU Usage is not over 60%.

      If the CPU usage is over 60%, restart the server, and consider adding more CPU to the server.

   3. Click the Networking tab, and make sure the network Link speed is not over 300 Mbps.
9. If you are only experiencing recording problems with one video unit, try the following:
   1. In the Config Tool Video task, right-click the red video unit and click Delete.
   2. In the confirmation dialog box, choose whether you want to keep the video archives from the unit.
      The video unit is removed from the Archiver.
   3. Add the video unit.
      For more information about adding units in Security Center, see the Security Center Administrator Guide.