Troubleshooting offline video units in Security Center

When a camera is red in the area view, it means the video unit is offline or has lost communication with the Archiver.

Before you begin

Ensure that you have access to Security Desk and Config Tool to perform the following steps.

What you should know

When a unit goes offline in Security Center, it typically coincides with a Unit lost event in Security Desk. This can be caused by an unstable network connection, or issues with the unit.

To troubleshoot why a unit is offline:

  1. Verify that you can ping the unit:
    1. In the Config Tool Video task, select the red video unit.
    2. At the bottom of the Video task, click Unit > Ping ().
    If there is no reply, the unit is offline (broken, unplugged, and so on), or there is a problem with your network.
  2. Make sure you can connect to the unit, and then click Unit > Unit’s web page .
    TIP: You can also determine if you have the correct credentials for the unit.
  3. Restart the unit:
    1. In the Config Tool Video task, select the red video unit.
    2. At the bottom of the Video task, click Unit > Reboot ().
  4. 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.
  5. Restart the Archiver role controlling the unit:
    IMPORTANT: Perform this step at a non-crucial time, because all the units connected to the Archiver will go offline temporarily.
    1. In the Config Tool Video task, select the Archiver.
    2. At the bottom of the Video task, click Maintenance > Deactivate role ().
    3. In the confirmation dialog box, click Continue.
      The Archiver and all video units controlled by the role turn red.
    4. At the bottom of the Video task, click Maintenance > Activate role ().

After you finish

If the video unit is still offline, contact Genetec™ Technical Assistance Center.