General Security DVR and NVR Troubleshooting

Transcription

1 General Security DVR and NVR Troubleshooting Select one of the scenarios below to view solutions to general DVR or NVR issues. Remote control is not detected by the system. Mouse is not detected by the system. Hard drive is not detected by the system. Hard drive is full and the system is no longer recording. Hard drive is new and the DVR is not recording. There is no picture on selected channels or camera picture is not being displayed. There is a picture, but no sound. No picture on monitor/tv after connecting it to the DVR/NVR. Can t connect DVR/NVR to monitor/tv. DVR or NVR is not receiving power or not powering up. DVR or NVR is rebooting. DVR keeps re-initializaing every 3-5 minutes. Quick power-related troubleshooting steps in detail.

2 Remote control is not detected by the system Battery in the remote control is drained. Replace the remote control battery. Make sure the IR receiver on the unit is free from obstructions. Line of sight between the system and remote control is blocked. Make sure there are no objects blocking the path between the IR receiver on the front panel and the remote control. Mouse is not detected by the system Mouse cable is not connected to the system. Firmly connect the mouse cable to a USB port on the system. Mouse is not detected by system. Disconnect and reconnect the mouse or move the mouse to a different USB port. If this does not work, restart the system. Hard drive is not detected by the system WARNING: Please check your Instruction Manual for details on hard drive installation before opening your system s enclosure or installing / replacing the hard drive. Your system must be turned off and disconnected from power before installing / replacing the hard drive. Wrong power adapter being used with the system. If the power adapter does not provide sufficient power for the system, the system may be able to power up, but it may not have enough power to operate the hard drive. See DVR or NVR Not Powering Up for details on ensuring you are using the correct power adapter. Hard drive cables are not properly connected. Open the system s enclosure and check that hard drive cables are firmly connected. There is no hard drive in the system. Install a hard drive into the system. See the Instruction Manual for details on installation and compatible hard drive types. Make sure to format the hard drive using the system once it has been installed. See the Instruction Manual for details on formatting the hard drive. Make sure hard drive cables are properly connected inside the unit. NOTE: Formatting the hard drive will erase all data saved on the hard drive. Hard drive is full and the system is no longer recording Overwrite is not enabled. Check your Instruction Manual for details on enabling overwrite.

3 Hard drive is new and the DVR is not recording You must format the hard drive using the system before it will record. Check your Instruction Manual for details on formatting the hard drive. NOTE: Formatting the hard drive will erase all data saved on the hard drive. There is no picture on selected channels or camera picture is not being displayed Camera cables are loose or have become disconnected. Camera cables are not connected to Video IN or Camera IN ports. Covert Recording settings are enabled. Covert Recording will hide the channel from being viewed locally. Check your Instruction Manual for details on disabling Covert Recording. NOTE: Not all systems support Covert Recording. System Video IN or Camera IN port(s) have become damaged. Connect the camera(s) to a different channel. There may be an issue with the camera or camera extension cable. There is a picture, but no sound Channels with audio are not selected. Select channels with audio input enabled to hear sound. No audio-capable camera(s) or self-powered microphone(s) connected to the system. Audio-capable cameras or self-powered microphones are required to use audio functionality. DVR channels have not been enabled for audio. Check your Instruction Manual for details on enabling audio channels. Audio cables are loose or have become disconnected. Check all audio connections on the system and monitor/tv. External speakers are off or volume is turned down. Ensure external speakers are on and increase volume on external speakers. No picture on monitor/tv after connecting it to the DVR/NVR Video cable is loose or has become disconnected. Check the video cable connection to your monito /TV. Video cable is damaged or broken. Try a different cable of the same type. Monitor/TV not detected by DVR / NVR. Power off the monitor/tv and DVR/NVR. Power on the monitor/tv first, and then power on the DVR/NVR. Monitor/TV input channel for DVR / NVR is not selected. Select the input channel your DVR/NVR is connected to. DVR / NVR is set to a resolution that is unsupported by monitor/tv. Change the resolution to 1024x768. This resolution is supported by most monitors. In some cases, you may need to connect the DVR/NVR to a different monitor to reset the resolution.

4 Can t connect DVR/NVR to monitor/tv Check if your monitor/tv and DVR/NVR support HDMI (see image of HDMI connector to the right). If they both do, connect an HDMI cable between the TV and DVR/NVR. It is recommended to use HDMI when available. Check if your TV and your DVR or NVR support VGA connections (see image of VGA connector to the right). If they do, connect a VGA cable between the monitor/tv and your DVR/NVR. If your monitor/tv only has RCA inputs, you can connect it to a Video Output port on your DV /NVR using a BNC or RCA cable and an adapter. NOTE: Not all DVR/NVR models include BNC video outputs. If you are using a BNC cable, use a BNC to RCA connector to connect to an RCA input on your monitor/tv. BNC or RCA Cable DVR or NVR is not receiving power or not powering up Verify that the power adapter cable is plugged into the system and a power outlet. If the system has a power switch, check that the switch is set to the ON position. Some power adapters have two sections that may have been disconnected in the middle. Verify that the power adapter cable is plugged in Make sure you are using the correct power adapter for the system. If the power adapter does not provide sufficient power for the system, it may prevent the system from powering up or detecting the hard drive. You can check the output of the power adapter on the power adapter label. Systems and monitors generally have high power requirements (2A or greater). Cameras generally have lower power requirements (less than 2A). You can check the Product Specifications for your model for the specific power requirements. If the system is connected to the outlet via a power bar or surge protector, try connecting the system directly to the outlet. Confirm there is power at the outlet. Connect the power cable to another outlet. Connect another device such as a lamp or phone charger into the outlet. Contact an electrician if there is an issue with a power outlet. If the power adapter has a status LED, make sure it is on when the power adapter is connected to the outlet. If the LED does not turn on, the power adapter is not working. Contact Night Owl Technical Support for assistance.

5 DVR or NVR is rebooting Make sure you are using the correct power adapter for the system. The system may reboot if it is not receiving sufficient power. If your DVR is just rebooting over and over again, it may be experiencing the HDD overwrite error. This sometimes occurs the first time your HDD fills up with recorded footage, and the DVR is uncertain how to initially store the overwriting files. To fix this, please complete the following: 1. Disconnect all cameras by unplugging all BNC cables from the channel inputs on the back of the DVR. 2. Reboot the DVR. 3. When the DVR turns back on, you should now be able to get to the HDD Management Menu. (When the HDD fills up and the DVR is attempting to continue to record, this is when the DVR starts freezing, rebooting, etc. Removing the cameras makes the DVR stop recording, so disconnecting the cameras and rebooting the DVR should enable the end user to access all menus.) 4. Reformat the HDD using the DVR s HDD Management Menu. This will erase all video files on the HDD. 5. Re-connect the BNC video cables to the channel inputs on the back of the DVR. 6. This should correct the issue. If your DVR continues to freeze or reboot after completing these steps, please contact Technical Support. DVR Keeps Re-initializaing Every 3-5 Minutes Night Owl DVR s have an auto overwrite feature that is designed to record over the earliest recordings once the hard drive is near full capacity. The overwrite feature, when turned on, allows the DVR to continue to record; however, when the overwriting sets in, the hard drive creates multiple partitions to manage the recording files. In the event that the hard drive creates more partitions than it can handle, the DVR will reboot every 3-5 minutes. We recommend that you format the hard drive every 6 months to avoid running into a reboot loop on the DVR. Reformatting the hard drive will delete all the partitions and allow for the DVR to record again. Clear the partitions and reformat the hard drive successfully by following these instructions: 1. Power OFF the DVR 2. Make sure that the the cameras are disconnected. Unplug the yellow wires going to the back of the DVR or unplug all the cameras from the power adapter or their power source. 3. Power ON the DVR. 4. Once the DVR is fully powered on, access the Main Menu. 5. In the Main Menu select Device. 6. In the Device Menu select HDD. 7. Format the HDD. 8. Backup any video files that you need before formatting the hard drive. 9. Check the box under Select.

6 10. Select Format HDD. 11. The DVR will give you a message that says, Format will remove all data from the hard drive. 12. Select OK. 13. Plug in or power the cameras on. 14. Recording is indicated by the flashing HDD light or red R or M on the cameras. Quick Troubleshooting Steps in Detail My unit does not power up. Connect the power supply to a different surge protector and different power outlet. Connect the camera power supply to the unit to see if powers up. Test the power supply with volt meter to see if output is same as the Output Power stickers on the supply. If still no power, then go to website for the RMA Request Form. My unit is displaying lines on my screen. Connect another power supply to the unit. Do a Factory Reset (you can get instructions in the product manual for your DVR model) Test the power supply with volt meter to see if output is same as the Output Power stickers on the supply. If still no power, then go to website for the RMA Request Form. The unit is beeping and all lights are flashing. Check the Hard Drive. Disconnect the power cable from the DVR. Disconnect the power & data cable from the hard drive. Plug them back into the hard drive. Connect the power cable to the DVR. Power on the DVR. If still beeping, then go to the website for the RMA Request Form. We had a power outage and my DVR doesn t turn on. Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 Check the power outlet/surge protector. Test power supply with Volt meter. Check if the DVR power switch is on (some models). Also check the hard drive. Disconnect the power cable from the DVR. Disconnect the power & data cable from the hard drive. Plug them back into the hard drive. Connect the power cable to the DVR. Power on the DVR. If still beeping, then go to the website for the RMA Request Form.

7 The unit keeps rebooting. Step 7 Step 8 Step 9 0 If possible, do a firmware upgrade on the DVR system. Check the power outlet/surge protector. Test power supply with Volt meter. Check if the DVR power switch is on (some models). Also check the hard drive. Disconnect the power cable from the DVR. Disconnect the power & data cable from the hard drive. Plug them back into the hard drive. Connect the power cable to the DVR. Power on the DVR. If still beeping, then go to the website for the RMA Request Form. The DVR doesn t detect the HDD anymore. Power off the DVR, remove cover and check all HDD connections. If the same, power off, unplug HDD. Boot up DVR. Menu, do a factory reset. Power off, reconnect the HDD/ try again. If still the same, then go to the website to fill out an RMA Request Form for a defective hard drive. If none of these steps resolve the issue please go to the returns section on our website.