You only find out a recorder has stopped saving footage when you go looking for something. A Hikvision NVR that shows live pictures but has gaps in playback is usually pointing at the hard drive, the recording schedule, or power interruptions that keep restarting the unit.
Try the checks below. If you still can't play back footage, call 0421 772 661 and we'll check the recorder's power, drive and camera connections.
Recorders sit in cupboards, roof spaces and garages, often next to a power board and a router. If the area is hot, smells of burning, or there's any water near the gear, switch off at the power point or main switch if you safely can and leave it alone. Call 000 for fire or injury.
Don't open the NVR case to reseat or swap the hard drive yourself unless the manufacturer's manual says it's user-serviceable and the unit is unplugged. Never open a power supply.
Use a monitor connected to the NVR rather than the phone app. If the timeline is empty on the recorder too, it really isn't recording. If it's only the app, the problem is the remote connection.
Most recorders show a warning on screen or in the app when the hard drive is missing, unformatted, full or faulty. Note exactly what it says and check its meaning in the manual or Hikvision's support material.
If someone has changed settings, recording might be set to motion or event only, or switched off for some cameras. Check the schedule in the recorder menu or app.
If the recorder's clock is wrong or the log shows lots of restarts, it may be losing power. Make sure it's plugged straight into a working power point, not a loose double adaptor.
If the recorder's circuit has tripped and been reset, there may be gaps in footage from that time. Repeated tripping needs testing, not repeated resetting.
Hard drive failure or full disk. Surveillance drives run constantly and do wear out. A failing drive can still let the recorder show live view while silently not saving. Overwrite settings also matter: if overwrite is off, recording stops once the disk fills.
Unstable power. Brownouts, a loose plug, a damaged power board or a shared circuit that trips can restart the NVR repeatedly. Every restart risks gaps and can damage the drive. A dedicated, protected outlet and sometimes surge protection make a real difference.
Cameras dropping off. If a camera loses PoE power or its cable is damaged, that channel simply has nothing to record. Check whether the gap affects one camera or all of them.
Settings, firmware or hardware faults in the NVR. Schedule changes, account issues or an internal fault in the recorder are device matters. We'll confirm the power and cabling are sound, then point you to Hikvision's supplier support or warranty for the recorder itself.
Call us if the recorder keeps restarting, if a breaker or safety switch trips when it's on, if one or more cameras keep vanishing from the recording, or if the NVR has no power at a working outlet.
We test the supply, the PoE ports and each camera run, and can move the NVR to a better location or a dedicated outlet. See our Hikvision camera installation page for how a system should be put together.
Usually the hard drive, the recording schedule, or overwrite being turned off. Check the recorder's own warnings first.
It varies with the drive and how hard it's worked. Recording around the clock is demanding, so plan to replace the drive eventually rather than wait for footage to go missing.
Yes. Each outage stops recording until the recorder reboots, and frequent restarts can damage the drive. A UPS or a dedicated outlet can help.
That camera has probably lost power or its network link. It's often a cable or PoE port issue we can test.
We fix the power, cabling and installation side. Internal recorder faults are handled through the supplier or manufacturer's warranty.
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