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Your digital video platform, whether a DVR, NVR or server, is the heart of your video surveillance system. Without it, nothing else matters. You can have the most technologically advanced cameras on the market but if you cannot record their images, you are sunk! The cameras get all the attention; out in plain view, shiny metal housings and smoked bubbles. The recorder is locked away somewhere—maybe in a network rack or on a shelf in the employee break room—but it needs some attention too!
It is recommended that your institution’s digital video recorder is inspected and tested frequently. Your security integrator should be inspecting your digital video recorder monthly, at a minimum. This piece of equipment is very important to the safety and security of your business. If this device were to malfunction, your institution would be susceptible to intrusion, robbery, etc.
A list of things that should be checked in order to ensure that your video recorder is running smoothly:
- The light next to ‘REC’ on the DVR should be continuously flashing
- The hard drive health should be checked
- Check the fans inside the DVR to make sure heat is being pushed out of the DVR
- Make sure the DVR is free of dust
- Check to see if the DVR is susceptible to potential water or other damage. If the DVR is not in a network rack, this may be the case.
- Check the video loss log to see if the recorder has been continuously recording
- What is the last continuous record date on the DVR? This will tell the amount of days of storage the unit is providing
- Is the DVR using the latest version of software? Are there newer version or bug fixes that should be installed?
- Check the network log to make sure the DVR is consistently on the network.
There are a few things on this list that you yourself can check, like making sure the DVR is dust free, but you cannot be expected to check the health of your hard drive—you have a business to run! Your electronic security provider should be the one that is going down this checklist when they come in to do routine checks on your establishment.
Have you noticed that your security service provider is overlooking the health of your digital recording device? It may be time to switch…
Contact ISG for a Consultation