DVR & NVR REPAIR AND TROUBLESHOOTING IN SAN DIEGO
If your cameras are live but nothing is recording, the recorder is usually the problem. We diagnose, repair, reconfigure and replace surveillance recorders for homes and businesses.
Nothing in playback when you needed it? That's worth looking at now, not after the next incident.
THE CAMERAS WERE ON. THE FOOTAGE WASN'T THERE.
A surveillance system can look perfectly healthy on the monitor while the recorder quietly stopped writing weeks ago. Hard drives wear out, settings get changed, power events corrupt configurations, and network changes cut off remote access.
Not every recording problem calls for a new system. In a lot of cases the cameras and cabling are fine and the fix is limited to the recorder — a drive, a setting, or a unit that has reached the end of its service life.
RECORDER PROBLEMS WE TROUBLESHOOT
Not recording at all
Live views work, but there's nothing in playback when you go looking.
Hard drive failure
Clicking drives, drive errors, or a recorder that overwrites far too quickly.
Recorder offline or frozen
A unit that won't boot, locks up, or drops off the network.
Wrong schedule or timestamps
Motion recording disabled, gaps in coverage, or incorrect time and date.
No remote access
Local monitor works; the phone app doesn't.
Missing or corrupted playback
Footage that skips, won't export, or ends earlier than expected.
WE START WITH THE RECORDER, NOT A SALES PITCH
We check the unit itself before recommending anything, then explain what's worth repairing and what isn't.
- Storage health and capacity review
- Surveillance hard drive replacement
- Recording schedule and motion settings
- Retention and overwrite configuration
- Camera channel and connection faults
- Time, date and time-zone correction
- Network and remote viewing setup
- Firmware review where supported
- Recorder replacement when needed
- Retaining compatible existing cameras
AN AGING RECORDER DOESN'T ALWAYS MEAN NEW CAMERAS
When a recorder is genuinely at the end of its life, we look at whether your existing cameras and cabling can carry over to a newer unit. Sometimes they can, sometimes they can't — compatibility depends on the equipment, and we check before recommending. If a broader modernization makes more sense, we'll walk you through camera replacement and system upgrades instead of guessing.
WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM SSI
A licensed low-voltage contractor working throughout San Diego County.
We tell you what actually needs attention — and what doesn't.
Careful cable work, tidy mounting, and a site left the way we found it.
Straight answers first. You decide how far to take the work.
See what San Diego customers say on our reviews page, or learn more about SSI.
QUESTIONS WE HEAR OFTEN
RECORDER NOT RECORDING?
Let's find out why before you need the footage. Call, text, or send us the details and we'll schedule a look.
GET YOUR RECORDINGS BACK ON TRACK.
Diagnosis first. Honest options second.