Troubleshooting
The recorder is very hot
Recorders run warm, but hot to the touch means inadequate ventilation and it shortens the life of both the recorder and the drive. Recorders shut inside sealed cupboards are the most common cause here, particularly through summer.
Last reviewed
Give it air
Recorders need clearance around the vents. A shelf with airflow beats a closed cupboard, and it costs nothing to change.
Dust in the fan
Internal fans clog with dust and stop moving air long before they fail outright. Cleaning is part of a proper service visit.
Heat kills drives
The drive suffers before the recorder does. A drive running consistently hot fails years earlier, and it takes your footage with it.
Is it normal for a CCTV recorder to get hot?
Can I put the recorder in a cupboard?
Yes, if the cupboard is ventilated. Sealed is the problem, not enclosed. A vent at the top and bottom of the door is usually enough.
Should it be switched off at night?
No. Recorders are designed to run continuously, and switching off means not recording precisely when most premises are empty.
How hot is too hot for a recorder?
If the casing is uncomfortable to keep a hand on, it is too hot. Most recorders will run at surprisingly high temperatures and simply fail early rather than shut down, so heat rarely announces itself. It shows up as a drive that dies in its second summer instead of its fifth.
Need this doing?
Security camera repair covers cameras showing no image, recorders that stopped recording, footage you cannot retrieve, and systems that lost remote viewing. Most faults are power, cable or configuration rather than a failed camera. Diagnosis is free, and we quote a fixed price before doing any work.
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