Troubleshoot Offline Camera

Are your cameras offline? Use this guide to fix the issue.

Ryley White avatar
Written by Ryley White
Updated over a week ago

When one of your cameras is offline, you are unable to view recorded video and may not be able to see your camera live on any of your monitors on location.

Here are some signs that you camera has gone offline:

  • The local monitor(s) in your office/location show a black square or displays a NO VIDEO message where the camera is supposed to be:

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  • From the Video page in the Solink platform, you can hover over your locations to display camera information and determine whether your cameras are offline:

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  • You are not able to load video on the mobile apps or web application.

What to do When Your Camera is Offline

The Solink support team is ready to help. Our team works with your location(s) to troubleshoot camera issues so that you can get back to recording as soon as possible. To do this, we check the following, based on your camera type:


IP Cameras: What to Look For

Solink support can identify what type of camera you have. IP cameras usually have one Ethernet cable connected to the camera.

These types of cameras optimize connection by getting power (Power over Ethernet, or POE for short) and transmitting data (sending data to the Solink system) over a single cable. A typical IP camera and Ethernet connection looks like this:

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An Ethernet cable’s end looks like this:

Each camera will have an Ethernet cable that connects into a POE switch. In most environments, the switch will look similar to the following:

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How to Troubleshoot an Offline IP Camera

Once you have found the POE switch, ensure that:

  • All connections are securely fastened.

  • The POE switch has lights for each cable (both on the cable, and on the LED panel on the front - normally, each port has one light for Link, and one for POE.

  • No cables have broken ends/clips.

If everything is connected tightly and all cables have lights, you can attempt to restart the POE switch. Sometimes, a camera may become “frozen” and need a physical reboot.

Note: If you know which cable goes to the specific camera you need to troubleshoot, you can unplug and replug the cable. This is the same as rebooting the switch. Rebooting the POE switch causes all cameras to go offline for a short period of time until it powers back up fully.

If the camera still does not come back online after a physical reboot, it is possible that there is an issue on the camera end - either the cable is broken between the switch and the camera, the cable is unplugged at the camera side, or the camera itself has physical damage or defects. Solink support can assist with confirming this.


Analog Cameras - What to Look For

Solink support can identify if your cameras are analog. Analog cameras usually have 2-3 cables attached - one for power, one for video signal, and one (optional) for an audio signal.

The different cables look similar to the following image:

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If your cameras are analog, Solink supplies an analog encoder to your location. This device converts the old analog signal into digital so that we can record it properly on our system. A standard analog encoder is displayed in the following image:

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Your analog camera video cables are connected to the rear side of the encoder.

The power cables for your analog cameras are usually wired to a CCTV power supply box, or are plugged into a UPS. The image below displays an example of a CCTV power supply box:


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How to Troubleshoot an Offline Analog Camera

If an analog camera is offline, you will either see NO VIDEO text on the Solink interface (and Live Monitor, if applicable), or a black screen for some models. In this case, check the following:

  • Ensure all cables are properly connected to the analog encoder. BNC cables are round and silver and connect to the rear side of the encoder.

  • Ensure that the CCTV power supply is either plugged in properly; or if you are using a breaker box, ensure it is powered on and there are lights on all connections within the box.

If all cables are tightly connected and power seems to be working for all cameras, you may require an on-site technician. It is possible that the cabling, cable ends (BNC), power supply, or the camera itself has an issue or defect. Solink support can assist.


Status of the Solink Software

Solink support can help confirm that there are no issues with the Solink interface itself that would cause a camera to stop recording. Please feel free to reach out to us at any time to confirm if there are any issues.

As always, you can reach our team at:

  • Live Chat: Available in the bottom corner of the Solink platform, Help Center, mobile app, and our website (solink.com)

  • Phone: 1-888-335-9844

PDF Guide

Download the following guide for a PDF version of this article.

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