A power outage can leave parts of your surveillance system in odd states. After power restores, walk through these checks.

1. NVR is back on

First — confirm the NVR booted. Look at the front panel:

  • Power LED solid
  • Activity LED blinking
  • No alarm beeping

If the NVR didn't auto-power on after the outage, check the BIOS settings: "AC Power Recovery" should be set to "Power On" so it boots automatically.

2. Cameras all online

In the NVR's camera management:

  • Each camera should show "Online" or green status
  • Any offline cameras need investigation (see [camera offline](/kb/camera-offline))

PoE cameras come back when their switch comes back. Cameras on separate power adapters need their adapters powered too.

3. PoE switch

If you have a separate PoE switch (not built into NVR):

  • Switch must boot before any IP camera
  • Check switch front panel for normal lights
  • If the switch is dark, it's still off (power source issue) or failed

Reset the switch by power-cycling if needed.

4. NVR clock check

After power outage, the NVR clock may have drifted:

  • Check the time on the NVR display
  • Should be syncing via NTP if configured
  • A clock drift of more than a few minutes affects subsequent recording timestamps

Fix immediately — incorrect timestamps cause problems for evidence later.

5. Recording resumed

After everything's back online:

  • Live view should show all cameras
  • Storage status should show "Recording" or similar
  • Look at the playback timeline — should have a small gap during the outage, then resume

If recording didn't resume, check schedule and storage settings.

6. Outage duration in records

The gap in recordings tells you how long things were off. If shorter than expected:

  • NVR has UPS backup — it kept going during the outage
  • Cameras lost power but NVR continued
  • The recording gap is when cameras were dark, not when NVR was off

7. UPS battery check

If your NVR is on UPS:

  • UPS battery state — should be charging or charged
  • Has UPS firmware survived OK? Some UPS units beep when batteries are weak
  • UPS rated runtime — does it match how long you experienced outage?

UPS batteries last ~3-5 years. If runtime was much shorter than expected, batteries need replacement.

8. Filesystem check after sudden shutdown

NVR filesystems can be corrupted by sudden power loss:

  • Most NVRs run an automatic filesystem check at boot
  • This can take 5-30 minutes
  • During this time, recording may be paused; that's normal
  • Watch for any "filesystem errors" reported

If errors persist, the disk may need to be checked or replaced.

9. After multiple outages

Repeated power outages stress equipment:

  • Increases hard drive failure rate
  • Stresses PSU components
  • May corrupt filesystem more permanently

If you have frequent outages, UPS protection becomes essential.

10. Document what happened

For future reference:

  • When the outage started
  • When power returned
  • What systems came back automatically vs. needed intervention
  • Any data lost (timestamps of gaps in recording)

This helps identify which equipment needs UPS protection.

When to ticket

Raise a ticket if:

  • After an outage, multiple cameras stayed offline
  • NVR shows filesystem errors that won't clear
  • UPS battery needs replacement
  • You need UPS protection added to surveillance equipment

Include the outage duration, what came back automatically, and what didn't.