DW Technical Support Pre-Contact Checklist

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Affected Roles: All Users

Last Edit: May 19, 2026

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Before contacting Digital Watchdog for troubleshooting help, it is advised that customers perform initial diagnostic troubleshooting for their device(s) and have the necessary product information ready. This information and proactive problem solving can be the difference between a successful resolution and an unnecessarily long process.

This article will provide a checklist and preparatory information to ensure that your case can be addressed quickly and efficiently, prior to contacting DW Support.

Part 1: Identify the Device

To submit an online request for Technical Support, password reset, Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) reset, RMA repair and returns, etc., you can find the needed form on the Digital Watchdog Support page in the Contact Us tab.

Part 2: Device Warranty

Digital Watchdog offers limited warranties to cover DW product parts and labor for 2~5 years, depending on the product and the maintenance involved. Some DW product models, both cameras and recorders, are limited to a two (2) year warranty period only. You may refer to the list below to view the warranty period by model.

If you know the Product Model and Product Serial Number of your DW device, you may use the RMA Warranty Status tool to lookup its current warranty status.

For more information regarding the Digital Watchdog RMA Return & Repair policies, you may visit the RMA landing page.

Warranty Preservation

Before opening the outer housing/case of a DW Blackjack Server, Appliance, or a DW MEGApix camera, it is recommended to refrain from doing so until you have received a support ticket from Digital Watchdog and the expressed permission/advice to open the product. It is important that you receive the expressed acknowledgment that the product will still be covered and that it is documented on your support ticket.

In the case of field upgrades/repair, it is recommended that recording devices (DW Blackjack Servers, COVA, VMAX, etc.) be sent in for RMA repair, rather than the user handling it themselves. For example, in scenarios where a storage upgrade by adding a hard drive to a DW Blackjack Server is needed, a disclosure form acknowledging a lapse in warranty status may need to be completed and submitted before receiving live support with the process.

Product Life Cycle

DW Warranty may extend beyond a device’s general EOL (end of support life) date, meaning that while a product that has been Discontinued and is no longer being manufactured or sold, there may still be some limited support available for the product up until the device is no longer fully covered. For example, a VMAX unit has a general warranty that covers all parts for up to two (2) years. However, the unit’s hard drive is covered for up to five (5) years in total. If the unit’s hard drive fails within five (5) years of the product’s purchase and delivery, support will still be available.

For a list of DW products that have begun the phase-out process:

Part 3: Self-Service Troubleshooting

The following items are intended to answer basic troubleshooting questions that DW Support agents will want to answer before a diagnosis can be made with confidence. By checking the items below, you may actually solve your problem and will save time for all involved before calling DW Technical Support.

Have you tried rebooting the device?

Everything needs a break, including technology. Occasionally rebooting a camera or server as an upkeep maintenance practice allows the device to clear the memory (not recording or settings) of the device and lets it function at its full potential.

One of the first things to consider when troubleshooting should be to reboot the device.

Is the device firmware and/or software up to date?

In the case of camera issues, check that your camera is using the latest version of firmware.

In cases where DW Spectrum Professional is not performing as expected, check that the software versions of your client and server components are up to date.

Bug ﬁxes and quality-of-life improvements are often present in firmware/software updates, intended to fix issues, so it is critical that devices and software receive official updates as they are released.

What is the network speed of the PoE ports of your network switch?

Many POE switches will be advertised as gigabit, but only a few ports are legitimately capable of delivering gigabit (Gb) speed communication. Some network switch manufacturers will only provide one or two, ports that are capable of that speed, while the rest of the PoE ports are only capable of speeds up to100 megabits (Mbps).

For the best results, a POE switch where all ports are capable of sending/receiving gigabit speed communication is recommended. This can prevent avoidable bottlenecks from occurring within the local network, which often presents itself as video loss and in other connectivity issues.

Are all wire runs under 330 feet in length?

Any wire runs at or over 330 feet will cause a litany of service issues or interruptions. Long runs cause power to fade and data to be lost. Using an Ethernet extender or PoE extender can be a way to boost the signal where implementing a powered network switch (PoE) cannot be implemented as a repeater.

Is the network traffic of the server and camera network separated?

DW Blackjack Servers come with two network interface cards (NIC) for the purpose of creating two separate network connections. It is important to utilize both NICs in deployments - one for the cameras and one for the server’s Internet and LAN connections. Utilizing only one NIC where all data flows together will lead to a wide variety of potential issues including network bottlenecks, loss of communication between devices, video loss, etc.

Do all devices have unique static IP addresses assigned?

It is important that all devices within a Site deployment have its own unique local IP address. DHCP settings allow devices to automatically be assigned vacant IP addresses by the gateway device (Internet Router, managed PoE switches, etc.), but manually assigning a static (unchanging) IP address can be an effective way to guarantee that the device’s identifying IP address matches the IP scheme of the local network.

If there are any two (or more) devices (camera, server, I/O device, etc.) that occupy the same IP address, an “IP conflict” will occur. As a result, devices will be unable to discern between the devices and lead to connection loss and subsequent interruptions.

Is the computer that hosts the DW Spectrum Server program also being regularly used with the DW Spectrum Client as a workstation?

It is highly recommended to avoid using the recording server as a workstation. DW Spectrum Servers should dedicate its resources solely for recording and Site regulating operations only. Instead, a separate computer should be used as a workstation when performing regular viewing and Site management using the DW Spectrum Client desktop software.

Displaying images on the Server will consume resources, so be sure to close the DW Spectrum Client on the server computer when any actions are finished being performed locally at the host device.

Is your PoE Switch Managed or Unmanaged?

Some POE switches are designed for plug-and-play, meaning that minimal user intervention is required to use the switch as a gateway device. However, some models of PoE switch need to be programmed to work correctly with a CCTV system including network speeds, port permissions, etc.

Full bandwidth and full power are needed for all components to work optimally within a Site deployment.

If you are using a camera that came with a PoE injector, are you using the injector as intended?

Specialty cameras sometimes come with a POE injector to accommodate the device with more power. Because certain cameras draw more power than a normal camera to operate, it is imperative that the required amount of power be provided. If you are using a PoE switch instead, be sure that the connected port is outputting the required amount of power for the camera.

For best results, plug in the POE injector as close to the camera as possible.

Have you performed a bench test with the camera?

In cases where a camera is unresponsive or has lost network connection with the Server, a bench test can be performed to rule out the cable run and other linking elements within the network.

When doing so, you will need to physically dismount the camera down and bring it to the POE switch, then attach it with a short network patch cable. Attempt to power on the camera and see if you can recover connectivity with the camera. If it powers on and begins to operate as intended, then the issue may be with the camera’s original cable run.

If the camera powers on but does not regain connection with the Server, try resetting the camera using the manual reset button (if available).

If the camera does not show any signs of power and is altogether unresponsive after reconnecting power, there is likely an issue with the camera’s internal power supply.

Are the recording server and cameras’ PoE switch connected to an uninterrupted power supply (UPS) as a battery backup?

Plugging equipment directly into the wall opens us up for power spikes and sudden power loss. In cases where the server is directly connected to the wall outlet, power issues and other internal operations can sometimes arise. For example, the hard drive may start to have errors or seize as well as one of the many components in the server being permanently damaged. A power spike can easily take down an entire system. If we are plugged into a UPS, please ensure that we are on the battery side not just the surge protection side.

Additionally, there can be cases where a recording unit is connected to a UPS battery backup but will not power on or will randomly lose power. Be sure to check the life expectancy of the battery and to perform any recommended upkeep maintenance suggested by the battery’s manufacturer.

If using a DW Spectrum Server, did you check that the computer’s CPU is not being overworked?

From within the DW Spectrum Client, you can drag-and-drop the server from the Resource Tree (left panel) into the viewing grid to display a graph to track the health and activity levels of the server’s hardware components.

If the CPU is above 70%, the server’s maximum capacity is being reached. This can cause issues for the server. Some things you can try for troubleshooting include lowering the frame rate and quality of camera streams settings, confirming that the DW Spectrum Client is not being used on the server itselft, etc. You can also purchase additional DW Blackjack Servers to supplement the needs of your Site by sharing the load for larger deployments.

If your DW Spectrum Site consists of merged servers, are you within the recommended server count limit?

Following the official release of DW Spectrum Professional software version 6.0, the recommended server count for a merged site shall be no greater than 20 servers. By exceeding this limit, the likelihood of issues that interfere with Site operation, communication between servers or devices, and other problems can arise.

Be sure to keep the Server count below 20 individual servers when using a merged Site whenever possible.

Part 4: Contacting DW Support

If you have completed the above troubleshooting and the issue continues, please reach out to our Support Team.

https://support.digital-watchdog.com/hc/en-us/requests/new

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For More Information or Technical Support

DW Technical Support: https://www.digital-watchdog.com/contact-tech-support/

DW Sales: sales@digital-watchdog.com | www.digital-watchdog.com

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