DW Technical Support Pre-Contact Checklist
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Last Edit: May 31, 2024
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Please use this checklist before contacting DW Technical Support.
These items may solve your issue and will save time for all involved if you call DW Technical Support.
☐ IS EVERYTHING UP TO DATE?
Please check and update your cameras firmware. Also, please check your client and server software and update everything. Both under the hood fixes and quality-of-life improvements are in our updates.
☐ IS THE POE SWITCH GIGABIT POE?
Many POE switches will be advertised as gigabit, but only a few ports are gigabit. Please confirm that all ports on your POE switch are gigabit. For the best results, we want a POE switch where all ports are gigabit.
☐ ARE ALL WIRE RUNS UNDER 330 FEET?
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.
☐ IS THE CAMERA AND NETWORK TRAFFIC SEPARATED?
Most of our recorders come with two network cards. We need to use both in these cases. One for the cameras and one for the internet. Having everything together opens the door to a virtual cornucopia of potential issues.
☐ DOES EVERYTHING HAVE A STATIC IP ADDRESS?
From the server’s camera network card to every individual camera, we should make sure that all devices have a static IP address. Please do not include any that end in a “.1”.
☐ REBOOT
Everything needs a break, including technology. Rebooting a camera or a server every now and then is best practice. It clears the memory (not recording or settings) of the device and lets it function at its full potential.
☐ ARE WE USING THE SERVER AS A CLIENT?
We like to dedicate resources to recording. When we display images on the server it takes up those resources. Closing the Spectrum Client on the server and using a dedicated PC for the client may solve your issue.
☐ IS YOUR POE SWITCH MANAGED OR UNMANAGED?
Some POE switches are plug and play. Some need to be programmed to work correctly with a CCTV system. We need full bandwidth and full power for everything to work optimally in our world.
☐ IF A CAMERA CAME WITH A POE INJECTOR, WE NEED TO USE IT.
Specialty cameras sometimes come with a POE injector because they draw more power than a normal camera. If it came with a POE injector, we need to use it. For best results, plug in the POE injector as close to the camera as possible.
☐ BENCH TEST THE CAMERA.
If we are having issues with a camera, the last thing we should do before calling tech support is bench test it. Take the camera down, bring it to the POE switch and attach it with a short pre-made patch cable.
☐ ARE THE NVR AND THE CAMERA’S POE SWITCH CONNECTED TO AN UNINTERRUPTABLE POWER SUPPLY (BATTERY BACKUP)?
Plugging equipment directly into the wall opens us up for power spikes and sudden power loss. With the NVR, this can cause several issues. 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.
☐ IF THIS IS A SPECTRUM DEVICE, LET’S MAKE SURE THAT THE CPU IS NOT OVERWORKED.
From within Spectrum, please drag and drop the server in the camera tree to the middle of the screen, as if it was a camera. If the CPU is above 70%, we are reaching the servers capacity, and this can cause issues with the server. It’s time to lower frame rate and/or quality or purchase another DW Server to supplement this job. (Servers can be merged so that the end user does not have to change their user experience at all.)
Does the issue continue?
If the issue continues, it’s time to call DW Tech Support at 813-888-9555. Select Option 4.
For More Information or Technical Support
DW Technical Support: 866.446.3595 (option 4)
https://www.digital-watchdog.com/contact-tech-support/
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DW Sales: 866.446.3595 [email protected] www.digital-watchdog.com
