21  Troubleshooting

When a malfunction occurs, it may not be serious or difficult to correct. The following chart contains solutions to most common problems. Please refer to the topics below before calling Lorex Technical Support.

Error

Possible Causes

Solutions

System is not receiving power, or is not powering up.
Cable from power adapter is loose or is unplugged.
  • Confirm that all cables are connected correctly.
  • Confirm that the power adapter is securely connected to the back of the unit.
Cables are connected, but system is not receiving sufficient power.
  • Confirm that the system is powered on (LED indicators on the front should be ON).
  • If the unit is connected through a power bar or surge protector, try bypassing the bar and connecting the power directly to the wall outlet.
  • Confirm that there is power at the outlet:
    • Connect the power cable to another outlet.
    • Test the outlet with another device (such as a lamp or phone charger).
Hard drive is not detected by the system.
Hard drive cables are loose or not properly connected.
Remove the housing and check that hard drive cables are firmly connected.
There is no hard drive in the system.
Open the housing and install compatible hard drive. Make sure to format the drive after installing. For details, see 14.8.5 Formatting the Hard Drive .
Hard drive is full (0%) and the unit is no longer recording.
Overwrite is not enabled.
If hard drive overwrite is not enabled, the system will stop recording when the hard drive is full. For instruction on enabling hard drive overwrite, see 8.5 Configuring Hard Drive Overwrite .
There is no picture on monitor/TV after connecting it to the recorder.
Monitor/TV not detected by recorder.
Power off the monitor/TV and the recorder. Power on the monitor/TV, and then power on the recorder.
Input channel for recorder not selected on monitor/TV.
Ensure that the monitor/TV is set to the input channel that the recorder is connected to.
Video cable is loose or has become disconnected.
Check the video cable connection to the recorder and the monitor/TV.
Camera is not compatible with the recorder.
Visit and navigate to D841 Series for a list of all compatible cameras.
Mouse not detected by system.
Mouse cable is not firmly connected to the system, or the mouse is not connected to the system.
Firmly connect the mouse cable to one of the USB ports.
System needs to be reset.
Power off the system (disconnect power cable). Firmly connect a USB mouse to one of the USB ports. Reconnect the power cable to the 12V DC port on the rear panel.
There is no picture on selected channels / camera picture is not being displayed.
Camera cables are loose or have become disconnected.
  • Check the camera video cable and connections.
  • Disconnect and reconnect the cable at the system and at the camera.
  • Try moving the camera to another channel or use another cable.
The image on the recorder appears, but does not have sound.
Cameras do not feature a microphone for audio recording.
The recorder supports audio recording, but requires audio-enabled cameras with a built-in microphone, or an external microphone to be connected. See 18 Connecting Audio Devices for details on using audio-enabled devices.
The system beeps during motion detection.
Motion detection is enabled and the buzzer is activated.
See 11 Motion Detection for full instructions on configuring motion detection options. You will need to uncheck the Buzzer option to prevent the recorder from beeping every time motion is detected.
I am not receiving email notifications.
Email notification is disabled.
Ensure you have configured email notification. For full instructions, see 14.6.3 Configuring Email Alerts .
Email notification is enabled, but you have not entered your own SMTP information.
If you want to use your own SMTP server, you must enter your SMTP server address, SMTP port, username, and password in the appropriate fields. For full instructions, see 14.6.3 Configuring Email Alerts .
Smart home / voice assistance not working.
Voice assistance has not been enabled on the recorder.