How to Recover Lost Videos from Surveillance Cameras: Step-by-Step Guide

Losing important video footage from your CCTV system can be a stressful experience, but it’s not uncommon. Accidental deletion, overwriting, bad sectors, virus attacks, and other issues can all result in lost data. Fortunately, there are several ways how to recover lost videos from surveillance cameras, including using data recovery software, checking the CCTV DVR hard drive, and exploring backup folders. Let’s dive in.

Why is Surveillance Videos Loss From Your Surveillance Cameras?

Video loss happens for a number of reasons, some of which are preventable. In our experience, video loss happens most often because cameras have been unplugged, and worse, batteries have not been changed in years. Batteries drain over time, and cameras that haven’t been used for extended periods of time are particularly susceptible to this since they are less likely to be in sleep mode.

One reason that video loss happens is on cameras that haven’t been installed properly, ensuring they remain stable if bumped or jostled. On cameras installed incorrectly or improperly secured, even the slightest of vibrations could result in camera shake, resulting in shaky video loss. It’s also important to regularly check power, as surges in power or power outages can cause video loss. Additionally, if the camera is set to a lower resolution, the image may become distorted or pixelated due to the lack of data.

Finally, video loss can also occur due to poor connection quality. This can be caused by a weak signal or interference from other wireless devices. To combat this, use a reliable wired connection and/or a better wireless signal with a stronger router or repeater. Additionally, ensure the router is placed in a spot with minimal interference and use an antenna with a good range.

Recover Deleted CCTV Footage with Data Recovery Software

One of the most effective ways to recover deleted CCTV videos from CCTV is by using data recovery software. This software is designed to scan the storage device, which can be an SD card, cloud storage, or a digital video recorder (DVR). It then identifies and retrieves the erased files.

To use data recovery software, follow these steps to recover deleted CCTV footage

1. Download and install the software on your computer.

2. Connect the storage device to the computer.

3. Select the scanning process to begin.

4. Preview and recover the lost data.

It’s important to note that data recovery software may not work in all cases, especially if the CCTV footage has been overwritten or the storage device has bad sectors.

Check the CCTV DVR Hard Drive

If your CCTV system uses a DVR, the hard drive is where the CCTV footage is stored. It’s possible that the video footage you’re looking for is still on the hard drive, even if it’s been deleted. To check the hard drive, follow these steps:

1. Turn off the CCTV system and unplug the DVR.

2. Remove the hard drive from the DVR.

3. Connect the hard drive to a computer using a SATA-to-USB adapter.

4. Use data recovery software to scan the hard drive.

5. Preview and recover the lost data.

It’s important to note that opening the DVR can void your warranty, so proceed with caution. Also, if the hard drive is damaged, it may not be possible to recover the lost data.

Explore Backup Folders

Many CCTV systems have a backup folder where footage is automatically saved. This folder may be on the DVR, a separate hard drive, or cloud storage. To explore backup folders, follow these steps:

1. Check the CCTV system’s documentation to find out if it has a backup folder.

2. Log in to the CCTV system’s software or web interface.

3. Check for a “backup” or “archive” section.

4. Select the date and time range for the footage you want to recover.

5. Preview and download the lost data.

If your CCTV system does not have a backup folder, it’s important to set one up to avoid losing important footage in the future.

How To Recover Overwritten CCTV Footage Backup folder

CCTV users require an easy method to back up their CCTV footage periodically. However, if the backup folder content overwrites, then restarting the process becomes a difficult process, and without the original folder, there is no way to restore the information.

There are a few ways to approach this problem:

Use RAID 1: By setting up a “mirror” on two hard drives, you can fail over to another hard drive in the event of a hard drive failure. However, this still does not solve the problem of overwriting the backup folder.

Use RAID 5: By using RAID 5, the data can be striped across three hard drives and when one hard drive fails, the system can fail over to another hard drive. However, the RAID 5 configuration adds complexity and requires more time for the setup process.

Use Incremental Backup: An incremental backup copies only files that have changed since the last backup. Since the backup folder is constantly growing, the incremental backup must be performed frequently to ensure that the data is not overwritten. This type of backup also requires a lot of time for the backup process.

Use a NAS Drive: Similar to RAID 5, a NAS drive is a network-attached storage device (NAS) that can control multiple hard drives in a redundant configuration. If any one hard drive in the NAS fails, another hard drive can take its place. However, the NAS drive requires an additional controller to handle the redundancy, making the configuration more complex.

Convert the Backup Folder to image: The backup folder can be converted to a myriad of formats like TAR, RAR, and TGZ, and can be copied to a target location. This process converts data from the backup folder to an image and preserves the file’s information. However, this method requires more time than other methods and is more labor-intensive to set up.

Set a Retention Policy: The retention policy specifies how frequently the backup folder should be backed up. If a backup folder is set as weekly, then that means that the backup folder will be backed up each week, and the backup folder will be overwritten. If a backup folder is set as monthly, then the backup folder will be backed up each month, and the backup folder will be overwritten.

Conclusion

Recovering lost videos from surveillance cameras can be a complicated process, but there are several methods that can be effective. Data recovery software, checking the CCTV DVR hard drive, and exploring backup folders are all viable options. However, it’s important to note that these methods may not work in all cases, especially if the footage has been overwritten or the storage device has bad sectors. To avoid losing important footage in the future, it’s important to regularly back up your CCTV footage to a secure location.