Surveillance equipment runs around the clock for years, so its faults are the ones that come with continuous use: power supplies, hard drives, fans and moving parts. A recorder that stops recording is a problem you only notice when you need the footage, so it is worth finding out what has failed rather than assuming it is finished.
Blue Apple repairs surveillance equipment in Amsterdam. The CCTV, DVR and NVR page lists the brands we work with, what typical repairs cost and how to send us a request.
What usually goes wrong with surveillance equipment
- Power supply fault. A recorder or camera that is dead, or that restarts in a loop, often has a failed supply or an adapter.
- PoE port fault. A PoE switch or recorder port that no longer powers a camera, while data still flows.
- Recorder does not see the hard drive. The recorder reports no disk, or loses the drive, which may be the drive, the cable, the connector or the board.
- HDMI or VGA output fault. No picture on the monitor, while the recorder is working in the background.
- Fan failure. A fan that has stopped makes the recorder run hot, which shortens the life of the drives.
- PTZ camera motor fault. A pan-tilt-zoom camera that does not move, or moves with a grinding noise.
Brands and models we look at
These are the surveillance brands we list, and some of the models with their own pages, each with an estimate of what a typical repair costs.
Brands: Hikvision, Dahua, Axis Communications, Hanwha Vision, Bosch, Uniview, Avigilon, Pelco, Vivotek, Reolink, Verkada, Mobotix, Tiandy, Milestone Systems.
Popular models: Axis M3085-V dome camera, Axis Q6135-LE PTZ camera, Hikvision DS-7732NI-M4 32-channel NVR, Dahua DHI-NVR5232-EI 32-channel NVR, Hanwha Vision XNP-6400RW PTZ camera, Bosch FLEXIDOME 5100i, Uniview 32-channel NVR, Avigilon H5A dome camera.
Repair or replace?
A recorder or a PTZ camera is usually worth repairing, because the repair costs less than the unit and you keep your configuration and cameras in place. This is hardware repair only: installation, camera configuration, software licensing and security-system design are not included. If the drive may hold evidence, do not keep powering the recorder on; ask us first.
Looking after your recorder
- Use surveillance-rated drives. They are built for continuous writing and last longer in a recorder.
- Check that it is recording. A recorder that stopped weeks ago is the most common surprise.
- Give it ventilation and a UPS. Heat and power cuts damage drives.
How a repair works at Blue Apple
The prices for these devices are estimates until we have seen them. Send a request with the model and what is wrong, and we tell you what a repair is likely to cost and how to get the device to us. The final price is confirmed in writing after the diagnosis, before any work starts. You can use the custom repair form, or call 020 239 11 93.
Common questions
Can you recover footage from a failed drive?
Not as part of the repair. We repair the hardware; data recovery is a separate matter and not promised.
Do you install cameras?
No. This is hardware repair only; installation and configuration are not included. See the CCTV page for what is covered.
In short
Power, PoE, drive connections, outputs, fans and PTZ motors are what fail on surveillance equipment, and the diagnosis tells you which. See the CCTV, DVR and NVR page for the models and repairs, or send us a request. You will find us at Rijnstraat 76-H in Amsterdam, and you can call 020 239 11 93 with a question first.
