Troubleshooting a Rebooting DVR in a Security Camera System

Troubleshooting a DVR in a security camera system that is randomly restarting can be a frustrating experience, especially if you are not a skilled security camera installer with at least a decade of expertise. To put it simply, the problems are usually linked to the cameras, power, or cabling. In this scenario, our expert technician examined the system logs to determine where to begin troubleshooting. DVRs typically display system logs with a reboot code or "camera loss" and "tampering" warnings.
The first step in understanding why your DVR is rebooting is to examine the system logs. DVRs simply record whatever video is sent by cameras to a hard drive. If you find logs with a reboot code, "camera loss", or "tampering" make a note of the channel and time when the event occurred. This will tell you exactly where in the recorded video you should go back to examine if your camera was showing lines, had other visual problems like fuzziness or incorrect colors, and possibly shut off at that time.
Voltage injection in the camera cable that is fed back into the DVR causes these problems. DVRs, like any computer, are not designed to have electricity sent back into them. In an attempt to defend itself from the voltage injection, the DVR will reboot. Continued voltage injection will eventually destroy the DVR. Damage caused by voltage injection is not covered by warranty. Damaged or worn out cable causes voltage injection.
We recommend disconnecting any cameras listed in the logs. Verify that the cable for those cameras is not damaged, and also inspect the camera's power supply, as well as the camera. Damage to the cable could also potentially result in electrical shorts at the camera, causing damage to any or all of the equipment in your security camera system. Our technician goes into further detail about cabling in the video.

[@peterpereda154]

I learned a lot just from this video.

[@HEAVENLYTUNESDJANGEL]

BNC Cable gets deteriorate with time. It happened to me a few weeks ago. Couldn't understand why it was rebooting till I started pulling 1 camera at a time. Till I noticed when I took 1 camera off the unit stayed on. I followed the wire and it was all decayed and white powder inside.