The Complete Guide to CCTV Maintenance & Audits

A CCTV system is only useful if it is operational. Too often, businesses discover that a camera was offline, a lens was dirty, or a hard disk was corrupted only after an security incident has occurred. Regular preventative maintenance is critical.

Core Maintenance Steps:

1. **Lens Cleaning**: Dust, spiderwebs, and water stains build up on the glass dome of cameras, causing blurry footage, especially with night IR. Use a micro-fiber cloth and specialized lens cleaner. 2. **Cable Inspection**: Inspect outdoor CAT6 or coaxial runs for signs of weathering, animal chewing, or loose connectors. Waterproof joint boxes should be checked for moisture ingress. 3. **Power Supply Testing**: Test the central power supply units (SMPS). A failing power supply will cause cameras to drop offline or show horizontal lines in the feed. 4. **Storage Audit**: Verify that the NVR/DVR is recording continuously. Check the HDD health logs for bad sectors and confirm that the recording history matches your retention target (e.g., 30 days of storage).