How Do I Fix "Unable to Obtain Stream" and "Unable to Record" Errors?
The "Unable to obtain stream" and "Unable to record" errors are generic and may require a few different steps to find the root cause.
"Unable to Obtain Stream" Error
The recorder will attempt to obtain stream information over the designated protocol. In most cases, this is the ONVIF protocol.
In some cases, the camera may stream live video and record correctly, but still show this error due to invalid stream information being sent from the camera. This is due to previously saved stream information being used, while current requests for updated stream information are failing.
This error typically means that the NVR is able to communicate with the camera, but not able to obtain any valid streams information.
Troubleshooting “Unable to Obtain Stream”
- Verify username and password are entered correctly.
- Log in to the camera and verify the camera is showing video on its own page. Also verify streams are set to H.264
- You can also do this through Camera Link.
- Depending on camera vendor, ONVIF may need to be enabled.
- If all the above items check out, click the Synchronize button in the camera setup menu and wait a moment to see if the error clears.
"Unable to Record" Error
This error can occur at the same time as the “Unable to obtain stream” error and indicates that we have no valid streams to record.
Troubleshooting “Unable to Record”
- Ensure that streams are defined correctly for Continuous and Motion recording.
- If this error is showing on all cameras, check the Storage settings and make sure the recording drive is enabled.
- Manually connect the camera using an RTSP video stream.
- Verify the camera is sending an RTSP stream using VLC.