Your video security system is a huge investment. You’ve spent time, money, and resources making sure it’s set up just right. Now you need it to work reliably—not just for today, but for the long haul.
Downtime doesn’t just mean frustration—it’s a direct threat to that investment. And neglecting maintenance over time? That can quietly chip away at your system’s performance and lifespan. It can also lead to lost video.
The good news? Most of the problems that cause downtime and wear down your system are preventable. Even better, tools like The Boring Toolbox dashboard are designed to help you stay ahead of these issues, keep your system healthy, and make sure your investment lasts for years to come.
Here’s how to make the most of it.
A flapping camera—one that connects and disconnects randomly—is like your system waving a little red flag at you. It’s annoying, sure, but it’s also a sign that something deeper might be wrong:
Here’s how I handle it:
By following this chain of troubleshooting, you can fix the issue before the camera fully gives up on you.
The Boring Toolbox is the only health monitoring dashboard which has a dedicated callout for flapping cameras–allowing you to quickly pinpoint issues and act quickly.
Sometimes a camera can be online (it’s pingable, it shows up on the network) but isn’t sending video to the VMS.
This is a big problem-o and if you’re only checking network connectivity, you could miss this and end up with gaps in your recordings.
The key is to look at the video streams coming into the VMS—not just the camera’s network status.
With The Boring Toolbox, this process is simple. Its dashboard highlights cameras that are online but not recording, so you can fix the issue before you’re left with gaps in footage.
This isn’t just about preventing today’s headaches. Cameras that stay misconfigured for too long can wear down faster, cutting into their useful lifespan.
The Boring Toolbox helps keep your system healthy for the long haul.
Here’s a sneaky problem I see all the time: one camera is hogging way more storage than it should, and nobody notices until the rest of the system starts running out of space.
Maybe it’s misconfigured, or maybe someone cranked up the resolution or frame rate without telling you. Either way, when one camera uses too much storage, it throws off your system’s balance.
Your VMS dashboard can help you find those storage hogs. With The Boring Toolbox, it’s easy to identify cameras consuming more storage than expected and adjust their settings (in bulk if needed!):
Fixing these settings keeps your system running smoothly and prevents surprise storage shortages. It also ensures you’re not overtaxing your cameras and servers, protecting them from unnecessary wear and tear.
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Cameras aren’t the only things that can eat up storage. If your recording server is running out of space, you’re in for a bad time.
This usually happens because the server was set up with certain assumptions—field of view, motion levels, frame rates—but reality doesn’t always match those assumptions. If your VMS is misconfigured or if your storage needs have changed, you’ll burn through space faster than expected.
When that happens, you might miss retention targets, fall out of compliance, or even lose critical footage.
The Boring Toolbox dashboard gives you the insights you need to stay ahead of these problems. It alerts you to spikes in storage usage so you can adjust settings or plan for capacity upgrades
Proactively managing this doesn’t just prevent downtime—it also protects your server’s performance and keeps it running smoothly for years to come.
Here’s the thing: your video security system isn’t cheap. Cameras, servers, storage—it all adds up. To get the most out of that investment, you’ve got to take care of it.
Think of it like a car. You wouldn’t skip oil changes or ignore a check-engine light, right? The same principle applies here. By proactively maintaining your system, you’re keeping your cameras, servers, and storage working efficiently so they last longer, perform better, and save you money in the long run.
And when your system works the way it should, you don’t have to stress about downtime or surprise failures. It’s a win all around.
Downtime doesn’t have to be a fact of life. With a little proactive maintenance and the right tools, you can avoid it, extend the lifespan of your system, and get the most out of your investment.
The Boring Toolbox makes it easy. From identifying flapping cameras to spotting storage hogs, it gives you everything you need to keep your system reliable, healthy, and running for years to come.
Try it today and see the difference for yourself.
Your go-to XProtect eXPerts. We learn the technical stuff that will save you time and make it less boring.
Your go-to XProtect eXPerts. We learn the technical stuff that will save you time and make it less boring.
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