Environmental Concerns to Watch For to Keep your Security NVR in Mint Condition

Summer Rising Environmental concerns to watch for to keep your security NVR in mint condition As outside temperatures rise with the onset of summer, environmental conditions must be taken into consideration to ensure proper operation of your hybrid or network video recorders (HVRS/NVRS). Meticulous planning goes into the areas we protect; and camera placement, field of view and lighting are important and often-considered factors in any security installation. Very little consideration, however, is given to the HVR/NVR's operating environment. Dust, heat and even vibration may significantly shorten the life of your recording devices. Dust Provisions should be made to house your HVR/NVR in a dean environment, keeping dirt and dust away from the internal components of your chassis. Dust will clog the interior of your HVR/NVR, causing intenal temperatures to rise. Inadequate cooling and ventilation will have adverse effects on the internal components of your device, causing them to wear prematurely. In the worst case scenario, it may fail altogether. Harmonic Resonance Harmonic resonance (vibration) is one of the least expected symptoms contributing to the failure of Hard Disk Drives (HDD) as well as video cards and soldered parts. In the case of HDD, harmonic resonance will cause the internal platters to oscillate, making them wear out prematurely under the high demands of video surveillance applications. Heat Improper cooling and ventilation are the most likely culprits when internal components of your HVR/NVR fail. All components, from video cards to the main processor, are adversely affected by temperature ranges outside of the HVR/NVR manufacturer's recommendations. It is crucial for the heat from these systems to be dissipated effectively or you will be headed for premature failure. How to Optimize Your NVR's Operating Environment Know your NVR's operating temperatures O Shut your NVR down properly Observe the manufacturer's operating temperatures. Manufacturers go through exhaustive environmental testing to produce acceptable operational temperatures. If you don't know the minimum and maximum environmental temperatures of your HVR/NVR, familiarize yourself with these numbers. Simply cooling the operating environment can add hours of life to your machine. Use the manufacturer's recommended uninterruptable power supply (UPS). The UPS will allow you to properly shut down the HVR/NVR in case of power failure. This simple device will save your HDDS from abruptly coming to a stop, which will contribute to a shortened lifespan of the HDD over time. The UPS will also protect your device against power spikes and surges. Listen for noise Add monitoring software Ask yourself, is that squeak coming from my HVR/NVR from a noisy fan? Pay close attention as that squeak could result in fan failure. This could easily lead to higher internal temperatures, which affects your recorder's Advanced HVRS/NVRS offer internal health monitoring software to ensure optimal performance of HDDS, fans and internal PCI cards. This software will alert you when a component is out of operating specification, allowing you to be performance. proective before catastrophic failure. TIP - Back Up Your Data! One of the hardest conversations we have with end-users surrounds the loss of data and recovery. Let's face it: machines fail. It is up to you to take the steps to maintain an optimal operating environment for your security HVRS/NVRS to ensure long-lasting performance. 3VR Senior Product Manager, Dale Smal 3VR Hybrid/Network Video Recorders 3VR's hybrid and network video recorders are scalable enter- prise powerhouses with a proven ability to excel in any technol- ogy environment. 3VR's HVRs and NVRS record, store, index and manage video; and run 3VR search and video analytics, integration tools and powerful applications such as health monitoring and case management. O www.3vr.com/nvrs 3VR O 877.387.6061