Swann DVR keeps rebooting

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If your Swann DVR keeps rebooting without reason, I have the solution for you.

Usually a DVR or NVR reboot itself because of HDD or power supply problems.

Let's see how to fix this problem...

Why the DVR reboots

If the hard drive is not homologated it can cause the DVR to act strange and reboot itself, the same is true if there's not enough power to keep the recorders working properly or in the last case, it reboots due to defective hardware.

Let's take a look at the possible causes.

Non-homologated hard drive

Before using a DVR, the best thing to do is to check if it's using the correct hard drives that are homologated by the manufacturer or at least is from a well-known brand that is reliable and designed to work with surveillance systems.

Surveillance hard drivers are designed to record video 24/7 and those are the ones that must be used with DVRs and NVRs, so make sure you use them.

Buy a Seagate or Western Digital HDD to work with your recorders.

Usually, they are in the manufacturer's recommended HDD list.

A 2TB Seagate Skyhawk HDD is installed in this recorder.

Recording and rebooting problems are a clear indication that the hard drive is not good, so check which one the DVR is using and make sure to replace it with the correct one. I suggest you use the WD purple or Seagate Skywalk.

Not enough power

DVRs and NVRs require power enough to spin the hard drive and keep the motherboard working, so take a look at the device's specification to make how much power is necessary and check if the power supply can handle that.

There's a label in the power supply that indicates the voltage (usually 12V) and the current (measure in Amps) or perhaps the power (measured in watts).

If the power supply is the original one from the manufacturer, chances are everything is OK and you don't need to worry too much about it, but in any case, you can check the information even if the power supply was replaced by a new one.

For Swann NVRs, make sure the voltage is 12V and the current is at least 2A.

Check also the power that comes from the outlet or the UPS (Uninterruptible power supply) to make sure it is enough to keep your DVR up and running.

Power is really important to avoid the Swann DVR keeps rebooting.

The picture below shows an example of a 12V / 2A power supply.

This is a 12V power supply that works with up to 2A to power the device.

The minimum current (A) is calculated by the Swann engineers and the correct power supply is sent with the DVR, but just in case you need to buy a new one, pay attention to these details so you won't get the wrong one.

If you the power supply is capable to supply more than 2A, that's not a problem and it won't burn the device which uses only the current it needs to. Just be careful with the voltage which must be 12V and if you use a higher one you can burn the DVR.

The recorder is overheating

Your Swann DVR needs to work at a maximum temperature and if things get too hot the equipment can reboot itself or have strange behavior.

Make sure the DVR is not overheating and keep the room temperature under control.

Firmware update

It is not that common but sometimes a firmware update can fix an issue that leads the DVR to reboot itself without warning. So just update the firmware.

Visit the Swann website to download the latest firmware.

There's a short circuit

If there's a short circuit in the camera or cables that can reflect to the DVR.

The best way to test that is to unplug the cable and observe if the problem is fixed.

The same is true for the hard drive, you can just disconnect it from the cables and turn the DVR on to see if the reboot problem goes away. You can then replace the HDD if it's causing a short circuit, but remember to use the homologated ones.