CCTV Troubleshooting: Camera Has Power but No Image

A systematic checklist for cameras that power up but do not appear in the NVR, covering physical links, IP settings, credentials and compatibility.

Start at the physical layer

Inspect the Ethernet connector, cable, PoE port and link/activity indicators. Test the cable and, where possible, move the camera to a known-good cable and port.

Check addressing

Confirm camera and NVR networks are compatible. Look for duplicate IPs, wrong subnet masks and incorrect gateways.

Check discovery and credentials

If a discovery utility sees the camera, verify initialization, username, password, protocol and port settings used by the recorder.

Check compatibility

Confirm the recorder supports the camera's resolution, codec and integration method. ONVIF can improve interoperability but does not guarantee identical features.

Isolate the fault

Test the camera against a known-good NVR port or switch, then reconnect the original path one component at a time.