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NovaVMS Manual

Swap a failed camera

Swap a failed camera

Use this when a camera is physically dead or unreachable and a replacement unit is on hand. There are two paths depending on whether the replacement is the same model.

Procedure

Path A — Replace with the same model (reuse UUID)

  1. Cut PoE at the switch port. Confirm LED on camera extinguishes.

  2. Unmount failed camera. Note serial + MAC from its label for the RMA (see RMA procedure).

  3. Mount replacement using the existing screws. Torque 0.6 N·m.

  4. Re-terminate or re-insert the existing Cat6. Test with cable meter.

  5. Re-apply PoE. Wait for link.

  6. Set replacement’s IP to the failed unit’s old IP via the camera’s web UI. Match NTP server.

  7. In NovaVMS, open the camera detail page → Settings → Reconnect. Camera returns to online inside 30 seconds; all historic events remain linked.

Path B — Replace with a different model (new UUID)

  1. In NovaVMS, open the failed camera’s Settings → Delete. Type the name to confirm.

  2. Historic events now show the camera name with the [Deleted] badge (US-CAM-17). They remain searchable and playable.

  3. Physically unmount failed camera and install the replacement per Add a camera to an existing site.

  4. Name the new camera with a -v2 suffix (e.g. Loading Dock-v2) so operators know this is the replacement.

  5. If an alert rule referenced the old camera, add the new camera to that rule. If the rule is now empty, the cloud auto-disables it (US-CAM-11).

Common variations

  • Same model, different firmware major version — still Path A if the ONVIF profile and codecs match. Path B if codec changed (e.g. H.264 → H.265 only).
  • Camera went offline but was not failed — don’t swap. Try Camera shows Offline first.
  • Replacement already on the LAN — skip the IP reassignment in Path A step 6; it will pick up via DHCP.

If this didn’t work