Why Is My Lorex Camera Not Recording? (Simple Fixes!)

When your Lorex camera not recording as expected, it can compromise the security of your premises by missing footage during important moments. 

Don’t worry–common culprits like power issues, storage failures, or incorrect settings often disrupt the recording ability of your wireless or wired Lorex camera. 

We will unwrap a variety of solutions for both wired and wireless Lorex surveillance systems to resume your recording in no time!

How to Fix When the Lorex Camera Is Not Recording?

Note: Have you checked what type of system and storage your Lorex cameras use? 

1. Check the Lorex Camera A/C Supply (Wired & Wireless)

An insufficient power source is often the primary reason why your Lorex camera may stop recording.

The power supply difference between a PoE (NVR/DVR) Lorex camera and a wireless unit is in the cable and connection used to deliver electricity. 

• Wired Lorex cameras connect over an Ethernet (PoE) cable to the NVR and receive both power and internet data through the connection.
• Wireless Lorex cameras use a standard power adapter to connect with an outlet and convert regular 120V input voltage to usable values. 

1.1 How to Inspect Wired Lorex Cameras:

Start by checking if the PoE switch or Ethernet adapter of the camera is securely plugged in, and the status light on the camera is illuminated.

Then, check if the indicator above the Ethernet switch on the NVR/DVR is also lit. 

1.2 How to Inspect Wireless Lorex Cameras:

Although most Lorex cameras are power adapter-dependent, some models use batteries.

You can check the charge level of your wireless Lorex camera through the Lorex mobile application and verify that it is charged sufficiently. 

2. Check & Clear the Storage Capacity (Wired & Wireless)

A full storage device (NVR, SD card, or cloud) may be preventing new footage from being saved on both wired and wireless models.

Hence, checking and freeing up storage space ensures the camera can continue capturing footage without interruption.

Storage Method #1 NVR/DVR Storage:

From the taskbar, click the Main Menu icon, navigate to Device > HDD > HDD, and view the Free/Total column to see the available storage.

Now, you can manually download, edit, and uninstall stored footage to clear extra space on the hard drive of your recording device. 

Storage Method #2 SD Card (Clear Via PC):

For wireless Lorex cameras using an SD card, free up space by deleting old recordings.

So, connect the camera to your PC via USB and set up an SD card reader.

Then, locate the SD card files in the storage folder, select unwanted recordings, and right-click to delete each file until at least 50% of the storage is available. 

Storage Method #3 SD Card or Cloud (Lorex App):

If your wireless Lorex camera stores footage on an SD card or cloud via the Lorex Ping app, you can manage the storage through your smartphone. 

So, open the Lorex Ping app, go to Camera List > Playback, and select your camera to access the advanced settings.

Choose the recording date, tap Edit, and click the Delete icon for each footage you wish to remove from the camera storage.

3. Enable the HDD Overwrite Function (Wired)

The Lorex camera may be recording, but a full hard drive might prevent new footage from being stored.

Well, enabling Overwrite ensures that the oldest recordings are automatically deleted when storage is full, which allows for continuous recording without having to free up space manually. 

Here’s how to enable Overwrite through the NVR/DVR settings:

• On the NVR/DVR, click the menu icon and go to Device > Storage.
• Choose the HDD storage device you want to set up for overwriting.
• From the Overwrite page, select “Auto” to delete the oldest videos.
• Click Save to apply the Lorex overwrite settings and exit the menu.

We recommend backing up old important clips or recordings, as sooner or later, the overwrite feature will overwrite them. 

4. Reinsert the Lorex microSD Card (SD Card Wireless)

If your wireless SD Lorex camera not recording events, reinserting the microSD card resolves underlying issues with the storage.

Whilst removed, here at ZontSound, we always format the SD as well, after creating a backup of the important footage.

Here’s how to reinsert the Lorex microSD card:

• First, power off the Lorex camera and locate the microSD card slot.
• Gently push down on the microSD card to remove it, then pull it out.
• Reinsert the card (label side down) into the slot until it clicks securely.

Now, install the card in your PC’s microSD card reader, access the drive options, and use the Format Windows drive option.

Don’t forget to download the important footage from the drive before erasing all content and reinserting the card. 

5. Adjust the NVR Recording Settings (Wired)

Incorrect recording settings on your wired NVR might be the cause behind the recording issues of Lorex, as options like resolution, frame rate, or motion detection directly impact footage.

Properly adjusting these settings ensures your camera records reliably while optimizing storage and performance.

• All of the settings below are accessible on your Lorex system NVR and monitor.

Option #1 Display Resolution:

The display resolution determines video quality on your monitor (720p to 4K), and Lorex NVRs auto-adjust to match your monitor unless it’s not 4K.

So, from the Main Menu, go to Settings → Display → Display, and specify the resolution for your exact monitor in the drop-down menu.

Option #2 Recording Resolution:

Lorex NVRs use Main Stream for high-quality recording and Sub Stream for lower-quality streaming.

So, from the Live View, right-click for the Quick Menu, go to Main Menu → Settings → RECORDING → Recording tab, 

Then, to configure, choose Main or Sub Stream under Type, set the desired resolution, and click Apply.

Option #3 Camera Frame Rate:

Frame rate (FPS) affects video smoothness—the default is 20 FPS on Lorex NVRs—but higher rates use more storage.

From the Main Menu, go to Recording → Recording, select the camera channel, and adjust the Frame Rate from the dropdown.

Option #4 Motion Detection (Important):

Motion detection creates “motion events” for easier footage review and decides when your Lorex camera records, if it does not come with continuous recording. 

To adjust this mandatory setting, from the Main Menu, go to Settings → Event → Motion → Motion Detect and select the camera channel.

Check Enable to activate motion detection, and save the settings for that camera.

Option #5 Motion Zones (Important):

After enabling motion detection, set specific zones to monitor by going to the Motion Detection dropdown, clicking Set to display the motion grid, then hovering at the top.

You can select up to four zones per camera while adjusting Sensitivity and Threshold for detection accuracy.

Option #6 Motion Alerts:

To receive notifications for motion events, under the Motion Detection dropdown, enable Email Alerts and the Buzzer System, optionally select Sequence or Snapshot for email images, choose additional channels to include, and click OK to save the settings.

6. Verify the Wi-Fi Connection (SD & Cloud Wireless)

A weak or unstable Wi-Fi might be preventing the camera from saving any of the recently made recordings on the SD card or the cloud storage.

You can easily check the connection status and manually reconnect your wireless camera through the Lorex mobile application.

6.1 How to Reconnect the Camera via the Lorex App:

• Power on your wireless Lorex camera and restart your router.
• Open the Lorex app and go to Settings > Wireless Network.
• Follow the on-screen prompts to reconnect the Lorex to Wi-Fi.
• Check if any of the recordings are available in the storage tab.

6.2 How to Improve the Wi-Fi Signal Strength:

• Position the Lorex camera nearer to the router to improve the signal
• Cease interference by disabling nearby devices like cordless phones.
• Adjust the Wi-Fi channel in your router to reduce channel congestion.
• Consider a Wi-Fi extender if the signal remains poor near the camera.

Note: Test your network speed at speedtest.net after each solution.

7. Bypass the NVR/DVR in the Lorex System (Wired)

A great way to test if your Lorex camera not recording motion due to an NVR issue is to bypass the NVR entirely.

Hence, connecting the camera directly to another display without involving the recording device at all can help pinpoint whether the unit is causing the problem.

Here’s how to bypass the Lorex NVR/DVR easily:

• Start by disconnecting the camera PoE from the NVR/DVR system.
• Connect the Lorex camera to a monitor using a BNC or RCA input.
• Alternatively, link the camera to a PC via a USB video capture card.
• Check the monitor or PC to see if the camera feed displays correctly.

If the feed shows up on the alternate device, try a different input on the NVR/DVR or replace the unit with a new one.

Additionally, test the Lorex camera with an alternative Ethernet PoE cable. 

8. Check the Lorex Cloud Subscription (Cloud Wireless)

An expired cloud subscription might be preventing footage captured by your Lorex camera from being stored on your account’s cloud space, especially if local storage is full. 

• To check your subscription, open the Lorex app, navigate to Settings > Lorex Cloud Storage, and view your active subscriptions to confirm the plan is active. 

Note: If the subscription is inactive, follow the on-screen instructions to update your payment credentials and renew. 

9. Reset the Camera to Initial Settings (Wired & Wireless)

If the Lorex camera is not recording after all solutions so far, a factory reset can be an effective resolution by reverting the camera to its default settings. 

The reset process varies slightly between wired and wireless Lorex cameras, using either a physical button or the application, so follow the steps.

9.1 How to Factory Reset a Wired Lorex Camera:

First, you must locate the Reset button on the back or base of the wired camera, remove the housing if necessary to access it, and press and hold the button for ~10 seconds.

Wait for a chime sound and a flashing green light under the lens to confirm that the factory reset is done.

9.2 How to Factory Reset a Wireless Lorex Camera:

Open the Lorex app, navigate to the Camera Settings, and locate the Factory Reset option in the device section.

Confirm the reset, then wait for the camera to restart and check for a confirmation message in the app.

Note: Get in touch with Lorex customer support if your camera is still unable to record.