Why has my DVR stopped uploading?
Every state Guardian can be in, what it means, and what to do. Start with the site card in the Cameras tab and its Test connection button.
Read the site card first
| Test connection says | It means | Do this |
|---|---|---|
| Waiting for login | The recorder has never reached us. | Check the server address, the recorder's DNS server, and that outbound port 21 is not blocked. |
| Login failed | Wrong user name or password. | Re-enter it, or issue a new password from the site card and update the recorder. |
| Credentials accepted, waiting for the first clip | The recorder logs in but sends nothing. | Enable Upload to FTP as an event action, check the schedule covers now, trigger motion. |
| Connected — N cameras | Clips are arriving. | Nothing. Use Decrypt & save once to confirm your recovery kit works. |
A camera that used to upload has gone quiet
Guardian emails you when a camera that had been uploading is silent for 3 hours, and again when it resumes. In order of likelihood: the camera or recorder lost power or network; motion detection or the schedule was changed; the FTP password was changed on one side only; the plan is full (see below). The site log in the Cameras tab shows the last login and upload times.
The plan is full
When a plan is full the recorder's uploads are refused with the message “Storage allowance is full; uploads are paused until space is freed or the plan grows”. Retention runs every hour and purges the oldest clips (7 days on the free tier, 31 days on paid plans), which frees space and resumes uploads automatically; or move up a plan. Nothing already stored is deleted by the refusal.
Network facts
- The recorder connects outbound to
ingest.cloudbox.bizport21and to passive data ports50000–50100. No inbound port is ever needed. - Plain FTP and explicit FTPS (AUTH TLS, TLS 1.2+) are accepted. Very old firmware that only speaks TLS 1.0 should use plain FTP.
- Each clip is one upload. Resumed (REST) and appended (APPE) uploads are refused by design, so a clip is sealed exactly once; a recorder that retries simply sends the file again and it replaces the earlier copy.
Questions
Why has my DVR stopped uploading?
Look at the site card in the Cameras tab. If the last clip is hours old on a camera that was active, the usual causes are: the recorder or camera lost power or its network; the FTP upload was disabled or the schedule no longer covers now; the site's password was changed on one side only; or the plan is full and uploads are being refused. Guardian emails you when a camera goes quiet for 3 hours.
What do the Test connection states mean?
Waiting for login: the recorder has never connected — check the server address, DNS and outbound port 21. Login failed: wrong user name or password. Credentials accepted, waiting for the first clip: the recorder logs in but no event has produced a file — check the upload/linkage settings and trigger motion. Connected: clips are arriving; the cameras detected are listed.
The recorder says the FTP test failed.
Almost always DNS or a blocked outbound port. Give the recorder a working DNS server (your router or 8.8.8.8), confirm it can reach the internet, and check that nothing blocks outbound TCP port 21 and the passive data ports (50000–50100). Guardian never needs an inbound port on your network.
My recorder only offers FTPS and the handshake fails.
Very old firmware may only speak TLS 1.0/1.1, which modern servers refuse. Switch the recorder to plain FTP. Footage is sealed the moment it reaches CloudBox either way.
Uploads are being refused with 'Storage allowance is full'.
Your plan is full. Retention purges the oldest clips every hour (7 days free, 31 days paid) which frees space automatically, or move up a plan. Nothing already stored is deleted by the refusal, and you get one email when uploads pause and one when they resume.
Decrypt & save says the recovery kit does not open this clip.
The words belong to a different site, or one word is mistyped (a mistyped word is caught by the checksum and reported by position). Each site has its own kit; check the site name on the card.
How do I change the FTP password?
On the site card choose 'issue a new one'. The new password is shown once; update it on the recorder straight away, or uploads will fail with Login failed until you do.
Are the file times right?
Guardian records the arrival time and keeps the recorder's own file name, which usually contains the recorder's clock time. If the names look wrong, set the recorder's time zone and NTP server.
Can I see what has arrived without decrypting?
Yes. The Cameras tab lists every clip with its camera, size and arrival time, and the site log shows logins, uploads, refusals and purges. Only the content is sealed.