How to Reset a DVR and Recover Access

In Depth

In Depth

Lost the password to your CCTV DVR, or need to reset it? This guide covers analogue and hybrid recorders (Hikvision Turbo HD, Dahua XVR and similar): official password recovery, when a reset is really needed, and how to get cameras and recording working again.

DVR, XVR, NVR: which do you have?

A DVR (digital video recorder) records cameras connected by coaxial cable to the round BNC sockets on its back. Older cameras sent standard-definition analogue video (CVBS). Modern "HD analogue" cameras use formats such as HD-TVI (Hikvision calls it Turbo HD), HD-CVI (Dahua) and AHD, still over coax.

A hybrid recorder accepts several of those formats and also network (IP) cameras. Dahua calls these XVRs ("Penta-brid" on some models). Hikvision describes them as Turbo HD DVRs with IP video input. An NVR has no BNC inputs at all and records IP cameras only; if that is what you have, read how to reset a Hikvision or Dahua NVR instead. For background, see IP CCTV vs analogue CCTV.

Look at the back panel and the label. A row of BNC sockets means DVR or XVR. The model number on the label tells you which manual applies.

Reboot, recover, reset, initialise: know the difference

Many people lose footage because they treat these as one thing. If the DVR works but you forgot the password, recover the password and stop there.

Warning Initialising the hard disk erases every recording on it. Dahua's manual says plainly that formatting erases all data on the disk. If there is footage you may need for police or insurance, export it to USB first, or have a professional do it.

Official password recovery

Hikvision Turbo HD DVRs. The current DVR user manual lists three recovery methods: a password resetting email, Hik-Connect and security questions. On the login screen you click Forgot Password, accept the privacy notice and follow the wizard. Hikvision's support page adds that not every device supports every method, and the Forgot Password page shows what yours offers. The manual also notes that seven wrong passwords lock the account for 60 seconds, so do not keep guessing.

Dahua XVRs. Dahua's AI DVR user manual describes three cases:

• If the password reset function is on (it is by default), you can scan the QR code on screen with your phone and get a security code by email or the DMSS app.
• If that function was turned off but security questions were set, you answer them.
• If neither applies, the only route the manual gives is the reset button on the mainboard, which it says exists on select models only.

If no method was set up, go to the manufacturer's official support through your distributor or installer. Hikvision's support page describes exporting a reset file or code from the device (with SADP, HiTools Delivery or iVMS-4200) and sending it, with a photo of the device label, to Hikvision support. Expect to show proof that the recorder is yours.

For Tanzania, Hikvision's Contact Us page lists its Africa office in Nairobi, Kenya (technical support: support.mea@hikvision.com, or the online support form). Dahua's Contact Us page lists its Africa region, which covers Tanzania, at dh.africa@dahuatech.com. Dahua does not publish what proof it needs, so have the serial number from the label and your proof of purchase ready.

Resetting to defaults

Both brands have a partial and a full option, which is easy to miss.

• Hikvision DVR (restore option in the local menu): Simple Restore keeps network and user account settings; Factory Defaults resets everything; Restore to Inactive returns the DVR to the inactive state so it must be activated again.
• Dahua XVR (Main Menu > MAINTENANCE > Default): Default keeps network and user management; Factory Default resets everything and asks for the admin password.

These need an admin login. Without one, only the official recovery route, or a mainboard button where the model has one, will help.

Note Before any reset, export the configuration if you can (Dahua: Main Menu > MAINTENANCE > Manager > Import/Export). It saves rebuilding everything by hand.

Getting cameras working again: channel types

Hybrid recorders let you choose what each channel accepts. This is the step people miss after a factory reset, and the symptom is "No video" on a channel that worked before.

• Hikvision: the DVR manual describes setting each channel's signal input as HD/CVBS (accepting Turbo HD, AHD, HDCVI and CVBS cameras on that channel) or IP, under Configuration > Camera > Analog. It says this applies to certain models only.
• Dahua: the XVR manual describes Main Menu > CAMERA > Channel Type, where each analogue channel is set to a transmission type such as CVI, AHD or CVBS, or switched to an IP channel. IP channels are taken from the highest channel numbers first.

If a camera still shows no picture, check the coax cable, the BNC connectors and the camera's power supply. Corroded BNC plugs are common on outdoor runs near the coast.

Date, time and the hard disk

Set the correct time zone and time in the start-up wizard, or later (Dahua: Main Menu > SYSTEM > General > Date & Time). Footage with the wrong date is hard to find and may be questioned as evidence. Hikvision's manual warns that a flat clock battery can make the system time wrong after power loss.

A brand-new or replacement hard disk must be initialised before the DVR can record (Hikvision: Configuration > Record > Storage > Init; Dahua: Main Menu > STORAGE > Disk Manager > Format). Do not initialise a disk that still holds footage you need. After a reset, the existing disk usually just needs to show a normal status.

Finally, check the recording schedule (Hikvision: Configuration > Record > Schedule; Dahua: Main Menu > STORAGE > Schedule > Record) and play back a few minutes to confirm recording works. Our CCTV storage calculator shows how many days a disk should hold.

What Extrion does not do

Websites and sellers offer "master passwords", password generators and unlock tools for DVRs. Extrion does not use them. They can corrupt firmware, they defeat protections that make stolen recorders useless, and using them on a recorder you cannot prove you own may break the law. We use only the manufacturer's methods and official support channels.

When to call Extrion

If footage must be preserved, the official recovery options are not available, or you want the system checked and documented properly, our CCTV team can help. Contact us with the DVR's model and serial number from the label.

This guide is general information. Procedures, product features and firmware change, so check your own equipment's documentation before you start.