Troubleshooting Common Issues in IC Secure Desktop

This article covers common IC Secure Desktop issues and basic troubleshooting steps. If the issue continues after completing the steps below, contact IC Realtime technical support for assistance.

Installer Fails to Run

Symptom: The installer does not start, closes immediately, or shows a permissions error.

Try the following steps:

1. Right-click the installer and select Run as administrator.
2. If antivirus software blocks the installer, allow the installer through the antivirus software or temporarily disable real-time protection during installation. Re-enable protection after installation is complete.
3. Confirm the computer is running a supported 64-bit version of Windows.
4. Confirm the installation drive has enough free disk space.

Camera Not Found During Auto-Discovery

Symptom: Auto-discovery completes but does not find any cameras.

Try the following steps:

1. Confirm the IC Secure server and cameras are on the same network subnet.
2. Confirm the cameras are powered on and connected to the network.
3. Confirm ONVIF or the required discovery option is enabled on the camera, if applicable.
4. If auto-discovery does not find the camera, add it manually using the camera IP address. See Adding Cameras to IC Secure Desktop.

Camera Shows Disconnected

Symptom: A previously working camera shows offline or disconnected in the camera tree.

Try the following steps:

1. Confirm the camera is reachable on the network. From the IC Secure server, open Command Prompt and run ping <camera-ip>.
2. Confirm the camera username and password are correct. If the password changed, update the credentials in the camera settings.
3. Reboot the camera by power cycling it or restarting it from the camera interface, if available.
4. Confirm the camera IP address, port, and protocol settings are correct.
5. Confirm the camera firmware is compatible with IC Secure. Update firmware if needed and approved for the system.

High CPU Usage

Symptom: The server or client becomes slow, unresponsive, or CPU usage stays high.

Try the following steps:

1. Reduce the number of live view streams displayed at the same time.
2. Use sub streams for multi-camera grid views.
3. If the system is struggling with H.265 decoding, try H.264 where supported.
4. Lower the resolution, frame rate, or bitrate if the system hardware cannot handle the current load.
5. Compare the computer hardware against the system requirements. See IC Secure Desktop System Requirements.
6. Close other resource-intensive applications running on the same computer.

Choppy or Laggy Video

Symptom: Live view or playback video stutters, freezes, or drops frames.

Try the following steps:

1. Switch to the sub stream when viewing multiple cameras.
2. Check network bandwidth between the cameras, switch, and IC Secure server.
3. Confirm network cables and switches support the required bandwidth.
4. Update the graphics driver from the computer or graphics adapter manufacturer.
5. Confirm hardware acceleration is enabled if supported.
6. Reduce the number of cameras displayed at the same time.

Recording Stops Unexpectedly

Symptom: Cameras stop recording even though recording schedules are configured.

Try the following steps:

1. Go to Settings > Recording and confirm the recording drives have available space.
2. Confirm the retention policy is configured correctly.
3. Confirm auto-delete is enabled if the system should remove old recordings when storage is full.
4. Check drive health for possible disk failures or write errors.
5. Review the recording schedule for the affected cameras and confirm recording is enabled during the expected time periods.

Slow Playback Retrieval

Symptom: Playback takes a long time to start, or timeline scrubbing feels slow.

Try the following steps:

1. Use dedicated storage drives for video recording instead of storing video on the operating system drive.
2. Check storage drive health and performance.
3. Reduce the number of cameras being played back at the same time.
4. If using traditional hard drives, confirm the drives are suitable for continuous video recording workloads. It's recommended to use surveillance rated drives over desktop drives.
5. Consider faster storage if the current storage cannot keep up with playback and recording demand.

Getting More Help

If the issue continues, review the system logs under Settings > Log Search for error or warning messages.

When contacting IC Realtime technical support, include the system details, a description of the issue, and any relevant logs or diagnostic files.