How to tell if Viewtron Security Camera DVR / NVR Is Recording

You just unboxed a Viewtron security camera DVR or Viewtron NVR, plugged in the cameras, and the live view looks fine. The next question is almost always the same: is it actually recording, and is that continuous 24/7 recording or motion / event recording?

How do I tell if my Viewtron DVR or NVR is recording, what type of recording is happening, and how do I set a custom recording schedule?

Out of the box, Viewtron hybrid DVRs are set to 24/7 continuous recording, and they still flag motion events on top of that. The same live-view and playback color cues apply on Viewtron NVRs once recording is enabled for each channel.

1. Read the live-view recording circles

From LIVE VIEW, look at the upper-right corner of each camera pane. You should see a colored circle. The color tells you what kind of recording or event is active on that channel right now:
- Blue — 24/7 or specified schedule recording (no event)
- Turquoise — AI recording (people / vehicle detection)
- Yellow — general motion detection
- Red — external I/O sensor
- Lime green — panic / manual recording
If you see a blue circle on a channel during normal daytime use, that channel is writing continuous (or scheduled) video. A yellow or turquoise circle means an event is being flagged on top of (or instead of) plain continuous recording, depending how you configured the schedule and Smart Motion Detection / AI.

2. Confirm recording on the playback timeline

Open PLAYBACK. The time bar uses the same color language. Dark blue / blue blocks usually mean recorded video with no special event; yellow and other event colors mark motion or alarm segments you can jump to.

If the timeline is empty for a channel and hour you expected to cover, that channel was not recording then — check hard-drive status, channel enable, and the recording schedule next.

3. Set or change the recording schedule

Default 24/7 is fine for many installs. When you want motion-only nights, business-hours continuous, or a mix by day of week, use the recorder’s recording schedule menus.

Walkthrough (menus + video): Viewtron DVR / NVR recording setup.

After you save a new schedule, go back to live view and confirm the channel circles still match what you intended (blue for continuous/schedule blocks, yellow/turquoise when events fire).

4. Search recorded events

Once motion or AI events are being flagged, you can search those events instead of scrubbing the whole day. This video covers event search on Viewtron: Search for events on a Viewtron DVR / NVR.

You can also manually scrub through video using the manual playback option: Video Playback Instructions for Viewtron DVRs / NVRs

Quick checklist
- Live view: colored circle upper-right of each camera (blue = schedule/continuous, yellow = motion, turquoise = AI, red = I/O, lime = panic/manual).
- Playback timeline: same colors show what was written to the drive.
- Default hybrid DVR behavior: 24/7 recording plus motion event flags.
- Custom schedules: DVR / NVR recording setup.
- Event search video: YouTube event search walkthrough.
Related
Questions on a live Viewtron recorder install? Email support@viewtron.com or call / text 1-561-433-8488.