Why is my recorded video missing, freezing, or not exporting?

Answer each question, and each answer tells you which step to go to next. Start at Step 1.

Step 1: What are you seeing?

• The timeline has gaps, or no colored bars where you expected video → go to Step 2
  • First, zoom in. If you're viewing a full day or week, the bars are only an estimate and can show gaps that aren't really there. Zoom in to 6 hours or less and check again.
• The timeline shows bars or motion events, but the video won't play → go to Step 5
• The video plays but buffers, freezes, or jumps → go to Step 6
• A problem creating, downloading, or sharing a Clip → go to Step 8

Step 2: Is the camera connected right now?

Check the camera's icon on the Cameras page.

• Not green (disconnected or “unsupported”). The camera can't record while it's disconnected, so gaps line up with the time it was down. See Camera Connectivity Tips. If every camera on the Gateway is affected, see My Gateway went offline and won't come back. Tip: set up Creating a Camera Disconnect email alert in Rules so you hear about it right away, not when you need the video.
• Green → go to Step 3

Step 3: Is the camera recording motion events?

Most cameras record on motion, so no bar on the timeline can just mean nothing moved. Check that motion detection is turned on in the camera, has at least one motion zone, and has sensible sensitivity. Some cameras ship with motion turned off. See Camera Best Practices.

• Motion was off or the zone was wrong: fix it in the camera → done
• The event icon says “no events” but you think the camera is recording: check the Search page for that camera's events → done
• Motion is set up correctly and gaps still appear while things are moving → go to Step 4

Step 4: Check the camera's stream settings

These settings cause most recording gaps:

• Turn off any “smart” or dynamic encoding (Smart Codec, AI Codec, Dynamic GOP or Dynamic Frame Rate). Dahua has its own article: Dahua Starlight camera stops recording.
• Set the GOP to at least twice the frame rate.
• Update the camera to its latest firmware.
• Sync the camera's time to the Gateway.

Then reconnect the camera in QxControl.

• Gaps stop → done
• Gaps continue → go to Step 7

Step 5: Bars show on the timeline, but the video won't play

• You're zoomed out too far (for example, a full day or week). At that zoom the bars are only an estimate of where video exists, so a click can land on a spot with no video. Zoom in to 6 hours or less and click inside a bar again → done
• The footage is older. It may only be in the cloud now. In the Timeline, click the cloud icon (Play Video From Cloud) → done
• The error mentions H.265 or HEVC. See Error using H.265 video → done
• The error is “Cannot read properties of null (reading 'name')”, or nothing loads on any device. Check whether the Gateway is online. See My Gateway went offline and won't come back.
• The error is “Unable to find file on stream” or “Oldest known media”. These need Qumulex to look at the Gateway → contact support
• Anything else → contact support

Step 6: Video plays but buffers, freezes, or jumps

First, turn on the camera's on-screen clock (OSD) and play the video again.

• The clock jumps ahead. The gaps are in the recording itself → go to Step 4
• The clock ticks normally but playback stutters. The recording is fine and the delay is in getting the video to you. Check the following:
  • Very high-resolution camera (4K and up). Create a Clip of the time you need and play the Clip instead.
  • Watching from off-site. Playback may be relayed through the cloud instead of connecting directly, which adds latency. Have site IT check What ports do I open for my Qumulex Cloud Gateway? and QxControl IT Guidelines.
  • The Gateway page shows repeated disconnects. See My Gateway went offline and won't come back.
  • Only on one computer. Check that hardware acceleration is on in the browser, update the video card drivers, and try Chrome.
  • Still slow → go to Step 7

Step 7: Check the link between the camera and the Gateway

Wireless bridges, point-to-point links and long runs to a remote switch are the usual weak spots.

• Ask site IT to run a ping test from the camera's network. Packet loss means the link can't keep up with the camera.
• Lower the camera's resolution or frame rate, or improve the link. See Bandwidth tips and tricks.
• Still having trouble → contact support

Step 8: Clip problems

• A shared Clip has no download button. This is by design: shared Clips keep the audit trail and expiration. Download the Clip from the Clips page with Actions, then send the file.
• The time isn't shown on the video. Qumulex doesn't change the camera's video, so it doesn't add a timestamp. Add the elapsed time in your player to the Clip's start time. To prove a Clip hasn't been altered, see Verify the integrity of a saved clip export.
• The Clip won't create, or Clip playback is slow. Each camera has 20 GB of Clip storage. If it's full, download and delete older Clips.

Contact support

Have ready:

• The Gateway serial number
• The camera name
• The date and time of the missing video, with time zone
• Which page you used (Timeline, Search or Clips) and which browser
• A screenshot or a short screen recording of the problem