If a Reolink camera connected to an NVR or Home Hub is damaged, missing, or goes offline, you may still be able to playback recordings that were already saved to the NVR or Home Hub.

1. Before You Start

Make sure that:

  • The camera had been recording to the NVR or Home Hub before it became unavailable.
  • The recordings you want to view have not been overwritten or deleted.
  • The NVR or Home Hub is working properly, and its storage is accessible.

Note: Only recordings that were successfully saved before the camera went offline can be played back. If the camera was offline before a recording was created, there will be no footage for that period.

2. Step-by-Step Guide to Playback Recordings from a Damaged or Missing Camera on Reolink NVR and Home Hub

When a camera added to a Reolink NVR or Home Hub goes offline, recordings already saved to the NVR or Home Hub's HDD remain accessible and can be directly played back from the Playback page.

  • Playback Recordings from a Damaged or Missing Camera on Reolink NVR

    Step 1. Open Playback

    Open the Playback page on your Reolink App, Client, NVR monitor, or web browser, depending on the platform you are using.

    Step 2. Select the Offline Camera Channel and Recording Date and Time

    Select the channel where the damaged or missing camera was previously connected.

    Choose the date and time period you want to check.

    Dates or time periods with available recordings will be displayed on the playback timeline.

    Step 3. Playback the Recordings

    Move the timeline to the desired time and start playback.

    The recordings were saved to the NVR's HDD, so you can play them back even though the camera is no longer available.

    Step 4. (Optional) Backup Recovered Recordings 

    In addition to playback, you can also download or back up the recovered recordings for safekeeping. Refer to How to Backup Recordings from Reolink Products to download the recordings correctly.

  • Playback Recordings from a Damaged or Offline Camera on a Home Hub

    Step 1. Make Sure the Home Hub Is Working Normally

    Make sure the Home Hub is powered on and its storage device is accessible.

    The camera itself does not need to be online for recordings that were already saved to the Home Hub to remain available.

    Step 2. Open the Camera's Playback Page

    Open the Reolink App, Client, or web browser, and access the camera that was previously added to the Home Hub.

    Tap Playback to enter the playback page.

    Step 3. Select the Home Hub as the Storage Location (Only available for Reolink App)

    If the playback interface provides a storage selection option, select Home Hub as the storage location.

    This allows you to play back recordings saved on the Home Hub rather than recordings stored on the camera's own SD card.
    Home Hub as the storage location

    Note: If the recordings are saved to the camera's SD card, they cannot be played back because the camera was offline.

    Step 4. Select the Recording Date and Time to Playback the Recording

    Select the date and time you want to check, then move the timeline to locate the desired recording.

    Tap the recording to start playback.

    Step 5. (Optional) Backup Recovered Recordings 

    In addition to playback, you can also download or back up the recovered recordings for safekeeping. Refer to How to Backup Recordings from Reolink Products to download the recordings correctly.

3. Platform-Specific Guides

You could playback on the Reolink App, Client, Web browser and NVR monitor. For more details on how to perform cam data recovery across platforms, see:

4. Important Notes

  • Only recordings that were successfully saved before the camera became unavailable can be played back.
  • If a recording has already been overwritten due to insufficient storage, it cannot be recovered through normal playback.
  • The exact playback interface may vary depending on the Reolink App, Client, NVR, or Home Hub model and firmware version.
  • If the camera also has recordings saved to its microSD card, those recordings are separate from the recordings stored on the NVR or Home Hub.

If a Reolink camera becomes damaged, missing, or offline, recordings that were already saved to an NVR or Home Hub may still be available. If you are unable to access recordings or still cannot find the missing footage, click “Submit a request” below to contact the Reolink Support Team.