Troubleshooting

Camera not found

Search for cameras asks the local network to answer. If a camera doesn't show up, work down this list:

1. Is it on the same network? Search can't reach across routers. If the camera is still on a factory address in a different subnet from the Sentinel PC, either tick Deep scan and type that range (for example 192.168.1.0/24), or pick the camera's model at the top of the Cameras page and enter its address by hand. Deep scan only checks private address ranges, is rate limited, and looks for camera ports (RTSP 554/8554 and HTTP 80/443/8000/8080).
2. Is the camera search firewall rule in place? In Windows Defender Firewall, under inbound rules, look for J&J Sentinel NVR camera search. If it's missing, run the Sentinel installer again (it keeps your data) or call support. In development The next update restores this rule on its own at startup.
3. Is ONVIF turned on in the camera? Many cameras answer search only when ONVIF is enabled in their own settings.
4. Found, but it says “no default login”? Click Add and type the camera's own username and password. Sentinel tests the login and pulls one live frame before adding it.
5. Still nothing? Add it as Generic (ONVIF), or as a manual RTSP stream with the stream address from the camera maker. Some cloud-managed cameras can only be added by stream address, and some can't be added at all.

In development The next update searches on every network adapter (Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB and VPN), marks cameras on another subnet with an “other subnet” badge and a tip, and suggests what to check when nothing answers.

Live view freezing or a slow PC

• A single tile stalls: Sentinel watches every live stream. If a picture stops, it restarts that stream on its own, and recording picks up again after the stream reconnects. Give it a few seconds.
• Every tile freezes or the PC is sluggish: S.I. is the biggest load on the processor. Open Task Manager and check the CPU. Turn off S.I. detection on cameras that only need to record (Cameras page); they keep recording and showing live. Compare the PC with the requirements for your camera count.
• Use the grid stream: the grid uses each camera's lighter substream. Leave Full quality and the per-camera main-stream override for the cameras that really need them.
• One camera never plays smoothly: click its Rec: button, open Advanced and check Stream compatibility. Auto (recommended) works for almost every camera. Repackage helps cameras that leave out stream setup details. Call support before changing it if you're not sure.
• The page itself stops updating: refresh the browser. If the console won't load at all, see Services paused or stopped.

In development The next update caps how much of the processor S.I. uses (about one analyzed frame per second per camera, with a limit based on the PC's cores), gives recording and live view priority, and restarts the web console automatically if it stops answering.

Cameras offline

1. Find it: the Health page shows a red dot for offline cameras, and Sentinel sends a camera-offline alert.
2. Check the basics: power or PoE, the cable, the switch port. Try opening the camera's own web page from the Sentinel PC.
3. Did its address change? A camera on DHCP can get a new address after a power cut. Give each camera a static address or a DHCP reservation. If the address already changed, re-add the camera at its new address or call support.
4. Did its password change? If camera password rotation is on, check Settings > Security for a device marked Failed or Needs attention. If someone changed the password in the camera itself, Sentinel can't sign in. Call support to update the stored login.
5. Too many viewers? Many cameras allow only a few video sessions. Sentinel uses one session per stream and shares it, but other software watching the same camera can use up the rest. Close other viewers and see if it comes back.
6. Not offline, just over the limit: a tile that says over license limit is beyond your camera seats. See Licensing and camera seats.

H.265 errors

• Playback is black or says the format isn't supported: some browsers can't play H.265 (also called HEVC). Sentinel converts the recording to H.264 automatically for playback and for exports, which can take a moment to start. If it still won't play, update the browser or try another current browser.
• Live view from an H.265 camera won't start, or shows gray or broken frames: check Stream compatibility under Rec: > Advanced for that camera. Leave it on Auto (recommended), which detects cameras that need Repackage and remembers it, or set Repackage yourself.
• Problems keep coming back: in the camera's own settings, turn off its “smart codec” feature and use a short keyframe (I-frame) interval. Both can break decoding partway through a stream.
• High processor use: S.I. has to decode the video it analyzes, and high-resolution H.265 takes more work to decode. Turning S.I. off on cameras that don't need it frees the processor.

Services paused or stopped

Signs: the console won't load, no new S.I. events appear, or the Updates page says the updater service hasn't reported in.

1. Open the Services app. Press Win+R, type services.msc and press Enter.
2. Find the Sentinel services. They're listed as “J&J Sentinel NVR (…)”, with the service names JJSentinelNVR, JJSentinelNVR-AI and JJSentinelNVR-Updater (and JJSentinelNVR-Sim on the DEMO). Each should say Running.
3. Restart any that say Paused or Stopped. Right-click and choose Restart (or Start). Start JJSentinelNVR first, then JJSentinelNVR-AI, then JJSentinelNVR-Updater.
4. If it goes back to Paused, the service is failing to start. Note the time, zip the matching log (server.log, ai.log or updater.log in C:\ProgramData\JJSentinelNVR\) and call support.

After an older update, the S.I. service could be left showing Paused. Current versions repair the service settings automatically after every update. Running the Sentinel installer again also repairs them and keeps your data. Please don't delete or recreate the services by hand.

Can't open Sentinel from another PC

• Check it works on the Sentinel PC itself at http://localhost:8000/. If not, see Services paused or stopped.
• Use the Sentinel PC's address: http://<Sentinel PC address>:8000/, from a device on the same network.
• Check the J&J Sentinel NVR inbound firewall rule (TCP 8000) is present and enabled.
• Away from the site, use Remote Access. Don't forward port 8000.

License messages

• Demo mode / Not valid: no valid key is installed. Enter the key from J&J Technical Services on the License page.
• Needs activation: follow the steps on the License page or call support.
• Grace period / Expired: renew with J&J Technical Services.
• DEMO key needed / DEMO ended: the DEMO needs a DEMO key from J&J Technical Services. After a DEMO ends, saved recordings can still be played back and exported.

Before you call support

Have these ready and we can help faster:

• Your Sentinel version (shown on the About and Updates pages).
• What happened, which camera, and roughly when.
• The log files from C:\ProgramData\JJSentinelNVR\ (see Where the logs are). Sentinel keeps camera passwords out of its logs.