How to setup an alarm on a dvr

Before we can setup the alarm settings we need to know some information.

• Are we working with a sensor input or an alarm output/alarm speaker?

• Is the alarm type normally open or normally closed type of alarm?

If you don’t know this information you can usually find it on the box it came in, the manual or paperwork, or on the manufactures website.

Alarm input or sensor input

You would need to decide what camera you want that alarms sensor to control. For example if you want it to start recording on channel three when the door sensor gets set off when the door opens then you would look on the back of the dvr and connect one of the 2 wires coming from the sensor alarm to the alarm port that says 3 and the other alarm wire either to the other port labeled 3 or to the ground or one labeled g. Then you will want to go to the alarm settings in the dvr and set the alarm to alarm input for channel 3 and this is when you would enter what type of alarm it is either normally open or normally closed and then save the settings. These are normally abbreviated NC or NO. On most dvrs you will have to also tell the dvr to record on alarm for channel 3.

Output alarm or alarm speaker

For alarm output there is usually only one alarm out on a dvr, some dvrs do not have an alarm out. If there is an alarm out on your dvr it is usually labeled alarm out. You would connect one of the alarm cables to the one port and the other to the other port just under or above where it says alarm out. You will then want to go to the alarm settings and choose alarm out and label it either normally open or normally closed depending on your alarm type. Once again it is usually abbreviated NO or NC. You will probably also need to enable alarm out or enable it to beep on alarm.