Video footage recovery · NYC and tri-state

Need the video? Video footage recovery straight off the recorder.

The recorder died, nobody knows the password, or the export will not play. Leave the recorder as it is and call with the date and time you need. We recover the footage and hand it to you in a file anyone can open.

Call 212-347-5400 Text us a photo Request a quote
WHAT IS IN THE WAY? 6 patterns
FOOTAGE RECOVERY · RECORDER WILL NOT TURN ON
WHERE IT USUALLY BREAKS
Power Drive Login Export Format Overwrite

Often the power supply or the board has failed, not the drive. We pull the drive, read it in-house and recover the recordings where the file system is intact.

FIRST THING WE CHECK
Leave it off. We pull the drive and read it in-house.
All patterns 06
FOOTAGE RECOVERY · 01 / RECORDER WILL NOT TURN ON

Recorder will not turn on

Often the power supply or the board has failed, not the drive. We pull the drive, read it in-house and recover the recordings where the file system is intact.

FIRST THING WE CHECK
Leave it off. We pull the drive and read it in-house.
FOOTAGE RECOVERY · 02 / FAILED OR FAILING DRIVE

Failed or failing drive

Clicking, disk errors, or a drive the recorder no longer sees. We work from the drive itself and recover what is readable. Not every case is recoverable, and we tell you before any work starts.

FIRST THING WE CHECK
Stop powering it on. Every spin-up can make it worse.
FOOTAGE RECOVERY · 03 / NOBODY KNOWS THE PASSWORD

Nobody knows the password

The installer is gone and the clip is locked behind an admin login. We unlock the recorder, get you back in, and set a new password that you keep.

FIRST THING WE CHECK
The recorder brand and model, then the unlock.
FOOTAGE RECOVERY · 04 / EXPORT FAILS OR WILL NOT PLAY

Export fails or will not play

The export fails, the USB stick comes back empty, or the file only opens in a player nobody has. We export in the format you need, and it plays on a normal computer with no special software.

FIRST THING WE CHECK
The export settings and the format you were asked for.
FOOTAGE RECOVERY · 05 / POLICE OR INSURER ASKED FOR IT

Police or insurer asked for it

A detective or an adjuster wants the footage. We pull the exact time window from every camera that saw it and export it in the format they ask for.

FIRST THING WE CHECK
The time window, the cameras, and the format requested.
FOOTAGE RECOVERY · 06 / ABOUT TO BE OVERWRITTEN

About to be overwritten

Recorders write over the oldest footage when the drive fills. If the incident was days ago, time matters. Call first, and do not keep restarting the recorder.

FIRST THING WE CHECK
How many days the recorder keeps, before anything else.
Licensed and insuredNYC low-voltage licensed, fully insured
Any brand servicedIncluding systems we did not install
Same-day and emergencyTell us the deadline when you call
Drives read in-houseWhen the recorder will not start
What you get 05

What we hand over.

The video you need, in a form you can use, and a recorder back under your control.

01

The clips you asked for

Cut to the time window you need, from every camera angle that covers it. No hours of footage to scroll through.

Export
02

Any format you need

Whatever format the police, your insurer or your lawyer asks for. The files play on a normal computer with no special player software.

Format
03

Your choice of delivery

On a USB drive, as a download, or both. If someone else needs a copy, we make one for them too.

Export
04

Access back in your hands

If we unlocked the recorder, you get the new admin login in writing. Next time you can export a clip yourself.

Login
05

A fix for next time

If the recorder died, we repair or replace it. If footage ran out too soon, we check the drive and set retention so the next incident is still on file.

PowerDriveOverwrite
Before we get there

Do not keep restarting the recorder.

On some recorders every restart can overwrite older footage, and a failing drive can get worse each time it spins up. Leave it as it is, write down the date and time you need, and call.

Leave the recorder aloneNo restarts, no unplugging, no resets.
Write down the time windowDate, start and end time, and which cameras.
Note who is askingPolice, insurer or lawyer, and the format they want.
Any brand, even if we did not install it

You do not need the original installer.

Most footage calls are on recorders we did not install, often with no admin password and no paperwork. We identify the recorder, unlock it if needed, and get the video out.

Any brand of recorder

Older analog DVRs and current NVRs, from no-name boxes to the brands common across NYC.

UniFi ProtectUniviewAxisDigital WatchdogHanwha WisenetAvigilonBoschDahuaVerkadaLuminysHikvisionHoneywellLTS

The drive side

When the recorder will not start, we pull the drive and read it in-house. Not every drive is readable, and we tell you before any work starts.

In-house drive readsPassword unlockAny export formatUSB or download
Repair or replace

Get the video first. Then fix the recorder.

After the footage

If the recorder died, we repair or replace it. A failed power supply or board is often a repair, with the drive and its settings kept.

So it does not happen again

If footage ran out too soon, we check the drive and set retention so the next incident is still on file. If the system is due for an upgrade, we lay out the numbers honestly.

Explore camera installation →
The repair visit 04

From call to footage.

Four steps. The sooner you call, the more there is to recover.

01

Call with the time window

Call 212-347-5400 with the date, the time and the cameras you need. Until we get there, leave the recorder alone.

02

Same-day or emergency visit

Same-day service is available, and emergency service for urgent cases. We tell you on the phone when we can be there.

03

Export on site or read in-house

If the recorder works, we unlock it if needed and export on site. If it does not, we take the drive and read it in-house.

04

Hand over the footage

The clips in the format you need, on a USB drive or as a download, plus a plan for the recorder if it needs repair.

WHO WE HELP
Homes and brownstonesOffices, retail and warehousesRestaurantsApartment buildings
Frequent questions 06

Footage recovery FAQ.

Often not. The power supply or the board often fails while the drive is fine. We pull the drive, read it in-house and recover the recordings where the file system is intact. Not every case is recoverable, and we tell you before any work starts.
Yes. We unlock recorders with lost admin passwords, export the footage you need and set a new password that you keep. You do not need the original installer.
Whatever format you need. If the police, your insurer or your lawyer asks for a specific format, we export in that format. The files play on a normal computer with no special player software.
Same-day service is available, and emergency service for urgent cases. If the recorder works, we can often export on the same visit. If the drive has to be read in-house, we tell you the timing before we start.
As far back as the recorder kept. Every recorder writes over its oldest footage once the drive is full, and footage that has been written over cannot be recovered. That is why it pays to call as soon as you know you need it.
No. On some recorders every restart can overwrite older footage, and a failing drive can get worse each time it spins up. Leave it as it is and call us.
Get the footage

Need video off a recorder? Pick the fastest way to reach us.

FASTEST FOR OUTAGESCall 212-347-5400

Talk to a technician and get an honest arrival window.

 SEND A PHOTOText 646-838-2300

A photo of the recorder and its screen speeds up the job.

 NOT URGENTRequest a quote

Describe the system and we will come back with a clear plan.
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