How to Play Back and Export Recordings from Your Recorder to a USB
Last updated:
You can find, play back, and export recorded video from your Swann Security recorder to a USB flash drive. This is useful when you want to save a specific recording to your computer, keep a copy of important footage, or share a video with someone.
Before exporting a recording, you can search for the date, time, channel, and type of footage you need and play it back to confirm that you have the correct clip.
Things to Prepare
Before you start, make sure you have:
- Your recorder powered on.
- A mouse and display connected to the recorder.
- If you want to export recordings, you need a USB flash drive, not an external hard drive.
- USB flash drive formatted as FAT32.
- USB flash drive with a capacity of 32 GB or smaller.
- Choose your recorder model number below.
Find and Play Back the Recording
Before exporting a recording, search for the footage you want and play it back to confirm that it is the correct recording.
Basic Playback
If your have a Swann Security recorders with dark interface, below are the steps on how to play back recordings from your recorder:
- Move your mouse to the bottom edge and either click or — If prompted, enter your recorder's password
- Under Basic tab, set the following:
- Date of recording
- Choose a Search Type — If unsure, leave
everything checked - Choose a Stream Type —
Mainstreamfor high quality (but can usually play one channel at a time) orSubstreamfor lower quality (which can play more than one channel) - Select a channel
- Click anywhere from the timeline to start playing
Playback tip
If you see a red lock icon on some channels during playback, the recorder has reached its maximum number of channels that can be played at the same time.
If you see a "Not enough resources" message, reduce the number of playback channels to 2 or 3. On some recorders, using Sub Stream instead of Main Stream can also allow more channels to play simultaneously.
Events Playback (for Exporting)
Alternatively, you can go to Events tab; especially if you are planning to export or save some recordings.
- Set a date and time range
- Choose a Search Type — If unsure, leave
everything checked - Choose a Stream Type —
Mainstreamis recommended especially if you're going to export later - Select a channel
- Click — This should return a list of recordings
This view is also better if you already know what time of the day an event happened as it will show you a list or thumbnails on each recordings.
Playback
If your have an EliteX™ system, below are the steps on how to play back recordings from your recorder:
- Right-click and select
- Under Playback, set the following:
- Select a channel
- Choose a Stream Type —
Main Streamfor high quality (but can usually play one channel at a time) orSub Streamfor lower quality (which can play more than one channel) - Date of recording
- Click — Click through the timeline to see other clips
Search (with Export option)
Alternatively, you can go to Search tab; especially if you are planning to export or save some recordings.
- Go to Event
- Choose a Video Type — If unsure, leave it on
All - Set a Start/End Time
- Select a channel — A darker shade of blue means 'selected'
- Click — List of recordings will appear
- Click to play a clip
This view is also better if you already know what time of the day an event happened as it will show you a list or thumbnails on each recordings.
Important: Unrecorded or deleted footage cannot be recovered because recordings are stored on the recorder's local storage.
Export the Recording to a USB Flash Drive
Connect the USB Flash Drive
For wired recorders, connect the USB flash drive to any available USB port.
For SecureAlert™ or AllSecure recorders (NVW-650 or NVW-800) and MaxRanger4K™ Power Hub (NVW-MR4K):
- Connect the flash drive to the Mouse/Backup USB port.
- Move the USB mouse to the Storage port.
- If the Storage port is being used to store recordings, use a USB hub on the Mouse/Backup port to connect both the mouse and flash drive.
Once you have found and confirmed the recording you want, you can export it to the connected USB flash drive.
For Swann Security recorders with dark interface, below are the steps on how to export or save recordings to a USB flash drive:
- After searching clips in Events tab, select the file(s) you want to save.
You can click at the bottom to select all recordings - Click
- When a prompt appears, choose a Backup Type for your selected file(s) then click Save —
MP4is the most common and can be played on most media players - In the Backup window, choose a location where you want the file to be saved
- Click to start exporting the clips
You can now close the Menu, eject your USB flash drive, and connect it to your computer to play it. If your default media player can't play it, we find using VLC Media Player can play virtually all types of video files; but you can use any media player that you like.
For EliteX™ system, below are the steps on how to export or save recordings to a USB flash drive:
- After searching clips in Search tab, select the file(s) you want to save.
- Click to save selected files; or
to save all clips. - The Export window will appear, select your flash drive
-
Choose a file format to use for the clip that you'll export —
MP4is the most common and can be played on most media players - Choose a location where you want the file to be saved
- Click to start exporting the clips
FAQs
Can I Download Recordings Without a USB Drive?
Yes. If your recorder is paired to your Swann Security account, you can also download clips using the Swann Security app.
See How to Download Recordings Using the Swann Security App for the app instructions.
Why Export Recordings to USB?
Exporting a recording creates a separate copy of your security footage that you can keep, view on a computer, or share when needed.
Searching and playing back the footage first also helps make sure you export the correct recording instead of copying unnecessary footage.
What USB drive can I use to export recordings?
Use a USB flash drive that is FAT32 formatted and 32 GB or smaller. Do not use an external hard drive.
What video format should I choose?
For easier playback on a computer, choose AVI or MP4 when available.
Where is the exported recording saved?
The recording is saved to the root folder of the USB flash drive by default. Some recorders allow you to choose a specific folder.
What if I cannot play multiple recordings at the same time?
Your recorder may have reached its playback processing limit. Try reducing the number of playback channels to 2 or 3. On some recorders, selecting Sub Stream instead of Main Stream can also help.
Summary and Next Steps
To export a recording, first search for and play back the footage you need. Once you have confirmed the correct recording, select it, choose Backup, select AVI or MP4 when available, and save it to your USB flash drive.
If you prefer to download clips to your mobile device, you can also use the Swann Security app when your recorder is paired to your account.