As the saying goes, recording surveillance video is like drinking from a firehose — there’s a constant flow of new data that must be managed. The local drive acts as the landing zone where the VMS writes recordings in real time. Once a file is written, Surveillance Bridge picks it up and replicates it to the cloud.
If a connectivity issue prevents Bridge from replicating, the local drive will begin to fill. The good news: as long as cloud connectivity is restored before the drive fills completely, everything remains safe.
However, if the drive fills before Surveillance Bridge has time to replicate the files, data loss is inevitable, and in some cases, the VMS may start to malfunction.
Understanding how to read Task Manager helps ensure proper operation during setup and troubleshooting. Task Manager shows nearly everything you need to know about Bridge performance.
Step 1 – Open Task Manager
Open Task Manager and locate the Ethernet port used by the VMS. You’ll use this to monitor data flow.
Step 2 – Interpret the Metrics
Receive (Incoming) Bitrate
This value shows how much data is being received from the cameras.
- If motion detection occurs in the camera, this is the same data volume that Bridge must push to the cloud.
- If motion detection is handled by the VMS, the data sent to the cloud will be lower. Either way, the Receive bitrate gives you a good indication of the worst-case scenario.
Send (Base) Bitrate
Represents the data currently being viewed (live or playback).
The more live channels or active operators you have, the higher this number will be.
If it’s difficult to distinguish the Send (Base) line, temporarily put Bridge in Pause mode to stop replication.
Send (Average) Bitrate
This is the average between the base and peak send rates — effectively, your average outgoing bitrate to the cloud.
In a steady-state situation (after the initial upload is complete), the outgoing bitrate should match the incoming bitrate if motion detection is done by the cameras (it will be lower if motion detection is done by the VMS).
Send (Peak) Bitrate
This value should approach or exceed your maximum internet upload speed — it represents the top rate at which Bridge can send data.
If it consistently stays below your maximum bandwidth, it may indicate:
- Limited camera data being recorded.
- Bridge’s upload throttling is enabled.
- Bridge’s thread count should be increased.
This number should never drop below the Receive (Incoming) bitrate. If it does, it means data is coming in faster than Bridge can send it out — a condition that requires immediate attention.
To request more information about Surveillance Bridge, contact us today.