How-to: How do I install a Hard Drive in a Hikvision NVR?

Any setup with an NVR will need a hard drive to function as it is what all your footage is saved to. The WD Purple Drive is our go-to recommendation for the vast majority of IP setups as it designed with the high workload requirements of 24/7 surveillance solutions in mind. Please see the guide on picking the right HDD to better understand your storage needs and why we don’t recommend using HDD's that aren't optimised for use in a CCTV system.

Please see the five simple steps below for getting your hard drive installed into your NVR:

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Step 1:

Firstly, you’ll need to locate and remove the screws that secure the NVR’s casing to the base so that you can access the inside of it. Typically, you’ll find two of these screws on the back of the unit and, depending on the NVR model, more on the sides - Do not lose these screws!​

Step 2:

Once inside, your NVR will look something like this. The parts in here you’ll need to identify are the:​

1. Motherboard
2. HDD bays (these can range from one to twelve, depending on the NVR)
3. SATA interface connection ports (found on the motherboard, one per HDD bay)
4. SATA interface cables (normally a flat blue or red cable with narrower connections at either end. These come included with the NVR – one per HDD bay)
5. SATA power connection port (also on the motherboard)
6. SATA power cable (sometimes this is already connected to the SATA power port - A black, red and yellow cable with wider 15 pin and 4 pin connections at either end respectively)
7. Four screws (come included with the NVR) with corresponding holes (sometimes six holes to cater for different types of HDD)

Now look at your HDD – fewer things to identify here:​

1. SATA interface port (the narrower port on the edge)
2. SATA power port (the wider port, beside the interface port)
3. Four clear screw holes (for securing the HDD to the NVR's base)

Step 3:

Get your hard drive and NVR connected - You can screw the drive into its bay in NVR first if you wish, but it’s normally easier to wire everything up first. Plug one end of the SATA interface cable into the HDD and the other into the corresponding port on the motherboard, then do the same with the SATA power cable. If the power cable has come already connected to the motherboard, then just plug the other end into the HDD’s SATA power port.​

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Step 4:

You now just need to screw the HDD into the bottom of the NVR via the screw holes located in the HDD and corresponding holes in the HDD bay (insert the screws from underneath the NVR into the HDD inside – it can be a bit fiddly).​

Step 5:

Finally, screw the NVR’s casing back onto the base. Your HDD is now installed and ready to be formatted during the initial NVR setup, which is explained in Part 2.​