Help
How CVR is set up, and what to expect from it.
Full documentation
Step-by-step guides live in the WebDisk help centre: connecting a UniFi Protect recorder over the tunnel, other recorders over SFTP, FTPS or FTP, working with the archive, and how we calculate retention.
Open the help centreDo I need a WebDisk Files account?
Yes. CVR does not sell capacity: the footage goes into a bucket in your own Files storage. You buy CVR and the storage separately, and the panel points you to Files if your account has none yet.
What happens if I buy CVR without storage?
The service is active and the panel works, but there is nothing to write into until you buy space in Files and point CVR at a bucket. Buying CVR is a separate decision and is not refunded on that basis.
Which recorders are supported?
Anything that can push files out over SFTP, FTPS or FTP — most NVRs on the market can, Dahua and Hikvision included. We recommend SFTP; if the device lacks it, FTPS; plain FTP (unencrypted) only when it can do neither. What reaches the archive is up to the recorder: many models upload only event clips (motion, alarm) over FTP, and some only still frames, which we archive as snapshots. UniFi Protect and a NAS replicating recordings to S3 give you the full archive without gaps between events. Before buying, check in the recorder's menu whether it can upload continuously over FTP.
Can I watch the footage in the browser?
Where the format allows it. H.264 in MP4 plays directly. HEVC depends on your browser. Raw .h264/.h265 streams, which some recorders send, and proprietary containers such as Dahua .dav cannot be played by any browser — they stay available as a download and play in, for example, VLC.
Does playback start right away?
Usually within a few seconds. The player reads the file directly from your storage through a short-lived signed link — the footage is not copied anywhere. It is an archive for the day you need to find something, not a video service you keep open all day.
What happens to my recordings if I cancel CVR?
Nothing. The bucket belongs to your Files account, so the material stays where it is — CVR simply stops writing to it.
Documents
Still stuck?
Write to support@webdisk.io. Tell us the recorder make and model — it usually decides the answer.