You can run the zmc capture daemon from the command line as 'zmc -device ' (or whatever your video device is). Begin with a single monitor and single zone. If you get some and you're sure they're not a problem then switch off ZM_STRICT_VIDEO_CONFIG in or the ‘options’ tab. Also check the system logs (usually /var/log/messages) for any video configuration errors. If you can't get them to work with that then the likelihood is they won't work with ZoneMinder. Use xawtv or something like that to check for settings that work and then run zmu -d -q -v to get the settings. If you can't get your cameras to work in ZoneMinder, firstly make sure that you have the correct settings.

There should be something in one of those that gives you some kind of tip off. In general though, the best places to look for errors are in the system error log (normally /var/log/messages on RedHat), the ZoneMinder logs, and the web server log (/var/log/httpd/error_log unless otherwise defined). See the Logging section above for details about where the logs are and how to enable and control debug output, if required. The first thing you need to do is check the ZoneMinder logs to see if you can find out what is and what isn’t working. Please ensure that you read the posting guidelines and go through the steps listed below before posting or mailing though. If not then feel free to get in touch and I'll see if I can suggest something else. If these don't work then check the ZoneMinder FAQ at and then the forums at first and see if anyone has had the same problem in the past.

If you are having problems with ZoneMinder here are some things to try.

2 Missing/No video or monitor shows RED in ZM Console.

Zoneminder not capturing