There is a Chinese sentence “Troops are kept a thousand days to be used on one day”, mean that we keep something for years just to use it at a critical moment. This is the situation similar to a CCTV system, sometimes we know we need it very much but that is usually after an incident has happened. Please maintain your CCTV system every few months, or else you will only know it is not functioning when the time you need it and that will be too late. CCTV system is more complex compared to other basic security systems, it consists of the Recorder, HDD and Camera. This is the reason why it needs a proper maintenance more than other security systems.
The maintenance work is easy, you just need to check on the Recorder to make sure the recording functioning well (mean the HDD working well) and a paint brush to clean dust inside the recorder. Do not wipe with a wet cloth, just clean the dust inside the recorder. Make sure airflow inside the recorder is good, bad ventilation is the main factor causing a recorder lifespan shorter. Besides that, if you are not afraid of height then gently wipe the camera lens with a dry microfiber cloth, clean it once a year. Especially camera inside a kitchen, blurry image affected by the cooking oil.