Do Cameras Stay Powered On When an Alarm System is Disarmed?

Yes, cameras stay powered on when an alarm system is disarmed. Security cameras are not associated with alarm systems. They are associated with interactive monitoring platforms like Total Connect 2.0 and Alarm.com. They remain powered on and record as scheduled when the system is disarmed.

If you disarm your security system, then your cameras will remain powered on and continue to record as scheduled. The only exception is on Total Connect 2.0 if the "Privacy While Disarmed" option is enabled for a camera. If you have that option enabled, then that TC2 IP Camera will be disabled and will not capture clips if it detects movement while the system is disarmed. It's worth noting that the camera will still be powered on in this scenario. The only difference is that the device is not going to record any clips if it detects movement. The camera will remain disabled until a valid arming command is forwarded to TC2. Alarm.com Cameras do not have such a feature.

For the most part, security cameras are independent from security systems. Arming or disarming your security system will not affect your cameras. However, you might set up a Notification that tells your camera(s) to capture clips when certain actions occur on your system. For example, you might have a camera set to record a clip whenever an intrusion or fire alarm occurs. These type of Notifications or system camera triggers would need to be set up on an individual basis.

It's also worth mentioning that a security camera will generally remain powered even if the system is powered down. The camera would continue to record clips as scheduled during this time. This is true as long as the camera does not lose electrical power. If an electrical outage occurs, then the camera would need to have a backup power supply in place to remain powered on. There would also need to be a backup power supply for the IP router, as an internet outage would leave the camera otherwise unable to upload clips. If you are using an Alarm.com Camera with a Streaming Video Recorder (SVR), then clips can be stored locally and later uploaded to Alarm.com once the internet is restored.