Replacing an Eagle Eye Bridge: What Carries Over

First check that the bridge is really the problem. Our guide on an Eagle Eye camera or bridge that is offline covers what to look at. If you also cannot add devices in your own account, read why an Eagle Eye admin cannot add cameras or change retention.

First, is the bridge really dead?

Eagle Eye's Bridge Swap page starts from a bridge that is offline and disconnected. An offline bridge is not always a failed bridge. Eagle Eye's Local Troubleshooting page says offline bridge cases always need someone on site, and its first checks are whether the internet can be reached from the bridge's cable and whether network settings have changed.

So a router change, an internet provider change or a power problem can look like a dead bridge. Our guides on cameras offline after a router or ISP change and cameras offline after a power outage explain those cases. Have someone confirm the bridge has failed before anyone orders a replacement.

What carries over

When a swap is done the way Eagle Eye describes, these carry over:

• Cameras: all cameras attached to the original bridge transfer.
• Recordings: Eagle Eye says the recordings will be preserved.
• Settings: all settings transfer to the new bridge except Network settings.
• Name: the new bridge takes the name of the old one once the swap is complete.

What does not carry over

• Network settings. Eagle Eye says that if the cameras or the bridge are set up with fixed (static) network settings, someone should write down that configuration before the swap is confirmed. If you have an install document or network record from the original job, find it and have it ready.
• Recordings stored locally on a former CMVR. A CMVR is Eagle Eye's term for a unit that records to its own hard drive. Eagle Eye says those local recordings are lost if a Bridge Swap is performed. Cloud recordings are the ones that are preserved.
• The old power supply. Eagle Eye says to use the new bridge's own power supply, even when the model is the same, because power requirements can change and the old supply may be faulty.

What the swap needs

Eagle Eye lists these conditions:

• The original bridge must be offline and disconnected.
• The replacement bridge must be connected in place of the original one, with its new power supply.
• The replacement bridge must have network connectivity.
• The replacement bridge cannot be attached to another account. A spare from another site may not work for this reason.

Eagle Eye also says that if you do not see the option to add devices, you do not have permission to add devices to the account. An Admin on your account or your Reseller has to update your permissions, and Eagle Eye says it is not authorized to swap the device on your behalf.

On its permissions page, Eagle Eye adds that an admin may be unable to make changes that affect billing, including adding bridges and cameras, and should contact the Reseller.

Eagle Eye also has two versions of its dashboard, Classic and Enhanced, and the screens for a swap differ between them. That is another reason to let someone who works in your version do it.

Why this is not a do-it-yourself job

• The new unit has to be physically installed first. Eagle Eye's Enhanced guide says to make sure all cables return to their original positions. That is work for a technician.
• Eagle Eye describes the swap as three steps: add the new bridge to the account, click Replace, then click Confirm Replace. Read that as an outline so you can follow the conversation, not as steps for you to run.
• Delete in the wrong place and the cloud video is gone. Eagle Eye says that is unrecoverable.
• Eagle Eye says that after the swap, if any cameras remain offline, the camera switch may need a restart. Customers should not restart a switch, because it can power other devices.

What you can safely do now

All of this is look-only, from a phone or computer:

1. Write down the bridge's name in the dashboard and the names of the cameras on it.
2. Note when the bridge went offline and what changed around then, such as power work, a new router or a new internet provider.
3. Open recorded video for a day before the bridge went offline and confirm the footage is there. Eagle Eye does not say whether anything was recorded while the bridge was offline, so check that window before you tell anyone footage exists.
4. Find out who your Eagle Eye Reseller is. That is usually the company that bills you for Eagle Eye. Also find out who the account Admins are.
5. Find any record of your network setup for the cameras.
6. Leave the bridge, switch and cameras alone. Do not unplug, restart or reset anything, and do not delete anything in the dashboard.

Stop and call

Call us before anyone orders or installs a replacement if:

• The bridge is offline and nobody has confirmed why.
• You are not sure whether your cameras record to the cloud or to a CMVR.
• You do not see the option to add devices, or you do not know who your Admin or Reseller is.
• Someone suggests deleting and re-adding the cameras "to start clean."

If you see smoke, smell burning or find water near the equipment, keep away from it. For smoke, fire, a burning smell, water near powered equipment, or anyone in danger, leave and call 911 first.

If you would rather not guess

Call PAX at (855) 440-5353 or email info@paxsecurity.com. You can also reach us at https://paxsecurity.com/contact-us. Tell us which bridge and cameras are offline, when it started, what changed, and who your Eagle Eye Reseller is if you know. We will talk through your options with you, whether or not PAX installed your system. For more on how PAX works with the platform, see our Eagle Eye Networks page.

Sources

• Eagle Eye Networks support, Bridge Swap (Version 2.3): https://support.een.com/portal/en/kb/articles/bridge-swap
• Eagle Eye Networks support, Bridge and Camera Swaps In The Enhanced Interface: https://support.een.com/portal/en/kb/articles/bridge-and-camera-swaps-in-enhanced
• Eagle Eye Networks support, Eagle Eye User Permissions (Version 2.0, 2024-05-22): https://support.een.com/portal/en/kb/articles/eagle-eye-user-permissions
• Eagle Eye Networks support, Local Troubleshooting (Version 2.0, 2026-09-17): https://support.een.com/portal/en/kb/articles/local-troubleshooting
• Accessed 2026-11-04. Vendor pages change, so check the current page before you follow a step.