No. Initially, there might be a feature that you can set to continuously record, otherwise, the camera can be set to motion detection. Check the features to see what your options are, but the camera most likely will not be recording on its own. Another thing to consider is that some cameras have a built-in DVR and some do not. You might have to connect your camera to another device such as a computer to get the data. DVR capabilities or ports will be listed in the specs.