Calculators tool
Security Camera System Calculator
Size storage and bandwidth for a security camera deployment.
Results — 8 cameras, 30-day retention
Estimate only. Assumes H.264 compression at typical surveillance bitrates (3.0 Mbps/camera at 15 fps for this resolution); storage and bandwidth are derived from the same bitrate. H.265/HEVC reduces storage ~40%. Add 20–30% headroom for the NVR OS and redundancy. Actual bitrates vary widely with scene motion, lighting, and camera VBR settings.
Frequently asked questions
How much storage does a 16-camera 1080p system need for 30 days?
A 16-camera system recording continuously at 1080p and 15 fps using H.264 compression requires approximately 26 TB for 30 days of retention. Switching to H.265/HEVC reduces that to roughly 16 TB. Motion-triggered recording — if activity averages 6 hours per day — drops the requirement to approximately 6–7 TB. Always add 20–30% overhead for the NVR operating system and redundancy.
What bandwidth does a security camera system consume on the network?
Each 1080p camera at 15 fps consumes approximately 1.2 Mbps of bandwidth for live viewing. A 16-camera system therefore requires around 19 Mbps of sustained LAN bandwidth. Cameras typically write directly to an NVR or NAS on your local network, so this traffic does not usually cross your internet connection unless you are using cloud recording or remote live view.
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