Choosing CCTV Storage

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Storage is a necessary component of CCTV systems and often overlooked. The whole point of a CCTV system is to be able to record and retrieve evidence when you need it.

Factors that affect storage

Quantity

How many & how long are the videos?

Quality

What resolution are the videos?

Duration

How long will the video be stored for?

Types of CCTV video storage solutions

Surveillance HDD

Hard Disk Drives specialized for surveillance systems

Memory Cards

Memory Cards that are designed for surveillance cameras CCTV storage

Cloud Storage

Virtual storage on the cloud for CCTV videos

Quantity: How many & how long are the videos?

Continuous Recording

Continuous recording generates more volume of data than motion activated recording

More Cameras

More cameras, mean more videos and thus more storage need

More Storage

How long will the video be stored for?

Quality: How much video content?

HD videos take up more disk storage space than lower quality videos

Higher FPS vidoes take more space

Higher Resolution / Higher FPS / Higher Storage

Duration: How long do you need to store your video before you can delete it and free up space for new videos?

At Home
1 Month

30 days is common for ordinary home surveillance storage

Away from Home
2 Months

When on vacation, or monitoring a property where you don’t live, you may need 2 months or more of storage

Shop or Small Business
1 Month

Supermarkets may store a month of surveillance storage, but longer periods can help design strategies for growth

ATM or High Risk Business
3 Months

ATMs may need 3 months or longer storage to help with legal compliance and due diligence

Before buying, check if the NVR/DVR comes with enough Inbuilt storage and/or has the provision for accommodating additional external HDDs.

Types of CCTV video storage solutions

5-Storage

Surveillance HDD

Heavy Duty 24x7 Video Recording Systems

  • CCTV systems can benefit from surveillance grade HDDs, designed to take on continuous heavy workloads
  • Consumer grade HDDs are not typically designed to be 'writing' data all the time and are not usually tested in surveillance environments
For surveillance HDDs, Click here
memory

Memory Cards

Some cameras come with an inbuilt card slot for video storage and can be great for back-up in conditions like power or network outage, or for cameras situated in a remote location

Power Cut

Memory cards can provide back-up options in case of power cuts

Internet Outage

Ensure videos can be recorded & stored even during internet downtimeFor microSD cards, Click here

For microSD cards, Click here

Cloud Storage

  • For accessing your surveillance footage from anywhere, Cloud storage is a perfect solution
  • Cloud storage is useful for large establishments with high storage and analytics requirements
  • Many CCTV system providers offer cloud storage at flexible, use-based subscription fees
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