CCTV Storage Calculator

Storage uses decimal TB: one TB is 1,000,000,000,000 bytes. One kbps is 1,000 bits per second. Storage equals the total bitrate multiplied by recording time, divided by eight to convert bits to bytes. Drive suggestions add 10% before rounding up to an available surveillance drive size. With several drives or RAID, the 10% is added to the usable space: drives without RAID add together, RAID 1 mirrors two drives, RAID 5 uses one drive’s space for protection, RAID 6 two drives’ and RAID 10 half the drives.

Motion Low, Medium and High assume recording for 10%, 30% and 70% of the selected hours. Include event buffers when judging activity. Lower and Higher quality are planning scenarios, not equivalent quality ratings across brands. Analogue frame rates follow example recorders’ PAL limits: Dahua XVR7104H-4K-I3, Hikvision iDS-7208HTHI-M2/XT and Hanwha HRX-1635. General analogue figures allow up to 25 fps at 2MP and 4MP, 15 fps at 5MP and 12 fps at 8MP. Dahua’s 2MP and 4MP H.265 Standard figures keep its published recorder targets (2,048 and 4,096 kbps) at lower frame rates; Lower and Higher use separate IP-based estimates and may not increase in order.

Ajax Basic results are back-solved as decimal-display-equivalent storage rates, not measured network bitrates. We assign them to Standard quality at 25 fps because Ajax does not expose those settings. Its 4MP figures are interpolated; other frame rates and quality levels are derived estimates. Avigilon H6A and Pelco Sarix Enhanced 4 figures come from Motorola Solutions’ System Design Tool and were identical at every tested setting. They assume low detail and low motion; busier scenes need more space. Standard uses the tool’s default image quality (6), Lower uses 20 and Higher uses 3, with smart compression at Medium strength and no extra saving assumed for quiet periods. 25 fps is read at the UK 50 Hz setting; 30, 15, 12 and 6 fps are read at 60 Hz and adjusted using each camera’s measured difference. 5MP uses the 6MP model set to 5.8MP (3200×1800). The native 5MP Avigilon H6M was within about 3%, but Pelco’s Sarix Pro 4 and Sarix Enhanced 3 5MP models need roughly 25% or more extra space.

Other Brand and Pelco analogue figures are the median of the plain H.264 or H.265 figures above at the same resolution, frame rate and quality, rounded to the nearest kbps. Avigilon and Pelco IP figures are identical, so they count once. Where a recorder cannot record a frame rate, only the recorders that can are used. These use plain H.264 or H.265, so a smart codec may need less space; choose your brand or use “Advanced: RAID and bitrate options” for a closer figure.

Hanwha IP figures use Hanwha Vision DesignPro for current Wisenet X AI IR domes: XND-A6084RV (2MP), XND-C7083RV (4MP), XND-A8084RV (5MP) and XND-A9084RV (8MP). Standard uses Retail, Lower uses Emergency exit and Higher uses Shopping mall. WiseStream options use Mid strength and plain H.264 and H.265 have WiseStream off, with the default day/night lighting schedule at UK 50 Hz. 30 fps is estimated from 15 and 25 fps because these cameras cap at 25 fps at 50 Hz. DesignPro binary Mbps are converted to decimal by multiplying by 1.048576.

Avigilon and Pelco IP figures include the secondary stream that Motorola’s tool records by default. Hanwha IP figures include DesignPro’s default sub stream (640×480 at 7 fps, always recorded). Dahua, Hikvision and Ajax cover one video stream per camera. Hanwha analogue remains a recorder estimate based on earlier general IP figures. Use the bitrate override to include audio and extra recorded streams. Average measured bitrate is more useful for storage than a VBR maximum. Check drive compatibility with your recorder. The total camera bitrate includes analogue and IP cameras; only IP camera feeds use the network. Network figures exclude protocol overhead; recording schedules do not necessarily reduce live traffic.