CCTV/NVR Storage & Bandwidth Calculator

Estimate video surveillance storage requirements and network uplink load.

System Settings

Extra buffer for file system overhead
Multiplier for live remote viewing

Camera Streams

Stream Name / Area
Quality Preset (MP/Codec/FPS)
Bitrate (Mbps)
Camera Count
Active Duty (%)

Calculated Requirements

Usable Storage Need

0.00 TB
Net recording capacity

Raw Storage Required

0.00 TB
Including RAID & Overhead

Recommended Drives

0 Drives
0 x 16TB

Min. Uplink Bandwidth

For remote viewing

About the CCTV/NVR Storage & Bandwidth Calculator

A CCTV and NVR storage calculator helps security professionals and system integrators estimate daily data generation and bandwidth requirements. By configuring camera counts, resolution, frame rate, and compression, you can accurately provision hard drives and network uplinks, preventing costly system bottlenecks or insufficient retention times.

How it works

  1. Enter the total number of cameras, average resolution, and desired frames per second.
  2. Select the compression format (like H.264 or H.265) and activity level.
  3. Input your target retention period in days to see total terabytes required and recommended uplink bandwidth.

Frequently asked questions

How does H.265 compare to H.264 for CCTV storage?

H.265 (HEVC) offers up to 50% better data compression than H.264. This significantly reduces both required hard drive space and network bandwidth for high-resolution cameras.

Does camera motion or activity level impact storage?

Yes. Variable Bit Rate (VBR) recording means cameras capture more data during high motion. Estimating activity accurately is crucial for avoiding premature footage overwriting.

What RAID level is best for NVR storage?

RAID 5 or RAID 6 are commonly recommended for video surveillance. They offer a good balance of storage efficiency and fault tolerance against drive failure.

How do I calculate total system bandwidth?

Total bandwidth is the sum of the bitrates from all cameras streaming to the NVR. It is typically measured in Megabits per second (Mbps).

References