For 2 to 4 weeks of storage, depending on resolution, frame rates, and other factors, you should plan on about 1 TB per camera of storage which is about 33 to 50 GB per day again, depending on many factors. Normally the video is recorded and stored on your NVR (network video recorder). It’s about the size of a typical DVD player. The hard drive that the video is stored on is a special video surveillance drive that is manufactured with the tolerance to be written on 24/7. Cloud storage, which in this case should really be referred to as off-site storage. The video storage can be stored anywhere, from another location where you have a PC with enough storage to an official cloud service like for example Dropbox.
The real rub or challenge with cloud or off-site storage is the following.
- The amount of storage needed (4 cameras = 4 TB of storage)
- The internet bandwidth needed to stream very hi-definition video 24/7
- The bandwidth overhead on your local network as well
Except in exceptional circumstances, cloud or off-site storage is still impractical. Companies that offer such services, especially in the residential sector, usually only offer video clips and/or very poor-quality videos to keep the bandwidth down.
We would be happy to discuss this with your application and needs to help determine what storage type is right for you.
