CCTV Storage Calculator
Enter cameras, resolution, codec and retention days; get total TB, per-camera bitrate and a drive/RAID layout for the NVR.
Camera system
Recording
Banks and most organisations keep 30–90 days.
RAID 5 suits 3–6 drives; RAID 6 is recommended for 8 or more.
Results
Usable storage required
14TB
Bitrate per camera
2.4Mbps
Data per camera per day
26.5GB
Total NVR incoming bandwidth
39Mbps
Suggested HDD configuration
4 × 6 TBRAID 5
24 TB raw → 17.1 TB usable · RAID overhead 25%
Needs an NVR / storage with at least 4 drive bays
Alternatives
How we calculate
1. Reference main-stream bitrate at 25 fps, medium scene complexity:
| Codec | 2 MP | 4 MP | 5 MP | 8 MP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H.264 | 4 Mbps | 6 Mbps | 7 Mbps | 10 Mbps |
| H.265 | 2 Mbps | 3.5 Mbps | 4 Mbps | 6 Mbps |
| H.265+ | 1.2 Mbps | 2 Mbps | 2.4 Mbps | 3.5 Mbps |
2. Bitrate = reference × (0.25 + 0.75 × fps/25) × scene factor (low 0.7 / medium 1.0 / high 1.5). Bitrate does not scale linearly with fps because I-frames are a fixed cost.
3. GB/day = Mbps × 3600 × recording hours ÷ 8 ÷ 1000. Motion mode: hours = 24 × motion %.
4. TB = GB/day × cameras × days × 1.10 ÷ 1000 (+10% for index, metadata and margin).
5. Drives: usable = data drives × size × 0.95. RAID 5 loses one drive, RAID 6 two, RAID 1/10 half. We pick the smallest drive size that fits a 4/8/16/24-bay NVR.
These results are estimates to help with planning and budgeting. Our engineers will verify everything on site before final design and equipment proposal.
The same rules of thumb our engineers use for a first design. Good enough for budgeting; the final numbers come from a site survey.
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Open calculatorSend us a floor plan or a few photos of the site
We’ll come back with a few questions, then a first design. The first consultation is free, in Lao, Thai or English, on WhatsApp or our Facebook page.