CCTV Storage Calculator: Estimate Security Camera Storage Needs

Surveillance Storage Calculator

📹 Surveillance Storage Calculator

Quick Presets

Camera Configuration

Recording Settings

Storage Requirements

Total Storage Required
0 GB
Per Camera Per Day
0 GB
Bandwidth per Camera
0 Mbps
Total Bandwidth
0 Mbps

Hard Drive Recommendations

💡 Storage Optimization Tips

  • Use H.265+ codec for up to 50% storage savings
  • Motion detection can reduce storage by 70-90%
  • Consider lower FPS for less critical areas
  • Regular maintenance ensures optimal performance

This CCTV storage space calculator will help you know how much storage space you require, depending on your inputs. You are asked to give this tool the total cameras, resolution, FPS, compression, recording hours per day, movement, etc.

If you don’t know these inputs, you can ask your CCTV supplier or dealer. However, you can estimate your requirements with the things that you know like the number of cameras, movement type, or the resolution.

I hope it will help you know the total storage needs for any type of CCTV installation. However, we also have a simple video storage space calculator.

CCTV Storage Calculator Formula (Simple)

Here is a simple formula to calculate the CCTV storage requirement. Please note that the tool uses a different formula but this one is a simple formula that everybody can use.

Total Storage (GB) = Number of Cameras × GB per Hour × Hours Recorded per Day × Retention Days


What do the formula inputs mean?

1. Number of Cameras

2. GB per hour

Camera ResolutionContinuous RecordingMotion-Activated*
1080p (2MP)0.25 GB/hour0.1 GB/hour
4MP0.5 GB/hour0.2 GB/hour
4K (8MP)1.0 GB/hour0.4 GB/hour

3. Calculate Daily Storage per Camera:

GB per Hour × Hours Recorded per Day

4. Total Storage Needed (Retention Days):

Daily Storage per Camera × Number of Cameras × Retention Days


Example Calculations

Scenario 1:

  • 4 x 1080p cameras
  • 24/7 recording (continuous)
  • 30-day retention

Total Storage = 4 cameras × 0.25 GB/hour × 24 hours × 30 days = **720 GB**


Scenario 2:

  • 8 x 4K cameras
  • Motion-activated (12 hours/day average)
  • 14-day retention

Total Storage = 8 cameras × 0.4 GB/hour × 12 hours × 14 days = **537.6 GB**