Nvr Storage Calculator

NVR Storage Calculator

Estimate the storage capacity needed for your Network Video Recorder (NVR) system based on your camera setup, resolution, compression, and recording preferences.

1080p (2MP) 4MP 5MP 4K (8MP) 12MP

H.264 H.265 H.265+

Continuous Motion-Triggered

function toggleMotionPercentage() { var recordingType = document.getElementById("recordingType").value; var motionPercentageGroup = document.getElementById("motionPercentageGroup"); if (recordingType === "motion") { motionPercentageGroup.style.display = "block"; } else { motionPercentageGroup.style.display = "none"; } } function calculateNVRStorage() { var numCameras = parseFloat(document.getElementById("numCameras").value); var cameraResolution = document.getElementById("cameraResolution").value; var compressionStandard = document.getElementById("compressionStandard").value; var framesPerSecond = parseFloat(document.getElementById("framesPerSecond").value); var recordingDays = parseFloat(document.getElementById("recordingDays").value); var recordingType = document.getElementById("recordingType").value; var motionPercentage = parseFloat(document.getElementById("motionPercentage").value); // Validate inputs if (isNaN(numCameras) || numCameras <= 0 || isNaN(framesPerSecond) || framesPerSecond 30 || isNaN(recordingDays) || recordingDays <= 0) { document.getElementById("result").innerHTML = "Please enter valid positive numbers for all fields."; return; } if (recordingType === "motion" && (isNaN(motionPercentage) || motionPercentage 100)) { document.getElementById("result").innerHTML = "Motion recording percentage must be between 0 and 100."; return; } // Base bitrate in Mbps for 25 FPS (approximate averages) var baseBitrateMbps = 0; switch (cameraResolution) { case "1080p": // 2MP baseBitrateMbps = 4; break; case "4MP": baseBitrateMbps = 6; break; case "5MP": baseBitrateMbps = 8; break; case "4K": // 8MP baseBitrateMbps = 12; break; case "12MP": baseBitrateMbps = 18; break; default: baseBitrateMbps = 4; // Default to 1080p } // Compression factor var compressionFactor = 1.0; // H.264 switch (compressionStandard) { case "H265": compressionFactor = 0.6; // ~40% reduction break; case "H265+": compressionFactor = 0.4; // ~60% reduction break; } // Adjust bitrate for FPS (assuming base bitrate is for 25 FPS) var adjustedBitrateMbps = baseBitrateMbps * compressionFactor * (framesPerSecond / 25); // Convert Mbps to MB/s (1 Byte = 8 bits) var bitrateMBps = adjustedBitrateMbps / 8; // Calculate storage per camera per day in MB var storagePerCameraMB_day = bitrateMBps * 60 * 60 * 24; // MB/s * seconds/min * min/hour * hours/day // Apply motion recording percentage if applicable if (recordingType === "motion") { storagePerCameraMB_day *= (motionPercentage / 100); } // Total storage required in MB var totalStorageMB = storagePerCameraMB_day * numCameras * recordingDays; // Convert to GB and TB var totalStorageGB = totalStorageMB / 1024; var totalStorageTB = totalStorageGB / 1024; var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result"); resultDiv.innerHTML = "

Estimated Storage Required:

"; resultDiv.innerHTML += "" + totalStorageTB.toFixed(2) + " TB"; resultDiv.innerHTML += "(" + totalStorageGB.toFixed(2) + " GB)"; } // Initial calculation on page load window.onload = function() { toggleMotionPercentage(); calculateNVRStorage(); }; .calculator-container { font-family: 'Segoe UI', Tahoma, Geneva, Verdana, sans-serif; background-color: #f9f9f9; padding: 25px; border-radius: 10px; box-shadow: 0 4px 12px rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.1); max-width: 600px; margin: 30px auto; border: 1px solid #e0e0e0; } .calculator-container h2 { text-align: center; color: #333; margin-bottom: 20px; font-size: 28px; } .calculator-container p { color: #555; text-align: center; margin-bottom: 25px; line-height: 1.6; } .calc-input-group { margin-bottom: 18px; display: flex; flex-direction: column; } .calc-input-group label { margin-bottom: 8px; color: #333; font-weight: bold; font-size: 15px; } .calc-input-group input[type="number"], .calc-input-group select { padding: 12px; border: 1px solid #ccc; border-radius: 6px; font-size: 16px; width: 100%; box-sizing: border-box; transition: border-color 0.3s ease; } .calc-input-group input[type="number"]:focus, .calc-input-group select:focus { border-color: #007bff; outline: none; box-shadow: 0 0 0 3px rgba(0, 123, 255, 0.25); } .calculator-container button { background-color: #007bff; color: white; padding: 14px 25px; border: none; border-radius: 6px; cursor: pointer; font-size: 18px; font-weight: bold; display: block; width: 100%; margin-top: 25px; transition: background-color 0.3s ease, transform 0.2s ease; } .calculator-container button:hover { background-color: #0056b3; transform: translateY(-2px); } .calc-result { margin-top: 30px; padding: 20px; background-color: #e9f7ff; border: 1px solid #cce5ff; border-radius: 8px; text-align: center; font-size: 18px; color: #0056b3; } .calc-result h3 { color: #007bff; margin-top: 0; margin-bottom: 10px; font-size: 22px; } .calc-result p { font-size: 24px; font-weight: bold; color: #333; margin: 5px 0; } .calc-result p.error { color: #dc3545; font-weight: normal; font-size: 16px; }

Understanding NVR Storage Requirements

When setting up a surveillance system, one of the most critical considerations is how much storage you'll need for your Network Video Recorder (NVR). Insufficient storage can lead to losing valuable footage, while excessive storage can be an unnecessary expense. This NVR storage calculator helps you estimate the ideal hard drive capacity for your specific setup.

Key Factors Influencing NVR Storage

Several variables directly impact the amount of storage your NVR system will consume. Understanding these factors is crucial for accurate planning:

1. Number of Cameras: This is straightforward – more cameras mean more data. Each camera records its own stream, so the total storage scales directly with the number of devices.
2. Resolution per Camera: Higher resolution cameras (e.g., 4K/8MP, 5MP) capture more detail, but they also generate significantly larger video files compared to lower resolution cameras (e.g., 1080p).
3. Compression Standard:
   • H.264: A widely used and older compression standard. It offers good quality but requires more storage space.
   • H.265 (HEVC – High Efficiency Video Coding): A newer standard that offers significantly better compression efficiency than H.264, typically reducing file sizes by 30-50% while maintaining similar video quality.
   • H.265+: An enhanced version of H.265, often proprietary to specific manufacturers (like Hikvision's H.265+ or Dahua's Smart H.265). It further optimizes compression, especially for scenes with less motion, leading to even greater storage savings.
4. Frames Per Second (FPS): This refers to how many individual images (frames) are recorded per second. Higher FPS (e.g., 30 FPS) results in smoother video playback but consumes more storage. Lower FPS (e.g., 15 FPS) can save space but might make fast-moving events appear less fluid.
5. Desired Recording Days: This is the length of time you want to retain your recorded footage. Legal requirements or personal preferences often dictate this. Common retention periods range from 7 to 90 days.
6. Recording Type:
   • Continuous Recording: The NVR records 24/7, regardless of activity. This provides the most comprehensive coverage but uses the most storage.
   • Motion-Triggered Recording: The NVR only records when motion is detected. This can drastically reduce storage consumption, but you risk missing events if motion detection isn't perfectly configured.
7. Motion Recording Percentage: If you opt for motion-triggered recording, this percentage estimates how much of the day motion is actually detected and recorded. A typical estimate for an active area might be 20-30%, while a quiet area could be 5-10%.

How the Calculator Works

Our NVR storage calculator uses industry-standard approximations for video bitrates based on resolution and compression. It then factors in your chosen FPS, the number of cameras, and your desired recording duration to provide an estimated total storage requirement in Terabytes (TB) and Gigabytes (GB).

The calculation generally follows these steps:

1. Estimate Base Bitrate: A baseline data rate (in Megabits per second – Mbps) is assigned based on the camera's resolution (e.g., 4 Mbps for 1080p, 12 Mbps for 4K).
2. Apply Compression Factor: This base bitrate is then adjusted based on the chosen compression standard (H.264, H.265, H.265+), with H.265 and H.265+ significantly reducing the effective bitrate.
3. Adjust for FPS: The bitrate is further adjusted proportionally to your selected Frames Per Second, assuming a standard baseline (e.g., 25 FPS).
4. Calculate Daily Storage per Camera: The adjusted bitrate is converted from Mbps to Megabytes per second (MBps) and then multiplied by the number of seconds in a day to get the daily storage for one camera.
5. Factor in Motion Recording: If motion-triggered recording is selected, the daily storage is reduced by the specified motion percentage.
6. Total Storage: Finally, the daily storage per camera is multiplied by the total number of cameras and the desired recording days to arrive at the total estimated storage in MB, which is then converted to GB and TB.

Example Scenario:

Let's say you have:

• 4 Cameras
• 5MP Resolution
• H.265 Compression
• 15 FPS
• 30 Days of Recording
• Motion-Triggered Recording at 20% activity

Using the calculator with these inputs, you might find that you need approximately 4-6 TB of storage. This helps you choose the right size hard drives for your NVR, ensuring you have enough space without overspending.

Tips for Optimizing Storage:

• Choose H.265 or H.265+: If your cameras and NVR support it, always opt for H.265 or H.265+ for significant storage savings.
• Lower FPS for Less Critical Areas: For areas with less activity, consider reducing the FPS to 10-15 instead of 25-30.
• Utilize Motion Detection: For most applications, motion-triggered recording is sufficient and dramatically reduces storage needs. Combine it with pre-recording and post-recording buffers to capture events fully.
• Consider Dual Stream: Many NVRs record a high-resolution main stream and a lower-resolution sub-stream. The sub-stream is used for live viewing, saving bandwidth, while the main stream is for recording.
• Regularly Review Footage: If possible, periodically review and archive important footage, then delete older, non-critical recordings to free up space.

By carefully configuring your NVR settings and using this calculator, you can ensure your surveillance system operates efficiently and effectively, providing the recording history you need.