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FREE PLANNING TOOL

CCTV storage estimator

Estimate recording capacity using bitrate and retention assumptions.

Use the average recorded bitrate, not camera resolution alone. Variable bitrate, busy scenes and camera settings can change storage use substantially.

Planning estimates only. Defaults are illustrative assumptions, not supplier quotes. Edit them for your business. Monetary inputs are AUD excluding GST unless a field says otherwise.

Your plan

Review the inputs, then choose calculate.

Nothing is sent to BoxFreeIT by this tool. Saving is optional and uses this browser profile only. Other people using the same browser profile can see saved answers. Avoid recording passwords, account recovery codes, access codes or camera credentials. Delete saved inputs when finished on a shared device.

Method, assumptions and limitations

Video TB = cameras × Mbps × 1,000,000 ÷ 8 × scheduled hours × 3,600 × days × recorded fraction ÷ 1,000,000,000,000. Installed decimal TB = video TB × (1 + headroom/100) ÷ usable fraction. 1 TB is 1,000,000,000,000 bytes; operating systems may show the equivalent in TiB.

The recorded fraction defaults to 100%, meaning no motion saving is assumed. Enter a lower percentage only as an explicit, measured scenario. Pre-event/post-event recording and repeated movement can erase expected savings. Allow for audio, metadata, formatting, NVR reservations and RAID overhead in the usable fraction. Headroom is additional. Confirm disk compatibility, recorder bay limits and actual bitrate after commissioning.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP

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Understand the decision

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