Security camera footage can be stored on a recorder, a camera memory card, a NAS or a supported cloud service. Choose by the recordings you need to keep, how long you need them and whether a second copy must survive theft or failure of the camera.
NVRs, DVRs and NAS devices can hold recordings. FTP, SFTP and RTSP move files or streams; they do not store footage on their own. A receiving device or service must save the data.
Ways to Store Security Camera Footage – At a Glance
- NVRs and DVRs: Recorders save supported camera feeds to drives. NVRs receive network video; DVRs digitize supported coaxial feeds. Compare capacity and compatibility rather than assuming one always costs more.
- Local Storage Options: Cameras may use MicroSD cards or embedded solutions like eMMC for direct storage, but not all cameras support this.
- NAS Systems: Surveillance software on a compatible NAS records supported cameras. Check licenses, camera compatibility, recording throughput and usable disk space.
- FTP/SFTP & Cloud: Methods to transfer footage either locally or to cloud servers, but cloud options can raise privacy and cost concerns.
- Storage Implications: As camera resolution increases (e.g., 4K), the demand for storage space grows. Considerations include the number of cameras, retention duration, and setup complexity.
Start with the recording method your camera supports, then check how you will retrieve and preserve an important clip. A live view alone does not prove footage is being saved.
1. NVR
NVRs (Network Video Recorders) are the most common and widely-used storage devices for modern IP-based security cameras. NVRs generally have Hard Drives installed providing terabytes of data storage for your footage. They are usually upgradable if you require more space.
Connected IP cameras normally encode video before transmitting it over an Ethernet network. Supported resolution, frame rate, codec and bitrate must fit both camera and recorder; Ethernet does not promise lossless footage or unlimited resolution. An NVR with compatible PoE ports can simplify wiring. Check camera protocols and recording bandwidth rather than assuming IP equipment is always more complex or more expensive.
2. DVR
Probably the oldest method of processing and storing camera footage was using a DVR. (Digital Video Recorder)
DVRs receive footage from each camera via Coaxial Cables. The transmitted footage is either via analog or digital signals. You can easily identify a DVR because it uses coaxial cables for the camera input instead of Ethernet RJ45 cables.
The DVR processes supported camera signals and saves the resulting video to its local drive. A network-connected DVR may provide app, browser or RTSP access if supported. Its Ethernet socket connects to a network through a router or switch; it is not a telephone-line connection.
Unlike NVRs, where the camera does a lot of the processing, DVRs are workhorses. They receive basic feeds from each camera and process them centrally.
Coaxial cable type, camera signal format, resolution and equipment determine the usable run length. Follow the matched camera and DVR specifications rather than treating 500 m as a universal limit. Reusing sound existing cabling can make a DVR installation practical.
Audio over coax and power over coax are available on some matched systems. Other cameras need separate audio and power connections. Check both ends for the same supported technology; an ordinary coax connection does not establish those features.
3. MicroSD/TF Card
One of the best local storage solutions for individual cameras that don’t rely on a CCTV network are Micro SD cards. (formerly known as TF cards)
However, all security cameras do not support Micro SD cards so you need to choose carefully if looking to rely on local storage.
Some cameras record to both an NVR and a microSD card. This can help during a network interruption, but a PoE camera still needs power to save locally. If the same cable loses both power and data, the card cannot keep recording without another supported supply.
Check the camera’s supported card capacity, speed class and filesystem, then choose a card designed for repeated recording writes. An endurance rating and compatible operating temperature matter alongside capacity; the largest card on sale may exceed the camera’s limit. A larger compatible card usually retains more footage at the same settings, but does not repair a failing card. Check the overwrite setting and older-clip playback.
For continuous recording, calculate capacity from bitrate and required days rather than resolution alone. A 128 GB card can be useful when supported, but there is no universal minimum that suits every camera or retention target.
For example, a stream averaging 4 Mb/s uses about 43.2 GB per day: 4 ÷ 8 × 86,400 ÷ 1,000. A nominal 128 GB card therefore holds just under three days before overhead and reserved space. At 20 MB per minute, 100 GB holds about 3.5 days. Event-only recording can retain clips for longer, but busy scenes and long pre/post-event intervals use more space. Test a representative day before estimating retention.
4. NAS
NAS stands for Network Attached Storage. Surveillance software on a compatible NAS saves camera feeds to its configured drives. It may obtain video through a supported integration, ONVIF or RTSP. RTSP supplies a stream; it does not retain recordings by itself. Check the exact camera and software compatibility list.
In a sense, this is somewhat similar to an NVR, but a NAS system offers better ways to access your data and the entire system is customizable. In terms of storage, you are not limited to a single hard drive, you can add more drives, perform RAID configurations, (for added redundancy) set up separate backup methods, and provide access to a variety of devices, be it your computer or smartphone. On top of that, you can also set it up so that files can be accessed remotely.
Check the NAS model’s supported camera count, codecs, recording throughput and license rules, plus the drive compatibility list. RAID can maintain availability after some drive failures, but it is not an independent backup against deletion, theft or damage to the whole NAS.
5. FTP/SFTP
FTP and SFTP transfer files to a server. SFTP uses an encrypted SSH-based connection; it is a different protocol from FTP and FTPS. Your camera must explicitly support the selected method, and the receiving server needs storage, access controls and retention settings.
A compatible camera or recorder can upload clips directly to a configured server; a separate NVR is not always needed. Check whether the upload includes video or snapshots, continuous segments or events, and how failed transfers are handled. Off-site uploads need enough upstream bandwidth. A reduced-bitrate secondary stream can save bandwidth at the cost of detail, but lower quality is not inherent to FTP or SFTP. Both protocols can run over wired or wireless networks; test transfer completion and playback after an outage.
6. Cloud
A lot of newer security camera brands have their own cloud storage offering. That way, for a set fee, you can access and maintain footage on their particular cloud platform.
This is ideal for the householder who just wants to quickly set up a camera and not worry about the ins and outs of how it is stored.
However, there are a number of concerns with this approach. From a privacy perspective, there have been cases where some customers have been able to access other customers’ camera feeds. Some brands have started dramatically increasing the cost of cloud storage, and limiting camera features without signing up.
Some recording systems support backup to a separate cloud destination. Check the exact integration, export format, encryption, upload bandwidth and recovery procedure. A separate account can reduce dependence on one camera platform, but it adds setup and ongoing management.
7. USB Flash Drive
Although recording footage on USB flash drives isn’t very common in security cameras, some cameras, such as Arlo, provide this option in their wireless base station.
In terms of functionality, both USB and Micro SD happen to have the same non-volatile flash memory storage capabilities. Their major differences are the form factors and the patterns of data reading/writing activity.
USB storage is useful when the camera hub or recorder explicitly supports it. Check capacity, filesystem, endurance and sustained recording requirements. A USB socket intended only for exporting clips does not mean the device can record continuously to a USB drive.
Arlo supports local USB recording on compatible SmartHubs and base stations, while its VMB5000 uses microSD instead. Check the exact hub and camera combination, which event types are saved and how you can retrieve them. USB size alone is not a reason to reject an otherwise supported storage method.
8. eMMC
Similar to USB Drives, eMMC is not that common as a means of storage. Some brands, such as Eufy have the storage devices integrated into their cameras as a means of local storage.
eMMC stands for Embedded MultiMediaCard. They are another form of non-volatile flash memory just like a USB flash drive or Micro SD card. However, these storage devices have a very tiny form factor and hence, are used inside some security cameras, smartphones, and other compact devices.
eMMC is normally soldered into the device and is not user-swappable like a microSD card. Capacity and performance depend on the implementation; it does not have a universal speed position between a hard drive and an SSD.
Built-in flash may hold the camera’s main event recordings, not just a temporary upload buffer. Check the exact device’s usable capacity, overwrite behavior and recovery options. If the camera is stolen, recordings held only inside it may be lost with it.
For several continuously recording cameras, we favor a suitably sized NVR or NAS. Built-in flash can still suit a small event-recording installation. The deciding factors are retention, access and recoverability rather than the memory package alone.
Work Out Retention and Test Recovery
For continuous recording, daily decimal GB is approximately total average bitrate in Mb/s × 10.8. Four cameras at 4 Mb/s each use about 172.8 GB per day before overhead. Variable bitrate, audio, multiple saved streams and filesystem space affect the result, so compare the estimate with actual disk use.
Set the recording schedule and decide whether full storage should overwrite the oldest clips or stop recording. Save a test event, find it in playback and export a copy that opens on another device. Repeat for each storage destination; a second configured destination is only useful when its files can be recovered.
Keep important incident clips outside the normal overwrite cycle. A second drive in the same recorder or a RAID mirror can still be lost with the recorder. Use a separate location where surviving theft or damage is part of your requirement.
Conclusion
Storage is not the first thing one would consider when selecting a security camera. However, 4K footage with a high frame rate can take up a very large amount of space that needs to be designed for.
Storage solutions, whether local or cloud-based, can be expensive and require a lot of work to set up so you should always consider your priorities. It is best to optimize your storage based on the number of cameras installed and how long you intend to keep the footage. Let’s face it: you can’t keep all your camera footage with you forever!
Sources
https://www.kingston.com/en/blog/personal-storage/choosing-the-right-card-for-your-security-camera
https://www.enterprisestorageforum.com/hardware/emmc-storage