What this tool does
Check how much network capacity your cameras need for recording and remote viewing. Use it when planning a network or checking whether your internet upload speed is enough to watch cameras away from home.
How to use it
- Enter the camera count and recording bitrate in Mbps: the video data sent each second.
- Add how many cameras and people will use remote viewing at once. Use the remote viewing bitrate, which may be lower than the recording bitrate.
- Enter your internet upload speed. The overhead allowance adds room for network data beyond video; target utilization sets how much of the connection you are willing to use.
Reading your result
Local traffic travels between cameras and your recorder. Remote traffic uses internet upload. The target capacities include the allowances you entered, so you have room beyond the video itself.
Example: two 1 Mbps remote camera feeds for one viewer need an upload target of about 3.29 Mbps with 15% overhead and 70% target utilization.
Keep in mind
Local recording does not automatically use internet upload. This estimate assumes each remote viewer receives a separate copy of each selected camera feed.
Cloud recording and other internet use are excluded. Enough capacity on paper does not guarantee reliable Wi-Fi or fix a slow connection elsewhere in the system.
Use Download results or Print to keep your inputs and estimate. The tool uses the values you enter; it does not read your equipment’s settings.