Security camera footage is majorly used for viewing the security clips in future to prevent disputes and issues between two parties. But, these footage has a time limit after which you have to storage them to any external storage unit. Let’s explore how long does the average security camera store footage last and how can you select the best model?
How Long Does The Average Security Camera Store Footage?
When you are installing the security camera on your premises. There are many things which you need to consider. You need to think about the following: the number of security cameras, resolution of the camera and storage capacity, and intent of recording the video.
The security camera stores the information on the memory storage. And when it gets filled, it has to be replaced with new storage. How long does the average security camera store the footage? so, to answer this question – it usually depends upon the amount of space available in the camera. And the total amount of time the surveillance footage is recorded.
Generally, businesses with security cameras can save footage of at least one month. However, homeowners can save for up to one to two weeks. Now, let’s know it more, about how the footage of the security cameras are saved.
It is saved in two different ways:
- When footage of the camera is stored directly into the camera
- When footage of the camera is recorded and saved into an external recorder
But, what will happen if the previous surveillance footage does not have any recording space available. If the recording space is exhausted then. Mostly, when the space of the SD card and hard drive fills up. Then the new footage overwrites the old footage.
Typically, the footage is stored in the hard drive or on the SD card. If the hard drive is filling up, take it out and replace it with a new one. If you do not want to delete the older footage then simply adjust the setting of the NVR system.
Following are the two types of storage for security cameras:
1. Edge Storage:
The security camera stores the footage in a Micro SD card. Most of the security cameras do not have a slot for storage. The H-series cameras have a storage capacity of about 128GB. Whereas the storage capacity of the Uniview cameras is 256GB. However, not all types of cameras can support edge storage.
When the security camera is recording the footage on a Micro SD card. The security camera is not recording the video all the time. It is doing the recording only during the events. The security camera is set up to record motion detection, line crossing detection etc. The storage space of the security camera depends upon the recording activity of the camera.
If your camera is recording a video of a busy street with lots of motions. Then you will be able to use the storage space of your Micro SD card for one to two days. Whereas, if you are recording an event for a limited time then you will be able to use the storage for weeks or months.
2. External Storage:
Recording of full video surveillance camera is stored in the external recorder. These are called network video recorders or NVRs. Also, the digital video recorders are called DVR. These recorders have at least one hard drive installed. And some of these models can have up to four hard drives. Some of these NVR systems can have up to 16 hard drives.
How To Keep The Footage Of The Security Camera?
As mentioned above, when the hard drive of the security camera fills up, the recorder automatically starts overwriting the old footage. But, you may want to keep your recording footage for longer. If you do not have enough storage space available. Then you can export the hard drive of the camera and store it in a separate drive or on a computer.
How To Check The Average Security Camera Store Footage?
To understand how to check the footage of the security camera. Here are the steps to follow:
Step-1: To view the recording of the footage click on the camera
Step-2: On the camera, you will see the menu section. Now click on the play button
Step-3: Now select the video type you want to play
Step-4: To play the video, click on the play button and watch it on TV or computer monitor
How Long Does The Average Home Security Camera Store Footage?
Residential buildings hold the security camera footage for around one to two weeks. Some people may like to keep it for more than a week. However, it too depends upon the storage capacity. If you have installed the security camera recently, then you do not need to refer to the older footage. After, a few days of installation, you will be able to know, to keep the surveillance footage.
Final Talk
In the above article, we have explained how the security camera stores the footage. And steps to view the footage recording. The CCTV footage retention period for hospitals is around 30 days. However, the footage is preserved for around 60-90 days depending upon the storage capacity and the cost required for preservation.
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