Sizing storage for a camera system: the numbers that matter
A 4K H.265 camera recording continuously consumes roughly 0.6 TB a month. Here is how to estimate capacity before you invest.
A common mistake is buying the right number of cameras but too little storage, so actual retention ends up far shorter than expected.
A simple estimate: capacity (GB) = bitrate (Mbps) × 0.45 × recording hours per day × retention days × camera count. For a 4K H.265 camera at roughly 6 Mbps recording 24 hours a day for 30 days, one camera needs about 583 GB.
Three ways to cut capacity without materially hurting evidential value: enable event-based recording in low-activity zones, use H.265+ rather than H.264, and drop from 25 fps to 12–15 fps where plate or face reading is not required.
Add 15–20% headroom for growth and RAID parity. Tan Hong engineers provide a project-specific calculation sheet during the site survey.
