This NVR and CCTV storage calculator works out how much drive space your security cameras need from the bitrate each camera records, how it records (all day, on events, or both) and how many days you keep. It then suggests a drive layout and checks four separate things: network ingest, nbn upload for cloud recording, NAS licences and tested camera limits, and the drive workload rating.
The bitrate is the number that decides the answer. Enter the one your camera or recorder shows. If you do not know it, the calculator uses one camera maker's recommended setting for your resolution and codec, labelled as such. Results are in decimal units (1 Mbps recorded for 24 hours is 10.8 GB; 1 TB is 1,000 GB), the units drives are sold in.
1. Your cameras and their bitrate
Use groups when cameras differ, for example 4 at 3 Mbps and 2 at 8 Mbps.
2. How they record
3. Days kept and your margin
4. Your NAS and drives (optional)
| Drives | Raw | Available for footage | Spare |
|---|
| nbn tier | Technology | Upload (Mbps) | Every camera's stream |
|---|
nbn speeds are wholesale: the maximum nbn provides to internet providers. Where a tier is a range, the maximum can fall anywhere in it, and the lower figure is not a minimum speed. (nbn co (nbnco.com.au), checked 2026-10-07)
Privacy and keeping footage. Rules on surveillance and on how long footage is kept differ between states and territories and between homes, businesses and workplaces. This calculator does not give legal advice, and its retention shortcuts are not requirements. Start with the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner's page on security cameras and your own state or territory's rules.
| Factor | Effect on storage | How this calculator handles it |
|---|---|---|
| Bitrate | The direct driver: storage is bitrate x recording time. | Your figure is used as entered; nothing overrides it. |
| Scene and motion | Changes the bitrate of a variable bitrate stream. | A busy scene raises the estimate by up to 30%, from Hikvision's advice. For a known bitrate, a margin you choose. |
| Codec | Changes the bitrate needed for a given picture. | Each codec has its own row in the camera maker table; no saving factor. |
| Resolution and frame rate | Change the bitrate needed, not in proportion. | Only through the camera maker table columns. |
| Smart codec | Can lower the bitrate when the scene is quiet. | The low end of the estimate uses the smart codec target. |
| Event recording | Cuts the hours recorded; buffers add to every event. | Events x (pre buffer + event + post buffer), or your share of the active hours. |
| Days kept | Multiplies the daily data, then footage stops growing. | Footage levels off at daily data x days kept. |
| Bitrate you give | Kind of evidence | Confidence shown |
|---|---|---|
| Average your recorder measured | Direct measurement | High |
| Average or target you set (ABR, VBR target) | Device setting | Medium |
| Maximum you set (MBR or CBR cap) | Device setting, used as an upper bound and the peak | Medium |
| None: the camera maker table | A camera maker's recommended setting, not a measured average | Low |
With no bitrate entered, the calculator uses Hikvision's recommended bitrate for the resolution and codec at the frame rate you pick, and at the default 25 fps it is the maximum bitrate Hikvision lists. That is one camera maker's recommended setting for its own cameras, yours may differ. These are its figures at 25 fps, and what one camera records in a day at that rate.
| Resolution | H.264 (Mbps) | H.264 GB a day | H.265 (Mbps) | H.265 GB a day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 720p (1MP) | 2.048 | 22.12 | 1.024 | 11.06 |
| 1080p (2MP) | 4.096 | 44.24 | 2.048 | 22.12 |
| 4MP (2560 x 1440) | 8.192 | 88.47 | 4.096 | 44.24 |
| 5MP (2592 x 1944) | 9.216 | 99.53 | 4.608 | 49.77 |
| 4K (8MP, 3840 x 2160) | 16.384 | 176.95 | 8.192 | 88.47 |
8 cameras, each recording an average of 3.5 Mbps that the recorder measured, 24 hours a day, kept 30 days: 8 x 3.5 Mbps x 10.8 GB = 302.4 GB a day, and 30 days of it is 9.07 TB. Open this example
4 cameras at a configured target of 8 Mbps, 200 events a camera a day of 30 seconds each, with a 5 second pre event and a 10 second post event buffer, kept 30 days. Each camera records 200 x 45 = 9,000 seconds a day, so the system records 36 GB a day (24 GB without the buffers) and holds 1.08 TB. Overlapping events are counted separately, so this is an upper bound. Open this example
4 x 4MP cameras at 3 Mbps, 2 x 4K cameras at 8 Mbps and 2 x 1080p cameras at 2 Mbps, all measured averages, continuous, kept 30 days. Together they send 32 Mbps, record 345.6 GB a day and hold 10.37 TB. Open this example
The same 8 x 4MP H.265 cameras as example 1, but with no bitrate entered: the fallback is Hikvision's 4.096 Mbps at 25 fps, so 30 days needs 10.62 TB. With the measured 3.5 Mbps of example 1 it is 9.07 TB. Open this example
What each vendor's own spec page lists, app by app. Synology's limits are its tested maximums under its stated conditions: the NAS fully populated with drives, its default memory, continuous recording and RTSP streams (with SRTP on every camera, Synology says performance drops to 70%). QNAP's spec pages for these models give no camera and frame rate test table. UGREEN does not state a channel limit or licence count for Surveillance Center.
| NAS | Surveillance app and free cameras | Tested maximum (Synology) | Internal bays and RAID types (maker) | AU market price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Synology DS223j (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Station: 2 default camera licences | H.265: 1080p 12 cameras (360 FPS), 5M 12 cameras (350 FPS), 4K 12 cameras (200 FPS); H.264: 1080p 12 cameras (360 FPS), 5M 12 cameras (150 FPS), 4K 11 cameras (110 FPS) | 2 bays (source); Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1 (source) | $322 |
| Synology DS223 (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Station: 2 default camera licences | H.265: 1080p 20 cameras (500 FPS), 5M 20 cameras (350 FPS), 4K 20 cameras (200 FPS); H.264: 1080p 20 cameras (460 FPS), 5M 15 cameras (150 FPS), 4K 11 cameras (110 FPS) | 2 bays (source); Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1 (source) | $485 |
| Synology DS225+ (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Station: 2 default camera licences | H.265: 1080p 25 cameras (750 FPS), 5M 25 cameras (480 FPS), 4K 20 cameras (200 FPS); H.264: 1080p 25 cameras (750 FPS), 5M 25 cameras (280 FPS), 4K 17 cameras (170 FPS) | 2 bays (source); Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1 (source) | $599 |
| Synology DS423 (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Station: 2 default camera licences | H.265: 1080p 30 cameras (800 FPS), 5M 30 cameras (450 FPS), 4K 20 cameras (200 FPS); H.264: 1080p 30 cameras (600 FPS), 5M 20 cameras (200 FPS), 4K 15 cameras (150 FPS) | 4 bays (source); Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 (source) | Check current retailer prices |
| Synology DS425+ (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Station: 2 default camera licences | H.265: 1080p 40 cameras (1200 FPS), 5M 40 cameras (480 FPS), 4K 20 cameras (200 FPS); H.264: 1080p 40 cameras (800 FPS), 5M 28 cameras (280 FPS), 4K 17 cameras (170 FPS) | 4 bays (source); Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 (source) | $899 |
| Synology DS725+ (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Station: 2 default camera licences | H.265: 1080p 40 cameras (1200 FPS), 5M 40 cameras (480 FPS), 4K 20 cameras (200 FPS); H.264: 1080p 40 cameras (800 FPS), 5M 28 cameras (280 FPS), 4K 17 cameras (170 FPS) | 2 bays (source); Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5 (with Expansion Unit), RAID 6 (with Expansion Unit), RAID 10 (with Expansion Unit) (source) | Check current retailer prices |
| Synology DS925+ (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Station: 2 default camera licences | H.265: 1080p 40 cameras (1200 FPS), 5M 40 cameras (600 FPS), 4K 30 cameras (300 FPS); H.264: 1080p 40 cameras (1050 FPS), 5M 30 cameras (360 FPS), 4K 20 cameras (200 FPS) | 4 bays (source); Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 (source) | $1,099 |
| Synology DS1525+ (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Station: 2 default camera licences | H.265: 1080p 40 cameras (1200 FPS), 5M 40 cameras (600 FPS), 4K 30 cameras (300 FPS); H.264: 1080p 40 cameras (1050 FPS), 5M 30 cameras (360 FPS), 4K 20 cameras (200 FPS) | 5 bays (source); Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 (source) | $1,749 |
| Synology DS1825+ (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Station: 2 default camera licences | H.265: 1080p 40 cameras (1200 FPS), 5M 40 cameras (600 FPS), 4K 40 cameras (480 FPS); H.264: 1080p 40 cameras (1050 FPS), 5M 40 cameras (440 FPS), 4K 32 cameras (320 FPS) | 8 bays (source); Synology Hybrid RAID, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 (source) | $2,000 |
| Synology DS1823xs+ (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Station: 2 default camera licences | H.265: 1080p 75 cameras (2250 FPS), 5M 75 cameras (1500 FPS), 4K 75 cameras (900 FPS); H.264: 1080p 75 cameras (2100 FPS), 5M 75 cameras (900 FPS), 4K 55 cameras (550 FPS) | 8 bays (source); RAID F1, Basic, JBOD, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 (source) | $3,310 |
| QNAP TS-233 (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | QVR Surveillance: 2 free built in camera channels, plus 6 more after you register the NAS to a QNAP ID; at least 1 GB RAM | Not stated on the spec page | 2 bays (source); JBOD, Single, RAID 0, RAID 1 (source) | $402 |
| QNAP TS-433 (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | QVR Surveillance: 2 free built in camera channels, plus 6 more after you register the NAS to a QNAP ID; at least 1 GB RAM | Not stated on the spec page | 4 bays (source); JBOD, Single, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 (source) | $699 |
| QNAP TS-264 (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | QVR Pro: 8 free built in camera channels; at least 4 GB RAM QVR Surveillance: 2 free built in camera channels, plus 6 more after you register the NAS to a QNAP ID; at least 1 GB RAM | Not stated on the spec page | 2 bays (source); Single, RAID 0, RAID 1 (source) | $1,014 |
| QNAP TS-464 (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | QVR Pro: 8 free built in camera channels; at least 4 GB RAM QVR Surveillance: 2 free built in camera channels, plus 6 more after you register the NAS to a QNAP ID; at least 1 GB RAM | Not stated on the spec page | 4 bays (source); JBOD, Single, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 (source) | $1,129 |
| QNAP TS-873A (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | QVR Pro: 8 free built in camera channels; at least 4 GB RAM QVR Surveillance: 2 free built in camera channels, plus 6 more after you register the NAS to a QNAP ID; at least 1 GB RAM | Not stated on the spec page | 8 bays (source); JBOD, Single, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10, RAID 50, RAID 60 (source) | $2,499 |
| UGREEN DXP2800 (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Center: UGREEN does not state a channel limit or licence count | Not stated on the spec page | 2 bays (source); JBOD, Basic, RAID 0, RAID 1 (source) | Check current retailer prices |
| UGREEN DXP4800 Plus (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Center: UGREEN does not state a channel limit or licence count | Not stated on the spec page | 4 bays (source); JBOD, Basic, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 (source) | Check current retailer prices |
| UGREEN DXP4800 Pro (spec page, checked 2026-10-07) | Surveillance Center: UGREEN does not state a channel limit or licence count | Not stated on the spec page | 4 bays (source); JBOD, Basic, RAID 0, RAID 1, RAID 5, RAID 6, RAID 10 (source) | $1,118 |
Prices are the AU market price of each NAS, last changed 15 October 2026: the typical going rate across the Australian retailers we track, checked daily. A model stocked by too few retailers shows no price. Confirm the price with the retailer before you buy. Licence and camera prices are not shown.
Surveillance drives publish a yearly workload rating. The calculator compares the footage each drive writes in a year, for the suggested layout, with the rating you pick. That is planning context, not a failure prediction: playback, other NAS work and parity updates add to it, and Western Digital counts reads as well as writes in its rating.
| Drive family | Workload rating | Cameras per drive (vendor) | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seagate SkyHawk | 180 TB a year | up to 64 | Seagate, checked 2026-10-07 |
| Seagate SkyHawk AI | 550 TB a year | up to 64 | Seagate, checked 2026-10-07 |
| WD Purple | 180 TB a year (reads and writes) | up to 64 | Western Digital, checked 2026-10-07 |
| WD Purple Pro | 550 TB a year (reads and writes) | up to 64 | Western Digital, checked 2026-10-07 |
Warranty: a drive's warranty term is the manufacturer's own, so check its datasheet. Your first step for a faulty product is usually the retailer that sold it. The ACCC explains your rights under the Australian Consumer Law at accc.gov.au.
Daily data per camera = (main stream bitrate + audio) x seconds recorded a day / 8, in decimal units: 1 Mbps for 24 hours is 1,000,000 x 86,400 / 8 = 10.8 GB. Hybrid recording adds the substream for its scheduled hours. Event recording counts events x (pre buffer + event + post buffer), capped at the active hours.
Footage held = daily data x days kept. It stops growing once that many days are recorded, because the oldest footage is deleted as new footage arrives. When the bitrate is a range the drives are sized to the top of it.
Usable storage needed = footage held + your planning margin. The margin is yours to set, with a reason; there is no recommended minimum. A NAS that shows binary units reads the same space as a smaller TiB figure; that is a unit, not a formatting loss.
Drive layout comes from the same capacity engine as the RAID Usable Capacity Calculator, with equal size drives from 1 TB to 32 TB. With a Synology or QNAP model picked, the space the vendor says it reserves is taken off first.
Ingest is the sum of every stream, counted all the time. Cloud upload compares that sum with each nbn tier's upload speed. Licences and camera limits come from each vendor's spec page, app by app. Drive workload is the footage each drive writes in a year for the suggested layout.
Method last reviewed: 2026-10-07. Camera, NAS and drive facts last checked at source: 2026-10-07. nbn tiers last checked: 2026-10-07. NAS market prices last changed: 15 October 2026.
| Fact | Source | Checked |
|---|---|---|
| Camera bitrate | ||
| Hikvision says its recommended bitrate values apply to all its IP cameras and PTZ cameras on the new platform. | Hikvision | 2026-10-07 |
| Hikvision says that in a more complex scene you can set the bitrate 20% to 30% above its recommended value. | Hikvision | 2026-10-07 |
| When ITU approved H.265 (HEVC) in 2013 it said the codec would need only half the bit rate of H.264. | ITU (International Telecommunication Union) | 2026-10-07 |
| Axis: with variable bitrate (VBR), motion or other events can raise the bitrate significantly, so a VBR system needs fairly large storage margins. | Axis Communications | 2026-10-07 |
| Axis: maximum bitrate (MBR) keeps the bitrate below a set value whatever the scene, momentary overshoot aside, by compressing harder at a cost to image quality. | Axis Communications | 2026-10-07 |
| Axis: average bitrate (ABR) gives a stream a storage budget over time and adapts video quality so the whole stream fits. | Axis Communications | 2026-10-07 |
| Axis says Zipstream lowers bandwidth and storage by an average of 50% or more against standard compression, with per algorithm reductions that depend on scene motion and content. | Axis Communications | 2026-10-07 |
| Synology Surveillance Station | ||
| Synology DS425+: Surveillance Station includes 2 default camera licences; more cameras need purchased licences. | Synology | 2026-10-07 |
| Synology DS425+: maximum IP cameras and total FPS per resolution for H.264 and H.265, as Synology tested them. | Synology | 2026-10-07 |
| Synology DS425+: the camera figures were tested with RTSP; with SRTP on every camera, Synology says performance drops to 70% of the stated figures. | Synology | 2026-10-07 |
| Synology sells extra Surveillance Station licences in packs of 1, 4 or 8, each pack one licence key. | Synology | 2026-10-07 |
| Under most circumstances one IP camera uses one Synology licence; multi lens cameras and video servers for analog cameras may need more. | Synology | 2026-10-07 |
| Synology says the number of channels you can view at once is double the maximum camera count for the same codec and resolution. | Synology | 2026-10-07 |
| QNAP QVR | ||
| QNAP's QVR Pro page says QVR Pro provides 8 embedded monitoring channels, expandable to 128 with purchased QVR Pro licences. | QNAP | 2026-10-07 |
| QNAP's QVR Pro requirements table lists x86 and ARM 64 bit NAS, QTS 4.5.4 or later, 4 GB memory, and included / maximum channels of 8 / 128 (x86 column) and 8 / 16 (ARM column). | QNAP | 2026-10-07 |
| QNAP's comparison table lists free channels as: QVR Pro 8, QVR Elite 2, QVR Surveillance 8 (2 standard plus 6 bonus). | QNAP | 2026-10-07 |
| QNAP's 6 bonus QVR Surveillance channels are claimed by linking the NAS to a QNAP ID and activating in the app; they stay active offline afterwards. | QNAP | 2026-10-07 |
| QNAP says QVR Surveillance 3.0 is the upgraded NVR solution for QVR Elite and updates directly from it. | QNAP | 2026-10-07 |
| QNAP says a QVR Pro 2.8.x release in 2026 will include a migration tool to the new platform, and QVR Pro will get security updates for about 3 more years. | QNAP | 2026-10-07 |
| QNAP's worked example: QVR Pro built in 8 channels plus Gold (8) plus 4 lifetime licences becomes 2 built in + 6 bonus + 8 + 4 = 20 channels in QVR Surveillance. | QNAP | 2026-10-07 |
| QNAP's launch release: new QVR Surveillance users get 2 built in channels plus 6 free channels after in app registration; QVR Pro users can transfer their licences. | QNAP | 2026-10-07 |
| UGREEN Surveillance Center | ||
| UGREEN's Surveillance Center app turns a UGREEN NAS into a network video recorder for IP cameras; UGREEN lists DXP Series among the applicable models. | UGREEN | 2026-10-07 |
| UGREEN Surveillance Center supports cameras using standard ONVIF and RTSP; some proprietary camera protocols may not work. | UGREEN | 2026-10-07 |
| Surveillance drives | ||
| Seagate rates SkyHawk surveillance drives at up to 180 TB per year, with up to 64 HD cameras. | Seagate | 2026-10-07 |
| Seagate rates SkyHawk AI drives at 550 TB per year, with up to 64 HD cameras plus 32 AI streams. | Seagate | 2026-10-07 |
| Western Digital rates WD Purple surveillance drives at up to 180 TB per year, up to 64 HD cameras and up to 16 bays. | Western Digital | 2026-10-07 |
| Western Digital rates WD Purple Pro drives at up to 550 TB per year, up to 64 single stream cameras. | Western Digital | 2026-10-07 |
| Western Digital defines workload rate as user data transferred to OR from the drive (reads and writes), annualised. | Western Digital | 2026-10-07 |
The fallback bitrate rows and the per model licence pages are linked from the tables above.
Ask us anything about NAS, storage, or infrastructure. We reply by email.
Message sent!
We'll be in touch soon.