How Much Data Does a Wi-Fi Security Camera Use?
If you are in a rental house, the additional bill for data is a significant concern when adjusting the monthly budget. Wi-Fi security cameras, which have replaced wired CCTV cameras, are primary data users in a household or a company. How much data does a Wi-Fi security camera use? This is a frequent question that most homeowners willing to install a security camera system wonder at. Yes, that is a must-do prior to installation. We are going to help you find a clear solution in this article.
Can Wi-Fi Camera Work Without Internet?
Wi-Fi cameras have the capability of working without an internet connection. But on such occasions, not every feature of the cameras will be active. The functionality also depends on the type of cameras you have installed, the installation method, and how the camera stores the captured video.
Wireless CCTV cameras need a Wi-Fi connection to transmit the captured video. Modern wireless cameras present the technology to store the data itself or on an SD card together with batteries. If the connection is made with an NVR, it is possible to work without a Wi-Fi connection.
How Much Does a Wi-Fi Security Camera Use per Month?
Usually, the recorded amount is 400 GB of data usage per month. But this may vary according to the number of cameras you have used, the resolution, and the capture rate. The use of an NVR (Network Video Recorder) is also a fact that determines the amount of data consumed by a security camera system. This kind of higher value will get if the cameras are in operation 24/7. The systems that function on special instances will only consume about 60 GB per month.
If you choose cameras with higher video resolution, those will consume more data. The typical wireless camera for household use has a resolution of 1080 p. Some use 1440 p or 1920 p. If you need to cut off the data bills, you should go for a less resolution than this, like 720 p and 480 p.
The number of frames captured by a Wi-Fi camera within one second is called the frames per second rate of it. If your camera has a 60-fps rate, it has the ability to capture 60 frames of the area it covers in one second.
If the fps rate is high, you can have flawless video quality. But it consumes more data. Using a security camera at 30 fps is recommended for data conservation. You can adjust this value yourself when you refer to the camera settings.
We will discuss some more facts that affect the total amount of GB below.
How Much Data Does a Security Camera Use Per Hour?
There is no exact amount we can predict as the cameras use data based on their qualities. As we discussed earlier, the resolution of the camera and the frames per second rate are factors that affect hourly data consumption. You can expect an average of 100 MB – 13 GB data usage in one day.
Another main factor affecting data consumption is the speed at which the cameras send the recorded video to their cloud storage device. This frequency can be controlled in the settings of the cameras.
You can set the uploading time with intervals rather than allowing it to upload continuously. It is recommended to use one upload per day. You can also use the motion and sound recording feature used in conserving the data. Set the cameras to record only when they detect a considerable movement or a sound.
There are security cameras with artificial intelligence features that can recognize false movements from the suspicious. Although AI security cameras cost you an amount between $300 – $1000 for one, it will be a long-term data conservation method.
You can also increase the compression level and reduce the number of cameras. Set the cameras in places where they can cover a large area. These steps will also prevent you from spending more on data.
How Much Data Does 4K Wi-Fi Security Camera Use?
4K cameras are the ones that operate with higher image resolution with similar colors as the original. This type of camera can work in low lighting and capture quality footage. When we compare the 4K cameras with 1080 p cameras, the image quality is x4 better in lighting and quality.
One 4K camera will at least use 25 MB bandwidth when they are working, and the total data consumption per day will be higher than that of 1080 p cameras as of the quality of videos they capture.
How Long Does 1TB of Data Last for Security Cameras?
In general, a high-end camera will consume around 400 GB per month. Therefore, with that assumption, we can predict that 1 TB of data will be sufficient for 2.5 months. The number of days depends on the system you have installed. If it operates with the suggestions we have mentioned in the above paragraphs, you will be able to make the 1 TB data last longer than 2.5 months.
How Much Data Does a Cellular Security Camera Use?
Cellular security cameras are the type that does not need a Wi-Fi connection to transfer the recorded footage to the cloud. Instead, they use a cellular network for the transferring process. You will only need a sim card and the app for the functioning of cellular security cameras.
The data usage may be different according to the state of the camera and ranges from 0.5 GB – 21 GB per day.
