Surveillance Guide

Security Camera Bandwidth How Much Bandwidth Does a Security Camera Use? Requirements by Resolution and a Simple Calculator

The short version: a single 1080p camera at 30 frames per second uses about 2 to 4 Mbps, and a 4K camera uses about 8 to 16 Mbps, before compression savings. Switch to H.265 and those numbers roughly halve. Add up the per-camera bitrate to size your network, and remember that recording to a local NVR uses your camera network, not your internet line.

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The Short Answer

It Depends on Four Things

Bandwidth is the data rate a camera produces, measured in megabits per second (Mbps). One camera does not use a fixed amount; the number rises and falls with resolution, frame rate, the codec, and how much is happening in the scene. As a working baseline, a 1080p camera at 30 fps on H.264 runs about 2 to 4 Mbps, a 4MP camera about 4 to 8 Mbps, and a 4K camera roughly 8 to 16 Mbps. With the newer H.265 codec, each of those drops by about half.

To size a system, you add up the per-camera bitrates. Ten 1080p cameras at 4 Mbps each is 40 Mbps flowing to the recorder. That total is what your switches and cabling have to carry. It is also what turns into stored video: 1 Mbps of continuous recording is about 10.8 GB per camera per day, so the same ten cameras write roughly 430 GB a day before any motion-only savings.

The most common confusion is bandwidth versus internet speed. If your cameras record to an on-site NVR, all of that traffic stays on your local network and never touches your internet plan. You only spend internet bandwidth when you view cameras remotely, push footage to the cloud, or run cloud recording. The sections below give the numbers by resolution, what moves them, and how to calculate your own total.

At a Glance

1080p (H.264)~2-4 Mbps

4MP (H.264)~4-8 Mbps

4K (H.264)~8-16 Mbps

H.265 saves~50%

1 Mbps = per day~10.8 GB

Local recordingno internet use

General guidance. Real bitrate varies by camera, scene, frame rate, and settings.

By Resolution

Security Camera Bandwidth Requirements by Resolution

These are typical per-camera figures at 30 frames per second with continuous recording. H.265 columns assume the same picture quality, just compressed more efficiently. Daily storage is for one camera recording around the clock.

Resolution	H.264 bitrate	H.265 bitrate	Storage per day (H.264)
720p (1MP)	~1-2 Mbps	~0.5-1 Mbps	~11-22 GB
1080p (2MP)	~2-4 Mbps	~1-2 Mbps	~22-43 GB
4MP (2K)	~4-8 Mbps	~2-4 Mbps	~43-86 GB
4K (8MP)	~8-16 Mbps	~4-8 Mbps	~86-173 GB

Figures are typical ranges. Actual bitrate depends on the camera, the amount of motion in the scene, frame rate, bitrate mode, and your quality settings. Motion-only or scheduled recording cuts daily storage well below the continuous numbers shown.

What Moves the Number

What Affects How Much Bandwidth a Camera Uses

The same camera can use very different amounts of bandwidth depending on how it is configured and what it is pointed at. These are the levers that matter most.

Resolution and Frame Rate

More pixels and more frames per second mean more data. Going from 1080p to 4K roughly quadruples the pixel count, and recording at 30 fps instead of 15 fps doubles the frames. For many fixed views, dropping to 15 fps barely affects usefulness while cutting bandwidth nearly in half. Set each camera to the lowest resolution and frame rate that still captures the detail you need.

Codec (H.264 vs H.265)

The compression codec is the single biggest lever. H.265 (HEVC) stores the same image in about half the data of H.264, and Smart or "+" modes squeeze static scenes further. If your cameras and recorder both support H.265, turning it on can nearly double your retention and halve your network load with no loss of picture quality.

Scene Activity and Bitrate Mode

A busy entrance with constant motion produces far more data than a quiet stockroom. With variable bitrate (VBR) the camera spends data only when the scene changes, so a static view stays low. Constant bitrate (CBR) holds a fixed rate regardless. VBR usually saves the most, while CBR makes bandwidth predictable for planning.

Network Bandwidth Is Not the Same as Internet Speed

This trips up almost every first-time buyer. There are two separate numbers. The first is local network bandwidth: the traffic from each camera to your recorder across your switches and cabling. That is the big total, often tens or hundreds of Mbps, and it lives entirely on your own camera network. The second is internet bandwidth, which you only use for remote viewing, mobile apps, and cloud upload.

If you record to an on-site NVR and rarely watch live from off site, your internet usage can be almost nothing. The moment you add remote access or cloud video surveillance, your upload speed becomes the bottleneck, because home and small-business connections upload far slower than they download. Most systems handle this with a substream: cameras send a small, low-resolution stream for live remote viewing and keep the full-resolution stream local. For sites with many cameras or thin upload, edge AI video analytics processes video at the camera so only events, not full feeds, travel off site.

Do the Math

How to Calculate Security Camera Bandwidth

You do not need a fancy tool. Four steps get you a planning number for both your network and your storage.

01

Find Each Camera Bitrate

Read the bitrate from the camera settings or use the table above as an estimate. A 1080p H.264 camera at 30 fps is about 4 Mbps; the same camera on H.265 is about 2 Mbps. Use the real figure when you can, because scene and settings change it.

02

Add Up All Cameras

Sum the bitrates of every camera to get total network bandwidth. Twenty cameras at 4 Mbps is 80 Mbps to the recorder. A gigabit (1000 Mbps) switch handles that comfortably; this is why dedicated camera networks use gigabit gear.

03

Convert to Daily Storage

Multiply the total Mbps by 10.8 to get GB per day for continuous recording (1 Mbps is about 10.8 GB per day). So 80 Mbps is roughly 864 GB per day. Motion-only recording typically cuts that by half or more.

04

Multiply by Retention Days

Multiply daily storage by how many days you keep footage. At 864 GB per day, 30 days needs about 26 TB. This is where codec choice and retention rules drive the whole storage budget.

Bandwidth Is Really a Storage and Cost Question

The bitrate that flows over your network is the same number that fills your drives, so bandwidth planning and storage planning are one task. The two biggest levers are the codec and how long you retain footage. Our guide on H.264 vs H.265 security cameras shows how the codec roughly halves both, and our guide on how long to keep security camera footage covers the retention targets that set your total. The recorder side of the same decision is in our NVR vs DVR comparison.

Surveillant works with the IP cameras and recorders you already run and adds real-time threat detection and natural-language video search across them. Because efficient streams turn directly into longer searchable history, sizing bandwidth well also lowers your total cost of ownership, especially across a multi-site deployment where every megabit per camera multiplies.

FAQ

Common Questions About Security Camera Bandwidth

How much bandwidth does a security camera use?

A single security camera typically uses 1 to 4 Mbps at 1080p and 8 to 16 Mbps at 4K when recording at 30 frames per second with H.264. The newer H.265 codec roughly halves those figures. The exact rate rises with higher resolution, higher frame rate, and more motion in the scene, and falls with efficient codecs and lower frame rates.

How many Mbps do I need for security cameras?

Add up the bitrate of every camera. As a planning estimate, allow about 4 Mbps per 1080p camera and 8 to 12 Mbps per 4K camera on H.264, or half that on H.265. Ten 1080p cameras need roughly 40 Mbps of local network bandwidth, which a gigabit switch handles easily. You only need internet upload speed for remote viewing or cloud recording.

How much bandwidth do 4K security cameras use?

A 4K (8MP) camera at 30 frames per second uses about 8 to 16 Mbps with H.264 and roughly 4 to 8 Mbps with H.265. That is why 4K systems lean on H.265: it keeps the detail while cutting the bandwidth and storage close to half. Lowering the frame rate to 15 fps reduces a 4K stream further without changing the image sharpness.

How many GB does a security camera use per day?

For continuous recording, a 1080p camera on H.264 uses roughly 22 to 43 GB per day, and on H.265 about 11 to 22 GB. A 4K camera can use 86 to 173 GB per day on H.264. The rule of thumb is that 1 Mbps of continuous recording equals about 10.8 GB per camera per day. Motion-only recording cuts these totals substantially.

Do security cameras use internet bandwidth when recording locally?

No. When cameras record to an on-site NVR or DVR, the video stays on your local network and does not use your internet connection. You only consume internet bandwidth when you view cameras remotely, use a mobile app from off site, or record to the cloud. That is why local recording can run on almost any internet plan.

How do I calculate security camera bandwidth?

Find each camera bitrate in Mbps, add them all together for total network bandwidth, then multiply that total by 10.8 to estimate GB of storage per day for continuous recording. Multiply daily storage by your retention days to size your drives. For example, twenty 1080p cameras at 4 Mbps is 80 Mbps, about 864 GB per day, or roughly 26 TB for 30 days.

Does H.265 reduce security camera bandwidth?

Yes. H.265 (HEVC) uses about 40 to 50 percent less bandwidth than H.264 at the same resolution and image quality. A 4K stream that needs around 16 Mbps in H.264 can drop to about 8 Mbps in H.265. The savings apply to both network load and storage, but every device that plays the video must support H.265, or those streams will not display.

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