Guide of IP Camera’s Footage Storage

Guide of IP Camera’s Footage Storage

If you are end-user then you may make question “if somebody destroy or theft my NVR/DVR then how we get video footage”. Question is very much true. Analog camera store / record there motion event on DVR & IP Camera store / record there NVR, some IP camera store limited data to there internal microSD card.

Or, Is there a camera that saves the footage on a host with FTP? Can I use my computer to store surveillance videos or footage? Are there any cameras that support cloud storage? Is there any camera that has a built-in memory card?

Or, you may say I am looking for a camera that can store up to a few days of data or a camera that uploads footage offsite or to a cloud or server.

How Can you Store Footage and Video Recordings

Generally speaking, you can store footage and recordings on an SD card, cloud, NVRs/DVRs, FTP or NAS. It comes down to what you are looking for. That being said , it’s still very important to weigh on differences and conveniences of each solution to narrow down growing pool of models available and find the best match.

·         Option 1. Micro SD Card

·         Option 2. NVRs/DVRs

·         Option 3. FTP Server

·         Option 4. Cloud-Based Storage

·         Option 5. Workstation Computer

Option 1. Micro SD Card

People will be opting for onboard SD storage when they are just looking for cameras that save motion-triggered footage or don’t want to subscribe to cloud service. For example, users said

“I want to store footage locally instead of uploading to a cloud or getting a DVR/NVR.”

“I intend to keep and save footage but don’t want to subscribe to a cloud service for storage. “

Or people who are looking for cameras that will be used in a location where internet access is limited but still want to store motion-based footage. For example, one user explained that

“I have a rural property and only have power at the house and barn. Best option would be a motion activated cam outside that I could attach to a tree. Wifi at my house is only available very close to the house and we are on satellite internet, so no real broadband for cloud solutions.”

The obvious benefit of storing via SD card is that it’s relatively safe and inaccessible by others, micro SD card storage option is extraordinarily popular with homeowners for surveillance on the front door, backyard, apartment, remote areas, vacation home, or any place that doesn’t require constant 24/7 recording.

Option 2. NVR's/DVR's

Standalone NVRs and DVRs, as offsite storage solutions, are increasingly popular and widely used among home security system, small business, workshop and etc.

If you are looking for a security system that can record video constantly and be able to save weeks of footages, standalone NVR's/DVR's with a built-in hard drive are what you need. For example, users expressed their needs, saying

“No need for motion activation but constant recording. And must have ability to review footage without needing to pause or stop recording”, “I need 30-day non-stop recording and want to record and save more than 3 cameras’ footages to a hard drive”

NVRs/DVRs are not just for storage, they are also embedded with the operating system to multi-task including managing multiple cameras simultaneously, motion-triggered recording & alarm, scheduling recording, 24/7 recording.

NVRs can also be accessed remotely from a Smartphone, tablet or personal computer.

One piece of advice after buying NVRs/DVRs would be keeping them safe from burglars orthieves as well as backing them up regularly to FTP server if needed.

Option 3. FTP Server

FTP server is a great footage storage option for those who have a reservation for cloud storage but don’t want local network drive or built-in memory card. For example, many homeowners expressed their thoughts on , saying

“I don’t want to go down the road of paying for monthly memberships to a cloud storage option for recording. I am looking for FTP or some other generic protocol method that is NOT a subscription based ‘cloud’ solution.”

Or

“I would like to save the footage on a host with FTP instead of storing the footage on a local network drive that could just be taken. or I have a FTP server and want to manage the footages or videos on FTP server, configuring security cameras to upload event-based recordings or snapshot or recorded images and videos to a FTP server.”

FTP server is, without any doubt, a good solution. Security cameras such as Reolink cameras are proving to be increasingly popular with homeowners. Many Reolink security cameras do support FTP storage, both motion-based footage and constant video recordings.

Option 4. Cloud-Based Storage

Cloud-based storage is gaining popularity among users who are looking for an alternative to NVR/DVR, SD card, and NAS and there are growing numbers of cloud-based video surveillance cameras and IP camera with cloud storage available on the market.

Cloud-based storage is relatively convenient and safer; however, cloud services are commonly charged and require a varied monthly subscription fee.

Cloud-based storage is also potentially putting a strain on the home network by putting pressure on network bandwidth, as well as compromising photo or video quality to achieve optimal performance.

Option 5. Workstation Computer

Of course, you can always turn your personal computer into a storage unit by configuring storage path to your computer; however, massive data storage could slow your computer down and eat up storage space rapidly.

Not only that, CCTV forage auditing you can do from computer. You need window license based software only. That software takes screenshot of your open Camera Viewing window. In this scenario you can see what camera saw. Camera see 24Hr, you are able to see within 24min, I am confirm your DVR / NVR can’t do it. ‘Auditing’ means 'seeing' what the cameras 'saw'. CCTV video footage should be audited daily; several times a day if need be. Depending on the requirements, auditing of CCTV footage of critical cameras on a daily basis must become an SOP. Auditing will help relevant stakeholders to ‘discover’ the 'unknown'. Auditing as an activity may be manual, it may be post-facto, but it is a very dedicated and systematic process, which helps address some of the challenges of live monitoring (video blindness, poor attention span, boredom, bias, fatigue etc.), as well as the challenges related to alert-based systems (how often has one faced false alerts, or what is called the ‘cry-wolf’ effect). Auditing will help discover issues as mentioned above as well as in identifying and analysing threats and hazards (THIRA/HIRA) of various kinds. Auditing CCTV video footage will also be extremely helpful in waste reduction and following the 5S philosophy, i.e. sort, set, shine, standardize and sustain (all part of Six Sigma practices).  Moreover, in case of an accident/incident, relevant authorities can analyse CCTV video footage to determine whether implementing or improving existing policies, procedures, and processes could help reduce the potential for future occurrences.

And you can transfer those recordings from your computer to hard drive, pen drive, USB and etc accordingly.

The Tradeoff

There’s no right answer here. It’s really a matter of preference and there are plenty of models out there to suit either taste. Understanding each footage storage option will help you narrow down the growing pool of models available today and it will help you understand the features that matter to you most. Camera saw everything, but we can’t see what camera saw.

This Artical published on March 2019 on safe secure magazine 2019.