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.