1. What is the UniFi NVR Storage Calculation?

The UniFi NVR storage calculation estimates the required storage capacity for video surveillance systems based on camera count, frame rate, resolution, recording hours, and compression ratio.

2. How Does the Calculator Work?

The calculator uses the storage formula:

Where:

• \( Cameras \) — Number of cameras in the system
• \( FPS \) — Frames per second
• \( Resolution \) — Pixel resolution
• \( Hours \) — Recording hours
• \( Compression \) — Compression factor

Explanation: The formula calculates raw storage needs and divides by compression ratio to estimate actual storage requirements.

3. Importance of Storage Calculation

Details: Accurate storage estimation is crucial for planning surveillance system capacity, ensuring sufficient recording time, and optimizing storage costs.

4. Using the Calculator

Tips: Enter the number of cameras, frames per second, resolution in pixels, recording hours, and compression factor. All values must be positive numbers.

5. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

Q1: What is a typical compression factor?
A: Compression factors typically range from 1.5 to 3.0 for H.264 encoding, depending on video content and quality settings.

Q2: How does resolution affect storage needs?
A: Higher resolutions (e.g., 4K vs 1080p) significantly increase storage requirements as they capture more pixel data.

Q3: Should I include audio in the calculation?
A: Audio typically adds minimal storage overhead compared to video and is often not separately calculated.

Q4: How accurate is this estimation?
A: This provides a rough estimate. Actual storage may vary based on motion activity, encoding efficiency, and specific compression algorithms.

Q5: Can I use this for cloud storage calculations?
A: Yes, the same formula applies to cloud storage, though bandwidth considerations may also be important.