Estimate camera storage with explicit assumptions
Prepared 22 October 2026 by NightMarshal

Estimate recording storage from bitrate, recording hours and camera count, then validate against actual use. Keep capacity planning separate from the decision about how long footage should be retained.

Instructions
1. Record bitrate, streams, recording hours and assumed days.
2. Calculate a baseline in decimal GB.
3. Check actual storage and retrieval before relying on it.

Open the blank CSV in a spreadsheet app; add one row per item. Use Pending for unknowns and N/A only where a field truly does not apply. Review the separate example CSV; all example values are fictional. Keep completed sheets private. Do not include passwords, access codes, personal contacts, footage links or camera stream URLs. No input is collected by these downloads.

Fields
Streams
Mbps each
Hours per day
Days assumed
Baseline decimal GB
Exclusions

Fictional example
Fictional baseline: two continuous 1 Mbps streams for seven days produce 151.2 decimal GB before overhead. It is a capacity example, not a recommended retention period.

Limits
This simple estimate does not size RAID, resilient architecture or legal retention. Have the installer validate the final design.