Video Surveillance Bandwidth Calculator

June 30, 2026

Video Surveillance Bandwidth Calculator

Estimate camera LAN load, remote uplink, NVR ingest, and storage write bandwidth from camera count, resolution, FPS, codec, bitrate, motion, and stream profile.

🎛Camera System Presets

Choose a named layout, then adjust the actual camera bitrate and motion duty cycle from your NVR or camera configuration.

📷Stream Inputs

Camera count

Total cameras sending this profile to the recorder or switch.

Resolution

Frames per second

15-20 FPS is common for home surveillance.

Codec

Bitrate per camera (Mbps)

Use the configured main stream bitrate when known.

Motion duty cycle (%)

Average active recording share for motion-aware streams.

Stream profile

Recording mode

Remote viewers

Simultaneous app, browser, or monitoring station viewers.

Cameras per remote viewer

Grid views usually pull substreams, not every main stream.

Available internet uplink (Mbps)

Network headroom (%)

Bandwidth Results

Total LAN Camera Load

Mbps with headroom

Remote Uplink Needed

Mbps with headroom

NVR Storage Write

MB/s average ingest

Uplink Fit

of available upload

📊Current Stream Grid

Main stream

5.0 Mbps per camera before profile extras.

Substream

0.35 Mbps per camera for mobile and grid views.

Recording average

Motion weighting changes average write bandwidth.

Remote load

Remote viewers consume upload from the NVR site.

🖧Equipment Spec Grid

100

Mbps Fast Ethernet Camera Port

940

Mbps Practical Gigabit Throughput

Mbps Typical 4K H.265 Main Stream

0.3

Mbps Typical Mobile Substream

📐Resolution And Codec Reference

Resolution	Pixels	Typical H.265 Main	Common Use
720p HD	1 MP	1-2 Mbps	Doorbell, overview, low uplink
1080p / 2MP	2 MP	2-4 Mbps	Entry, hallway, rack room
2K / 3MP	3 MP	3-5 Mbps	Perimeter and small office
4MP / 1440p	4 MP	4-7 Mbps	Home NVR and business coverage
4K / 8MP	8 MP	8-12 Mbps	Parking lot and plate overview

📡Stream Profile Multipliers

Profile	LAN Effect	Remote Effect	Best Fit
Main stream only	1.00 x main	Main if viewed	Simple NVR recording
Main + substream	Main + 0.35 Mbps	Substream for grid	Most home systems
Dual main streams	1.75 x main	Main for monitoring	VMS and guard station
Remote optimized	Main + light sub	Lower remote bitrate	LTE or weak upload
Analytics extra stream	1.25 x main	Substream for apps	AI recorder workflows

🗄NVR Ingest And Switch Capacity

Link Or Device	Practical Target	Watch Item	Planning Note
100 Mbps camera port	Under 70 Mbps	Single 4K burst	Usually fine per camera
1 GbE NVR port	Under 700 Mbps	All cameras to NVR	Use headroom for bursts
2.5 GbE uplink	Under 1.8 Gbps	Aggregation switch	Useful for 32+ cameras
WiFi bridge	Under 50% PHY	Retransmits	Prefer wired cameras
Internet upload	Under 70%	Remote viewers	Substreams matter most

🏠Common Camera System Sizes

System	Typical Cameras	Main Stream Range	Design Check
Entry apartment	2-3	4-12 Mbps	Remote upload fit
Single-family home	6-10	30-80 Mbps	PoE switch uplink
Small office	10-16	60-140 Mbps	NVR ingest rate
Warehouse	20-40	140-400 Mbps	Aggregation capacity
Multi-site cabinet	32+	200+ Mbps	Fiber or 2.5 GbE uplink

💡Bandwidth Tips

Use the camera bitrate setting: Resolution and codec estimates are helpful, but the configured CBR or VBR cap is the number the switch and NVR must carry during busy scenes.

Separate LAN from internet upload: Camera-to-NVR traffic stays local, while phones and monitoring stations consume site uplink. Substreams keep remote viewing from crowding the connection.

Bandwidth planning for a security camera system require an understanding of how data move through a network. A security camera system can fail if the bandwidth isnt sufficient for the number of camera in the system. Additionally, a security camera system can fail if the internet connection to the security cameras