How Much Bandwidth Does a Security Camera Use?
Estimate real security-camera bandwidth from bitrate, resolution, frame rate, codec, camera count and remote viewing.
Security-camera bandwidth is best understood through bitrate, not resolution labels. A 4K camera can use less network bandwidth than a poorly configured 1080p stream if the higher-resolution camera uses a more efficient codec and lower frame rate.
Typical planning ranges
| Camera stream | Common planning range | Daily data at midpoint |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p H.265 | 1–3 Mbps | ~21.6 GB/day at 2 Mbps |
| 4MP/2K H.265 | 2–5 Mbps | ~37.8 GB/day at 3.5 Mbps |
| 4K H.265 | 4–8 Mbps | ~64.8 GB/day at 6 Mbps |
These are planning ranges, not guarantees. Scene complexity, rain, foliage, darkness, noise, firmware and variable bitrate can change the actual stream materially.
LAN bandwidth versus internet bandwidth
A PoE camera recording to an NVR inside your home uses local network bandwidth even if your internet connection is down. Internet upload matters when footage is sent to cloud storage or when you view the system remotely. Do not confuse a 30 Mbps camera LAN load with a requirement for a 30 Mbps internet upload plan.
Remote viewing can add another stream
Many systems use a lower-resolution substream for phones and remote clients. If the recorder sends a separate 1 Mbps stream while the main 6 Mbps stream continues recording locally, the WAN connection needs to sustain the remote stream rather than the full local recording load.
Leave headroom
Do not design a switch or uplink to run permanently at 95–100% of its capacity. Leave room for bitrate spikes, firmware updates, extra cameras, playback and other devices. For a home system, a gigabit wired backbone gives enormous margin compared with typical camera traffic.
Use the Security Camera Bandwidth Calculator to model your own camera count and bitrate.