Video Surveillance Hard Drive Size Statistics 2018

By IPVM Team, Published Nov 08, 2018, 12:35pm EST

What is the most common hard drive size for video surveillance?

150+ integrators answered:

**** **** **** ***** do *** **** ******** use? **** ****** *** from ***** ****** *****?

** **** ******, ** share ******** ********, ********* trends *** ************ ** why *********** ****** ******** hard ***** *****.

*******

*** **** ******** ******** size *** ***, *** nearly **% ** ****** selected *** * ** and ******. **** *********** ******** using ****+ ****** **** 1TB ** ***. **** than **% ** ****** reported *** *** ** smaller.

******** ** ****, ***** was * **% ******** in *** ********** ** drives *** *** ******* reported, ********* ** ***. 8TB *** ****+ ***** usage ****** **** *% in **** ** **% in ****.

**** ** ******* ******

*** **** ****** ******** from *********** *** ********* drive **** ** *** price *** ********, ******* by *** ********* ******. Notably, **** * ********** cited ********** ****** ********** as *** ****** *** hard ***** **** *********:

  • "*** ** ******. ******* in ***** ******. ** are *** ******* **** using ****** ****** ****** when **** ***********."
  • "* *** *** ******* Hard ***** **** *** budget **** *****. ****** shooting *** ** ****+. With *** **** ** drives ********, * ** choosing ****** ******"
  • "*** *** ***** *** TB ****** ********** ** about **** *****."
  • "*** ***** ****. ***, 8TB, **** *** ***** too *********."
  • "*** ** *********** & 2-4TB ** **********. ** use *** ***** *** in *********** ** **** the **** ***."
  • "******* ** *** * TB, ** ***** ******* units ** *** * TB. *** ***** ** the **** ** *** disks."
  • "***. ****** **** *** $ *** **"
  • "***, ***** ** ****"
  • "*-***. * ***** *** GB/$ **** *** **** the ******* *****"
  • "***. ***** ** *** NVR *** ****** *** customer ** **** ** pay."
  • "*** *** *** ******* systems, *** *** *** larger *******. ***** *** TB ** *** ******** factor, * *** * seem ** ** ***** spots."
  • "***. **** ** *** best **** *** ***** point. *** **** ***** is ****."
  • "*-* ** ** ********. Larger ***** *** ****-*********** unless ******* **** **** than *-** *******."
  • "*-* ** ***** *** general ****"
  • "*-**** ****"
  • "*** *** ***** *** servers ** *** ***** is *** **** ******* between ***** *** ***** cost."
  • "*** **** *****. *** 8TB ***** ** * higher **** *** ** with *** ******* *** coming ****."
  • "********* ******* *** *** 12TB. ********* **** **** a *** ** ***** space **** ******* *** the ***** **** *** a **** */*"
  • "***. ****** ***** *** used **** ** ****"

Hard ***** ***** ****

** *** **** ** this ******, ******** ****, average ****** *****/***** *** TB *** ************-***** ****** are:

  • ***: $**, $**/**
  • ***: $**, $**/**
  • ***: $**, $**/**
  • ***: $**, $**/**
  • ***: $***, $**/**
  • ***: $***, $**/**
  • ****: $***, $**/**
  • ****: $***, $**/**

******** ** ****, **** is * ***** ******** of  ~**% *** ****** 3TB ** *******, *** over **% *** *** - ***.

As ***** ** ****** *** *******

***** *** ** ************** popular ***** *****, *******, several ******** ***** **** the ******* ****** ********* by *** ****** **** chosen:

  • "** **** ******* ***** 6TB **** ****** ****** if *** ****** *** drives *** ***** ********* in **** ******* **** size. *** ****** ********* being **** **** ********* what **** ** *** in."
  • "*** ******* **** ** the ****** *** ********* will ******."
  • "*** - *** *********. The *** **** **** we ********* ******* ********* have *********** ** *** size ** *** **** drive **** *** *** install."
  • "***....**** *** **** **** on * ***** *******. takes *** **** ** recover/rebuild **** * ****** drive"
  • "**'** ***** **** *** in ******** ****** ******* that ** *** *** supported."
  • "*** - *** *********** stop ** **** ***** larger ******."
  • "***. ** *** ********* to *** ************'* *** spec"
  • "* ** ** **** common. *** *** **** limit ***"
  • "*,*, *** * ** drives *** *** **** common ***** *****. ***** are **** ***** ** the ****** ** *********"
  • "* ** *. ** no *** ****** ****** mainly *** ** ******** limitation"
  • "*** ** ***** *** due ** *** ********** set ** *** ************. 6TB ** ***** *** because *** *** *** handle ****** *****"

******** ***** **** **** On ***** ******

*********** **** ***** **** RAID ******* ***** *** risk ** ***** ******* of **** **** **** reasons *** ** *** large ******:

  • "*** ** **** ******, but **** ******* ****** to ***. ***** ** the ******* ****** ** HD ****, *** ******* consideration ** *** ****** of **** **** ** a ***** **** *****."
  • "...,****** ****** **** **** data **** **** *******."
  • "***, ******* **** ** RAID"
  • "* ****** ** *** 2-3TB ******, ****** ******* if * ****** *** fails *** **** **** will ** ****"
  • "****** ****** ****** **** you **** *** **** of ******* ******* ** data **** **** ****."
  • "***. **** ******* ***** too **** **** ****** drives"
  • "********** * ***** ****** to *** ** **** disque ** ******** ** divide *** **** ** a *******"

Comments (14)

Undisclosed Integrator #1

11/09/18 12:45pm

Can you guys run some performance tests on drives like this one?

Seagate’s new 60TB SSD is world’s largest

Of course I'm just joking. Kinda. Sorta. Maybe. :)

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Undisclosed #2

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed Integrator #1 | 11/10/18 04:37pm

Things change every couple years :)

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Fabian Muyawa

LONTECH SYSTEMS
IPVMU Certified | 11/12/18 01:18pm

Am quite agreeable to the concern raised regard the risk of large amount of data loss in an event that a larger HDD fails as compare to a smaller one. 

However, when it comes to the cost analysis, it appears the larger HDD the cheaper and the smaller HDD the higher the cost.

Who knows?? may be this could be as a result of the the risk factor

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Undisclosed Integrator #3

11/15/18 03:32am

With our primary NVR system, utilizing Video Management Server Software, alerts are generated when a drive has bad sectors or is not passing testing via email immediately, which enables the drive to be replaced prior to a drive failure.  This is why we use the larger drives, now 10TB and 12TB.  Retention times are always a factor in the Financial Industry, and this allows us to offer customer demanded retention.

I have had customers state that other companies wanted to sell them equipment with smaller drives allowing for less retention, the solution they offered some of my customers was that they would come out and install new drives every 30 - 45 days, and then rotate drives in and out to maintain the retention they wanted to obtain. The comment I recieved was if they had to rotate disks they might as well go back to VCR tapes and just change tapes.  

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Undisclosed #4

11/30/18 04:51pm

No comments about SSD usage?

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John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Undisclosed #4 | 11/30/18 05:17pm

This report focused on hard drives, we do have this report - On-Board Storage Usage Statistics 2017

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Undisclosed #5

11/30/18 06:31pm

My wife decided to look at my computer and this is the first article she clicked on. 

 

I don't get it. (lol).

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Undisclosed #2

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed #5 | 11/30/18 08:07pm

My wife decided to look at my computer and this is the first article she clicked on.

Size matters ;)

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Undisclosed #6

11/30/18 09:09pm

I'd be curious to hear about average storage allocations per camera.

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Undisclosed #2

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed #6 | 11/30/18 09:48pm

Probably not much more than 30 days video needs:

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Undisclosed #6

In reply to Undisclosed #2 | 11/30/18 10:03pm

Right, but at what settings?

30 days of motion detection only recording on a 1080p zipstream camera is going to use a lot less storage than 30 days of continuous recording from a 4MP camera without a smart codec.

I am curious how many GB of storage are allocated per camera on average. Just a general statistic, or by resolution/application/etc. My gut tells me it is somewhere around 64GB per camera on average for an everyday application (2-4MP camera, motion recording, 2Mbps stream, 1 months of storage).

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Undisclosed #2

IPVMU Certified | In reply to Undisclosed #6 | 12/01/18 09:03am

30 days of motion detection only recording on a 1080p zipstream camera is going to use a lot less storage than 30 days of continuous recording from a 4MP camera without a smart codec.

This is my point, actually.

So, let’s say you got your allocation “averages”, and for arguments sake let’s say the top three buckets were

10-30GB with 20%

50-70GB with 40%

90-110GB with 25%

You might think “wow, the average integrators allocation is all over the place.  I wonder why.”

And indeed, if the choice of allocation size was one that was usually made independent of retention time and bit rate, e.g. “I always buy 4 TB drives and split it evenly among all 8 cameras.”, that would make sense.

But since retention time/bit rate/motion or non-motion are really driving the stat, do the allocation averages alone inform all that much?

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #7

08/05/20 11:00pm

Is there any plan to run another survey like this for 2020?

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Undisclosed Manufacturer #8

In reply to Undisclosed Manufacturer #7 | 08/06/20 01:14am

I would like to see this as well. I am perhaps a competitor or colleague of #7.

I have pretty good data on this, it varies greatly by region. Zyme/Context and IDC have some data on this as well.

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