InFronttech Customer Tools

🏠 Typical coverage

Front door (face and packages), driveway (plates or vehicles), back door or patio, and rear garden or side access are the most requested. Add more for large blocks, multiple entrances, or sheds and garages. The Storage Calculator helps once you have your camera count and settings.

📹 What drives storage usage?

• Number of cameras — More cameras mean more simultaneous streams and more total data per day.
• Resolution — 1080p uses less than 4K or 8MP; higher resolution means more pixels per frame and typically higher bitrate.
• Frame rate (fps) — 15–25 fps often suffices for general surveillance; 30 fps (most common in the US/NTSC) uses more storage. Halving fps roughly halves that camera’s share of storage.
• Codec — H.265 (HEVC) typically needs about half the bitrate of H.264 for similar quality, so roughly half the storage.
• Quality and CBR vs VBR — Higher quality and CBR use more storage; VBR often saves 20–35% in typical scenes.
• Hours and retention — More recording hours per day and more days of retention multiply your total storage requirement.

🧮 How to get your estimate

Use the Disk Space Calculator above: enter your camera count, resolution, fps, codec, quality, encoding type (CBR/VBR), hours per day, and retention in days. You can add multiple rows if different camera groups have different settings (e.g. some continuous, some motion-only). The calculator gives daily storage in GB and total storage in TB so you can size your NVR or NAS drives. When in doubt, add 15–20% headroom for real-world variation.

📊 CBR — Constant Bitrate

With CBR, the encoder always uses the same bitrate whether the scene is static (empty corridor, night) or busy (people walking, traffic). The recorder reserves that bandwidth and storage all the time. Storage is predictable and easy to plan: daily usage is essentially fixed. The downside is that in quiet periods you are “wasting” bitrate on unchanging pixels, so CBR often uses more storage than necessary for the same perceived quality in typical mixed scenes.

📉 VBR — Variable Bitrate

With VBR, the encoder uses more bitrate when there is motion or fine detail (people, vehicles, changing light) and less when the scene is static. Over a typical day, many areas are static for long periods, so the average bitrate is lower than a fixed CBR rate. That usually means 20–35% less storage for the same perceived quality in typical surveillance. Trade-off: VBR storage varies by scene—busy periods use more, quiet periods use less, so daily totals can vary. Some NVRs only offer CBR.

🧮 How the calculator handles CBR vs VBR

When you select VBR, we apply a factor (typically around 25% saving) so the estimate reflects average real-world use. For very busy 24/7 scenes, actual VBR may be closer to CBR; for quiet or motion-only periods, VBR can save more. Choose CBR if you need a conservative, worst-case estimate or if your NVR only offers CBR.

🎬 Scene content and motion

Busy scenes—people moving, traffic, foliage, changing shadows, rain—compress less well than static scenes. If your site is busier than “average”, actual bitrate (and storage) will be higher. VBR will spike during busy periods; CBR may already be set high. The calculator assumes typical mixed activity.

⚙️ Brand and encoder differences

Different NVR and camera brands use different encoder defaults and quality curves. Some run at higher bitrates for the same resolution; some use more aggressive compression. If your actual bitrate per camera is higher than the calculator’s assumption, storage will be higher. Check your NVR’s bitrate or data rate settings and compare to what you entered in the calculator.

✅ What you can do

If recordings are not lasting as long as you need: reduce resolution or frame rate, switch to H.265 if available, lower quality or use VBR if your NVR supports it, or add more storage. We can help analyse your setup—contact us for a storage review.

💾 Ways to save your results

• Take a screenshot of the results panel (daily and total storage) and the inputs you used (cameras, resolution, fps, retention, etc.) so you can repeat or justify the estimate.
• Note the daily (GB) and total (TB) figures in a spreadsheet or spec document; add 15–20% headroom if you want a safety margin.
• Use the same settings in the calculator whenever you add cameras or change retention to get an updated total.

🎞️ Typical fps choices

• 15–20 fps — General surveillance, corridors, warehouses. Enough to see what happened; uses less storage than 25 fps or 30 fps (US).
• 25 fps — Common in Australia (PAL-style). Good balance of smooth motion and storage; often required or preferred for licensed venues and fast-moving areas.
• 30 fps (US / NTSC) — Most commonly used in the US. Smoothest motion; use when you need fine detail in fast action (e.g. till areas, busy entrances). Uses the most storage.

📉 Storage impact

Halving the frame rate roughly halves that camera’s share of storage (e.g. 15 fps vs 25 fps). The calculator lets you select fps per row so you can compare 15, 25, and 30 fps (US) and see the effect on daily and total storage.

⏺️ Continuous recording

The camera or NVR records for the full duration of its scheduled hours (e.g. 24 hours or 9–5). Storage is based on 100% of those hours at the chosen resolution, fps, and bitrate. You get a complete record of everything that happened, which is often required for licensed venues or high-security areas. The trade-off is maximum storage usage.

👣 Motion recording

The NVR or camera only writes to disk when it detects motion (or other triggers). When the scene is static, nothing is recorded. How much is actually recorded depends on how busy the scene is—that is what the Activity % setting in the calculator represents. For example, 8 hours at 25% activity means the recorder is writing about 25% of the time (roughly 2 hours of actual recording), so storage is much lower than 8 hours of continuous. Motion recording is ideal for quiet areas, after-hours, or when retention is more important than capturing every second.

🧮 Using the calculator

For each row you can choose Continuous or Motion and, for motion, set Activity % (how much of the time the recorder is actually writing). The calculator multiplies hours by 100% for continuous or by Activity % for motion, so you get a fair estimate and can compare different strategies (e.g. continuous by day, motion at night).

📊 How to think about Activity %

If the scene is almost always still (e.g. warehouse at night, empty car park), the recorder might only be writing 5–10% of the time. If there is constant movement (entrance, till, busy corridor), it might be 40–50% or higher. 100% means the recorder is writing as much as continuous—use that for very busy areas or if you want a conservative estimate.

🧮 How the calculator uses it

The calculator multiplies the row’s hours by (Activity % ÷ 100) to get “effective recording time”. For example, 8 hours at 25% activity = 2 hours of effective recording, so storage is based on 2 hours at your bitrate, not 8. You can set a different Activity % per row (e.g. 10% for a quiet night shift, 50% for a busy entrance). If unsure, start with 25% (moderate) or 100% for a safe upper bound.

📹 What each row represents

Each row is one group of cameras that share the same settings: number of cameras, resolution, fps, codec, quality, CBR/VBR, hours per day, recording type (continuous or motion), Activity %, and retention. For example: Row 1 = 4× 8MP continuous 24 h, 30 days; Row 2 = 8× 1080p motion 12 h at 20% activity, 14 days. The calculator sums the storage from all rows to give you total daily (GB) and total storage (TB).

⏱️ Splitting the day across rows

New rows start with 0 hours so you can split the 24-hour day without overlap: e.g. Row 1 = 15 h (e.g. 6–21), Row 2 = 5 h (21–2), Row 3 = 4 h (2–6). The calculator expects the total hours across all rows to equal 24 per day; it can auto-adjust one row when you change another to keep the total at 24.

🕐 Why 24 matters

If rows total more than 24 hours, you are effectively counting some hours twice (e.g. the same camera recording in two “modes” at once), which overstates storage. If they total less than 24, you are missing hours (e.g. no recording schedule for part of the day), which understates storage or does not match reality. For a realistic daily total, the sum of “hours per day” across all rows must equal 24.

✅ How the calculator helps

The calculator shows the total hours across rows and warns if it is not 24. When you change one row’s hours, another row can auto-adjust so the total stays 24, making it easy to split the day (e.g. 15 h + 5 h + 4 h) without manual maths.

📐 Resolution

Higher resolution (e.g. 8MP or 4K vs 1080p) means more pixels per frame. The encoder needs more bits to represent that detail, so bitrate and storage go up. The calculator’s resolution dropdown reflects typical bitrates per resolution (e.g. 1080p, 4MP, 8MP). Doubling resolution often increases bitrate and storage significantly—though H.265 and VBR can offset some of that.

🎚️ Quality (Low / Medium / High)

Quality acts as a multiplier on the base bitrate for that resolution. Low quality uses less bitrate (more compression); High uses more (sharper image, more storage). For the same resolution and fps, moving from Low to High can increase storage by a noticeable amount. Use the calculator to compare: try Medium vs High for your resolution and see the effect on daily and total storage.

💡 Real-world examples

• 12V LED strips — The first LEDs are bright, the ones at the end of a long run are dim or off: voltage has dropped along the strip or the feed cable.
• Car headlights — Dim at idle, brighter when the engine revs: the alternator voltage rises, but thin or corroded wiring still causes drop under load.
• CCTV cameras — Random reboots, poor image, or no picture when the cable run is long: the camera is below its minimum operating voltage.
• Pool or bore pumps — Motor at the end of a long cable may not start or runs weak: startup current causes a big drop in thin cable.
• Garden or path lights — First light bright, last one flickering or dim: classic voltage drop along a daisy-chained 12V or 24V run.

🏠 Home & garden

LED strip lighting: first metre bright, last metre dim. Garden or deck lights on a long 12V/24V cable: nearest to the transformer bright, furthest flicker or stay off. Under-cabinet or shed lighting fed by long thin wire: same effect. Fix: shorter runs, thicker cable, or feed from both ends.

🚗 Automotive & marine

Cars: headlights or stereo dim when load is high; starter struggles on cold mornings if battery cables are thin or corroded—all voltage drop. Boats and RVs: fridge or inverter at the end of a long run may cut out or fault; navigation lights dim. Heavier cable or a second feed often fixes it.

🔧 Tools, solar & security

Power tools on a long extension lead: motor gets less voltage, runs weak or overheats. Solar: long run from panels to battery or inverter loses power as heat in the cable. CCTV and access control: cameras or readers reboot or fail when the 12V/24V run is too long or thin. In every case, voltage drop is the culprit; the calculator helps you size cable or shorten the run.

📐 Length

Double the cable length and you double the resistance, so you double the voltage drop. That is why extension leads for power tools or temporary site supply have a maximum length recommendation—beyond that, the tool or appliance sees too low a voltage. Same for 12V runs to a pump, LED strip, or camera: every extra metre adds drop.

📏 Thickness (gauge)

Thicker wire has lower resistance per metre, so less voltage drop for the same length and current. Automotive wiring uses heavy cable for the starter and battery for that reason. In low-voltage lighting or CCTV, stepping up one or two AWG sizes (e.g. from 20 to 18 or 16) often brings the voltage at the load back into a safe range.

📏 How AWG works

A lower AWG number means thicker wire: 14 AWG is thicker than 18 AWG, and 18 is thicker than 22. Thicker wire has less resistance per metre, so for the same current and length you get less voltage drop. AWG is used in automotive, marine, RV, solar, LED lighting, and CCTV—so understanding it helps across all of these.

✅ Choosing cable size

For short runs and low current (e.g. a single 12V camera or short LED run), 18–20 AWG may be enough. For long runs or higher current (multiple lights, pump, inverter feed), use 16, 14, or thicker. Use the voltage drop calculator: enter your one-way length, load current, and supply voltage; try different cable types and pick the smallest cable that keeps the voltage at the load within spec.

📏 Option 1: Thicker cable

Step up one or two AWG sizes (e.g. 20 → 18 → 16 AWG). Thicker wire has less resistance per metre, so voltage drop falls. Common in automotive upgrades, solar array wiring, and long 12V feeds for lighting or CCTV. Use the calculator to see how much improvement you get.

↔️ Option 2: Shorten the run

Relocate the power supply or the load so the cable run is shorter. Voltage drop is proportional to length, so even a few metres less can bring the voltage back into range. Works for garden lights (move the transformer), CCTV (relocate the PSU), or any fixed installation.

🔌 Option 3: Local power supply

For very long runs, put a power supply (12V, 24V, or whatever the load needs) close to the device and run a short lead. The long run is then only for the higher voltage (e.g. 240V AC to the local PSU), and the low-voltage side is short. Used in CCTV (local 12V near the camera), marine (local supply near the fridge), and distributed LED or lighting systems.

🔌 Using it for PoE

For a single PoE camera, use the camera’s power draw in amps (from the datasheet; e.g. 0.25 A). For a cable run feeding multiple cameras from one switch port or midspan, add the currents. Many installers use this tool as a PoE budget calculator to check long Cat5e/Cat6 runs before installation. If the voltage at the load is too low, use thicker cable, shorten the run, or add a PoE midspan closer to the cameras.

📹 What a substream is

The substream is a second, lower-quality encode of the same camera—e.g. 720p at 0.5 Mbps while the main stream is 4MP at 4 Mbps. You still see every camera, but each uses much less bandwidth. NVRs and apps can be set to "send substream when viewing remotely" so your upload is not overloaded.

✅ When to use them

Use the substream for remote viewing on phones, tablets, or when connected from another network. Use the main stream for local monitoring and for recording (the NVR records the main stream for full quality). The calculator on this page shows the required upload for both substream and main so you can set bitrates and see if your connection can handle one or both.

📊 Two different scenarios

Substream total = cameras × substream bitrate (e.g. 4 × 0.5 = 2 Mbps). Main stream total = cameras × main stream bitrate (e.g. 4 × 4 = 16 Mbps). Many connections can handle substream but not main. The calculator shows the required Mbps for each and compares to your upload, so you see "Enough" for substream and "Not enough" for main—meaning you should use substream for remote.

⚙️ Configuring your NVR

Set your NVR or app to use "substream for remote" (or similar) so that when you connect from outside, it sends the lower-bitrate stream. The calculator result tells you whether that choice will work with your upload speed.

🇦🇺 Typical NBN upload

NBN 50 plans usually have about 20 Mbps upload; NBN 100 about 40 Mbps. Actual speeds can be slightly lower depending on connection type and provider. For 4–8 cameras at substream (e.g. 0.5–1 Mbps each), 20 Mbps upload is often sufficient. For more cameras or main stream remote viewing, you may need NBN 100 or higher.

🧮 How to check

Run a speed test from your site (where the NVR is) and note the upload result. Enter that in the Upload Speed Calculator along with your camera count and substream/main bitrates. The calculator will show whether your plan can handle substream, main, or both.

📉 How the calculator handles it

The Upload Speed Calculator has a codec selector (H.264 vs H.265). When you choose H.265, it applies a factor so the required Mbps is lower—reflecting the fact that the same video uses less bandwidth. You can compare side by side to see how many cameras your upload can handle with each codec.

⚙️ Compatibility

Not all NVRs, apps, or phones support H.265 for decoding. If your remote viewing client cannot play H.265, the NVR may fall back to H.264 or the stream may not work. Check your NVR and app specs before relying on H.265 for remote viewing.

🧮 Rough idea

Divide your upload (Mbps) by the bitrate per stream. For H.265 the effective bitrate is lower (calculator applies a factor). Example: 20 Mbps upload, 1 Mbps per camera, H.265 → roughly 12 cameras at that bitrate. Leave some headroom for other traffic; the calculator helps you stay within a safe margin.

🎚️ Typical values

0.25–0.5 Mbps per camera: very light, good for many cameras or slow connections. 0.5–1 Mbps: balanced—720p or 1080p low, smooth on most NBN plans. 1–2 Mbps: better quality substream if your upload allows. Use the calculator: enter your camera count and upload, then try different substream bitrates until you see "Enough".

⚙️ Where to set it

In your NVR or camera menu, look for "Substream", "Secondary stream", or "Remote stream". Set resolution (e.g. 720p) and bitrate (e.g. 512 Kbps or 1 Mbps). The calculator on this page lets you enter those values and confirms whether your upload can handle them.

⬇️ Reduce demand

• Lower the substream bitrate (e.g. 0.25 or 0.5 Mbps per camera) in the calculator and in your NVR.
• Reduce the number of cameras you view at once (e.g. view 4 instead of 8 when remote).
• Use H.265 if your gear supports it—the calculator applies a lower effective Mbps.

⬆️ Increase upload

If you cannot reduce bitrate or camera count enough, consider upgrading your NBN or internet plan to a higher upload tier (e.g. NBN 100 for ~40 Mbps upload). Run a speed test from your site to confirm actual upload before upgrading.

🔵 Turret (dome-style)

Turret cameras are compact and low-profile, often with a dome or hemisphere. They are good for indoor use, ceilings, or discreet mounting where you do not want a prominent camera. They are available in fixed or varifocal lens options.

🔫 Bullet

Bullet cameras have a longer, cylindrical lens housing. They suit longer throw distances—e.g. driveways, car parks, number plate capture—where you need a narrower field of view and more reach. They are often used for external mounting and plate reading.

🔍 Varifocal

Varifocal means the focal length is adjustable (e.g. 2.8–12 mm) so you can tune the field of view after installation. Ideal when the exact distance varies or you want one camera to cover different scenarios. The calculator suggests "varifocal" when flexibility is useful for your area and distance.

📐 How resolution affects recommendations

With 2 MP (1080p), you need to be more conservative—lower height or closer distance—to keep enough pixels on the subject for face ID or plate capture. With 8 MP or 4K, you have more pixels to spare, so the calculator may suggest slightly higher mounting or longer distance. Choosing "Not sure / any" gives a middle-ground recommendation.

🔍 Focal length and distance

For a driveway or entrance at 10 m, a lens in the 8–12 mm range (or equivalent) is often needed to get a usable plate image. Closer distances may work with 6 mm; longer distances may need 12 mm or more. The Mounting Height Optimiser suggests a lens range based on your area type (e.g. driveway), distance to subject, and resolution. Bullet cameras with a longer focal length are commonly used for dedicated plate capture.

🔍 By goal

For overview only, 4–6 mm often covers the drive. For number plate capture at 10 m, 8–12 mm is typical. For face ID at the gate or intercom, 6–8 mm may be enough. The best camera lens for a driveway is the one that matches your distance and goal—use the calculator for a tailored recommendation.

📐 When to use fixed

Use a fixed lens when the distance and area are well known and unlikely to change—e.g. a standard doorway at 3 m. Fixed lenses are often smaller and cheaper and require no adjustment at install.

🔧 When to use varifocal

Use varifocal when the exact distance varies, when you might change the coverage later, or when one camera might need to cover different scenarios. You can tune the zoom during commissioning. The calculator recommends "varifocal" when flexibility is useful for your area and distance.

👤 Face ID

Face ID means you need to identify a person clearly—e.g. at a door, reception, or for evidence. That requires the most detail on the face and usually a lower mounting height (2.2–2.8 m) so the camera sees the full face, not the top of the head. The calculator suggests height and lens to achieve a usable face image at your distance.

🚗 Number plate capture

Plate capture means reading number plates at a given distance. You need enough pixels on the plate and a suitable angle (not too oblique). That often requires a longer focal length (narrower view) and sometimes a dedicated bullet camera. The calculator suggests lens range and height for plate capture by area and distance.

📷 Overview

Overview is general monitoring—seeing activity and movement without needing to identify faces or read plates. You can mount higher and use a wider lens to cover a larger area. The calculator gives more flexible height and lens options when you choose Overview.

⚠️ Face ID

For face identification, mounting too high is one of the main causes of poor results. The calculator’s height range is chosen so that faces are well framed. If you must mount higher (e.g. building constraint), use a higher-resolution camera or a longer focal length so the face still occupies enough pixels—and test on site to confirm.

✅ Overview and plates

For overview or number plate capture, going a bit higher can be acceptable if the lens and resolution still give enough detail on the subject. The calculator ranges are guidelines for good results; if you mount higher, compensate with a longer lens or higher MP and verify the image on site.