While most of us love how wi-fi security cameras have made surveillance easier, others wonder how much data a wifi security camera uses.
My IP cameras use from 300 to 400 GBs of internet data every month.
The amount of data a security camera uses depends on factors like continuous video recording, resolution, image quality, frame rate per second (FPS), and the number of cameras connected to the wireless network.
We will discuss the subject of wireless security cameras and their data usage in detail in the following section.
Please read on to the end and find out the hidden secret to save your data.
Let’s dive in.
How Do I Check My Security Camera’sCamera’s Data Usage?
You simply cannot. You can consider the suggested data for the devices you are using and put that to implementation.
The Ring security system needs 1-2 Mbps per device for download and upload speeds.
If we talk about the Nest cameras, they need from 0.15 to 4 Mbps of bandwidth depending on the camera quality.
The Arlo security system uses 0.3 to 1.5 Mbps. It is important to look at these stats to determine how much data your security camera will need.
The official pages of these camera devices have the data information.
Otherwise, you can look at the manual to get an idea and subscribe to a plan depending on your data needs.
Data Consumption in Smart Homes
Smart home with several connected devices uses more data as the devices always use a Wi-Fi connection, affecting internet speed.
Wifi cameras consume a lot of bandwidth and affect the download speeds, slowing down the wireless security camera’s performance and resulting in more bandwidth drainage.
A common use of a security camera system reports data consumption ranging from as low as 60 GBs and a maximum of 500 GBs.
The maximum bandwidth is consumed using a network video recorder for continuous recording.
This can be a problem for some people, and they may have to contact their Internet service providers to extend their internet plan.
If these data figures scare you, you can configure several preferences in the camera settings to ensure they are working fine and not straining your data limits.
The HD Resolution
The camera’s resolution is one of the major factors that affect your camera’s video quality.
It will be best to have a higher-resolution camera to view clear footage with night vision. A high-definition video resolution takes more data than usual.
A common smart device record has a 1080p resolution, counted in a higher resolution by FCC (Federal Communication Commission).
You can set the camera device to record at a lower resolution than Standard Definition (780p or 480p), but that will affect the quality of the recording.
Your camera will be able to record the videos even in harsh weather conditions and in night vision to catch the criminals red-handed. With lower resolution, the footage will be grainy.
Solution: Go to your camera’s settings and select the preferred resolution for the footage.
The settings are easy to configure, and you can go back and forth with the chosen resolution.
Frame Per Second Rate
After the high resolution, the FPS or frames per second rate affects your data usage.
The frames per second are the images captured and displayed by the smart device in a second.
The higher the FPS, the better.
The FPS for video surveillance is different from the gaming PCs. For wireless security cameras, 30 FPS is a good rate for smoother playbacks.
A decent video camera device offers 25 to 30 FPS, a good deal for residential and commercial purposes.
Solution: You can set the FPS on your wireless cameras using their respective mobile app if you’re unsatisfied with the current video playback quality.
Setting FPS to a lower rate will be an issue for facial recognition because of the choppy footage.
Connected Devices
The internet speed slows down when too many devices are connected to your wifi network.
These devices can be smartphones or other wireless security cameras.
Each of these devices works independently, but they impact bandwidth usage.
To prevent a break in the internet service, you can contact your internet providers and ask them to upgrade your monthly data plan.
If you don’t have the budget, disconnecting some of your devices will also be helpful.
Solution: once you have extended the data plan through your service provider, you can run speed tests to ensure smooth video recording.
Features of the Security Camera
The amount of data and how much bandwidth your smart camera will use also relates to the activated features of the device.
Features like motion detection, two-way audio, live feed, continuous recording, and push notifications absorb more data than cameras with traditional cameras.
The live feed feature is also a little heavier on your internet data.
You record, view, and save the footage simultaneously, which gets a big chunk of your monthly internet.
You can disable this feature as well and set it to record-only-on-motion detection.
There must be some preferences in your camera to address this concern.
Solution: You will have to disable these features for the time being or buy more data to save available bandwidth.
To do so, you can try to manually configure your camera from default and turn some of these settings off.
Automatic Software Updates
Updating your camera’s software automatically makes things easier for the user, but it does not give you enough control over your data.
Also, not all security updates are important or should be prioritized. Some of them can wait for the renewal of the data plan.
Solution: go to your camera’s settings and turn off the automatic software update feature.
This way, you can update your security system as you want. It’sIt’s an ideal solution when you have less bandwidth.
But, with this option, you’ll have to go to the camera’s settings and update the software manually.
This can be difficult for someone with a busy life schedule, but it keeps your data expenditure in check.
The Hidden Secret: Using a Network Video Recorder
A network video recorder is a smart portable system that records and saves playback videos on your hard drive. It has smart motion sensors and a user-friendly interface.
The NVR is a good solution for saving data locally rather than uploading it to the cloud.
It improves the internet upload speed by saving the data on local storage.
The NVR reduces bandwidth usage, and you can place it anywhere near the device.
It works on wireless signals and saves the videos as they are recorded. This saves your data from cloud uploading data consumption.
Conclusion
A wireless device uses an internet connection to function.
Most of its features only work with a wifi connection, which means the devices heavily depend on the wireless connection.
So, they consume a good deal of data, and there’s nothing you can do about it except for trying to restrict the smart device in data’s extensive features.
You can try out the above-mentioned ways or talk to your internet providers and extend your internet consumption.
If you have tips to share, please don’t hesitate to comment
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