How Much Data Does A WiFi Security Camera Use?

A smart home or business outfitted with WiFi-accessible gadgets has become increasingly popular. Security cameras are a very important piece of everyone’s setup. Despite the trend, many people are still skeptical about using a WiFi security camera due to all its bandwidth and data usage. If you are planning on installing one, it’s good to know how much data a wifi security camera typically uses.

First, you must note that WIFi cameras are constantly connected to the cloud so they can stream and record video. Due to this, some camera brands may consume a lot of bandwidth and data. Some WiFi security cameras use up to 4 Mbps when uploading records to the cloud. Depending on the video quality, this usage may even go higher. The higher the quality of the recording, the higher data usage the WiFi security camera will consume. If not monitored properly, some home security systems can use up to 400 GB a month for just a few wireless security cameras.

Suppose you are concerned about bandwidth and data limits. In that case, it’s best if you look out for these factors that will affect the data consumption of a WiFi security camera:

1. Video Resolution

Of course, higher video quality is ideal, especially for security cameras. Although higher quality is preferred, it compromises the data consumption of the wireless security camera. The average camera quality is 1080p. If you are on a budget with your data, it’s better to set the quality of the camera one setting lower. Typically, that means 720p or 480p. Some cameras will switch between high definition (HD) and standard definition (SD). Standard definition settings will reduce bandwidth and data for storage.

2. Frame Rate Per Seconds (FPS)

FPS is the rate at which a camera displays frames in a second. The typical FPS options for cameras are 30fps or 60fps. As with video resolution, the higher the FPS is, the higher the data consumption rate of that security camera. If you only need to capture good images with lower FPS, it’s better to use 30fps. You can easily adjust the FPS in your WiFi security camera settings.

3. Footage Upload Frequency

Usually, the frequency of uploading recordings to the cloud is the primary reason a WiFi security camera consumes a large amount of bandwidth and data. WiFi security cameras can consume up to 60GB of data transfer per month, depending on the upload frequency. To avoid around-the-clock uploading, set record/upload intervals so that the security camera is not continuously uploading recordings to the cloud. Once per day is a good standard. For most businesses, it’s better to use a motion/sound-based record function with low sensitivity, which will only begin recording after motion is witnessed or sound is heard. You can also get business security cameras with artificial intelligence to prevent the false recording of movement from pets, plants, or vehicles passing by. If the security camera only uploads 10-15 seconds of an intruder alert recording, you can expect the data consumption to drop to 10-20 GB per month.

4. Number of WiFi Security Cameras

Well, this one is pretty straightforward. The more wireless security cameras you install, the more data you’ll be consuming. If you have tons of WiFi cameras installed, you should expect your monthly data to be capped in a matter of days or weeks. The more video streams recorded and uploaded, the more data is consumed. So it’s better to limit the number of WiFi security cameras if you want to avoid capping your data limits. In short, don’t go overboard!

5. Compression Level

The compression level of the recordings of WiFi security cameras helps to lessen data consumption. If you are under a smaller monthly data budget from your internet service provider, it’s best to set a higher compression level. Although this may affect the video and image quality, you’ll keep your data use low.

In Summary

These are just some of the common factors that you can look into regarding how much data a WiFi security camera uses. To be more accurate, it’s better to plan out properly how much data it should consume. If you have an uncapped internet plan, you don’t need to worry about your security system’s data consumption. But with a tighter data budget, it’s important to find the best wireless security camera that suits your internet plan as well as your security needs.

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