CCTV footage provides valuable information about an incident and can help police identify and catch perpetrators. However, keeping the recorded video safe and deleting it after a certain period is a great responsibility.
How Long Do Security Cameras Keep Footage?
CCTV cameras consume a lot of bandwidth and storage space. Most storage devices come with 1TB hard disks. Typically, security camera footage sometimes lasts from three months to a year. Old footage is automatically deleted to make room for new recordings.
CCTV camera storage requirements may also change based on personal and business needs. Each security camera is different and has an extra storage space.
Some businesses and financial institutions have large amounts of storage capacity. Factors such as camera frame, resolution, camera model, and audio affect storage, so choose the best surveillance camera for storing footage.
Security camera storage capacity also depends on many factors, such as:
- Number of installed cameras operating in NVRs or DVRs
- Storage methods used in CCTV cameras
- The application used for security camera storage
- Additional device installed
- The built-in capacity of CCTV camera
- 24/7 recording schedule
- Government Orders/Regulations on Video Retention
How long do supermarkets keep CCTV footage?
Supermarkets usually keep footage for around 30 to 90 days. However, this makes a lot of difference. Some keep footage for only a few hours, while others keep it indefinitely.
How long do police keep CCTV footage?
In general, 31 days is the period that most CCTV users keep recorded video, which is also recommended by the police. However, this period may be adjusted depending on the severity of the case.
How long do apartment buildings keep security footage?
It’s not uncommon for apartment buildings to have months-old security footage. Many companies only keep footage for a certain amount of time because storing large data is expensive. Also, since most apartment buildings only keep footage related to security incidents, it’s common to be deleted if there are no incidents.
How long do street cameras keep footage?
Most street cameras are equipped with digital video recorders that can store hours of footage. Once an incident occurs, the footage is typically retained for 30 to 90 days.
How long can CCTV footage be kept?
There are no hard and fast rules for how long CCTV footage can or should be kept. A lot depends on why the information is being collected and whether it identifies potential criminal activity that needs to be shared with the police.
Generally, authorities recommend a storage period of 31 days. A month is usually sufficient time to review the collected footage and highlight captures that may be needed for the investigation.
FAQs
How long do residential video surveillance systems typically retain security camera footage?
When a residential customer calls to inquire about the system, we generally recommend having enough storage space to hold at least a week’s worth of footage.
When installing a surveillance system in your home, you rarely refer to footage over a week or two old. Typically, you’ll know within a few days if you need to keep some surveillance footage.
Some people keep video surveillance for a week or more to be safe. That’s fine too. There is no right or wrong solution here. Do whatever feels safest.
Where is CCTV footage stored?
The two main strategies for storing security camera footage are local on-site or in the cloud. Local storage is footage stored on the camera itself (e.g., in a wireless security camera system with built-in hard drive storage) or a central network video recorder (NVR) or digital video recorder (DVR) storage system on-site.
In wireless or wired systems, NVR storage is used, which only works with digital techniques. Or, in an analogue system that converts analogue to digital, the storage device is called a DVR. A DVR system processes data from a recorder, whereas an NVR system encodes and processes data from the camera before sending it to the record for storage and remote viewing.
How many GB do you need for CCTV?
In today’s video surveillance systems, the balance of cost and need typically dictates storage requirements. Most plans include 60GB of onboard camera storage. At this level, 1 GB of digital storage can store 1.8 to 3.6 minutes of video based on video resolutions from 2.7K to 4K.
You can choose an appropriate overall storage capacity depending on the number of cameras in your system. At 60GB per camera, one terabyte can store the content of 60 cameras.
Can deleted CCTV be recovered?
CCTV footage can be lost or deleted for various reasons. It may have been accidentally deleted or lost through formatting the drive; it may be due to a storage disk crash or physical damage by fire or water.
Whatever the reason for the loss, you can rest assured knowing that your footage can be recovered in many situations. Contact our experts in CCTV solutions, and we can advise you on the best course of action to restore your footage.
Conclusion
Having a surveillance system is an important security precaution for homes and businesses. However, you must use your CCTV system responsibly.
Generally, CCTV footage can be safely stored for at least 30 days and a maximum of 90 days. However, your security vendor should advise you on this and your storage requirements since every setup differs.
Several factors affect how much data your system can store and for how long. For this reason, you should consult an expert to learn more about the features that various surveillance systems can offer to suit your needs.
