In this article we will discuss the benefits, technical considerations, and Internet upload speed requirements associated with Cloud Video Storage.

There are a lot of benefits with cloud video storage (versus on-prem):

• No investment in local storage
• No upgrade costs
• No maintenance costs
• No power costs
• No hard drive failure threats

With all of cloud video storage’s seemingly inherent advantages, why even discuss this topic at all? It seems like a no brainer, right? Well, the devil is in the details as they say. It's important to understand all aspects surrounding cloud video storage to help you make the best possible decision. 

Your first consideration is to determine your Internet upload speed. Often Internet providers advertise their download speeds which are typically much faster than their upload speeds. Remember, video is being uploaded to the cloud. 

Oftentimes fiber Internet connection speeds are symmetrical, i.e. upload and download speeds are the same meaning that if you get a download speed of 100MB then your upload speed will also be 100 MB. Cable Internet providers on the other hand will only offer upload speeds at a fraction of the download speed. Therefore it's very important that you know the difference, if any, between your upload and download speeds. 

The next thing to consider is whether or not your Internet speeds are unlimited or limited, i.e. capped. Most fiber and cable Internet providers offer unlimited plans but this can vary by country so you need to find out.

Once you’ve established your Internet speeds and whether or not they are unlimited or limited you can now begin calculating your overall estimated bandwidth requirements for your camera system.

The easiest way to calculate your estimated requirement is to take the total camera count and just multiply by an average of 2MB. For example, suppose you have 10 cameras. In this example you would need 20MBs of upload speed to ensure a safe, stable connection and sufficiently fast uploads. Note: the 2MB per camera rule of thumb is only an average number and may not work in very busy camera environments. 

To be more accurate it’s best to first evaluate each camera and classify it into one of the following three categories: Level 1, 2, or 3. For example, a stairwell that is seldom used would be a level 1. A main doorway that receives regular traffic would be a level 2. A busy cafeteria would constitute a level 3 camera. 

Next, multiply each of your Level numbers by 1 and total them up. For example, our stairwell was a Level 1 so 1 x 1 = 1 point. Our main doorway was a Level 2 so 2 x 1 = 2 points. Lastly our busy cafeteria was a Level 3 so 3 x 1 = 3. Adding together all of the points gives us a total of 6 points.

For today's IP cameras that use SD-CARDs to record locally on the camera and possess good compression, the rule of thumb to calculate bandwidth consumption is to multiply your total number of points by 1.5 MB. Continuing our example from above we would require a minimum upload speed of 9MBs, i.e. 6 points x 1.5MBs.

Another technical consideration when considering video cloud storage is storage resolution.  Often cameras are capable of different resolutions and some cloud video providers may allow you to choose different levels of resolution. This is important when it comes to upload speeds and storage size. Case in point, 4K resolutions videos need much more space than a 2 megapixel full HD video stream. The first question to ask yourself is, do I even need high resolution? If you are only interested in an overview or summary of an event, then the answer is no. On the other hand, if you have a hemispheric camera and want to use dewarping or virtual pan/tilt/zoom then you might want to classify the camera as a level 3 - or even double that - to ensure you have adequate bandwidth capacity.

If this sounds complicated we suggest you just stick with the very basic rule of thumb, i.e.2MBs  per camera when calculating your usage as that is typically sufficient in most instances. enough to calculate your usage for modern cloud based solutions that should auto adjust to  variable bandwidth by camera and use compression and adaptability so that all your videos will still load to the cloud even when resolution is higher or traffic was high, they will simply take a  bit more time to upload than normal. 

The corollary here is that if you do not have enough bandwidth to cover the rule of thumb calculation above you will most likely need to use local on-premise storage - at least for the time being until you can upgrade your Internet bandwidth. Another scenario that may require on-premise local storage involves having to record 24/7 versus simply recording the occasional event.

Lastly, if your Internet provider does not offer unlimited bandwidth consumption, e.g. you are using an LTE wireless connection with a limited plan of let’s say 500 MB or 1 GB per month  then you need to do a careful analysis of your daily consumption to calculate out a month’s worth of usage to ensure you don't exceed your monthly plan and trigger high data overage fees.

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Alternatives do exist however. Some new cloud video storage providers such as IPTECHVIEW offer a new way of video playback that combines in-camera stored video and cloud video storage. We call it ‘On Demand Video’! 

Here is how it works: each camera stores events locally on its integrated SD card. IPTECHVIEW’s cloud video storage platform pulls event snapshots as well as a corresponding time and date stamp. You or any user can then select one or multiple events for upload for playback. Depending on the upload speed this can take seconds or minutes but once it’s done, you’ll get a notification that your clips have been uploaded and are ready for playback.

The upside is you save some money by not storing unwanted video in the cloud. The downside is that you don’t have data redundancy which means if something happens to the camera or internal storage (SD CARD), you could lose your recordings.

The interesting thing here is the ability to choose a cloud platform that allows you to select both modes simultaneously depending upon your needs. For example, on mission critical cameras leave them in fast, full speed, full cloud video storage mode at all times while less critical or secondary cameras operate exclusively in the lower cost ‘On Demand’ mode.  You get the best of both worlds!

Another important suggestion is to choose a platform and a cloud storage provider that not only stores video but also automatically performs regular system health checks on all of your cameras and provides proactive notifications to you to ensure your cameras are always up, running, and recording.

Last but not least it’s important to cover the economics. At first sight cloud video recording may look more expensive. Afterall, you can buy a local NAS (Network Attached Storage) for less than the cost of 2-3 years of cloud video storage. However, buyer beware! Do not compare apples to oranges.

Cloud video storage allows you to have as few as one camera. A NAS or server would also require costly space that is secure, climate controlled, dust free, and prevents it from getting bumped or otherwise damaged. Then there’s the multi-year maintenance not to mention having to send an expensive tech out once or twice over the 2-3 years to replace hard drives and most likely update firmware to prevent security risks. Let’s also not forget the electricity costs of running a NAS or server 24/7. On-premise storage is also vulnerable to theft and destruction in the event of a break-in or a fire. They’re even susceptible to a weather related catastrophe. In each of these scenarios important video events could be lost forever. Cloud video storage on the other hand cannot be destroyed by a break-in, fire or weather related calamity. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Cloud video storage would allow survivors in an affected area, e.g.the aftermath of a tornado, to readily playback video to assist in search and rescue operations. 

IPTechView offers all of these advantages and features, including secure remote access so your integrator can proactively fix any issues that may have taken a camera offline. Most importantly, you can choose which mode or features to use, on a per camera basis allowing you unprecedented cost control. Call us for a free consultation and demo or for a local IP Techview partner in your region.

Your IPTechView Team