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CCTV Hard Drives & Storage

CCTV storage is the media a recorder or camera writes footage to: hard drives inside an NVR or DVR, and memory cards inside cameras, dashcams and body-worn devices. This range covers the Seagate SkyHawk AI 12TB surveillance drive, ESP hard disc drives from 500GB to 8TB, and Hikvision and Kingston SD and microSD cards from 16GB to 512GB, including high-endurance cards for vehicle video.

Choosing CCTV Hard Drives & Storage

Choose storage by where it goes, how much footage it must hold, and how hard it will be worked.

Recorder hard drives

Recorders write continuously, around the clock, so drives made for surveillance are the usual choice. The Seagate SkyHawk AI ST12000VE001 is a 12TB 3.5in SATA 6Gb/s drive at 7200 RPM with 256MB cache, and the ESP HD1000SA, HD2000SA, HD4000SA and HD8000SA are 1TB, 2TB, 4TB and 8TB drives.

Sizing capacity

Capacity depends on the number of cameras, their resolution, the compression the recorder uses and the number of days footage must be kept. Add the drives needed to the recorder's bays, and check the maximum drive size the recorder supports.

Memory cards

Cameras with an SD or microSD slot record locally as a backup or on their own. Hikvision AE-MW3SD1 full-size SD cards are on-board endurance cards for vehicle video, from 64GB to 512 GB. Hikvision HS-TF-C1 microSD cards run from 16GB to 64GB, reading at 92MB/s.

ProductTypeCapacity
Seagate SkyHawk AI ST12000VE0013.5in surveillance HDD12TB
ESP HD8000SAHard disk drive8TB
ESP HD4000SAHard disc drive4TB
Hikvision AE-MW3SD1High-endurance SD card512 GB
Kingston microSDXCClass 10 UHS-I128GB

Endurance cards for vehicles

Vehicle and dashcam recording writes constantly in a hot, vibrating environment. Hikvision AE-MW3SD1 and vehicle-grade AE-MW3TF1 micro/TF cards are made for that duty, and Class 10 is stated on the AE-MW3TF1 and the 64GB and 128GB AE-MW3SD1.

Brands we stock in CCTV storage

Hikvision, ESP, Kingston and Seagate. Hikvision and ESP supply most of the drives and cards.

Related categories

Storage is specified with the recorder it sits in: see network video recorders and digital video recorders, recorder kits and bundles where a drive is already fitted, and CCTV monitors. Storage is part of the wider security and surveillance range.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a normal hard drive in a CCTV recorder?

It may fit, but a surveillance drive is made for the job: a recorder writes footage day and night, and drives such as the Seagate SkyHawk AI are built for that continuous load. Check the recorder's supported drive list and maximum capacity per bay before fitting any drive.

How much storage do I need for CCTV?

Work it out from the number of cameras, their resolution, the recorder's compression and how many days of footage you must keep. A few cameras on a small recorder may need 1TB or 2TB, while larger systems use 8TB or 12TB drives across several bays.

What is a high-endurance SD card?

A high-endurance card is built for continuous recording, as in dashcams, vehicle cameras and CCTV cameras with an SD slot. Hikvision AE-MW3SD1 full-size SD cards are on-board endurance cards for vehicle video, from 64GB to 512 GB, with Class 10 stated on the 64GB and 128GB, and the AE-MW3TF1 is a vehicle-grade micro/TF version.

What size hard drives does this range cover?

The ESP HD1000SA, HD2000SA, HD4000SA and HD8000SA are 1TB, 2TB, 4TB and 8TB drives, the ESP HD500SACP-CL is a 500GB clean pull, and the Seagate SkyHawk AI ST12000VE001 is 12TB. A recorder's total storage is the sum of its drives, within the maximum it states.

Do CCTV cameras need a memory card?

Not when they record to an NVR or DVR. A memory card in the camera adds local recording, as a backup if the network fails or for cameras used without a recorder. Hikvision cards, including the HS-TF-C1, and Kingston microSD cards in this range fit those slots.

What is the Seagate SkyHawk AI?

SkyHawk AI is Seagate's surveillance hard drive line. The ST12000VE001 in this range is 12TB, 3.5in SATA 6Gb/s, 7200 RPM with 256MB cache, for NVRs recording many cameras where video analytics also runs on the recorder. It is helium-filled, rated for a 550 TB/year workload, and uses ImagePerfect AI firmware to reduce dropped frames.

Which memory cards suit a CCTV camera slot?

Class 10 UHS-I microSD cards, which this range carries from 16GB to 512GB. The Hikvision HS-TF-C1 cards, in 16GB and 64GB, read at 92MB/s. The Kingston 128GB microSDXC reads at up to 45 MB/s. Check the largest card the camera accepts before buying.

Which hard drives replace an ESP recorder drive?

The ESP HD1000SA, HD2000SA, HD4000SA and HD8000SA are 1TB, 2TB, 4TB and 8TB drives, and the HD500SACP-CL is a 500GB clean pull. The HD8000SA states an operating voltage of 5V and 12V DC via SATA. Match the capacity to the recorder's maximum per bay, stated in its product details.

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Written by the West Midlands Electrics technical team

Updated

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