CCTV Hard Drives & Storage

A surveillance drive is a hard drive designed for CCTV and video recorders that store footage non-stop. Compared with a desktop drive, it is usually tuned for continuous writing, rated for always-on use and built to handle several camera streams at once. Check that the recorder supports the drive's capacity. The range here includes recorder hard drives from ESP and Seagate.

Start with where the footage is written: a recorder needs hard drives, a camera with a card slot needs a memory card, and vehicle recording needs a high-endurance card. Then size the capacity to the cameras, their resolution and how many days of footage you must keep. The range here includes recorder hard drives, microSD cards and high-endurance SD cards.

Yes, usually for backup rather than recording. Many recorders have a USB port for copying footage to an external drive, while continuous recording normally goes to internal SATA drives fitted in the recorder's bays. Some recorders can also save to network storage. The range here includes internal hard drives for recorders.

Yes, a standard SATA drive will usually fit and work, but a surveillance drive is the safer choice. Desktop drives are built for occasional use, while a recorder writes video day and night, which can shorten a desktop drive's life. Check the recorder's drive compatibility and maximum capacity. The range here includes surveillance and recorder hard drives.

A CCTV hard drive usually lasts several years, depending on how hard it is worked, the temperature inside the recorder and the drive's design. Surveillance drives are built for continuous recording, which helps them cope with that duty. Check the warranty period, and replace a drive when the recorder reports disk errors. The range here includes replacement recorder hard drives.