One of the cons of having an IP security camera is the data usage especially if it is connected to your WiFi. How much data your security cameras use depends on your specific model and the features/settings you have enabled but typically range between 60 and 400 GB per month.
Reducing Bandwith Usage
There are a number of ways that you can reduce the data usage of your security system:
- Steady State: Using “steady state” cameras are significantly effective at reducing bandwidth. When cameras use a steady state during rest your cameras, when not being viewed, will send metadata to the cloud to reduce the amount of bandwidth you use.
- LAN Connection: If you intend to view security footage on-site, make sure your security cameras can connect to a local area network to avoid unnecessary data usage.
- Motion Detection: Choose security cameras that have motion detection software, this means that your devices will only activate when movement occurs preventing unnecessary data from being sent to the cloud and thus saving you data.
- Multiplexing: When you access your security footage remotely via multiplexing the video is proxied through the cloud enabling multiple viewers to watch without the high data usage.
- FPS: FPS is how many frames there are per second of video footage. The more frames there are the higher the bandwidth. By adjusting your FPS in your settings you will reduce bandwidth usage.