How Long Should You Keep Security Camera Footage?

It's a question that decides how much storage you need: how long should footage stick around before it's overwritten? The answer depends on how quickly you'd notice an incident.

For most homes: 2-4 weeks

A few weeks covers the gap between an incident and when you'd realize something happened — a missing package, a vacation break-in, a hit-and-run on your parked car.

For businesses: 30-90 days

Liability claims, disputes, and slow-to-surface theft mean businesses usually want longer retention. Some industries have specific requirements.

What affects retention

• Resolution and frame rate: higher settings fill storage faster.
• Number of cameras: more feeds, less retention per drive.
• Motion-only recording: stretches storage by skipping empty footage.
• Cloud vs. local: changes cost and how much you can keep.

We size storage to hit your target retention without surprises. Tell us how far back you want to see, and we'll build to it.

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