CCTV + AI Analytics 101: What’s actually real today

AI-powered CCTV sounds like science fiction, but the basics are already working in systems you can buy right now. Here’s what’s real and what you should care about:

Motion detection (Intelligent, not dumb)

Traditional motion detection triggers on everything – leaves blowing, rain, even lighting changes – causing 90-99% false alarms. That’s not a typo. If you get 100 alerts, 90-99 of them are useless.

Intelligent motion detection powered by AI analyzes the type and pattern of motion. The result? 85-95% fewer false alarms. Instead of 100 useless alerts daily, you get 5-15 that actually matter – someone entering your property after hours, not a cat walking by. Here’s what we are talking about

Traditional motion detection vs. AI-powered intelligent detection

Object detection & tracking

Modern cameras can automatically detect and classify what they see – people, vehicles, bags left unattended – and track them in real-time using AI across multiple camera feeds. This is useful for:

• Following a delivery person across your property without manually reviewing footage
• Getting alerts if someone enters a restricted zone (like your server room or warehouse after closing)
• Monitoring how long someone lingers near an entry point (suspicious loitering detection)

What’s mostly marketing

Anything promising ‘predictive threat analysis’ or ‘behavioral anomaly detection’ that claims to predict crimes before they happen is overselling. Yes, AI can spot patterns in historical footage, but thinking your ₹15,000 camera will operate like Minority Report is unrealistic. Stick to proven features: motion zones, object classification, and basic alerts.

CCTV storage sizing 101

How many days, how many cameras, what resolution, how many TBs do you actually require – here’s the formula you need – no fluff, just math:

Real example:

You have 4 cameras recording at 1080p (bitrate: ~2048 Kbps), and you want 30 days of footage:

So a 4TB NVR hard drive gives you room to breathe.

Quick reference (per camera, 30 days):

• 720p @ 1024 Kbps ≈ 324 GB per camera
• 1080p @ 2048 Kbps ≈ 648 GB per camera
• 4K @ 8192 Kbps ≈ 2,592 GB per camera

What actually affects your storage (and saving tricks):

1. Compression codec – the biggest space saver

• Old MJPEG format: 100 GB for 1 hour of footage
• H.264 compression: 20 GB for the same 1 hour – that’s 80% less space with zero quality loss
• H.265 (newer): Saves another 50% on top of H.264

2. Recording mode – 24/7 recording vs. motion-triggered recording cuts storage by 60-70%. A back gate camera that records 24/7 uses 648 GB/month. Same camera on motion-only? Around 200 GB/month.

3. Resolution – Adjust resolution based on importance: 4K for cash counters, 1080p for general areas, 720p for perimeter zones

4. Audio recording – Disabling audio where unnecessary (parking lots, warehouses) saves 15-20% space. For that 4-camera, 2.6 TB setup, that’s 400-500 GB saved.

Smart CCTV & crowd management: The Tirumala system

The Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams recently deployed a ₹28 crore AI system with over 6,000 cameras to manage 50,000-100,000 daily visitors. The scale is staggering: 360,000 payloads are processed per minute, and 2.5 billion real-time inferences are made daily. Here’s the full story.

The system:

Facial recognition cameras at 20 strategic points (railway stations, bus stands, temple entry gates) capture devotees’ faces and cross-reference them against a database of ~1 million images from the past 30 days. The system issues time-slotted darshan tokens linked to your face, preventing duplicate bookings and queue-jumping.

Tirumala Temple’s AI-powered CCTV command center

What works:

• Crowd density tracking – AI estimates crowd levels in real-time and redirects flow to prevent stampedes
• Missing person identification – If someone reports a missing child or elderly relative, the system can scan recent footage across all 6,000+ cameras
• Access control – Your token + face combo ensures the person who booked actually shows up (not a tout reselling)

What’s overkill for most businesses:

Unless you’re managing 50,000+ people daily, you don’t need facial recognition databases. A small retail shop, coaching center, or even a 20-camera factory can achieve 90% of the security value with:

• Basic motion detection + object tracking
• Proper camera placement (entry/exit, cash areas, blind spots)
• A sensible NVR with adequate storage

CCTV buying guide basics

What actually matters when you’re shopping:

Resolution: Don’t overpay

• 720p – Fine for general monitoring, perimeter zones. Cheap storage.
• 1080p – Sweet spot for most businesses. Clear enough to identify faces/license plates
• 4K – Only needed for critical zones (cash counters, safes, entry gates) where you need to zoom and still see detail

720p vs. 1080p vs. 4K resolution comparison

Night vision: Check the IR range

Most cameras claim “night vision,” but effective range varies wildly. Look for 20-30 meters for outdoor cameras, 10-15 meters for indoor. Anything less is nearly useless beyond your front door.

PoE (Power over Ethernet)

If you’re installing 3+ cameras, buy PoE-enabled cameras and a PoE switch. One cable does power + data – no messy power bricks, no hunting for outlets near ceilings.

Storage: Buy surveillance-rated hard drives

Regular desktop HDDs fail quickly under 24/7 recording. Use WD Purple or Seagate SkyHawk drives rated for surveillance.