Storage devices for CCTV: surveillance hard drives for DVR and NVR systems | FGTech

DVR vs NVR: Which storage type do you have?

Before buying a surveillance hard drive, confirm whether your system uses a DVR or NVR. Both use the same internal SATA III hard drive, but resolution and camera count determine how much capacity you need.

Both DVR and NVR systems store footage on an internal SATA hard drive. The drive itself is the same physical type in either case. The difference is resolution; NVR systems at 4K generate significantly more data per camera per day than analogue DVR systems at 720p or 1080p.

Surveillance Hard Drives available at FGTech

Seagate SkyHawk

SkyHawk is Seagate's core surveillance line, purpose-built for always-on CCTV recording in home, retail, and small business installations. It includes ImagePerfect firmware, which minimises dropped frames and playback errors during simultaneous multi-stream recording. This firmware is absent from all standard desktop drives.

Best for: 4 to 16 channel DVR and NVR systems, home and small business CCTV, 720p to 1080p recording.

Seagate SkyHawk AI

SkyHawk AI is the extended version of SkyHawk, built for NVR systems running AI-based analytics such as object recognition, vehicle detection, and behaviour analysis. These workloads generate additional read activity on top of the standard write stream, requiring a drive rated for concurrent read/write operations at scale.

Best for: AI-enabled NVR systems, large-scale surveillance installations, 16 to 64 channel systems, smart city and enterprise deployments.

WD Purple

WD Purple is WD's core surveillance drive, built for the same 24/7 continuous write workload as SkyHawk. It uses AllFrame technology to reduce video frame loss under high-load recording and has strong native compatibility with Hikvision and Dahua DVR and NVR firmware.

Best for: Hikvision and Dahua CCTV DVR/NVR systems.

WD Purple Pro

WD Purple Pro is the high-capacity, high-workload extension of WD Purple, designed for professional NVR installations and edge AI systems with concurrent analytics workloads. It carries a higher workload rating and longer warranty than the base Purple line.

Best for: Professional NVR systems with AI analytics, multi-site surveillance, 32 to 64 channel high-resolution installations.

Toshiba S300

The Toshiba S300 is a surveillance-rated hard drive designed for continuous 24/7 recording in DVR and NVR systems. It runs at 5400 RPM with CMR (Conventional Magnetic Recording) technology, which delivers consistent write performance under sustained sequential workloads: the dominant access pattern in CCTV recording.

Best for: DVR and NVR systems at 720p to 1080p, home and small business CCTV, installers who prefer CMR-confirmed drives for guaranteed write consistency.

Toshiba S300 Pro

The Toshiba S300 Pro is the high-capacity extension of the S300 line, rated for larger installations and higher channel counts. It maintains the same 7200 RPM CMR design at increased capacity, making it the correct choice for multi-camera systems requiring extended retention periods.

Best for: 16 to 32 channel NVR systems, higher retention requirements, installations where CMR and 7200 RPM are specified by the integrator.

Which surveillance drive should you choose?

For a standard 4 to 8 camera home or small business setup at 1080p, SkyHawk, WD Purple, or Toshiba S300 are all correct choices. Choose based on brand availability and your DVR's channel count. For larger installations, AI-enabled NVRs, or systems requiring more than 30 days of 4K retention, step up to SkyHawk AI, WD Purple Pro, or S300 Pro.

How much storage does your CCTV system actually need?

CCTV Storage Formula:

Storage (GB) = Bitrate (Kbps) × 1000 ÷ 8 × 3600 × 24 × Cameras × Days ÷ 1,000,000,000

Example: 4 cameras at 1080p (~2048 Kbps), 30 days retention:

(2048x1000)/8 x 3600 x 24 x 4 x 30 ÷ 1,000,000,000 = 2,654 GB ( 2.6 TB)

A 4TB surveillance drive gives you the required capacity plus headroom.

Quick reference — per camera, 30 days continuous recording:

Motion-triggered recording typically reduces actual storage consumed by 40 to 70 percent, depending on activity at each camera location. If your DVR is configured for motion detection only, a given drive will hold considerably more than 30 days of footage.

Can I use a normal hard drive for CCTV?

Technically, a desktop HDD will operate in a DVR or NVR. In practice, it will fail significantly faster than a surveillance-rated drive.

A standard consumer desktop drive is rated for approximately 55 TB per year of workload. A 4-camera 1080p CCTV system recording continuously generates approximately 90 TB per year of write workload, nearly double the consumer drive's rated limit. Running a drive beyond its workload rating accelerates platters and head wear and increases the probability of failure within 12 to 18 months.

Surveillance drives are rated at 180 TB per year minimum, more than three times the consumer limit, and their warranties explicitly cover 24/7 operation. The price premium over a comparable consumer drive at the same capacity is typically Rs. 300 to Rs. 600. The cost of a drive failure in a live CCTV system: lost footage, emergency replacement, and reinstallation is considerably higher.

For general-purpose HDD options, check the internal and external hard drives at FGTech. 

Frequently asked questions

How much storage does a CCTV system need?

At 1080p with 4 cameras recording 24/7, 30 days of footage requires approximately 2.6TB; a 4TB surveillance drive covers this with headroom. It basically depends on resolution, number of cameras, and how many days of footage you want to retain. At 1080p with 4 cameras recording continuously, 30 days of footage requires approximately 2.6TB. A 4TB surveillance drive covers this with overhead. Use the formula on this page to calculate the exact requirement for your setup: Storage (GB) = (Bitrate (kbps) x 1000) / 8 x 3600 x 24 x Cameras x Days / 1,000,000,000.

How many hours of CCTV footage can 1TB hold?

At 1080p, 1TB holds about 46 days from one camera or 11 days from four cameras recording continuously. At 1080p (2048 Kbps), 1TB holds approximately 1,111 hours from a single camera recording continuously, around 46 days. With 4 cameras at the same resolution, 1TB holds approximately 11 days of footage. At 4K (8192 Kbps), 1TB holds approximately 277 hours from a single camera, or roughly 11 days.

How many GB does a CCTV camera consume per day?

720p: ~10.8 GB/day. 1080p: ~21.6 GB/day. 4K: ~86.4 GB/day. Motion detection reduces this by 40–70%. At 720p (~1024 Kbps): approximately 10.8 GB per camera per day. At 1080p (~2048 Kbps): approximately 21.6 GB per camera per day. At 4K (~8192 Kbps): approximately 86.4 GB per camera per day. These figures are for continuous 24/7 recording. Motion-triggered systems use substantially less.

Where is CCTV footage stored?

On an internal 3.5-inch SATA hard drive inside your DVR or NVR unit. In most home and small business systems, footage is stored on an internal 3.5-inch SATA hard drive mounted inside the DVR or NVR unit. Some systems support a secondary USB drive for backup or an NAS enclosure for extended network storage. Cloud storage is available from select camera manufacturers as a paid monthly subscription but is not a substitute for a local drive in most Indian residential and commercial installations. Check out our range of NAS storage and enclosures at FGTech

Can a normal external hard drive be used for CCTV?

Not for primary recording. DVRs/NVRs use internal SATA drives. Externals can serve as backup only. Most DVR and NVR units use an internal 3.5-inch SATA drive, not a USB external drive. External drives are not designed for continuous write workloads and are typically not supported by DVR firmware for primary recording. If your system supports USB output, an external drive can serve as a backup destination, but primary recording must use an internal surveillance-rated HDD.

How long should a CCTV hard drive last?

Surveillance drives typically exceed their 3-year warranty period when running within workload ratings in well-ventilated DVR enclosures at normal operating temperatures. Drives in poorly ventilated enclosures, or running above their rated workload, fail earlier. Consumer drives used as CCTV replacements commonly fail within 12 to 24 months. Many professional installers replace drives at the 3-year mark as preventive maintenance, regardless of whether the drive shows errors.

Which is the best CCTV hard drive brand in India? 

Seagate SkyHawk, WD Purple, and Toshiba S300 are all purpose-built for surveillance and are the three most widely used brands in Indian CCTV installations. For standard 4-16 camera setups, all three perform comparably. SkyHawk and WD Purple have broader recognition among installers; Toshiba S300 often offers a lower price point at equivalent specifications. For AI-enabled NVRs or 4K multi-camera systems, SkyHawk AI, WD Purple Pro, and Toshiba S300 Pro are the correct choices. FGTech stocks all six models and can help you choose based on your DVR’s compatibility and channel count.

Why buy surveillance hard drives from FGTech?

FGTech is an authorised dealer for Seagate, WD, and Toshiba. Every surveillance drive ships with a valid manufacturer's warranty and a GST invoice.

All storage orders at FGTech are automatically upgraded to air freight at no additional charge. Hard drives are mechanical devices with spinning platters and read/write heads. Surface freight exposes them to extended vibration, temperature variation, and handling. Air freight is faster and substantially reduces transit risk; it is standard practice for every storage order placed at FGTech, not an optional add-on.

• Authorised dealer for Seagate, WD, and Toshiba; warranty verifiable on each brand's portal
• Seagate SkyHawk and SkyHawk AI, WD Purple and Purple Pro, Toshiba S300 and S300 Pro all stocked
• 3-year warranty on standard surveillance drives, 5-year on SkyHawk AI and WD Purple Pro
• All storage products are automatically upgraded to Air shipping
• GST invoice on every order, claimable for business and installer purchases
• Pan-India delivery with anti-static, impact-resistant packaging
• Pre-sales support available for sizing and compatibility queries before purchase

Explore the full surveillance and CCTV range  at FGTech for cameras, accessories, and installation hardware alongside the memory and storage range at FGTech