How much storage per IP camera?

4K H.265 24/7: 300-500 GB per month. With motion detection 20-30 percent of that. 6 cameras 4K H.265 with motion: ~600 GB per month = 7.2 TB per year.

Which drives are NVR-grade?

Surveillance class like WD Purple or Seagate SkyHawk - optimized for 24/7 write load. Enterprise drives (Exos, Ultrastar) work too. Never SMR.

Which software for NAS NVR?

Synology Surveillance Station on Synology, QNAP QVR Pro on QNAP, Frigate as open-source option on any NAS with Docker. BlueIris for Windows setups.

Is NAS NVR worth it vs cloud subscriptions?

From 2 cameras up usually yes. 1300 USD hardware for 4 cameras pays back vs cloud subs in 2-3 years. Plus full data control and no monthly fees.

Do I need a GPU or Coral for Frigate?

For AI object detection (person, car) yes. Coral USB accelerator costs 60 USD and is the difference between 1 and 30+ FPS inference. Without AI Frigate runs too, just motion detection.

NAS as Surveillance Storage: NVR Setup Done Right

Updated: 2026-04-29

Cloud subscriptions for camera recording (Ring, Nest, Eufy) cost 10-30 USD per month - forever. A NAS as NVR is a one-time purchase, then years of peace. Here are the 2026 picks with real storage numbers.

Short version

Per IP camera at 4K H.265 24/7: about 1 TB per month of recording. The NAS needs surveillance-grade drives (continuous write) and ideally software like Synology Surveillance Station, BlueIris, or Frigate. For 4-8 cameras a 4-bay NAS with 4x 16 TB is plenty.

Calculating storage realistically

Rule of thumb per camera:

1080p H.264 24/7: 100-200 GB per month
1080p H.265 24/7: 50-100 GB per month
4K H.264 24/7: 600-900 GB per month
4K H.265 24/7: 300-500 GB per month
Motion detection vs 24/7: 20-30 percent of those values

Example: 6 IP cameras 4K H.265, motion detection, 30-day retention:

6 x 400 GB x 0.25 = 600 GB per month = 7.2 TB per year. With 30-day retention: ~600 GB rolling.

Which drives for NVR

Surveillance cameras write continuously, often parallel from multiple streams. You need:

Surveillance class (WD Purple, Seagate SkyHawk): optimized for 24/7 write load and ATA Streaming Feature Set
Or enterprise drives (Exos, Ultrastar): pricier but more robust
Never SMR: under sustained write load SMR drives become unusable - details in our SMR vs CMR guide

2026 picks: WD Purple Pro 18 TB or Seagate SkyHawk AI 16 TB.

Software options compared

Synology Surveillance Station. Available on every Synology NAS. 2 cameras free, more via license (50-80 USD per cam, one-time). Very mature, good app. Limitation: Synology hardware only.

Frigate. Open source, runs as Docker on any NAS. AI object detection built in (person, car, animal). Needs a Coral USB or GPU for inference. Free, medium-to-high setup effort.

BlueIris. Windows-based, very feature-rich, one-time 70 USD. Needs a Windows VM on the NAS or its own small PC.

QNAP QVR Pro. QNAP equivalent of Surveillance Station, 8 cameras free.

Shinobi / ZoneMinder. Open-source alternatives. ZoneMinder is established but old. Shinobi is more modern.

Hardware recommendation

2-4 cameras home setup: 2-bay Synology DS224+ with 2x 8 TB WD Purple in mirror = 8 TB usable for 30-60 days retention.

4-8 cameras family/business: 4-bay Synology DS923+ with 4x 16 TB SkyHawk AI SHR-1 = 48 TB usable.

8+ cameras pro: 8-bay TrueNAS or Unraid with RAID-Z2, 8x 18 TB Exos. Plus Coral USB for Frigate AI.

Frigate setup on NAS in short

Install Docker (Synology, Unraid, TrueNAS Scale have it natively)
Pull Frigate image: docker pull blakeblackshear/frigate:stable
Create config.yml with camera streams (RTSP URLs)
Pass through Coral USB (--device /dev/bus/usb)
Mount storage volume: 1 TB+ per camera at 4K
Home Assistant integration optional - the classic combo

RTSP setup per camera

Most IP cameras support RTSP. Enable in camera settings, URL is usually:

rtsp://user:password@camera-ip:554/stream

Plug into Surveillance Station / Frigate / BlueIris. Hikvision, Dahua, Reolink documented. Wyze and Eufy often limited.

Smart motion detection config

24/7 recording wastes storage. Smart setup:

24/7 in continuous low quality: 720p, 5 fps - 50 GB per month per cam
On motion: event recording at full quality: 4K H.265, 30 fps
Retention: 30 days continuous, 90 days events

You get the important moments in full quality without wasting space.

Privacy notes

Recording public areas (street, neighbors) implicates GDPR and personal rights
In hallways/stairwells: check tenancy contract and house rules
Store recordings encrypted, never expose NAS unprotected to the internet
No direct port-forwarding of camera RTSP streams - VPN or encrypted app access only

Recommendation

For home use: Synology DS923+ with Surveillance Station is the simplest solution. 4x 16 TB SkyHawk AI in SHR-1 = 48 TB usable. License for 4 extra cameras around 220 USD. Total: 1300 USD for years of cloud replacement.

For tech enthusiasts: TrueNAS Scale plus Frigate plus Coral USB. Setup time 4-8 hours, free, with smart AI detection.

NAS Buying Guide 2026

SMR vs CMR Drives

RAID Complete Guide

NAS Power Consumption 2026