The duration for which a surveillance system retains footage is a critical consideration for homeowners in Central Scotland, especially those who travel frequently for work or leisure. Generally, we aim to provide at least 30 days of continuous recording for a standard residential setup. However, this is not a fixed limit and depends heavily on the storage capacity of the hard drive—typically a Western Digital Purple or Seagate SkyHawk—and the resolution of the cameras being used. For instance, a property in Newton Mearns with four 4K cameras will consume data much faster than a similar setup using 1080p resolution.
To optimize this, we implement H.265+ compression technology, which is a leading industry standard used by brands like Hikvision. This allows us to store high-quality video using significantly less disk space. Furthermore, we often configure systems in areas like Paisley or Giffnock to record on “Motion” or “Smart Event” triggers rather than 24/7. This ensures that the system only saves footage when there is actual activity—such as a person approaching the front door or a vehicle entering the driveway—which can extend the retention period to several months without needing additional hard drives. During our initial setup, we discuss your specific requirements to ensure you have ample time to retrieve footage should an incident occur while you are away from home.
