Surveillance hard drives

Surveillance hard drives are built for video security systems: they fit inside network and digital video recorders (NVR and DVR) and store camera footage. The category suits home, shop and small office setups that record around the clock. Our range includes drives from TOSHIBA and SEAGATE.

How to choose a surveillance hard drive

Capacity. A drive fills faster the more cameras you run and the higher their resolution. Before buying, estimate how much data your cameras produce per day and multiply it by the number of days you want to keep footage. Our range includes a 20 TB drive, suited to systems with many cameras or long retention periods.

Continuous operation. Surveillance drives are made for constant writing and several video streams at once, a workload most ordinary desktop drives are not designed for. One model in our range lists a mean time between failures (MTBF) of 2,500,000 hours. That is a statistical estimate, useful for comparing models, not a promise of how long a particular drive will last.

Speed. A single camera stream is fairly light, so a small system does not need a particularly fast drive. Larger systems that record from many cameras while footage is being reviewed benefit from a quicker disk. One model in our range has a sustained transfer rate of 229 MiB/s.

Power use and temperature. Recorders often sit in closed cabinets or alcoves where heat builds up. One model in our range draws 6.7 W when idle, 8.2 W typically and 1.2 W in standby, with an operating temperature from 0 to 65 °C. Lower consumption means less heat and lower running costs for a drive that works all day.

Compatibility. Many recorders use 3.5-inch SATA drives, but each recorder has a maximum capacity it supports per drive. Check the recorder manufacturer's specification before choosing a high-capacity model.

Brands we carry

• TOSHIBA: a long-established hard drive maker with a dedicated surveillance series designed for continuous recording.
• SEAGATE: one of the world's largest hard drive manufacturers, known for high-capacity drives and models adapted to video surveillance systems.

At the moment the category holds two models, one from each manufacturer.

Frequently asked questions

How does a surveillance hard drive differ from a standard one?

A surveillance drive is designed to write data constantly and accept several video streams at the same time. Standard desktop drives are usually built for shorter, uneven workloads. For a security recorder, it is sensible to choose a drive made for that purpose.

What capacity do I need for a CCTV system?

It depends on the number of cameras, their resolution and how many days of footage you want to keep. A small home system often needs only a modest drive, while larger systems need several drives or a high-capacity one such as 20 TB. Work out the daily data volume and multiply it by your retention period.

Can I use a surveillance drive in a PC?

Usually yes, provided it has a SATA connection and your PC has a free 3.5-inch bay. However, such a drive is optimised for recording rather than frequent file reading and copying, so it is not always the most convenient choice for everyday work. Check your computer's connections before buying.

What does MTBF mean in surveillance drive specifications?

MTBF is the mean time between failures, given in hours, for example 2,500,000 hours. It is a statistical figure based on testing many drives, so it is useful for comparing models. It does not mean a single drive will run for that many hours, so it is still wise to check the drive's health regularly.