30 days of UniFi Protect: how much storage?
The right drive size depends on what you record—and how much detail you want to keep.
By Brandon Hicks · The SmartHome Co.
Start with the recording plan.
There is no single drive size that guarantees 30 days for every UniFi Protect system. Camera count, recording quality, recording mode, and usable storage all affect how much history you can keep.
What should “30 days” include?
For a driveway incident or a delivery dispute, you may want to review what happened before and after a detected event. Decide how much of that timeline you need:
Continuous recording
Records throughout the selected recording period. Choose it when you want an ongoing timeline to review.
Detection-only recording
Records triggered events. It can save space in quieter areas, but does not provide the same continuous history.
Also decide whether all 30 days must remain at full quality. Protect’s Enhanced Retention can reduce the quality of older footage; detail removed that way cannot be restored. [1]
What does the math look like?
Here is a planning example for six cameras recording continuously for 30 days. The assumed data rate makes a big difference.
| Average per camera | Video data |
|---|---|
| 4 Mbps | About 7.8 TB |
| 8 Mbps | About 15.6 TB |
| 12 Mbps | About 23.3 TB |
These are assumed rates, not specifications for a particular camera. Calculations use decimal units and exclude system overhead, drive redundancy, and spare capacity. Actual settings and scene activity affect the result.
A recorder with 16 TB printed on its drives is therefore not automatically a comfortable fit for a 15.6 TB video estimate. Ask for the usable recording capacity and the assumptions behind the estimate.
Three details to settle before installation
- Define the target. List the cameras, recording mode, quality, and required history. Leave room for cameras you already expect to add.
- Plan for important clips. Export footage you need to preserve. A rolling history—and drive redundancy—does not replace a separate copy of an important incident.
- Check real retention. Review storage use after representative activity, then confirm the oldest available footage once enough time has passed. Recheck after adding cameras or changing quality.
The integrator’s take
“30 days of continuous recording at the agreed quality” is a much clearer project requirement than “install a large hard drive.” Match the equipment to that target, then verify it in operation.
Sources & technical references
Plan your camera system around the footage you need.
Tell us what needs coverage and how far back you want to look. We’ll help plan your UniFi Protect system in Marietta or Metro Atlanta.
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