Are you thinking about adding cameras to your home security system? Or perhaps you want to invest in a video surveillance system for your business. Either way, it is economical (and fun!) now more than ever to look at camera options. However, it is important to have certain “up” and “down” speeds with camera systems, since technically they are considered “video.”

Streaming Video (Security Surveillance)

Security surveillance is its own beast and can become extremely complicated. Upload and download speeds vary depending on a whole host of factors, which include the following:

  • System type (CCTV or HDcctv)
  • Camera type (analog, standard or high resolution)
  • Camera motion type (full motion or freeze frame)
  • Number of cameras
  • Color depth (monochrome, high color or true color)
  • Frames per second (fps)
  • Type of camera access (continuous or occasional streaming)
  • Compression rate

GoBrolly® recommends talking with your security provider for specifications about your camera surveillance systems, or looking at the data specs with the manufacturer for the cameras you purchase if you are a DIY’er.

A good rule-of-thumb is 2.5 Mbps per camera. So if you had 4 cameras, you would want a minimum Internet connection of 10 Mbps. Higher upload speeds result in quicker loading times on the cameras.

We recommend starting with at least a 40 Mbps plan. You can always change packages, it is that simple.