CCTV Hard Drives – Designed for 24/7 Surveillance Recording

The CCTV Hard Drives section on DTS Digital CCTV offers a range of SATA-based 3.5″ hard disk drives specifically intended for round-the-clock surveillance use. These drives are suitable for digital video recorders (DVRs) that support the standard 3.5″ SATA interface, and they’re built to meet the tougher demands of continuous write operations typical in security systems.

Surveillance-optimised HDDs – These hard drives are designed to handle the persistent video recording demands of CCTV systems, unlike typical desktop drives.
Compatible with most DVRs – As long as the recorder supports 3.5″ SATA drives, the hard drive will usually fit and work without additional hardware.
Easy installation – Fitting a hard drive into a DVR generally involves connecting two standard cables (power and SATA data), with plug-and-play simplicity.
Brand variety – The selection includes multiple brands and capacities, such as Hitachi, Samsung, Seagate, and Western Digital models (subject to current availability).
Warranty and support – All surveillance drives on the site come with a 1-year warranty and access to technical support.
Helpful resources – There’s also a hard drive installation guide linked from the page if you need help fitting or setting up the drive in your CCTV recorder.

Examples of Hard Drives You Might Find

2Tb Seagate SkyHawk Surveillance HDD 3.5 Inch – A highly-rated 2TB surveillance drive often used in DVRs for large storage.
Seagate Surveillance 3.5" SATA ll 1TB Hard Drive – A versatile 1TB CCTV hard drive, balance of capacity and price.
Toshiba S300 Surveillance Hard Drive – Well-reviewed surveillance drive with reliable performance.
Seagate Skyhawk Surveillance 3.5 SATA 8TB Hard Drive HDD for CCTV – Another Seagate SkyHawk option for multi camera CCTV systems.

Shop-Related Benefits from DTS Digital

While this summary focuses on the hard drive offerings themselves, DTS Digital CCTV’s wider shopping experience often includes perks such as:

Free UK delivery on orders over a certain amount.
A 30-day return policy for extra peace of mind.
Lifetime product technical support to help with setup and troubleshooting.

How to Choose the Right CCTV Hard Drive Size

Choosing the correct CCTV hard drive size is essential for reliable video recording and long-term storage. CCTV systems record footage continuously or when motion is detected, which means they require surveillance-grade hard drives designed for 24/7 operation. Selecting the right capacity ensures you keep important footage for as long as possible without interruption.

What Affects CCTV Hard Drive Storage?

Several factors determine how much CCTV storage you need. Understanding these will help you choose the best hard drive for your CCTV system.

Number of CCTV Cameras

The number of cameras connected to your DVR or NVR directly impacts storage usage.

1–4 CCTV cameras – Lower storage requirements
5–8 CCTV cameras – Moderate storage requirements
9+ CCTV cameras – High storage requirements

More cameras mean more video data written to the hard drive.

Camera Resolution (Image Quality)

Higher resolution cameras provide clearer images but require more storage space.

720p / 1MP CCTV cameras – Low storage usage
1080p / 2MP CCTV cameras – Medium storage usage
4MP, 5MP & 4K CCTV cameras – High storage usage

If you use high-definition or ultra-HD cameras, a larger CCTV hard drive is strongly recommended.

CCTV Recording Mode

Your recording settings significantly affect how quickly a hard drive fills up.

24/7 continuous recording – Uses the most storage
Motion detection recording – Uses far less storage
Scheduled recording – Balanced storage usage

Motion-activated recording can extend storage time by weeks compared to continuous recording.

How Long You Want to Keep CCTV Footage

Think about how many days of footage you need to store before it is overwritten.

3–7 days recording – Small to medium hard drive
14–30 days recording – Medium to large hard drive
30+ days recording – Large capacity hard drive (2TB+)

Most DVRs and NVRs automatically overwrite the oldest footage when the hard drive is full.

Recommended CCTV Hard Drive Sizes

Below is a general guide to help you choose the correct CCTV hard drive capacity:

CCTV Setup	Recommended Hard Drive Size
4 × 1080p CCTV cameras	1TB
4 × 4MP CCTV cameras	2TB
8 × 1080p CCTV cameras	2TB
8 × 4MP CCTV cameras	4TB
16 CCTV cameras (HD or higher)	4TB – 8TB

Estimates are based on continuous recording. Motion recording can significantly reduce storage requirements.

Why Use a Surveillance Hard Drive for CCTV?

Always use a surveillance-grade hard drive specifically designed for CCTV systems.

CCTV hard drives are built to:

Run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week
Handle constant video writing
Deliver greater reliability and longer lifespan

Standard desktop hard drives are not designed for CCTV use and may fail early under continuous recording conditions.

Choosing the Best Hard Drive for Your CCTV System

If you are unsure which CCTV hard drive size to choose, it is always better to select a larger capacity drive. More storage provides longer recording times, improved reliability, and greater peace of mind.

For expert advice or help choosing the right surveillance hard drive, contact a CCTV specialist or browse a range of CCTV-optimised hard drives designed for DVR and NVR systems.