HomeTechOps

Cameras

Camera bandwidth calculator

Add up main + substream bitrates to size your NVR uplink and avoid saturating the network.

Use this to estimate the aggregate ingest from N cameras to your NVR, see what share of a 1/2.5/10GbE uplink it uses, and understand why detection should run on the substream.

Low priority

About 30 Mbps total — 3% of a 1 GbE link

6 cameras at 5 Mbps each (main + substream) is ~30 Mbps of ingest to the NVR — about 3% of the NVR's 1 GbE link.

Aggregate ingest
30 Mbps
% of NVR uplink
3%

1 GbE = 1000 Mbps

Per camera
5 Mbps

4 main + 1 sub

First checks

  • Main stream: 4 Mbps × 6. Substream: 1 Mbps × 6.
  • NVR uplink modeled as 1 GbE (1000 Mbps).

Step-by-step troubleshooting

  1. 1

    Split detect vs record streams

    Point the NVR/Frigate at the low-res substream for detection and the main stream for recording.

    Expected: Lower aggregate bandwidth and detector load with full-quality recordings.

    Next: Re-run with the substream enabled to see the saving.

  2. 2

    Match the NVR uplink to the load

    If the load is a large share of the uplink, move the NVR to a faster port.

    Expected: Ingest sits well under the uplink with headroom for spikes.

    Next: Wire continuous-recording cameras over PoE rather than Wi-Fi.

What your answers suggest

  • Aggregate = (main + sub) × cameras = 5 × 6 = 30 Mbps.

Likely cause area

  • Record the main stream but run detection on the substream — it cuts both bandwidth and detector CPU.
  • This is the ingest load to the NVR; a single NVR uplink carries all cameras' streams at once.

Safe actions

  • Comfortable headroom on this uplink for the recording load.
  • Prefer wired PoE cameras for continuous recording; Wi-Fi cameras share and can saturate the AP's airtime.

When to stop

  • Don't run several 4K Wi-Fi cameras on one AP/2.4 GHz band — they degrade the whole wireless network.

Assumptions

  • Bitrates are VBR estimates; busy scenes spike above the configured average.
  • This models LAN ingest to the NVR, not your internet plan.

What should I check first?

  • Note each camera's main-stream and substream bitrates (Mbps) from its web UI.
  • Decide whether the NVR detects on the substream and records the main stream (recommended).
  • Identify the NVR's uplink speed (1/2.5/10GbE).

What is likely wrong?

  • Running detection on the full main stream, which wastes both bandwidth and detector CPU.
  • Putting several 4K Wi-Fi cameras on one AP — they share and saturate the airtime.
  • Sizing the uplink for one camera instead of the aggregate of all streams at once.

What is safe to try?

  • Detect on the substream, record on the main stream.
  • Move the NVR to a 2.5GbE/10GbE port if the aggregate is a large share of a 1GbE link.
  • Wire continuous-recording cameras over PoE rather than Wi-Fi.

When should I stop?

  • Stop before adding more 4K Wi-Fi cameras to a saturated AP — wire them or use substreams.
  • Stop treating internet speed as the limit; this is LAN ingest to the NVR, not your ISP plan.

Source-backed checks

HomeTechOps turns official docs and conservative safety rules into a shorter runbook. These links are the source trail for the page direction.

Frigate docs: Recommended hardwareUsed for detector inference times, the cameras ≈ (1000 ÷ inference_ms) ÷ detect_fps capacity model, and the current 'Coral no longer recommended for new installs' guidance.Frigate docs: Camera setup (detect vs record streams)Used for the detect-on-substream / record-on-main pattern that drives bandwidth and detector load.FS.com: Understanding PoE standards and wattageUsed for the 802.3af/at/bt source-vs-delivered power figures and the switch total-PoE-budget constraint.