Reviewed, sourced guidance
CCTV recording hours: continuous, scheduled and motion
Direct answer
For continuous recording, enter the hours the system records each day. For a fixed schedule, use the configured hours. For motion recording, use a representative recorded-hours average from the actual system; the tool does not predict motion savings.
Recording hours are an input to the storage equation. Scheduled recording can use its configured schedule; motion-triggered footage needs representative measured activity.
Key takeaways
- Use 24 only for continuous recording through the full day.
- Use the actual configured hours for a fixed schedule.
- Use measured averages for motion-triggered recording.
- Do not treat one quiet sample as a representative day.
Use the configured schedule where it is fixed
A fixed recording window can be expressed as daily recorded hours when the same period applies each day.
Seagate’s calculator exposes daily hours of recording and motion recording as separate camera-group settings, so these should not be collapsed into a generic codec factor.
Sources for this section: Seagate UK, video storage calculator for surveillance (observed 2026-09-25; manufacturer tool)
Motion recording needs measured activity
Event recording depends on the scenes and trigger settings. A short sample may miss busier periods and should not be treated as a dependable daily average.
If the device reports recorded hours or storage use over a representative period, use that information with the device’s configured average bitrate. Otherwise, compare continuous and scheduled cases separately rather than inventing a motion discount.
Illustration only: one camera at an entered 2 Mbps records 21.6 decimal GB per day across 24 hours, since 2 × 24 × 0.45 equals 21.6. The same entered rate across a fixed 12-hour schedule gives 10.8 decimal GB per day. This is arithmetic for the entered bitrate and hours, not a prediction of motion activity, usable drive capacity or a retention recommendation.
Sources for this section: Western Digital, surveillance storage estimator and limitations (observed 2026-09-25; manufacturer tool)
Next steps
- Check each group’s actual schedule and recording mode.
- For motion-triggered systems, inspect a representative period of recorded data.