How Much Video Can Be Stored Using Onboard Recording With an Alarm.com Camera?

The amount of video that can be stored using onboard recording with an Alarm.com Camera depends on many factors, most notably the capacity of the microSD card and the quality of the recorded video. According to Alarm.com, estimates for the amount of video range from a single day to 59 days.

The Alarm.com Camera Onboard Recording Feature allows a compatible camera to store recorded video footage locally on a microSD card that is purchased separately. The footage can then be viewed remotely using the Alarm.com website or mobile app. For more information on accessing and reviewing the onboard footage, please review this FAQ.

As an Alarm.com Camera stores footage to its microSD card, it will eventually run out of space. If this happens, then the oldest footage is automatically overwritten by newer recordings. Only the footage that is still on the microSD card can be viewed. Once footage has been deleted, it cannot be recovered. A user may want to know approximately how much footage can be stored. That way, they can take action and save important footage before it becomes permanently lost. Unfortunately, there is no easy way to determine exactly how much footage can be stored before space runs out. But it is possible to make a good estimate.

Two factors determine how much footage you can store: the capacity of the microSD card and the quality of the recorded footage. To maximize storage, use the largest card you can and set the lowest acceptable recording quality. Supported microSD cards range from 32GB to 1.5TB, so for maximum storage, choose a 1.5TB card. Alarm.com strongly recommends the following microSD card brands:

• Micron Industrial Memory Cards (Available in 128GB and 256GB)
• SanDisk High Endurance
• WD Purple microSD Cards

Additionally, lower-quality video requires less space than higher-quality video. By setting the recording option as low as is acceptable, the microSD card can store a longer duration of footage. For reference, the lowest possible recording quality is a resolution of 640x360 shot at 10 Frames Per Second (fps). The highest possible recording quality is 1920x1080 at 30fps. It is recommended that users choose the lowest recording quality that they can tolerate in order to maximize storage space.

The table below provides a good estimate of storage limits based on microSD card size and recording quality. These are only estimates, and they do not represent any actual results. Your actual available video timeline may be longer or shorter depending on the activity in the videos.

As the table below shows, you are likely to get about 180 days of stored video footage if you use the largest allowed size of microSD card (1.5 TB) with the lowest possible HD recording quality. Conversely, you will only get about one (1) day of video storage if you choose 1920 x 1080 resolution at 30 fps with the smallest available SD card of 32 GB. Refer to the table for a good estimate of how much storage you will get for your SD card and video recording quality.

Estimated Days of Recording Without Audio

Estimated Days of Recording With Audio