Frequently Asked Question
It really depends on how you are backing up the data — USB, local network, or over the Internet.
If the CCTV system is recording live video while you are backing up previous recordings, this can also affect the backup speed. The hard disk has to record new footage while simultaneously reading the older footage for backup.
Estimated Time to Back Up 1TB
| Backup Method | Estimated Time for 1TB |
|---|---|
| USB 2.0 Thumb Drive/HDD directly from DVR | ~12–15 hours |
| Local Network – 100Mbps LAN | ~1–1.5 days |
| Local Network – 1Gbps LAN | ~2–4 hours |
| Internet – 10Mbps upload | ~10 days |
| Internet – 100Mbps upload | ~1–1.5 days |
| Direct HDD Cloning | ~1–3 hours |
These are only estimates. Actual backup times depend on the DVR/NVR, hard disk, USB interface, network overhead and whether the system is recording at the same time.
External Backup Time Calculator
You can also use the following external calculator to estimate the time required to transfer a specific amount of data:
http://techinternets.com/copy_calc
Disclaimer: The above is a third-party external website and is provided for reference only. We do not operate, maintain or guarantee the accuracy, availability or security of the external website or its calculator. Use it at your own discretion.
Important: Check Your DVR's LAN Port
Many older and entry-level DVR/NVR systems have only a 100Mbps LAN port.
This means that even if your network connection is:
1Gbps, 2.5Gbps, 10Gbps or faster,
the DVR can still only send the data at the speed supported by its own LAN port.
For example:
DVR (100Mbps) → 1Gbps Switch → 10Gbps Network → Computer
The maximum speed is still limited by the 100Mbps LAN port on the DVR.
The same applies when backing up over the Internet. Even if you have a very fast Fibre Internet connection, the DVR's 100Mbps LAN port may remain the bottleneck.
Direct Hard Disk Cloning
If you remove the CCTV hard disk and clone it directly to another hard disk, the backup can be significantly faster because you are no longer limited by the DVR's USB or LAN interface.
A 1TB mechanical hard disk can typically take around 1–3 hours to clone, depending on the actual hard disk and cloning equipment.
The old figures of 23 minutes for SATA III or 45 minutes for SATA II represent theoretical interface speeds and should not be treated as actual cloning times.
How Much Data Is 1TB?
1TB is a huge amount of data.
For comparison, 1TB is roughly equivalent to 200+ single-layer DVDs.
So don't be surprised if backing up 1TB of CCTV recordings takes many hours or even a day or more.
The amount of data is huge, and huge amounts of data take time to transfer.