This KB discusses the bandwidth consumption by camera model and different streaming modes available.
Bandwidth Consumption by Camera Model
Below is a breakdown of the expected streaming bandwidth consumption based on camera model and streaming mode. See the section 'Modes' for more details on streaming modes. Local mode will be prioritized if a local connection can be established to reduce bandwidth consumption.
When accessed remotely, the video will proxy through the cloud and will be cached to speed retrieval times and playback. This approach enables large numbers of simultaneous viewers without negatively impacting the bandwidth of your local area network (LAN).
D30
No View: 20-50Kbps upload
SD (Local or Cloud): 300Kbps upload
HD (Local or Cloud): 1Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion: 300 Kbps upload
Historical Footage with motion: 1Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion at 3x speed: 900Kbps upload
Historical Footage with motion at 3x speed: 3Mbps upload
D50
No View: 20-50Kbps upload
SD (Local or Cloud): 300Kbps upload
HD (Local or Cloud): 1Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion: 300 Kbps upload
Historical Footage with motion: 1Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion at 3x speed: 900Kbps upload
Historical Footage with motion at 3x speed: 3Mbps upload
D40
No View: 20-50Kbps upload
SD (Local or Cloud): 300Kbps upload
HD (Local or Cloud): 1.5Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion: 300 Kbps upload
Historical Footage with motion: 1.5Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion at 3x speed: 900Kbps
Historical Footage with motion at 3x speed: 4.5Mbps
D80
No View: 20-50Kbps upload
SD (Local or Cloud): 600Kbps upload
HD (Local or Cloud): 2Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion: 600Kbps upload
Historical Footage with motion: 2Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion at 3x speed: 1.8Mbps upload
Historical Footage with motion at 3x speed: 6Mbps upload
CF81
No View: 20-50Kbps upload
SD (Local or Cloud): 600Kbps upload
HD (Local or Cloud): 3Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion: 600Kbps upload
Historical Footage with motion: 3Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion at 3x speed: 1.8Mbps upload
Historical Footage with motion at 3x speed: 9Mbps upload
CM61
No View: 20-50Kbps upload
SD (Local or Cloud): 600Kbps upload
4K (Local or Cloud): 2Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion: 600Kbps upload
Historical Footage with motion: 2Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion at 3x speed: 1.8Mbps upload
Historical Footage with motion at 3x speed: 6Mbps upload
CD31, CD41, CM41, CD51, CB51-E, CB51-TE:
No View: 20-50Kbps upload
SD (Local or Cloud): 600Kbps upload
HD (Local or Cloud): 1.5Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion: 600Kbps upload
Historical Footage with motion: 1.5Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion at 3x speed: 1.8Mbps upload
Historical Footage with motion at 3x speed: 4.5Mbps upload
CD61, CB61-E, CB61-TE:
No View: 20-50Kbps upload
SD (Local or Cloud): 600Kbps upload
4K (Local or Cloud): 3Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion: 600 Kbps upload
Historical Footage with motion: 3Mbps upload
Historical Footage with no motion at 3x speed: 1.8Mbps upload
Historical Footage with motion at 3x speed: 9Mbps upload
Modes
The Verkada system operates in three different modes depending on your organization's viewing activity.
No View
View Live Stream
View Recorded Stream
No View
Cameras at rest (not being viewed) will operate at a steady upload state of 20-50Kbps. In this mode, cameras only send metadata and thumbnails to the cloud, conserving bandwidth for other business applications.
View Live Stream
When a user logs into Command and begins to view live video, the cameras will switch into a higher uplink consumption pattern.
SD Stream: Verkada's default video stream is a standard definition (SD) 800x600 stream. Upload bandwidth consumption will be 300Kbps or 600Kbps pending on the camera model.
HD Stream: Verkada's high definition (HD) stream varies by camera model and maybe a 2MP, 3MP, 5MP, or 4K resolution. Upload bandwidth consumption will be in a range of 1Mbps - 3Mbps depending on the camera model.
Local: Verkada's local stream is either standard definition or high definition. The bandwidth consumption will be the same as SD or HD stream but will be transferred directly from the camera to the viewing device. More on Local Streaming
View Historical Footage
When historical footage is viewed, the bandwidth consumption will vary between the SD and HD stream depending on whether activity was detected. Viewing historical footage at increased speeds increases the bandwidth linearly, so a camera that plays HD video at 1Mbps at 1x speed requires 2Mbps at 2x speed and 3Mbps at 3x speed. Historical footage can be streamed via the cloud or locally.
SD is used when no motion is detected in the frame and will be 300Kbps or 600Kbps pending on the camera model
HD is used when motion is detected in the frame and will be in a range of 1Mbps - 3Mbps depending on the camera model
SD footage at 3x speed will use 900Kbps - 1.8Mbps depending on the camera model
HD footage at 3x speed will use 3Mbps - 9Mbps depending on the camera model
Variables that Impact Bandwidth Consumption
When estimating bandwidth consumption for your Verkada system, it's important to keep the following variables in mind:
Number of cameras viewed per day
Number of SD hours viewed per day
Number of HD hours viewed per day
Expected Network Port Speeds
All cameras will negotiate at full-duplex. NIC speeds for each camera model are listed below:
D30 10/100Mbps
D50 10/100Mbps
D40 10/100Mbps
CM41 10/100Mbps
CM61 10/100Mbps
Dome Series 10/100 Mbps
Bullet Series 10/100 Mbps
Fisheye Series 10/100/1000Mbps