Surveillance Hard Drives
Surveillance-grade hard drives for CCTV NVRs and DVRs — the only drives engineered to handle the 24/7 write-heavy workload of video recording. We stock the two industry-standard ranges: WD Purple (Western Digital) and Seagate SkyHawk. Every drive is a genuine surveillance HDD, not a desktop drive — designed to survive constant writes from up to 64 simultaneous camera streams.
Why surveillance HDDs (not desktop drives)?
Standard desktop hard drives are built for occasional reads and writes. CCTV systems write continuously, 24/7. A desktop drive in an NVR typically fails within 12 months. Surveillance HDDs (also known as video camera hard drives) include firmware tuned for sequential writes, vibration tolerance for multi-bay NVR enclosures, and rotational vibration sensors to maintain performance in 8+ camera installations. They cost slightly more than desktop drives but typically last 3–5× longer in a CCTV role.
Capacity-to-days reference (continuous recording)
Approximate footage retention at 4MP H.265+ continuous recording, 4 cameras:
| Drive size | 4 cameras (4MP) | 8 cameras (4MP) | 16 cameras (4MP) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2TB | ~30 days | ~14 days | ~7 days |
| 4TB | ~60 days | ~30 days | ~14 days |
| 10TB | ~150 days | ~75 days | ~37 days |
| 12TB | ~180 days | ~90 days | ~45 days |
Motion-only recording (not continuous) extends these times 3–5×. 4K cameras use roughly 2× the storage of 4MP — halve the days for an 8MP system.
WD Purple vs Seagate SkyHawk
- WD Purple — AllFrame technology, designed for up to 64 cameras per drive, 3-year warranty. Models include WD23PURZ (2TB), WD42PURZ (4TB), WD102PURZ (10TB), WD121PURZ (12TB).
- Seagate SkyHawk — ImagePerfect firmware, designed for up to 64 cameras, 3-year warranty. Models include ST4000VX015-HIK (4TB), ST10000VE001-HIK (10TB), ST12000VE003-HIK (12TB).
Both ranges are excellent — pick by capacity availability and price.
Installation
Most NVRs accept 2× 3.5" SATA drives in tool-free trays. Power down the NVR, remove the cover, install the drive(s), boot, and format from the NVR menu. Our Sydney warehouse ships drives in shock-protected packaging.
Browse our NVR recorders (some ship pre-fitted with a 4TB drive) or compare complete CCTV systems that include cameras + NVR + matched hard drive.
