Where footage is stored determines how much bandwidth you need, what happens when your internet goes down, how fast you can search and retrieve clips, and what your storage costs look like. Edge recording and cloud recording aren’t competing approaches — most modern deployments use both. Understanding how each works helps you configure your surveillance system correctly.
What Is Edge Recording?
Edge recording stores footage locally — either on a camera’s internal SD card, on a local NVR/gateway appliance, or on a NAS connected to the camera network. The “edge” refers to the network edge — the physical location where cameras are deployed, as opposed to a central cloud or data center.
Types of Edge Recording
Camera SD Card
Footage stored directly on a microSD card inside the camera. Simplest form — no NVR required. Limited capacity (32–256GB). Useful for failover when NVR is offline.
Local NVR / DVR
Traditional on-site recording appliance with hard drives. High storage capacity (4–160TB depending on model). Common in legacy installations. Requires maintenance and replacement cycles.
Cloud Gateway Device
A cloud VMS gateway with local storage for edge buffering. Records continuously at the site; uploads events and clips to cloud. Provides continuity during internet outages.
NAS (Network Attached Storage)
High-capacity local storage accessible by VMS software. Separates storage from computing. Used with software NVRs like Blue Iris, ZoneMinder, Milestone.
What Is Cloud Recording?
Cloud recording stores footage in a cloud storage infrastructure managed by the VMS platform vendor. Cameras (or a local gateway) stream footage to cloud storage, where it is retained for the configured retention period and accessible remotely through the platform’s web or mobile interface.
Cloud recording doesn’t require local storage management — there are no hard drives to fill, fail, or replace. Retention is managed by policy, and storage scales automatically with camera count.
Edge vs. Cloud: Direct Comparison
| Attribute | Edge (Local NVR) | Cloud Recording | Hybrid (Edge + Cloud) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet dependency | None — works offline | Required for recording | Edge records during outage; syncs when restored |
| Bandwidth requirements | Zero (no upload needed) | High (continuous full upload) | Low (events only to cloud) |
| Remote access to footage | Requires VPN/port forward to site | Browser or app, anywhere | Cloud events remote; edge footage via gateway |
| Storage failure risk | High — HDD failure loses footage | Managed by platform (redundant) | Edge loss possible; cloud copy protected |
| Storage cost | Hardware CapEx ($300–$2,000+) | Included in subscription (OpEx) | Gateway hardware + subscription |
| AI analytics capability | Local GPU required | Cloud GPU — no local hardware | Cloud GPU — no local hardware |
| Multi-site management | Per-site NVR — no unified view | All sites in one dashboard | All sites unified via cloud |
| Maintenance burden | High — drives, firmware, hardware | Minimal — platform managed | Low — gateway appliance only |
Why Hybrid Is the Practical Standard for Cloud VMS
Pure cloud recording — streaming every camera frame to the cloud continuously — requires substantial upload bandwidth and creates significant bandwidth costs. Most cloud VMS platforms (including iFovea) use a hybrid architecture by design:
iFovea Hybrid Recording Architecture
Edge (Gateway Device)
- Continuous recording to local gateway storage
- Handles recording continuity during internet outages
- Full-resolution footage available via local access
- Acts as buffer for cloud sync
Cloud Platform
- AI-triggered events and clips uploaded to cloud
- Live stream accessible remotely via cloud relay
- AI processing runs in cloud GPU infrastructure
- Long-term retention managed by policy
Storage Calculation: Edge vs. Cloud
Storage requirements depend on resolution, compression, recording mode, and retention period:
| Scenario | Storage per Camera (30 days) | 30 Cameras (30 days) |
|---|---|---|
| 1080p H.264, continuous recording | ~500GB–800GB | 15–24 TB |
| 1080p H.265, continuous recording | ~250GB–400GB | 7.5–12 TB |
| 1080p H.265, motion-triggered (50% motion) | ~125GB–200GB | 3.75–6 TB |
| Cloud event clips only (AI-triggered) | ~5GB–20GB | 150GB–600GB |
Cloud AI-triggered event storage is dramatically smaller than continuous recording because only the clips containing detected events are retained long-term in cloud storage. The edge gateway holds continuous footage for the local retention window (typically 7–30 days).
Use the cloud surveillance storage calculator to estimate your specific storage requirements.
Questions About Storage Architecture for Your Deployment?
We’ll help you design the right edge + cloud storage architecture for your camera count, retention requirements, and bandwidth constraints.
