What is the role of an SD card in a camera if you're using an NVR or Blue Iris?

I

ipmania

Getting the hang of it
Apr 10, 2022
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The PoE cameras I've been looking at have an internal SD card slot.

Just curious, if I have an NVR or am running Blue Iris, do I need an SD card in the camera? And if so, what are people using it for?

Also, what sort of transfer speeds would the SD card need to be capable of? I have some old 64 microSD cards that aren't particularly fast, maybe 10MB/s at most. I'm wondering if they'd be good enough.
 
wittaj said:
It is a redundant recording in the event BI or computer goes wonky or someone steals your computer. Plus it can help troubleshoot IVS issues.
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Thanks. I forgot to ask, can the cameras detect a failed or failing SD card? [Related, I've always wondered this about dashcam SD cards but have not found a good answer.] And if so, can they report this to me somehow?

Oh, also, in case I end up needing to do this, can you talk a bit more about "Plus it can help troubleshoot IVS issues."
 
ipmania said:
Thanks. I forgot to ask, can the cameras detect a failed or failing SD card? [Related, I've always wondered this about dashcam SD cards but have not found a good answer.] And if so, can they report this to me somehow?

Oh, also, in case I end up needing to do this, can you talk a bit more about "Plus it can help troubleshoot IVS issues."
Click to expand...

Like Wittaj said, thieves probably will not have time to steal all your out-door cameras even if they break into your house and took everything else. So, you have a good chance of backup videos from the SD card to ID the thieves or at least know what happen.

It's best not to use slow speed SD cards for anything video related. If the Sd card failed the camera will probably alert you with a message of corrupted storage or something like that. But most of the time you just need to reformat the Sd card and is good again. If it keep failing even after reformatting then it time to replace it.
 
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Yeah best to use better SD cards as they will be out in the elements somewhat.

Yes you can set up several types of alerts regarding SD cards.

What I meant by IVS rules is many of us use the camera AI to trigger events in BI and if it misses, the SD card and playing back the triggers with the IVS rules on let us troubleshoot why something is or is not triggering.
 
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Yes, with my photography cameras, I've had good luck with Samsung EVOs and Sandisk Endurance cards. I get them from a large online store because of the worry about fakes. But I understand there can be a "co-mingling" of inventory with that store and so fakes can still be a problem.
 
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Curious - using SD as a backup makes sense if the computer goes ka-bloo-ey. Would a 128GB card be sufficient? Installed in all cameras?
 
restorick2378 said:
Curious - using SD as a backup makes sense if the computer goes ka-bloo-ey. Would a 128GB card be sufficient? Installed in all cameras?
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Depends on how you record and your settings.

Running 12MP at 30FPS and 16,000 bitrate and continuous gets you maybe a day LOL.

If you run on motion only and don't get a lot of motion, you get more.

My cameras that trigger a lot from the street traffic get a couple days. My backyard gets months.
 
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restorick2378 said:
Deffo motion only. Not a ton of street traffic - we're at the end of the subdivision. I'll just go with 256 cards and be done with it... lol
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Yes, with my photography cameras, I went with 256GB because they had gotten cheap enough that I could "be done with it". The nice thing also is that the bigger the card, the faster the throughput. The reasonably-priced Samsung EVO and Sandisk Endurance 256GB cards provide a consistent 70MB/sec throughout the range of the card.

For my photography, each card gets me about 4000 photos in RAW and JPG, which is lots. (i.e., I'll never need more than they provide.) These big cards freed up a pile of 64GB cards that I hope to use in the security cameras. (With the slight concern that the older 64GB cards are noticeably slower.)
 
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restorick2378 said:
Curious - using SD as a backup makes sense if the computer goes ka-bloo-ey. Would a 128GB card be sufficient? Installed in all cameras?
Click to expand...

I use 256GB SD card on the front door cameras for motion only because of high street traffic.
8MP and 15FPS lasted me about 4-5 days.

But backdoor and garage 128GB cards last for months on motion only.
 
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