NVR storage fills predictably based on number of cameras, resolution, and how long you keep recordings. When it fills:

1. Check current storage settings

On the NVR:

  • Overwrite when full — default; oldest footage automatically deleted. Recording continues.
  • Stop when full — recording stops, no automatic cleanup. Easy to miss.

If yours is set to "stop when full", switch to overwrite — assuming you don't have a legal hold requirement.

2. How much do you have, and how much do you need?

Rough math:

  • 1080p H.264 at 24/7 = ~10 GB per camera per day
  • 4K H.265 at 24/7 = ~30 GB per camera per day
  • Motion-triggered recording: maybe 25-50% of continuous

For 8 cameras at 1080p H.264 for 30 days: ~2.4 TB.

Your NVR specs show total drive capacity. If you've outgrown it, options are:

  • Add more drives (if your NVR has empty bays)
  • Replace drives with larger ones (if you're at max bays)
  • Add a network storage device

3. Reduce retention

If you don't need 30 days, shorter retention frees space:

  • Settings → Storage → set retention to X days
  • Anything older is auto-deleted

Legal/insurance requirements often dictate minimum retention — check before reducing.

4. Reduce bitrate

Lower bitrate = smaller files. Tradeoff: lower image quality:

  • Keep main stream at full quality for live viewing
  • Reduce substream bitrate (used for recording)
  • For most use cases, 2-4 Mbps at 1080p is sufficient

5. Reduce resolution

If 4K resolution isn't required, drop to 1080p — third the storage. 1080p is usually adequate for general surveillance.

6. Motion-triggered recording

Switching from continuous to motion-triggered:

  • Saves storage when nothing is happening
  • Risks missing slow movements the motion detector can't catch
  • Requires good motion zone configuration (exclude moving trees, traffic outside windows)

For "I need to see what happened at this time" use cases, continuous is safer.

7. Adding a new drive

Most NVRs accept additional drives:

  • Power off the NVR
  • Open the case (check the manual)
  • Connect a SATA hard drive (surveillance-rated like WD Purple or Seagate Skyhawk)
  • Power on and format from the NVR menu

Don't use consumer-grade drives — they fail in 24/7 write-heavy workloads.

8. RAID for redundancy

For higher-end NVRs that support RAID:

  • RAID 1 (mirror) — same data on two drives; one can fail without data loss
  • RAID 5 — three or more drives; one can fail
  • Cost: doubles or more your storage cost for the same effective capacity

Worth it for evidence-grade requirements (banks, secure facilities); often overkill for office surveillance.

9. Backup of important footage

For incidents that need long-term storage:

  • Export the relevant footage to a USB stick or network share
  • Keep on hand for the duration of investigation
  • Verify before deleting from NVR

10. Cloud archive

Some vendors offer cloud archive — recent footage stays on-NVR, older moves to cloud:

  • Subscription model
  • Useful for organizations with limited on-site storage
  • Verify your data residency requirements first (some industries require local storage)

When to ticket

Raise a ticket if:

  • You need more drive bays than your NVR supports (i.e. a bigger NVR)
  • A drive needs replacing (warning status)
  • You need RAID set up for redundancy
  • Cloud archive setup is required

Include current capacity, what's needed, and any regulatory minimum retention you have.