Security cameras seem to be everywhere, and now they are incredibly affordable. Any household or business can be monitored 24/7/365 by at least one high-quality security camera.
Many smart surveillance cameras, such as the Nest or Ring, do not offer replaceable or expandable flash storage. Instead, video data is streamed over the internet and stored on the manufacturer’s servers. But what about security cameras that don’t rely solely on streaming to the cloud for storing video and audio?
Some surveillance systems rely on HDDs for storage, while popular home brands like Wyze and Reolink have a microSD card slot for storing footage, in addition to offering cloud storage. Most of the commercial office security cameras, whether they store video on an in-house PVR (Personal Video Recorder) or stream to the cloud, also have an internal card slot on each camera. This provides a layer of redundancy. During a break-in, if the PVR unit is stolen, the cards can be retrieved from each camera and any recent video can be reviewed. Commercial installations may overlook the internal card slots, so it’s a good idea to check and install microSD cards if an empty slot is available.
Choose the microSD card carefully
Some microSD cards are prone to “bricking” when they get full, rendering the card useless where the video cannot be retrieved. While cameras rely on built-in algorithms to erase the oldest video and free up space for constant use, sometimes the card will fill up quicker than the erase routine can catch up, resulting in a bricked card. There is nothing worse than pulling a card and discovering that it didn’t record. There are no do-overs in surveillance.
Because of this, manufacturers do not recommend lower-quality microSD cards when you are looking for a replacement. If your security camera isn’t working and you’ve determined the memory card is causing the failure, you should only replace it with a card rated for high endurance.
High Endurance microSD cards are crucial
These high endurance microSD cards are manufactured specifically for write-intensive applications. And isn’t the small extra expense of a quality high-endurance card worth it when it comes to recording the critical events captured by your security camera?
If your camera is used outdoors, we also recommend that you select a card that is engineered for harsh conditions. These cards hold up to whatever Mother Nature throws at them, whether it’s wind and rain, boiling summer heat or frigid winter mornings. MicroSD card manufacturers engineer and test cards specifically for these conditions.
Finally, you should consider investing just a few dollars more to get a higher capacity card. For example, a 64GB card extends recording time by 3-4 hours over a 32GB card and provides you with extra peace of mind.
OEMPCWORLD employees have decades of experience in flash memory products. If you are replacing the microSD card in your home or business security cam, consider these high endurance cards:
Samsung Pro Endurance (32GB, 64GB, and 128GB sizes)
Kingston Canvas Select Plus (32GB, 64GB, 128GB, 256GB and 512GB sizes)
SanDisk High Endurance (32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB sizes)
SanDisk Max Endurance (32GB, 64GB, 128GB and 256GB sizes)
Has this information been useful for you? Please let us know. And if you have any questions about the best cards for your security camera, contact us! We’re here to help.
