Free calculators, charts and checkers to help you plan and fix your setup. No sign-up needed.
Cameras & Home Security
Placement, wiring, power, storage and troubleshooting for security cameras and NVRs.
Troubleshooting
Security Camera Troubleshooting Tool
Not sure where to start? Pick the symptom you’re seeing — no video, offline, night vision, can’t view remotely, won’t record, and more — and we’ll route you straight to the fix.
WiFi Camera Diagnostic · Inside guide
Answer a short series of questions about a WiFi camera that keeps dropping off to find the most likely cause. Part of the guide “WiFi Camera Keeps Disconnecting.”
Storage & Recording
Enter your cameras, resolution, recording mode, and how many days you want to keep — get an instant estimate of the hard drive size you need, plus a recommended surveillance drive.
A quick-glance chart of how many terabytes you need by camera count, resolution and recording mode, for 14 or 30 days of footage. No inputs needed.
Power & Cabling
Will your switch or NVR power all your cameras? Enter how many cameras you have, watts each draws, and your total PoE budget to see your load, headroom, and whether you’re in the clear or over budget.
Will your camera get enough power at the end of a long cable run? Enter length, cable type, and camera draw to see the voltage reaching the camera — and whether you’re within the 100m data limit.
12V Camera Voltage Drop Calculator
For 12V DC cameras on copper or aluminum wire. Enter the load, cable length and wire gauge to see the voltage at the camera, a pass, caution or fail result, the wire size to use and how far you can run it.
802.3af vs 802.3at vs 802.3bt: how much power each PoE standard delivers, its voltage range and which cameras it suits.
Find the battery backup size your cameras and NVR need, or how long the one you have will last.
WiFi & Network
WiFi Router Capacity Calculator
Check whether your WiFi router can handle your cameras, based on upload headroom, wireless airtime and signal quality.
WiFi Camera Bandwidth & Storage Calculator
Estimate a WiFi camera’s upload bandwidth, monthly data use and storage needs from its bitrate setting.
Camera Bitrate & Bandwidth Chart
Compare camera bitrate by resolution, frame rate and codec (H.264 vs H.265) to plan your NVR and network.
Band Selection Helper · Inside guide
Answer five quick questions to see whether your camera should use 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, or be tested on both. Part of the guide “2.4GHz vs 5GHz Security Cameras.”
Planning & Buying
Camera FOV & Coverage Calculator
How wide does your camera see, and how far can it actually identify a face versus just spot movement? Enter your lens and resolution for coverage width and DORI distances.
Answer a few questions about your home and cable run to get a WiFi, PoE or mixed recommendation, with the reasons.