GUARD SOURCE HQ
Protecting Your Home and Your Data
Free Security Camera & NVR Tools
Plan your home security system before you spend a dollar. These free reference tools help you match your gear, size your storage, and avoid the most common setup mistakes. No sign-up, no email required.
Storage & Bandwidth
NVR Storage Calculator
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.
Run the calculator
NVR Storage Size Chart
A quick-glance chart of how many terabytes you need by camera count, resolution, and recording mode — for both 14 and 30 days of footage. No inputs needed, just find your row.
View the chart
Camera Bitrate & Bandwidth Chart
How much bandwidth does a security camera use? Compare bitrate by resolution, frame rate, and codec (H.264 vs H.265) — plan your NVR and network throughput.
Plan my coverage
PoE & Power
PoE Standards Comparison
802.3af vs 802.3at vs 802.3bt — see exactly how much power each PoE standard delivers to your camera, the voltage range, and which cameras each one suits. Sortable reference table.
Open the comparison
PoE Voltage Drop Calculator
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.
Check your cable run
PoE Budget Calculator
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.
Plan my coverage
UPS Runtime Calculator
What size UPS do your cameras and NVR need — or how long will the one you have last? Size a battery backup in about ten seconds.
Size my backup
Planning & Troubleshooting
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.
Plan my coverage
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.
Find my fix
More tools are on the way — cable length and voltage-drop references, camera placement guides, and compatibility charts. Bookmark this page and check back.