Security System Calculator

Camera, card reader, and panel count with PoE budget and storage sizing from facility specs.

Building perimeter (ft)

Interior area (sq ft)

Controlled doors

Entry/exit points

Camera resolution (1-3)

Recording retention (days)

Tab to move between fields

Total cameras

Card readers6

Door controllers3

PoE power budget (W)354

24-port PoE+ switches1

Storage needed (TB)26

NVR units1

Perimeter cameras13

Interior cameras4

Cat6 cable boxes5

Access Panels1

How to Use This Calculator

Enter the building exterior perimeter in feet for perimeter camera coverage (one camera per 40 ft).
Enter the total interior floor area in square feet for interior camera coverage (one per 2,500 sq ft).
Enter the number of controlled access doors and main entry/exit points.
Select camera resolution: 2MP (1), 4MP (2), or 8MP/4K (3) — higher resolution increases storage requirements.
Set the video recording retention period in days.
Read total camera count, PoE power budget (watts), PoE switch count, NVR units, storage in TB, card readers, and door controllers.

How the result changes with Building perimeter (ft)

Building perimeter (ft): Exterior perimeter length for perimeter camera coverage.
Interior area (sq ft): Total interior floor area for interior camera coverage.
Controlled doors: Number of doors with electronic access control.
Entry/exit points: Number of main building entry/exit points.
Camera resolution (1-3): 1 = 2MP (1080p), 2 = 4MP, 3 = 8MP (4K). Affects storage.
Recording retention (days): Number of days to retain video recordings.

Total cameras: Total IP cameras (perimeter + interior + entry points).
Card readers: Card/credential readers for access control.
Door controllers: 2-door access control controllers.
PoE power budget (W): Total Power over Ethernet wattage for all cameras.
24-port PoE+ switches: Network switches needed (370W PoE budget each).
Storage needed (TB): Total video storage based on resolution, cameras, and retention.
NVR units: Network video recorders (32 cameras each).
Perimeter cameras: Cameras along building exterior (one per 40 ft).
Interior cameras: Cameras for interior coverage (one per 2,500 sq ft).
Cat6 cable boxes: 1,000 ft cable boxes for camera runs.

Identify Input Parameters
4 parameters
Building perimeter (ft) = 500, Interior area (sq ft) = 10000, Controlled doors = 6, Entry/exit points = 4 = 6 input(s) provided
Calculate Total cameras
Total cameras
21 = 21
Calculate Card readers
Card readers
6 = 6
Calculate Door controllers
Door controllers
3 = 3