Quick answer: start with 700 W of solar
A recording camera system never sleeps, so a small wattage adds up: about 65 W day and night is 1,560 Wh, which needs roughly 700 W of solar and 2,600 Wh of battery for one day. Remote sites usually add two or three days of storage, because a camera system that goes dark in a storm has failed at its only job.
Planning result
At 200 W per module, the array target is 4 panels. That count assumes four peak-sun-hours, 75% end-to-end solar yield, 90% conversion efficiency, and a 20% planning margin. Winter brings longer nights, so the infrared illuminators run more hours just as solar production drops.
How a CCTV system actually uses power
Planning case: a network video recorder with one hard drive and four Power over Ethernet (PoE) cameras, all running 24 hours a day. Reolink rates its RLN8-410 recorder under 10 W before drives and cameras, and its RLC-810A PoE camera under 12 W, so four cameras at their maximum, a hard drive, and the recorder plan at about 65 W.
The recorder, its hard drive, and each camera draw a nearly steady load with two predictable swings: infrared illuminators switch on at dusk and raise every camera's draw for the whole night, and motion events add encoding and disk activity. PoE cameras take their power through the recorder or a PoE switch, so that one power supply carries the cameras too.
Load calculation from running watts and duty cycle
The appliance-class estimate is 65 W running for 24 h/day at a 100% duty cycle, an average of about 65 W across those hours:
Then losses and reserve raise the energy the system must collect to about 2,080 Wh/day.
Typical manufacturer nameplate/manual range for the CCTV system class, triangulated with Reolink: RLN8-410 network video recorder specifications and Reolink: RLC-810A PoE camera specifications, then reduced to a conservative planning midpoint; this is not a product specification. Verify the exact unit's nameplate and manual before sizing.
Put a plug-in energy meter on the recorder's power supply for a full 24 hours, including a night, and read the watt-hours rather than a single watts reading; the day and night figures differ.
Solar and battery sizing table
| Design item | Planning value | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Appliance energy | 1,560 Wh/day | Running W × hours × duty cycle |
| Solar collection target | 700 W | 4 peak-sun-hours, 75% yield, 20% margin |
| 200 W panel count | 4 | Rounded up; real modules must satisfy controller voltage/current limits |
| One-day battery allowance | 2,600 Wh | 90% conversion efficiency, 80% LiFePO4 usable fraction, 20% margin |
| 12.8 V LiFePO4 equivalent | 205 Ah | Nominal planning conversion |
| 25.6 V LiFePO4 equivalent | 105 Ah | Nominal planning conversion |
For unattended equipment, autonomy matters more than the one-day figure. Multiply it by the number of cloudy days the site can see, and make sure the recorder restarts cleanly if the battery protection ever disconnects it.
Build the closest passing wiring-diagram preset
The CCTV System Planning Preset preset is an engine-passing starting point whose array, battery bank, continuous inverter rating, and surge rating each meet or exceed this page's stated planning allowances. Adjust it only from measured load data and verified equipment limits.
Inverter and startup current
Use at least 100 W continuous with 200 W surge for this planning case. The start is small: the hard drive spins up and the cameras boot at the same moment, a short bump above running power. Use a pure sine wave inverter, or power the system from DC through a converter if the recorder manual allows it.
Because this load draws its full power for long stretches rather than for a moment, the battery-to-inverter cable carries heavy current continuously. A run that is too long or too small wastes energy as heat and can push the inverter to its low-voltage cutoff late in the day, even with energy left in the battery, so use the diagram machine's real run length and keep every fuse within the equipment and conductor limits. The 100 W peak estimate is a planning figure, not the manual's rating.
The common mistake
Ways to cut the load
- Use cameras whose infrared or white light comes on only for motion events, rather than all night.
- Record on motion instead of continuously so the drive spends more time idle.
- Match the recorder or PoE switch to the cameras you actually have; an oversized supply still has standby losses.
- Put the internet link on a schedule or low-power mode if the site allows it.
What to verify before buying equipment
- The exact running watts, startup current, voltage, frequency, and required circuit from the appliance label and manual.
- Actual watt-hours over a representative day; seasonal heating or cooling loads need a design-day measurement.
- Local peak-sun-hours for the worst operating season, plus shade and array orientation.
- Controller maximum input voltage at the coldest expected temperature and maximum output current.
- Battery discharge current, series/parallel permission, terminal torque, low-temperature controls, and overcurrent protection.
- Conductor ampacity, voltage drop, terminal temperature ratings, disconnecting means, grounding, local amendments, and inspection requirements.
For a whole-system load list, use the load and appliance calculator. For the system context around this appliance, continue to the Off-grid internet and Starlink guide.
Frequently asked questions
How much solar do I need for a CCTV system?
For the planning case on this page (a four-camera PoE recorder kit running around the clock), allow about 700 watts of solar at four peak-sun-hours per day. That covers an estimated 1,560 Wh daily load plus conversion, temperature, and recharge margin. Add the internet link's own draw if the system uploads to the cloud or a phone app.
What size inverter should I use for a CCTV system?
Plan on at least 100 W continuous and 200 W surge. Run the recorder and camera supplies from a pure sine wave inverter, or from a DC supply the recorder manual allows.
What battery size keeps a CCTV system running for one day?
The one-day planning allowance is about 2,600 Wh nominal usable design capacity, roughly 205 Ah at 12.8 V or 105 Ah at 25.6 V for LiFePO4. Unattended camera sites usually plan two to three days of autonomy so the system keeps recording through bad weather.