Seeking Advice on Affordable Power Backup for CCTV System

[calog]

Hi everyone,

I’m looking for recommendations on power backup solutions for my CCTV setup. Recently, we’ve experienced short power outages, and I’d like to ensure my system stays operational during these interruptions.

Here’s my current setup:

• 2 NVRs
• 4 PoE cameras per NVR (8 cameras total)

I’ve been considering power banks as a potential solution to provide limited backup power during outages, but I’m not sure if this is the most effective or cost-efficient option.

If anyone has experience with a similar setup, I’d greatly appreciate advice on:

1. Affordable backup solutions that work well for NVRs and PoE cameras.
2. Any specific products or setups you’ve used successfully.
3. Tips for maximizing value while staying within a limited budget.

Thanks in advance for your help!

 

[codlord]

On the sites I manage I have used APC UPS devices, if it's just for CCTV (e.g. PoE NVR or NVR plus PoE switch) then one of the Home/Office range such as their Back-UPS range. For more kit (e.g. a rack with a lot more devices something larger like the Easy UPS.

They have replaceable batteries (or "battery cartridge" I think they call them). Batteries will need replacing every 5 years or so probably but will depend on amount of use/depletions/charges etc.

As per any UPS the amount of time you get backup power for depends on the amps/watts of the UPS and the draw of what you have plugged in (the more PoE cameras the more draw). I can't remember off the top of my head how long backup power we get, but for us it's really just to protect for split second power dropouts up to 30 mins or so. These won't go for hours. They sell ones which go for hours but of course the cost goes up dramatically.

 

[calog]

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Hi codlord,

thanks for taking the time to reply to my post, will look into the devices you recomend.

I was looking at portable power stations, would they be suitable as well?

 

[codlord]

I don't know anything about the portable power stations but if the power station offers uninterrupted power if the mains power goes down then there is no reason it couldn't work. Essentially then it is just the same as UPS. But if it's just a portable thing you charge up and then plug mains devices into it isn't going to stop your equipment going down in the event of a power outage.

What I mean is a UPS is connected to the mains permanently, it's charging the battery and supplying mains power to your devices. If the mains power goes down it switches over to battery power without any dropout so your equipment then stays running for as long as the UPS battery lasts.

 

[calog]

That's what i'm not sure about, when i search for UPS they appear in the search. You seem to get a lot more battery time with them for the cost. It would be interseting to know if anyone is using one.

I am still looking at the APC devices.