The honest starting point is that no two installations draw the same load. A two-camera shop setup in Kuching and a multi-camera office system differ in camera count, recorder size, cabling distance and how much infrared illumination runs after dark. What stays constant is the method: identify each powered device, read its rated draw, then total the figures with headroom for the supply.
Eyonic Sdn Bhd plans, supplies and installs CCTV systems across Sarawak for homes, offices, shops and industrial sites, and the company's installation process runs through site survey, system proposal, installation and handover. That sequence matters here because CCTV wattage cannot be settled from a catalogue alone.
What CCTV Wattage Covers in a Working System
People often picture a camera as the only thing drawing power. In practice a working system has several loads running at once, and the camera is frequently the smallest of them.
The camera itself draws power for the image sensor, the processor that compresses video, and the infrared LEDs that switch on when light drops. A recorder runs a hard disk continuously, which is a constant load rather than a peak one. A network switch that feeds Power over Ethernet cameras adds its own consumption and its own internal budget. A router or ONT stays powered so remote viewing works. Where a monitor sits at a counter, that screen is another load.
This is why a total figure quoted without a device list is close to meaningless. Two systems with the same camera count can differ substantially once the recorder, switch and network equipment are counted.
Rated Power Versus Real Draw
Camera labels and datasheets usually state a maximum or rated figure. That number describes the worst case, such as infrared at full output in complete darkness. Real draw moves below it for most of the day. Sizing a supply against the rated figure is the safer habit, because the peak is what causes brownouts and dropped recordings.
Why Camera Wattage Changes Between Day and Night
Daytime draw is the low point. The sensor and processor run, but infrared stays off, so consumption sits near the camera's idle figure.
At dusk the infrared LEDs engage, and that is when draw climbs toward the rated maximum. Cameras with stronger illumination arrays or motorised pan, tilt and zoom movement push higher again, because motors add load whenever the camera repositions.
Eyonic advises checking actual lighting conditions before confirming placement for ColorVu-style cameras, since a position that looks adequate on a plan can behave differently once real light levels are measured. The same principle applies to power: a location that needs constant infrared is a location that draws more, every night, for years.
Weather matters less than most people expect, but heat does shorten the working life of power supplies mounted in enclosed spaces. Ventilation around the supply is a practical detail worth settling during the site survey rather than after a failure.
How to Work Out CCTV Wattage for a Planned Setup
The sequence below is the one that holds up on site. It works for a single camera and for a full commercial system.
- Confirm the exact camera model and read its rated power from the label or datasheet, noting whether the figure covers infrared at full output.
- Count every powered device, not just cameras: recorder, network switch, router or ONT, monitor, and any alarm or intercom equipment sharing the same supply.
- Check whether night mode, infrared or motorised movement raises the draw above the daytime figure, and use the higher number.
- Add headroom to the total so the supply is not running at its ceiling during peak infrared hours.
- Verify the final total against the capacity of the power supply, PoE budget or backup unit before installation begins.
Step four is the one most often skipped. A supply running at its limit from day one has no room for a camera added later, and no margin for the moment every infrared array switches on together.
What the Table Should Show
A device-by-device table is the clearest way to present the total, because it shows where the load actually sits. The table below lists the devices that belong in that count. Wattage figures are deliberately left out until manufacturer datasheets for the exact models are available, since publishing a number without a source would be guesswork.
| Powered device | What it contributes to the total load |
|---|---|
| Camera | Sensor, processor and infrared illumination; peaks at night |
| Recorder | Continuous draw from the hard disk plus the unit's own electronics |
| Network switch | Its own consumption plus the power it delivers to PoE cameras |
| Router or ONT | Constant low load that keeps remote viewing available |
| Monitor | Draws only while switched on, so it is intermittent rather than constant |
CCTV Wattage, Recording Devices and Backup Power
Backup sizing follows the same logic as supply sizing, with one addition: runtime. A battery or uninterruptible supply has to carry the total load for a defined period, and that period is a decision, not a default.
Two questions settle it. How long should recording continue during an outage, and which devices must stay alive for that window? Keeping cameras and the recorder running while the monitor stays off is a common and sensible choice, because recording matters more than live viewing during a power cut.
Night-time outages are the harder case. If the outage begins after dark, infrared is already drawing its peak, so the backup carries the highest load the system produces. Sizing against the daytime figure and hoping the outage lands at noon is not a plan.
For larger sites, the recorder and network hardware often sit in one cabinet while cameras spread across a building. Cable distance then becomes a power question as well as a signal question, because voltage drops over long runs and a camera at the far end may receive less than its rated supply. This is one reason a site survey comes before a proposal rather than after.
Where the Numbers Come From
Three sources give reliable figures. The camera label or manufacturer datasheet gives rated power. The recorder and switch documentation gives their consumption. A plug-in power meter gives measured draw for equipment already running, which is useful when replacing an existing system and the original documentation is gone.
Eyonic's completed work includes the Kuching Immigration Office, where the focus was arrival flow, staff areas, visitor movement and dependable daily operation. Dependable daily operation is exactly what power planning protects, because a system that browns out under load stops recording without announcing it.
Questions Buyers Ask Before Installation
Does a higher camera count always mean a bigger supply? Usually, but not proportionally. The recorder, switch and network equipment form a fixed base load, so adding a fifth camera to a four-camera system raises the total by less than the first camera did.
Can one supply run cameras and the recorder together? It can, provided the total including headroom stays within capacity. Separating them adds resilience, because a fault on one circuit does not take down recording.
Is running cost a major concern? Surveillance equipment runs continuously, so consumption accumulates over a year rather than appearing as a spike. The exact cost depends on the local tariff and the measured load, and both need to be confirmed rather than assumed.
What happens if the supply is undersized? Symptoms include cameras rebooting at dusk, recordings with gaps, and infrared failing to engage. These look like camera faults but often trace back to power.
Should the supply be sized for future cameras? Leaving headroom costs little at installation and avoids replacing a supply later. It is a reasonable default for shops and offices where coverage tends to expand.
Eyonic's CCTV installation service covers planning, supply and installation for homes, offices, shops and industrial sites, with camera placement, recording and remote viewing handled as one scope. Because the process begins with a site survey, the power requirement is established from the actual building rather than from a generic estimate.
Share your location, property type and required system with Eyonic on WhatsApp at +60 11-5111 7959 for the next practical step.