NAS and video surveillance

[Enquiries]

I have a Synology DS420+ and seven Foscam cameras. The cameras are two or three years old and there are three different models. The Synology is used for a remote backup for a small business, so it sees a backup cycle once each day from the business. Also the family use it for laptop/desktop backup and Synology Photo. I am running three drives for a total of 16TB of storage, otherwise it is a stock unit from the factory. So I have an open drive bay.
I am considering now using the NAS to manage the video cameras. Sounds like I should consider adding a fourth drive with its own volume just for video. I will need five more video licenses. Possibly add some more RAM. And as I understand I will not have AI support for the cameras. Looking for a recommendation on how to best use the budget to add the surveillance function. AI would be nice to have, but a what cost?

[ed]

It sounds like you are on the right track with adding a fourth drive and creating a separate volume just for video. This will help to ensure that your video storage does not interfere with your other data backup and Synology Photo functions.

As for the additional camera licenses, you will need to purchase them separately for each camera. The cost for each license varies depending on the model, but it is typically around $50 USD per license.

Regarding AI support for your cameras, this feature is available on some Synology models, but it requires a more powerful processor and additional RAM. The DS420+ has a capable processor, but it may be beneficial to add more RAM to improve overall performance.

If you want some more AI features you need to get Synology new cameras. or their DVA model (with few extra features that even camera do not have).