Applies to Models: Cameras with SD/SDHC/SDXC memory card inserted

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Summary:

The following information is normally found in the first couple of pages of our IP camera manuals:

•Recommended capacity : 16GB to 256GB (MLC type)
•The following types of memory cards from the following manufacturers are recommended for this camera.

- Manufacturer: SanDisk, Transcend

- Product family: High Endurance, and Industrial

It is VERY important when using micro SD cards for recording, that the cards are rated for heavier usage.

All flash memory has a finite number of write cycles. Meaning that, unlike a spinning magnetic hard drive. 

Most off-the-shelf micro SD cards that can be bought online or from a local retailer will be consumer-grade flash memory with a rough max number of writes to a cell of about 3,000 to 5,000 writes, before a permanent failure will occur in each cell.

Below are some estimations on write cycles.

Triple Level Cell - Consumer-grade flash:

3,000 to 5,000 write cycles maximum

Multi-Level Cell - MLC - Is middle range flash memory, used in a number of commercial applications:

8,000 to 10,000 write cycles maximum

SLC - Single-Level Cell - is high-level flash memory. Normally used in SSDs but is available for micro SD cards.

90,000 to 100,000 write cycles maximum.