What is the bandwidth saving efficiency of H.265+ for my U.S. local network?

I have watched too many integrators overspend on switches, NVR¹s, and hard drives — all because they picked the wrong codec for their 4K cameras².

H.265+³ (Smart Codec) can cut bandwidth⁴ and storage use by 70% to 80% compared to H.264, and by 30% to 50% compared to standard H.265. This means triple the storage time on the same hard drive and stable 4K streaming over existing Cat5e cabling on any U.S. local network.

H.265+ bandwidth saving efficiency on U.S. local network

Below, I break down the real numbers behind H.265+. I cover storage savings⁵, image quality⁶ trade-offs, VMS compatibility⁷, and how many 4K cameras your network can actually handle. Every answer comes from projects I have worked on with integrators across the U.S.

How Much Storage Space Can I Save on My NVR by Using H.265+ Compression?

I have seen integrators quote clients for 40TB of storage when 12TB would have done the job. The codec choice made all the difference.

With H.265+ compression⁸, you can store 3 to 5 times more footage on the same NVR hard drive compared to H.264. A 10-camera 4K system on H.265+ needs roughly 15–20 Mbps average bandwidth, letting 1TB hold 5 to 7 days of video instead of less than 1 day on H.264.

NVR storage savings with H.265+ compression

Real Numbers for a 10-Camera 4K Project

Here is a comparison I share with every integrator who asks:

Codec	Avg. Bandwidth (10x 4K Cameras)	Storage per 1TB	Hard Drives Needed (30 Days)
H.264	80–100 Mbps	Less than 1 day	30–40 TB
H.265	40–50 Mbps	About 2 days	15–20 TB
H.265+ (Loyalty-Secu9)	15–20 Mbps	5–7 days	5–8 TB

Will H.265+ Affect the Image Detail in My High-Resolution Security Footage?

H.265+ does not reduce image detail on moving objects or areas of interest. It only aggressively compresses static background¹⁰ regions. Forensic-level detail on people, vehicles, and license plates stays intact because the codec allocates high bitrate¹¹ to motion zones in real time.

H.265+ image quality comparison for security footage

At Loyalty-Secu, our H.265+ uses real scene analysis¹². Our algorithm separates foreground and background at the chip level. I worked with our R&D team to optimize it for the wide, open scenes common in U.S. projects — large parking lots, farm perimeters, and logistics yards.

Can My Current Milestone or Blue Iris Platform Fully Decode the H.265+ Stream?

Most third-party VMS platforms like Milestone and Blue Iris can decode standard H.265 streams without issues. But H.265+ is a vendor-specific smart codec¹³ layer. If your VMS does not support that specific H.265+ implementation, it will fall back to standard H.265.

My Recommendation: The Dual-Stream Strategy

Here is how I tell integrators to set it up. Use two streams from each camera:

• Main stream: H.265+ at full resolution for recording. Send this to the NVR that supports H.265+ natively.
• Sub stream: Standard H.265 at lower resolution for live preview. Send this to your VMS or mobile app.

How Many 4K Cameras Can I Run on a Standard 100Mbps Upload Connection?

On a standard 100Mbps connection using H.265+, you can run about 5 to 6 cameras at 4K resolution with comfortable headroom. With standard H.264, the same connection supports only 1 to 2 cameras before it starts dropping frames.

Codec	Avg. Bitrate per 4K Camera	Max Cameras on 100 Mbps (80% Rule)
H.264	8–12 Mbps	1–2 cameras
H.265	4–6 Mbps	3–4 cameras
H.265+ (Loyalty-Secu)	1.5–3 Mbps (avg.)	5–6 cameras

For any serious project with more than 4 cameras, I push integrators toward Gigabit switches¹⁴. A good investment removes the bandwidth bottleneck entirely. For remote sites using 4G LTE, H.265+ is not optional — it is required to maintain stable 4K transmission.

Conclusion

H.265+ saves 70–80% bandwidth over H.264. It cuts storage costs, fits more cameras on your network, and keeps full detail where it matters most.