High Volume Storage: Recording to NAS or External Drives guide illustration
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High Volume Storage: Recording to NAS or External Drives

Table of Contents

Recording multiple high-resolution streams or high-bitrate VR content creates a massive amount of data. A single session can easily generate hundreds of gigabytes. To keep your system running smoothly without running out of disk space, you need a robust storage strategy using NAS (Network Attached Storage) or External Drives.

1) Hardware Setup: Speed Matters

When choosing where to save your recordings, the interface and drive speed are critical to prevent dropped segments during write operations.

  • External SSDs: Best for high-bitrate multi-stream capture. Use USB 3.1 (Gen 2) or USB-C for the best performance.
  • External HDDs: Suitable for long-term storage, but may struggle with more than 3-4 concurrent high-definition streams due to slow seek times.
  • MicroSD Cards: Generally not recommended for active recording unless using high-end “Endurance” rated cards.

2) Network Attached Storage (NAS)

Saving directly to a NAS (like Synology or QNAP) is a popular workflow for heavy users.

  • SMB/NFS Shares: Map your NAS folder as a local network drive on your computer.
  • Latency Warning: Network congestion or a slow Wi-Fi connection can cause a “bottleneck,” leading CaptureGem to drop segments. Always prefer a Wired Ethernet (1Gbps minimum) connection for the recording machine.
  • Destination Setup: In CaptureGem settings, point your “Recording Path” to the mapped network drive.

3) Optimization: SSD-to-NAS Workflow

The most reliable way to handle high-volume recording is a two-step approach:

  1. Active Recording: Save your current sessions to a fast Local SSD. This ensures zero latency during the critical capture phase.
  2. Archiving: Periodically move finished recordings to your NAS or HDD for long-term storage.

This prevents network blips from ruining a live recording while still keeping your system drive clear.

4) Organizing Large Volumes

CaptureGem uses a structured folder hierarchy: [Site] / [Model] / [Date].

On a large NAS, you can use this structure to set up automated backup or cloud sync tasks (e.g., syncing only the [Favorites] or specific [Model] folders to a secondary off-site backup).

5) Identifying Storage Bottlenecks

If you see “Encoder Error” or “Write Failure” in your logs:

  • Check if your drive is full.
  • Verify the connection speed of your external drive.
  • If using a NAS, run a speed test between your computer and the network share.

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