Your cameras already know how to do this
Most IP cameras and NVR/DVR systems have a built-in feature that almost nobody uses: FTP upload. They can automatically push snapshots, motion-triggered clips, or scheduled recordings to any FTP server.
Your web hosting account is an FTP server.
Connect the two, and your cameras upload footage to your hosting account automatically. No dedicated NVR hardware sitting in a closet. No monthly cloud storage subscription from the camera manufacturer. No proprietary app that stops working when the company gets acquired.
How to set it up
The basic setup is the same across most camera brands (Hikvision, Dahua, Reolink, Amcrest, Axis, and others):
On your hosting account
- Log into the Client Portal
- Create an FTP account for your camera system
- Create a directory structure (e.g.,
/cameras/front-door/,/cameras/parking-lot/) - Note your FTP hostname (or dedicated IP if you have one), username, and password
On your camera
- Open the camera’s web interface or app
- Find the FTP settings (usually under Storage, Network, or Snapshots)
- Enter your hosting FTP hostname or IP address
- Enter the FTP username and password
- Set the upload directory path
- Configure what triggers an upload: motion detection, scheduled intervals, or continuous
- Test the connection (most cameras have a “test” button)
Once configured, the camera uploads to your hosting account whenever the trigger fires. You can check the files through your hosting control panel’s file manager, or access them through a web browser if you set up a simple directory listing.
What cameras typically upload
Motion-triggered snapshots
This is the most common setup. Camera detects movement, captures a JPEG image, and FTPs it to your hosting. Uses very little storage and bandwidth. A small business running 4-6 cameras with motion snapshots might use a few gigabytes per month.
Scheduled snapshots
Camera takes a photo every 30 seconds, every minute, or every 5 minutes and uploads it. Good for time-lapse monitoring of construction sites, parking lots, or inventory areas.
Video clips
Some cameras can upload short video clips (10-30 seconds) triggered by motion or alarms. These use more storage than snapshots but give you actual footage. A 30-second 1080p clip is roughly 5-15 MB depending on compression.
Continuous recording
This uses the most storage and bandwidth. Not ideal for web hosting unless you have a small number of cameras and generous disk space. For continuous recording from multiple cameras, you’d want a dedicated solution.
Why this beats cloud camera subscriptions
Camera manufacturers love monthly subscriptions. Nest/Google charges per camera per month for cloud storage. Ring charges for their Protect plan. Arlo, Wyze, Eufy, they all want recurring revenue.
With web hosting:
- One flat price for storage, not per-camera fees
- No vendor lock-in. Your files are standard JPEGs and video files on your hosting account. Not locked in a proprietary cloud.
- Access from anywhere. View uploaded files from any browser. No app required.
- Your data, your storage. The camera company can’t delete your footage, change their pricing, or shut down their cloud service and leave you with nothing.
- Works with any brand. Any camera with FTP support works with any hosting account. Mix and match cameras without being locked into one ecosystem.
Storage planning
Here’s a rough guide for how much space you’d need:
| Setup | Monthly storage |
|---|---|
| 2 cameras, motion snapshots | 1-2 GB |
| 4 cameras, motion snapshots | 2-5 GB |
| 2 cameras, motion video clips (30 sec) | 5-15 GB |
| 4 cameras, snapshot every minute | 10-20 GB |
These are rough estimates. Actual usage depends on how much motion your cameras detect, image resolution, and video compression settings.
For most small businesses and homes, a standard web hosting plan has plenty of storage. You can also set your cameras to overwrite old files after a certain number of days to keep storage usage steady.
Organizing the footage
Create a clear folder structure so you can find things:
/cameras/
/front-door/
/2026-04/
/08/
/parking-lot/
/2026-04/
/08/Most cameras can include the date in the filename and path automatically. Check your camera’s FTP settings for path variables like %Y (year), %m (month), %d (day).
A note on security
Use SFTP instead of plain FTP if your camera supports it. SFTP encrypts the connection, so your credentials and footage aren’t transmitted in the clear.
If your camera only supports plain FTP, it still works fine for most use cases, but be aware that someone intercepting the traffic could see the data. For most small business security cameras uploading over a private network, this is an acceptable risk. For sensitive installations, SFTP or a VPN connection is better.
Your web hosting account is already an FTP server. Point your cameras at it and stop paying per-camera cloud subscriptions. Check your APlusHosting plan’s storage to make sure it fits your camera setup.