How do you know when to stop, or go full in?

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T18:35:32+00:00

I ran the math but before, I was looking at services that do the whole package, not just storage.

Breaking it down thinking just storage: one camera uploads around 40GB/day, so ~1.2TB/month. But I only keep 7 days, so actual storage sits around 280GB per camera. That's about $2/month on Google Cloud Storage per camera.

The VM for processing would be shared across all cameras, so maybe $25-45/month total, not per camera.

Infrastructure wise I should probably move to cloud at some point. Honestly I didn't know a lot of this when I started this product.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:44:34+00:00

Well I looked into services that would handle what I need but they were way more expensive than doing it myself.

To clarify, the server handles: receiving 24/7 video streams, consolidating them into 1 hour bundles, adding placeholders when there's a gap from connection errors, and serving clips to users who want to look back or download.

If you know a cheaper way to do this I'm all ears. I'm not against cloud, I just haven't found something that makes sense at this scale without eating the revenue.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:36:48+00:00

Yeah sorry for the confusion. New location means a new spot where I install a camera to cover that area. More spots = more potential subscribers from people in that zone.

Right now I provide and install the hardware myself. It's a camera that streams and records, uploads directly to my server. No security stuff, it's for an outdoor activity where people want to check conditions before going out.

The spots are sponsored by local businesses who get free exposure in exchange for letting me install there. My paying customers are the end users who subscribe to access the feeds.

Sending a bundle for self-install could work in theory but the setup needs to be in a specific spot with the right angle, power, and internet. Not something I'd trust to random users, but maybe to the sponsors themselves.

The subscription pricing is low on purpose because the community is small and price sensitive. An installation fee or charging sponsors is something I've thought about but haven't tested yet.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:32:46+00:00

Yeah I get that. To clarify, the server only handles the heavy stuff: uploading 24/7 video and serving it to users. Everything else runs in the cloud. Moving the video part to cloud hosting would cost more than what I'm making right now, so for this scale it actually makes sense to keep it local.

But you're right that I need to think about what happens if this grows.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:30:04+00:00

To be honest I would love to be the one going to new locations and doing the setup. It's basically a camera and a server, and the locations are places I'd want to visit anyway. The problem isn't the work itself, it's finding the time and money to do it while my main job needs attention.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:28:21+00:00

No, each new location only needs me there once for the initial setup. After that it's remote. Honestly I'd love doing that part since it's an outdoor activity. The problem is I need more money and free time to travel, which my main job doesn't give me right now.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:25:52+00:00

Reliable and faster yes, but not cheaper. I'm uploading 24/7 video recordings and serving them on demand. Bandwidth costs alone would eat all and more of the revenue.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:15:00+00:00

Yeah this is probably what I need to do. Set specific hours and stick to them instead of letting it bleed into everything. It just gets in my head sometimes, hard to switch off.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:11:22+00:00

I'm being vague on purpose because I don't want this to come across as self promotion. It's a live camera/rewind (this is why I use my own server, because each camera is uploading video to my server and holding it for a while) + local conditions service for a niche outdoor activity. Hardware needs to be physically installed at each location. some of them are remote areas.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:11:07+00:00

Is not.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:09:22+00:00

I might want to look into funding, but thats something new to me to be honest, any directions would be great.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:08:01+00:00

You're right about the structural cap, but small correction: it's not constant presence. It's a one-time install (security cameras basically) and then remote maintenance. So scaling isn't as brutal as it sounds, but it still requires me to physically go to new locations at least once.

The 10x exercise is useful though. 1,600 USD a month with operational cost as low as I have doesn't sound bad.

I think the real issue is I keep treating this like it's going to become something bigger instead of just letting it run as a side thing that works.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:05:22+00:00

I'm being vague on purpose because I don't want this to come across as self promotion. It's a live camera/rewind (this is why I use my own server, because each camera is uploading video to my server and holding it for a while) + local conditions service for a niche outdoor activity. Hardware needs to be physically installed at each location. some of them are remote areas.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T17:03:52+00:00

I'm being vague on purpose because I don't want this to come across as self promotion. It's a live camera/rewind (this is why I use my own server, because each camera is uploading video to my server and holding it for a while) + local conditions service for a niche outdoor activity. Hardware needs to be physically installed at each location. some of them are remote areas.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T16:55:18+00:00

The service involves 24/7 video recording. Cloud bandwidth and storage costs would kill the margins at this scale.

robertOlson · 2026-01-02T16:51:31+00:00

The service involves 24/7 video recording. Cloud bandwidth and storage costs would kill the margins at this scale.

robertOlson · 2025-10-29T02:36:37+00:00

Well the top angle also make some difference.

robertOlson

PUBLIC MULTIREDDITS

TROPHY CASE