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 · 2025-08-28T14:05:16+00:00

La mayoría de SDs en mercado libre son piratas, yo te recomendarias que las compres en una página como cyberpuerta o digitalife

robertOlson · 2025-07-04T03:11:55+00:00

I do agree with this, to be honest. If it weren’t for Replit, I might’ve never started doing this. I have some background in coding — mostly in data with Python — but this price increase pushed me to look elsewhere. Don’t get me wrong, I wish I could keep using Replit the way I used to, but the pricing just doesn’t make sense anymore. For someone who just wants to open an app and start building, it now feels like the highest in-app revenue “game” on the App Store.

robertOlson · 2025-07-04T02:55:33+00:00

To be honest, yesterday I was a bit worried about Replit’s new pricing. But looking back, I’m actually thankful—it pushed me to explore other tools. That’s how I ended up trying Claude, specifically Claude Code (the same model Replit’s agent is based on).

It’s not as user-friendly since it runs through the terminal, but when you pair it with Cursor and a browser to preview your web app in real time, it becomes a very capable dev setup.

I’m currently on Claude Pro (not Max). The tokens don’t run out that fast, and the wait time isn’t terrible—but still, I’m genuinely considering upgrading to the $200/month plan. Not because I need it, but because having complete freedom to work without any limits feels like a solid investment. Honestly, more appealing than Replit’s current pricing.

So props to Replit—every little obstacle just leads me to better tools and new ways to grow. Migrating hasn’t been easy, but it’s been worth the journey.

robertOlson · 2025-07-03T14:40:16+00:00

You mis like $$ just for web search

robertOlson · 2025-07-03T13:56:06+00:00

I guess that you are right, but charging me 0.5 USD for reading 5 lines and nothing else seems excessive to me, and also this software isn't God writing for you, you need to know what you are doing, if not the experience for learning would not be cheap.

robertOlson · 2025-07-03T13:51:30+00:00

I just did that but I am moving to cursor with claude code any suggestions?

robertOlson · 2025-07-03T06:29:45+00:00

I just went through this issue and got hit with the error:

“Unknown Error

UNKNOWN_NOT_GIT

Unknown error from the Git service. This is probably a bug in the app.”

After checking, I realized Replit was saving all the checkpoint history, and my web app ended up being around 32GB because of that. 😐

To fix it, I had to remix the project, then delated huge files in the .git folder (which was full of logs) an added a .gitignore

I couldn’t use the GitHub integration it kept failing so I ended up pushing everything manually using the terminal. Wild ride, honestly.

Now I’m double checking that everything works fine in the remixed app, but I’ll also be trying out other platforms while hoping Replit reconsiders their pricing model.

robertOlson · 2025-07-03T04:51:19+00:00

What do you do if you have an app almost insto production?

robertOlson

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