Before reading, we recommend that readers to have a basic understanding of bandwidth first. If you would like to learn more, click here.
As you may know, cameras can sometimes require significant bandwidth depending on the scenery of the image. Consider the two images below and the hypothetical bandwidth required for each camera.
(royalty free images, may change )
Busy Area: 5mb/s Empty Building: 1mb/s
Now consider the two types of bit rates you can set;
Constant: A constant bit rate will not change regardless of the scene. You would use this in situations where you know exactly how much bandwidth you have allocated to specific cameras and other devices.
Variable: Variable bit rates change depending on the scenery. The bandwidth demand of a camera will increase or decrease depending on the complexity and motion of the scene.
What should I use?
LTS does not recommend one or the other. It is ultimately up to the user to know the network infrastructure and the capacity their cameras will be utilized in.