Question 1

How much does a Jetson Orin Nano Super deployment cost for 8 cameras?

Accepted Answer

A standard 8-camera deployment with Jetson Orin Nano Super (4 streams/node, so 2 nodes), NVMe 256GB storage, unmanaged PoE switch, and desktop PSU typically costs $600–$700 total, or ~$75–$87 per camera. Use the calculator with your specific configuration (resolution, retention, environment) for an accurate estimate.

Question 2

What is included in the cost estimate?

Accepted Answer

This calculator includes: compute modules and carrier boards (Jetson only), local storage (NVMe or SD card), PoE switches and uplink hardware, power supplies and UPS (optional), enclosures, cooling solutions, and installation cabling. It does NOT include camera hardware, software licenses, cloud costs, or labour.

Question 3

What is not included?

Accepted Answer

Camera hardware (budget $80–$200 per unit separately), software licenses, cloud or edge cloud services, installation and integration labour, and for Coral/Hailo configurations, the host system cost. Always account for these separately in your budget.

Question 4

How do resolution and frame rate affect cost?

Accepted Answer

Resolution affects storage cost (4K requires 3–4× more NVMe capacity than 1080p for the same retention period) and can impact confidence scoring. Frame rate isn't directly modelled, but the streams-per-module setting captures concurrent processing load. Higher frame rates may require lower stream counts per module, increasing node count.

Question 5

Is Coral or Hailo cheaper than Jetson for low-camera-count deployments?

Accepted Answer

For 1–2 cameras, Coral USB Accelerator ($60) and Hailo-8L ($99) are cheaper per unit. However, Coral/Hailo lack a carrier board and require a host system (not priced here). At 4+ cameras, Jetson Orin Nano Super ($249) spreads infrastructure cost across more streams, lowering per-camera cost.

Question 6

Why does cost per camera decrease as camera count increases?

Accepted Answer

Infrastructure costs (PSU, switch, enclosure, storage) are amortised across all cameras. Adding cameras to a node that has spare stream capacity adds minimal cost. The per-camera cost floor is reached when you need additional nodes; beyond that, cost per camera increases again.

Question 7

How accurate are these cost estimates?

Accepted Answer

These are planning-grade estimates based on US market Q1 2025 pricing for single-unit quantities. Actual costs vary by supplier, volume, region, and vendor promotions. Use this for project budgeting and comparison; verify with vendors before procurement.

Question 8

How do I get a more detailed BOM?

Accepted Answer

Use the Full Deployment Planner for a complete subsystem analysis with performance benchmarks, thermal models, and step-by-step sizing of every component. This calculator is optimized for quick cost estimates.

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