What's the difference between 720p and 1080p IP cameras? For the past few years 720p has been the standard resolution for HD IP cameras. Now more and more cameras are offering higher 1080p resolution. But how much of a difference does 1080p really make? Higher Resolution 1080p means a resolution of 1920x1080, or 2MP (2 Megapixel). Our old standard of HD 720p is 1280x720 or 1 MP. This means 1080p has twice as much image detail and produces images that are twice as large in terms of overall pixel count. The 1080p image has twice the detail of the 720p image (2MP vs. 1MP) but at a cost. 1080p cameras consume twice as much network bandwidth and storage. In other words, streaming remotely via the internet will be twice as slow, and your storage will fill up twice as fast. If image quality and detail is of utmost importance, then 1080p cameras are the way to go. However, if you're not covering a large area, you may be better off using a 720p camera. 1080p cameras are also more expensive than their 720p counterparts. As an example, the Axis P33 series 1080p camera is $300 more expensive than the same model Axis P33 in 720p. Although 1080p cameras offer more detail, there are some major benefits to using 720p. The cost of 720p cameras is lower and the image quality is still very impressive. Video will take up less space and give you longer history. Streaming video over the internet will be twice as fast, and you'll be able to fit more cameras on a server. Of course there's nothing stopping you from using a mix of 1080p and 720p cameras depending on your needs.