Where Should Home Security Cameras be Installed? Are you sure your home security cameras have been positioned in the most appropriate locations? If you already have a couple of cameras installed in and around your property or are on the lookout for a good deal on a new one, or if you place your home security cameras does matter. In the case of both indoor and outdoor cameras, there are specific locations that offer you the perfect view of your property.
As expected, your home and yard layout, budget, and home security priorities are usually different from your neighbour’s. Hence, there is no one-size-fits-all rule for security camera placement. However, this guide will help you consider all the aspects of your home security setup and also identify which ones are absolute must-haves according to the vulnerabilities in your home.
Contents
- Where You Should Install a Home Security Camera?
- 1. Exterior: Front door
- 2. Exterior: Back and Side Doors
- 3. Exterior: Garage and driveway
- 4. Exterior: Yard
- 5. Interior: Common areas
- 6. Interior: Main stairway or hallway
- Places where you should not install a security camera
- Optimize your camera placement for function and visibility
- Security camera installation tips
- Where Should Home Security Cameras be Installed?: The Conclusion
Where You Should Install a Home Security Camera?
1. Exterior: Front door
Where to place your home security camera? You might think that intruders always creep through side entrances, but data from the International Association of Certified Home Inspectors depict that 34% of burglars use the front door. It is also where the package thieves are likely to strike. A camera at your main entrance helps maintain the tabs on every person going in and out of your home, from family members and babysitters to maintenance people, delivery people, and so on.
Pro tip: Video doorbells are a perfect pick for the front door. You can also use them as the main camera or in conjunction with the other outdoor camera that is aimed at the yard or garage.
2. Exterior: Back and Side Doors
Usually, those entrances that are out-of-sight allow visitors to enter undetected, even if they are invited or not. Most statistics show that 22% of break-ins happen through the back door. To gain full knowledge of everyone who enters and exits, add cameras over to your secondary doors, especially if one of them is used as often or more often than your front door or if one, like the basement door, appears to be particularly enticing or accessible for the potential intruder.
3. Exterior: Garage and driveway
Usually, the Garages are a main target of burglars as they are one of the weakest entry points. A camera that is pointed towards your garage or the driveway helps maintain the watchful eye on bikes, tools, grills, sports equipment, cars and all that handles them. There are times when your garage has been detached, in this case, the camera helps you to stay connected. Once the garage has been attached, the extra layer of security monitors other possible entrances into your home. In case there is a gate at the very end of your driveway, you might want a camera there to position people who are attempting to get in.
4. Exterior: Yard
Best locations for home security cameras, well, monitoring the yard will help you keep tabs on anyone scoping out your house from the outside. It is also useful for keeping an eye on the activities of kids, animals, and trespassers.
5. Interior: Common areas
Likewise, Placing cameras within the various gathering points like the kitchen or living room is a wonderful way to check if the kids are doing what they are supposed to do, or if the babysitter is attentive, what the pets are getting into, or to check on the household help like cleaners and repairmen. You need to Consider prioritizing any rooms that have large ground-floor windows. This way, you can see if anyone is tampering with them or using one as a break-in point.
6. Interior: Main stairway or hallway
Where to place security cameras in the home? You need to Place a camera within the main thoroughfares within your home to make it difficult for someone to move about undetected. In case anyone breaks in through a bathroom, bedroom, or another unmonitored area, they will still be captured on camera if they move within the house.
Places where you should not install a security camera
Where to position security cameras at home? In the same way, some Places can violate the privacy of your neighbour. Cameras are wonderful for your safety. However, it is also necessary to be mindful of the privacy of others in and around your neighbourhood. There are certain laws regarding cameras and privacy that vary from state to state. Hence, it is wise to check local laws and with the local homeowners association. To require to have to undo your installation. Homeowners are allowed to have outdoor security cameras that can cover a larger area, and it is usually alright to capture the neighbour’s public-facing property within the background of your footage. Legally, the problems arise if the camera captures areas where your neighbours require an expectation of privacy. For example, in case your cameras can see into their bedrooms or bathrooms or if you use the footage for non-security purposes. Bear in mind that these rules are applied to video surveillance only. Audio recording without knowledge and consent is illegal in most cases.
Bedrooms and bathrooms. The temptation to keep a watchful eye on the children or the elderly parents in your household is obvious. However, certain areas have a warranted expectation of privacy. Also, if you are using a monitoring service, you run the risk of a hacker creeping into a camera that has access to your private spaces. Nevertheless, there are quite a few alternatives to this. Here, the Baby monitors are a great choice for a very young child’s room. Also, the Motion detectors and glass break sensors, form a part of a connected home security system, as these can also be added to doors and windows. Finally, the Personal medical alert systems are perfect choices for seniors.
Optimize your camera placement for function and visibility
Once you decide which locations to monitor, you also need to strategize how you will place and install the security cameras to cover the intended areas.
Guidelines for Outdoor Security Camera Placement
- Be sure to Install the cameras 8 to 10 feet from the ground. This height is low enough to capture the finer details, all the while being high enough to be out of easy reach of thieves and vandals.
- Don’t place the cameras directly at the sun. This is because the Bright light causes the glare and high contrast within your footage, which makes it tough to tell what is going on. For this, you need to take into account the movement of the sun and angle your cameras for indirect light.
- You need to decide if you wish for the camera to be visible or hidden. Visible security cameras are generally effective in leading to burglary deterrents. However, they are also main targets for theft and vandalism. Some homeowners choose to specifically install a fake decoy camera and back it up with a real one, which is slightly more concealed. In contrast, others add heavy-duty hardware or casing around the camera to make it more difficult to damage.
- Protecting the camera from various elements. Some Top outdoor security cameras have ample weather- and waterproofing; however, they are not all made equal. Hence, you need to select a camera that is specifically manufactured for your climate and place it within another semi-protected area if possible.
Important Guidelines for Indoor Security Placement
- The corners are the best. Placing an indoor camera with in the corner of a room generally offers you the best possible vantage point.
- Windows can lead to reflection issues. Pointing a camera out of the window can degrade the image quality. Many security cameras include infrared light technology that assists in motion detection and also enables the cameras to function within low light. IR light can also reflect off of windows and other glass objects and obscure the footage, especially in the dark. In case the footage looks washed out or whited out, this is most likely due to a reflection problem going on.
- In case it is necessary to point a camera out the window, then you need to make sure to position the lenses as close as possible to the glass and/or backlight the outdoor area. Perhaps with the motion detector lights, there are two glare-minimizing measures to try out. It can also be of great help if your camera has wide dynamic range technology.
- Angle for indirect light. Once Again, direct light will wash out your footage. In the case of indoor cameras, beware of lamps, light fixtures, and bright windows. Also, Avoid facing your camera directly toward any of these light sources.
Security camera installation tips
Follow these installation rules to potentially save yourself a headache.
- Best sure to Test your appliance before committing to the full installation. Operate the camera in a simple test to spot to make sure it functions as expected. If needed you need to perform a dry run in the intended area of the camera. In this case, you need to mount it with tape, a single nail, or another temporary fix so you can monitor and evaluate the feed. Are you able to see everything you need to see? Is the Wi-Fi signal strong enough? Is there glare or an obstacle blocking the vision and view?
- Do not install your camera using hardware or tools that can damage its components. It is tempting to jerry-rig a camera setting to achieve the perfect position. However, do not take measures that can damage or strain the casing, electrical components, or lens.
- Keep in mind that you will need to regularly clean or maintain the camera. Outdoor cameras are generally prone to dirt or pollen accumulation within the lens. Do not install it in a manner that makes it impossible to maintain.
Where Should Home Security Cameras be Installed?: The Conclusion
Finally, there are certain circumstances where you can not install your cameras. Most leading providers of monitored home security systems, such as ADT and Vivint, need professional installation to make sure that everything is in working order. In such cases, a trained technician needs to visit your home in order to relieve you of this responsibility altogether. If you are dedicated to doing it yourself and you require a professionally monitored security system, you can also go for the DIY options.