Installing a home security camera system is one of the best ways to deter crime and monitor your property. However, to truly reap the full benefits, you need to carefully consider the placement and installation of your cameras. Proper positioning ensures maximum coverage, while following key installation best practices prevents equipment failures and captures useable footage when needed.
This comprehensive guide provides tips, recommendations, and expert advice to help you optimize your home security camera setup.
Why Camera Placement and Installation Matters
Carefully planning where and how you mount your security cameras makes a major impact on their effectiveness. Here’s why it’s so important:
- Captures crucial visibility of entry/exit points and high-value assets
- Prevents blind spots that enable intruders to avoid detection
- Deters criminals by making cameras prominently visible
- Reduces false alerts triggered by illumination changes
- Enables facial recognition for suspect identification
- Prevents weather/tampering damage for reliable continuous operation
Following professional guidelines takes some extra planning upfront, but saving time and money in the long run. This guide details everything you need to know.
Best Practices for Home Security Camera Placement
Optimal security camera positioning depends on understanding important mounting location considerations, including height, angle, indoor vs outdoor factors, and using the right camera technologies to eliminate blind spots.
Choose Mounting Height for Maximum Coverage
- For most fixed outdoor cameras, install 8-10 ft high looking slightly down
- Avoids easy dismantling/disabling and captures identifiable facial images
- PTZ dome cameras work well up to 30 ft to monitor large areas
- Place indoor cameras at least 7 ft up with wide straight-on view
Mounting cameras too low increases meddling risks and captures useless oblique angle footage. Too high diminishes important detail like faces. Follow height guidelines for ideal results.
Carefully Select Camera Angle and Direction
- Angle cameras to maximize view of property entry/exit points
- Pointing straight out parallel to the ground is usually ideal
- Slight downward tilt can improve facial recognition and deterrence
- Avoid pointing indoor cameras directly into sunlight/bright sources
Consider both vertical and horizontal angle depending on goals–broad property overview, detailed entryway view, etc. Pan/tilt adjustments are easiest during initial installation.
Prioritize Placement Over Entryways and High-Value Assets
Positioning cameras overlooking key areas provides maximum protection. Be sure to cover:
- Front/back/garage doors – Crucial for identifying visitors vs intruders
- Driveways/walkways – Capture vehicles/persons approaching
- Ground floor doors/windows – Common break-in entry points
- Backyards/secluded areas – Where trespassers seek cover
- High-value assets – Focus cameras on protect valuables like pools. jewelry safes, etc.
Adequately covering vulnerabilities deters opportunistic criminals from targeting weaknesses.
Choose Camera Types to Eliminate Blind Spots
Carefully evaluate your property layout using a critical eye towards hidden areas. Supplement fixed cameras aiming in all directions with PTZ and specialty cameras to achieve full visibility.
- Multi-lens fisheye cameras provide complete 180/360° coverage perfect for rooms with no corners for mounting
- Pan-Tilt-Zoom (PTZ) cameras actively track motion enabling a single unit to cover massive areas
- Under-eave cameras hug structures tightly to view along buildings and under roof overhangs
- Dome cameras offer discreet ceiling-flush mounting with all-direction visibility
Leaving hidden zones out of view provides easy unseen access that greatly diminishes your security system’s effectiveness.
Also Read: Home Security System Installation in 6 Easy Steps
Outdoor Security Camera Placement
Positioning outdoor cameras requires balancing visibility with practical installation challenges and the unique need to withstand weather and physical security threats.
Height Matters
Follow the 8-10 foot mounting rule with outdoor cameras to deter tampering and enable facial capture functionality. However, achieving this standard height gets trickier extending cameras away structures, requiring:
- Tall specialty mounting poles – Pricier but easiest option
- Wall arm brackets – Affordable but limits flexible positioning
- Roof edge overhang mounting – Requires safely working at heights
Weigh the advantages and installation effort when deciding for your situation.
Focus on Key Exterior Areas
While visible deterrence has value surrounding your entire property perimeter, prioritize cameras covering key vulnerable points of intrusion, including:
- Front and back entrances
- First floor and basement windows
- Sliding glass doors/large windows
- Skylights and roof access points
- Driveways and walkways
Constantly record and alert to motion surrounding danger zones to catch break-in attempts.
Ensure Sufficient Night Visibility
Poor nighttime visibility severely inhibits effective outdoor camera usage. You have three main options to ensure 24/7 clarity:
- externally mounting IR illumination
- installing spotlights
- choosing cameras with Starlight/low light sensors
Without adequate lighting, cameras shift to night vision mode rendering video useless.
Protect Cameras from Weather and Damage
Mount outdoor cameras under protective overhangs when possible to shield from rain, snow and sun. Choose weatherized housings with heaters, internal cooling fans and surge protectors when exposing more vulnerable equipment.
Use metal conduit to secure wiring runs prone to wildlife or lawn mower damage. Point cameras downwards to prevent rainwater pooling and penetration.
Regularly check outdoor camera housings for cracks/damage which can lead to short circuits and fire risks if not addressed.
Recommended Indoor Camera Placement
The main considerations unique to indoor cameras include smaller protective housing, wider angle lenses optimized for narrow spaces, wiring accessibility to outlets, and avoiding backlighting.
Height and Angle
- Mount rooms between 7-10 feet off the floor
- Angle lens straight-on or pointed slightly down
- Adjust pan/tilt to overlap views if using multiple cameras
High ceiling fixtures or upper wall installation prevents tampering. Wide view angles allow covering entire rooms.
Where to Place Indoor Cameras
Deter intrusions and protect valuables by positioning indoor cameras facing:
- Front and back entry doors
- First floor windows
- High-value family rooms with electronics/jewelry
- Top of stairwells
- Hallways
Monitor activity surrounding likely intrusion points and key assets. Leave no areas out of view to eliminate blind spots.
Access Power Outlets Easily
Indoor cameras universally require standard electrical outlets delivering stable clean power, necessitating:
- Outlets centrally located in room
- Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) networks
- Hidden wiring runs to outlets
installing plug-in surge protector strips also protects electronics from stray voltage spikes.
Avoid Direct Sunlight Glare
Cameras facing windows struggle handling bright light sources, causing:
- Glare obscuring visibility
- Light overexposing images
- IR night vision amplification flaring
Use adjustable window blinds/curtains to block sunlight. Or reposition units facing perpendicular to windows.
Home Security Camera Installation Best Practices
Properly physically mounting cameras protects hardware integrity while optimizing viewing angle adjustments. Follow vital methods to secure, stabilize and angle cameras correctly.
Robustly Physically Secure Cameras
Effectively deter tampering and criminal destruction by firmly anchor mounting cameras using one or combination of:
- Tamper-resistant screws into building structures
- Lockable metal housings
- Secured inside window frames/doorjams
- Mount out of arm’s reach heights
Vandal-proof to the maximum extent possible, going beyond convenience for absolute stabilty.
Stabilize View with Adjustable Brackets
Unstable cameras subject to vibration and jostling produce unusable distorted imagery lacking evidential value after incidents. Instead, rely on:
- Articulating arm mounts allowing precision adjustments
- Sturdy mounting poles away from structures
- Locking Pan/Tilt positioning screws
Carefully tweak position for ideal view during initial installation to avoid later issues.
Use Surge Protectors and Backup Power
Protect valuable camera electronics from voltage fluctuations, and system downtime if power fails through:
- Plugging transformer adapters into surge protector power strips
- Wiring surge protectors compatible with PoE networks
- Uninterruptible power backup supplies (UPSes)
This both extends hardware lifespan, enabling recording continuity if criminals cut electrical feeds.
Adjust Lens Focus and Night Vision Actuation
Ensuring camera auto-functionality like night vision activates as expected requires:
- Properly focusing visual clarity for local to distance objects
- Configuring light level thresholds activating IR illumination
- Testing motion alert triggering sensitivity
Tweak settings as needed during daylight, nighttime and high activity periods.
Home Security Camera Coverage Strategy Recommendations
Learning from past burglars’ habits and applying professional advice indicates certain particularly effective camera tactics protecting vulnerable home access points. Employ these priority practices fitting your residence layout.
Emphasize Entryways Surveillance
Ground floor doors/windows and skylights see heavy intruder concentration as their breakdown vulnerability provides stealthy access and quick escapes. Rigorously record activity within 30 feet of possible infiltration, including:
- Main front and back doors
- Patio doors, large living room windows
- Basement window wells and cellar bulkhead doors
- Sunroofs, ventilation system ports
Criminals eschew more secure second floor entry and riskier extended stays once inside. Frustrate their typical M.O. with ultra-diligent monitoring.
Discreetly Monitor Master Bedroom/Home Office
Beyond blocking initial break-ins, grab incidents on camera where thieves typically first head after entering to steal small valuables like jewelry boxes, safes and laptops. Carefully position devices like:
- Mini “nanny cams” hidden on shelves
- Pinhole lens cameras recessed in walls/ceiling
- Camera equipped alarm clocks beside cash/valuables
Surreptitiously record to later identify perps without instilling fakable false security only.
Use PTZ Cameras to Patrol Large Indoor Public Areas
Actively monitoring expansive main living areas with multiple unpredictable intrusion vectors challenges limitations of fixed viewpoint cameras. Instead, implement:
- Ceiling-mounted Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) cameras
- Track movement using intelligent motion tracking features
- Conduct preset scheduled scans for unusual changes
Automated panning essentially acts as interior roving guards thwarting larger-scale criminal activities.
Secure Separate Buildings and Outdoor Assets
Beyond the main house, protect external exposed valuables easily stolen with little effort using targeted cameras covering:
- Garages/sheds storing tools, appliances etc.
- Pool pump rooms
- Gardens and landscaping lighting
- Gates, parking areas and vehicles
Isolate camera systems monitoring auxiliary areas to simplify access control and separate viewing.
Conclusion
Optimizing the placement and installation of home security cameras requires carefully weighing many interdependent factors in order to maximize visibility coverage and deterrence effects. Planning mounting locations balancing practical constraints like height and wiring access while emphasizing entryways and assets takes time.
However, the effort pays off exponentially with enhanced recorded evidence, reduced insurance rates and most importantly peace of mind deterring the vast majority of potential break-ins.
Leverage the comprehensive expert recommendations outlined here when designing and upgrading your custom home surveillance system for best-in-class protection.