Home Improvement

Where To Position CCTV Cameras at Home? [Camera Placement Guidelines]

Image source: Don Pablo / Shutterstock.com

Ready to fortify your home’s security with a cutting-edge CCTV monitoring system? Fantastic! While the advantages of such a system are boundless, the positioning of the cameras plays a pivotal role.

Here’s the deal – installing a CCTV camera in an odd location is not just ineffective, it can also land you in legal trouble. Let’s avoid that, shall we? You want your investment to count, not go down the drain. So, let’s discuss the perfect location for your CCTV cameras.

So, if you happen to be someone who:

  • is wondering what the best way to position a CCTV camera is;
  • wants to learn more about the actual process of choosing a place for a camera;
  • just finds CCTV camera placement a fascinating topic and wants to know as much as possible about it.

Fantastic Services have got you covered!

Table of Contents:

Things to consider before you position a CCTV camera

Before you decide to upgrade your house with this type of security system, you’ll need to think about the CCTV camera positioning. To make things easier for you, we’ve gathered all of the required information about the factors you need to consider, in order to find the best positions for your CCTV cameras. Let’s start off with…

Past break-ins

Find out if your property has been broken into in the past. You can ask your landlord, if you’re renting the place, or your neighbours, if you’ve just bought it. Make sure to gather as much information as possible, including where exactly on the property the break-in happened. Did the burglar enter through a window? Which window was it? All of these details will help you pick the best position for your CCTV camera.

You may also like:
Home Improvement
Leaving Windows Open at Night: Security Tips

Threats and property vulnerabilities

Take a walk through your property. Which parts look most vulnerable to a break-in? You are looking for areas that are close to the ground, big enough for a person to fit through and badly lit. Every property has those. Locate them and add them to your list of potential burglar entry points.

Protection against the elements / Durability

You really don’t want to place a camera at a spot, in which it will be affected by the elements. The ideal location for a CCTV camera is one protected from the sun and rain, and is vegetation-free. After all, the main goal is to keep an eye on a specific window of your home, not on a pile of leaves or potential raindrops. But most importantly, you don’t want strong sun glare to disrupt the images or water – to damage your equipment.

You may also like:
Home Improvement
How to Prevent Glare on a Surveillance Camera Looking Through a Window

Total number of cameras

The number of cameras you decide to have installed depends highly on how secure you want your property to be and on your budget – it’s simple as that. In general, we recommend getting at least 4 CCTV cameras. Anything above that number is just more protection, and, of course – more of an investment.

Additional features

Like all security technology on the market, CCTV monitoring systems can also come with additional features that will help you sleep even better. For a couple of pounds or 50, you can get an event-triggered audio recording system, one with mobile monitoring, number plate checking and video triggering. All of these additional features will affect the number and potential placement of your CCTV cameras.

Camera limitations

There isn’t a security system out there that doesn’t have its limitations. This also applies to CCTV monitoring cameras. For example, if you’ve installed a camera in a way that it faces the sun, you won’t have a good picture of the area. Or, if you’ve made the mistake to fit one to an easy-to-reach area, a burglar may decide to tamper with it. Whenever you decide to position your CCTV cameras, always keep in mind that the security solution isn’t bulletproof.

Where is the best place to put security cameras in your house?

Now that we’ve covered the main points you need to consider before choosing spots for your CCTV cameras, it’s time to talk about the actual locations. So, here is where you should and where you most definitely SHOULD NOT mount your CCTV cameras:

Where to position cctv cameras at home?

Generally, you can install a camera in every corner of your house, if you want to. Needless to say, these types of measures are unnecessary. So, you better ensure the security of your property by fitting only a few cameras to strategic places, like the:

  • Front, side and back door – One of the first areas you should secure with a camera is your front door. Burglars are not some mythical monsters who just appear in the middle of your living room with a POOF! sound – like you, they will try to enter the property through the door.
  • Main stairs or hallway – To get to a certain room, the intruder will have to go up the stairs or down the hallway, right? Right. That’s why it’s a good idea to have the area monitored.
  • Common areas – Add both your kitchen and living room to your security camera placement list, especially if they are located on the ground floor of your property.
  • Garage – If you have a fancy car or expensive tools in there, a surveillance camera is a must!
  • Places, where you keep valuables – We don’t need to explain this one, right?
You may also like:
Home Improvement
Secure Your Space: Step-by-Step Guide on Changing a Garage Door Lock

Where you can NOT put security CCTV cameras

As we mentioned earlier, weird CCTV placements can give you troubles with the law. For example, if your system is pointed in such a way that it also captures video of areas beyond your property, like your neighbours’ house or a public street, then your use of the footage is subject to the data protection laws. This won’t put you in jail, but it will make you deal with a whole lot of legal obligations, which if you don’t follow, will get you a pretty heavy fine or troubles in court. So, if you were asking yourself “Can I point a CCTV at Neighbours house?” and “Can my Neighbour have CCTV pointing at my house UK?” the answer to both is no. You can read more about the above-mentioned legal obligations here.

Other than that, there are a few more specific places where we don’t recommend installing a CCTV camera – bedrooms and bathrooms. The reason is pretty clear – neither your family nor house guests will be happy with the idea of having a camera watching them sleep or take a shower. One word: Privacy.

You may also like:
Home Improvement
10 Steps to Secure a Garden Shed

CCTV camera placement guidelines you should follow

Now that we’ve talked about the basic dos and don’ts of how to position your CCTV cameras, it’s time to move on to some helpful security camera placement recommendations that will make your whole installation process a lot easier. Let’s start off with…

Where can I point my CCTV cameras

  • Point your cameras to key areas. As we’ve mentioned earlier, there are some parts of your home that you just can’t skip when positioning CCTV cameras, like your front and side door, hallways, and common areas.
  • Opt for corners. When installing an indoor CCTV security system, it’s best to fit as many cameras in corner areas as possible – this type of positioning gives the largest possible vantage point.
  • Be careful with reflections. If you want to point a camera out the window, make sure it’s placed as close as possible to the glass or backlight the outdoor area to eliminate potential glare issues.
  • Indirect light is your best friend. Be careful around light sources. Avoid pointing your device directly towards bright light, in order to keep your footage readable.

Tips for best positioning of CCTV cameras outside home

  • Install your cameras at optimal places. We are talking about areas like the front door, back door and first-floor windows. Get those vulnerable entry points covered and a few more, like your garage door, and you’ve got nothing to worry about.
  • Keep the cameras out of reach. This one is pretty self-explanatory – the securer the camera placement, the lower the risk of a burglar messing with it.
  • Don’t point the devices towards the sun. You don’t want a glare disrupting your footage, right?
  • Make sure that the cameras are protected from the elements. High-quality outdoor cameras are built with the weather conditions in mind, but are expensive. If you’ve opted for devices that are on the cheaper side, make sure to keep them safe.
  • Stick with the general height guidelines. As a rule of thumb, outdoor cameras should be installed at a 2.4m – 2.6m height.

Let your cameras be positioned by a CCTV installation expert for perfect peace of mind!

As you can see from this article, installing a CCTV monitoring system by yourself isn’t a very easy thing to do. Needless to say – a lot of things can go wrong. So, if you’ve decided that you prefer to leave the task to a professional, why not choose Fantastic Services for the job

? We work with experienced, certified and additionally trained CCTV installation professionals, who will be more than happy to help you amp up the security of your home. Don’t wait any longer and book Fantastic Services’ guaranteed CCTV installation services now!

Need help to find the right place for your CCTV?

Turn to a CCTV expert near you today!

Add a valid postcode e.g. SE1 2TH

Takeaways

  • Do your research. Before you decide to buy and install a CCTV monitoring system for your property, take into consideration the size of your home, your budget, the level of security you want, etc.
  • It doesn’t matter if you have 100 cameras installed around your property if they aren’t placed and positioned properly.
  • It’s always best to consult with a professional before getting your home monitoring system installed.

***

Did you find our article helpful? Then, please, share it around! And if you have any home security tips of your own, why not tell us about them in the comments below?

5 2 votes
Article Rating
Subscribe
Notify of
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
0
Would love your thoughts, please comment.x
()
x