If you have or you are looking for a security camera, you already know that security cameras can truly help stop home break-ins and keep your family, and property safe from vandals and burglars. However, whatever security camera you choose, its effectiveness can be influenced by where you place it. So knowing where to place security cameras around your home is extremely important.
Table of Contents:
#1. Best Locations to Place Home Security Cameras
#2. What to Consider in Security Camera Placement
#3. Common Mistakes in Installing Security Cameras
#4. Best Home Surveillance Cameras (Easy to Install)
#5. Home Security Camera Placement Laws
Here is the key information regarding where to place home security cameras:
| Suggested Places | Front door/back door/garage |
| Suggested Height | 9 feet above the ground |
| Avoidance | Behind a glass window |
| Recommended Camera | Reolink security cameras |
#1. Where to Place Home Security Cameras: Best Locations and Positions
Security cameras positioning plays an important role in providing adequate surveillance. So where to place cameras for home security? People new to the industry will benefit from some security camera placement software and apps, which help place cameras where you would like to and adjust them until you are satisfied.
The following are some recommended spots for security camera placement according to home security statistics.
Install Surveillance Cameras at the Front Door
Around 34% of burglars enter through the front door, so you definitely need a security camera watching. Actually, this is the most important security camera placement outside home. Place your camera at second-floor level to avoid a burglar from knocking out your camera. If you only have one level, you could enclose your front door security camera in a mesh wiring to help protect it from tampering.
Extra tip: How to Choose a Front Door Security Camera
Locate Home Security Cameras at the Back Door
Up to 22% of thieves invade your house through the back door, so you would benefit from using a camera here. This includes side doors as well. Actually, you should attach security camera to every door you have in case of intrusion. Again, try to keep it out of the reach of humans or things they can throw at a camera.
Extra tip: Top 8 Ways to Secure Back Door from Intruders
Put CCTV Cameras Near Off-Street Windows
About 23% of the burglars will also break into a home by entering through a rear window, away from the view of the street. They decrease their chances of getting caught by being away from any cars passing by. So you can point a camera to off-street windows to keep those windows safe from thieves and vandals.
Extra tip: Top 7 Easy DIY Ways to Secure Your Home Windows
Quick decisions: Place the camera above the front door and off-street windows (at about 9 feet above the ground) to cover the most vulnerable areas around your home and avoid potential vandalism. Also consider putting the camera at the back door, the garage, the basement, the driveway or the second floor for higher level security. But take a second thought if you want to place the camera inside your home behind a glass window, which may cause window glare and other problems.
Other Places You May Consider to Put CCTV Cameras
After securing the front door, back door and off-street windows with security cameras, you have prevented about 80% of the burglars from breaking into your home.
To make your home even safer, there are also some other places you may consider in the security camera layout:
- Garage
- Basement
- Second floor
- Driveways
You can set up the camera inside your garage so you can monitor your car at all times. If you car is parked outside and overnight, then you need a car security camera to help you always see if the car is deliberately damaged or stolen. This will give you peace of mind and help you keep track of your car's whereabouts.
How many security cameras do I need to cover all these areas? This might be your next question with a clear idea of where to install home security cameras.
Actually, no one can tell it accurately because it also depends on the security camera types and how you locate the exterior cameras.
Find expert ideas here: How Many Security Cameras Do I need
Also check our videos to find out what are the suitable places to put your home security cameras:
#2. Where to Place Cameras for Home Security: What to Consider
Before you start installing a home surveillance system, make full preparation for your ideal home security camera placement. You may start planning security camera placement for home with the following questions:
- Where do you think you actually need security cameras?
- Where are the most vulnerable spots on your property?
- Do you have any entrances that are obscured, such as windows or doors that would be especially appealing to thieves?
- Has your home ever experienced a break-in, even when previous owners lived there?
- If there was a break-in, where was it?
- What security camera placement tools do I need?
All of these questions matter and can be acted as home security camera placement guidelines, helping to determine the best locations for installing home security cameras.
In addition, security cameras run the risk of being tampered with if someone is determined enough to commit his crime anyway. Ask yourself whether you want thieves to know you have cameras or not. If you do, you may want to consider having cheap fake cameras (dummies) in easy-to-see places and your more valuable cameras hidden, so if a thief tampers with the visible cameras, you'll have them on tape using the hidden security camera while they commit the crime.
#3. Common Mistakes on How & Where to Place Security Cameras at Home
Both indoor and outdoor security camera placement decides if your camera will work at its best. Take a look at these common mistakes so you can avoid them when considering where to place home security cameras.
1. Forget to Secure Indoor and Outdoor Surveillance Cameras.
One of the biggest mistakes people make is not securing their security devices, which means surveillance cameras can be easily tampered with. So where to place outdoor home security cameras to avoid possible vandalism? Generally, put the camera 9 feet above the ground will be safe.
Security camera placement inside and outside home may be a little different, since outdoor security cameras are easier to be damaged in harsh weather conditions, or stolen by thieves.
2. Think Cameras are Able to Multitask
Cameras are not able to multitask. You need to decide what task you want your camera to perform when considering the placement. People often forget the camera cannot pick up someone's face, license plate, and the house across the street all at once, if they don't have a plan of where to place home security cameras ahead. Preparing a home security camera placement diagram is important so that every camera plays its biggest role.
3. Place Cameras at the Highest Point
Many people place their cameras at the highest point of their property, thinking it is the best site to put CCTV camera to view full place. While it will give you a larger view, you will not get a very detailed look at any criminal's features. You may catch just a figure on the camera instead of being able to identify a person, unless you install a PTZ security camera, which sees details as well as large view angles without damaging the video quality.
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4. Use Cameras without a Wide Dynamic Range at Doorways and Windows
Many of you may fail to take whether the camera is WDR enabled into account on how to locate exterior cameras (especially those at doorways and windows), resulting in the hardly identifiable images.
What's WDR in CCTV/IP cameras? When part of an image is extremely dark but another part is bright, you can't see any details in the dark area without WDR (wide dynamic range) in the camera, as the below image shows.
So when you making decisions on where to place home security cameras, make sure the cameras for entrances have the WDR feature.
5. Fail to Provide Enough Lighting
No matter where you place home security cameras, don't forget to deal with the lighting issue for night time monitoring. If yours are not night vision security cameras, you should provide enough lighting so as to record clear footage even in the dark. However, putting cameras too close to bright lights will cause the picture to be disrupted. And outdoor video surveillance camera pointing to direct sunlight will cause stripes in the image.
#4. Best Home Surveillance Cameras
Have a clear idea of where to position CCTV cameras at home already? Then you are only a step away from a secure home: finding a best home security camera to watch all these essential places for you.
Where to buy home security camera systems that are reliable and affordable?
Here is an easy-to-install option suitable for all CCTV camera placement, indoors and outdoors.
Best Pick
Best Home Security Camera
Rechargeable battery powered, Reolink Argus 2 is highly portable and easy to install with NO wires at all! You can place it anywhere, like the front door, back door, off-street windows, simply anywhere.
The battery powered camera, thanks to its flexibility, easy installation and affordable price, has already become the first choice for people to boost their home security. It will start recording if there is any movement, so you will know all that matters during the past days, weeks even months. Matching it with a solar panel, you don't need to even think about the battery recharging.
Learn how and where to place your home security cameras with Reolink Argus 2:
Bonus Tips: The motion detection will be more accurate if you put the camera in the direction crossing the possible intruder instead of facing it. For example, the best home security camera placement should be like this:
Want to take a look at other camera types before final decision? Check this list that covers all types of security camera (bullet camera, dome camera, PTZ camera, cameras without network, and more) and best quality picks for home security.
#5: Check Home Security Camera Placement Laws
This security camera layout guide lets you know these common mistakes and suggested spots for installing security cameras at home. Besides, don't forget to look at some other things when considering where to place home security cameras, such as, security camera placement laws. It is of great necessity to think about where it is legal to put surveillance cameras. You may have doubts like:
"My neighbor pays very close attention of my moves in my backyard. His outdoor surveillance camera is under the roof and the fence between us is only 6 feet tall. He records everything of my backyard activities and I feel like I have no privacy at all."
Generally, pointing a security camera to others' property (roof, windows, light, etc.) will invade other people's privacy, which is regarded as illegal. Check use of surveillance cameras in residential areas to see if your home security camera is positioned violating laws.
If you have any more questions concerning where to place CCTV cameras at home, leave us a comment down below.
”Regarded as illegal?” Something is either illegal or isn't — it's a matter of law, not opinion.
you must not be in America. Law is Opinion. i.e. ”is up to the judges discretion”
Yes, we have three co-equal branches of government. The responsibility of the Judiciary is to interpret the law. And, since humans in the legislative branch write the law, sometimes it's subjective. That's how it's supposed to work.
Actually, that's not how it is SUPPOSED to work. The written law is SUPPOSED to be objective. However, as Stalin (yes, that Stalin) once said, ”It's not who votes that counts, it's who counts the votes.” or something like that.
My point is,..It doesn't matter what the law actually says; what matters is what the judge says that it says. A judge it California says that the law says ”left”, a judge in Texas reads the same law and says that it says ”right”. This is most definitely NOT how it is supposed to work.
[…] home security cameras, placement of surveillance cameras has a lot of to do with its visibility to the passers-by, intruders, thieves or […]
That's the point. We have every right to use security cameras to protect our own property, but that should not invade others’ privacy.
Why give some people freedom and privacy only to do bad things?
The point is you can never make sure they were actually doing bad things until you check the video footages. People may feel uncomfortable to be recorded without knowing it, especially in some private places.
Hi James, thank you for your comment, and I'm glad this article helps.
”lightning issue” LOL
The ”issue” has been fixed. Thank you 🙂
I wan to know if it is allowed for a security to install and view cameras at my private dwelling whereas myself i don't view any as well as knowing what is the security company viewing. Is the security company not infringing with my privacy without my knowledge?
Hello Edward, it can be unlawful for a security company to install and view camera at your properly without your consent. You may take some pictures as evidence and seek help from the local police or attorney. Hope this helps.
Security cameras are needed especially if you live in a high end community. It is greatly useful to track down suspicious activity in case it's needed. Place it strategically around your home and make sure you have easy access to the controls.