Even the most advanced CCTV system will fail to meet its potential without strategic camera placement. When you invest in a home surveillance system in Perth, WA, you want to ensure it covers every vulnerable point in your property. This can seem like a complex process without training, but with an overview of CCTV location principles, you should feel confident enough to start your installation plan.
What Should Be Considered When Positioning CCTV Cameras Around a Home?
Analysing vulnerable areas in your property will help you map the ideal spots for CCTV cameras. As you might expect, front doors, back doors and first-floor windows are the most common entry points. Intruders with stronger intent could gain access via adjoined garages and upper-floor windows. Property history and local crime statistics can help you decide what security level you need.
An overly complex security system may give you ultimate coverage, but it will be time-consuming to monitor and maintain. Excessive use of cameras may also affect your sense of privacy. CCTV professionals evaluate your property’s vulnerability points and advise you on the most efficient solution. This will save you time, money and stress in the future.
You should take reasonable care to keep adjacent properties out of your system’s field of view. The Privacy Act 1988 applies to businesses and corporations, but individuals using CCTV on their properties are excluded. Despite this, you should still respect your neighbour’s privacy by limiting surveillance areas to within your perimeters.
Which Physical Factors Affect CCTV Performance?
The exact method of achieving secure surveillance varies by property. That said, there are principle factors that apply to all installations. Following these guidelines will help you achieve security, deter intruders and ensure prosecution if your home is breached.
- Visibility – Installing your CCTV in plain view is an effective deterrent to intruders. However, placing cameras in easy-to-reach locations may encourage criminals to damage your system. You can protect visible cameras by using higher elevations or discrete metal cages. Hidden cameras will capture thieves unaware, but a few visible units balance deterrence and system safety.
- Elevation – Most locations will benefit from an average camera height of 2.5 to 3 metres. This gives a wide field of view and keeps your camera safe from intruders. Second-floor cameras may be needed to cover larger front and rear outdoor areas. You should ensure your cameras have sufficient resolution to identify intruders from a distance. Six megapixels will be ample for most home situations.
- Lighting – Direct light sources such as the sun and garden spotlights create glare on camera lenses, making it harder to identify intruders. You should point your cameras away from the sun’s arc and electrical light sources. Reflections affect visibility, but you can solve this by aiming cameras away from nearby windows. When the sun sets, our latest cameras feature Starlight infrared technology, rendering night scenes in greater detail.
- Line of Sight – Angle, location and relative distance determine how much information a camera captures. Your cameras should point directly at your access points while covering peripheral areas. Extensions, such as conservatories, block your system’s view, creating blind spots in your coverage. You can solve this by installing an additional camera behind the structure to ensure all sides are visible.
- Weather – Our cameras at Smart Security have an Ingress Protection (IP) rating of IP67, meaning they are protected from concentrated dust and full immersion in water. You can position your cameras in outdoor locations with peace of mind they will be safe from downpours. AI technology lets our cameras adapt to heavy rain and generate detailed images in the worst conditions.
To ensure full coverage, a physical test is essential, and there is no substitute for a human model. By placing yourself in the mind of a potential intruder, you can walk around your property’s access points, checking whether the camera caught you. This can be time-consuming, but Smart Security will take this step for you during installation.
How Do You Ensure Effective Coverage of Each Area?
Once you have mapped out your property’s potential access points, you need to think about how to install each camera to optimise security. Each area will have different needs in terms of effective camera placement.
- Front Entrances – Installing a first-floor camera aimed at your doorway from an adjacent position, such as under your porch eave, will capture a person’s face as they approach. Secondly, a high-level camera placed in a corner under your right or left second-floor eave will cover your driveway and front garden. If you have a garage, a third camera placed under its far-corner eave will cover your vehicle and garage door.
- Rear Entrances and Back Gardens – Cameras placed under your rear corner eaves will cover your garden and back wall. Units at second-floor elevations cover wider areas, but first-floor cameras record close-up details. You could place a camera under your shed roof or in a tree to cover the back of your house from the opposite viewpoint.
- Side Entrances and Passageways – Side doors and windows offer attractive access points for intruders. A CCTV camera placed under your rear first-floor eave pointing to your driveway will provide coverage. You could cover the other direction with an additional camera at the opposite end if your security plan justifies it.
- Inside Your Home – Not all homeowners are comfortable with interior cameras. However, CCTV that covers your front and rear doors from inside adds an extra layer of security. A camera in the top corner facing the door will cover the window, entrance and some of the room. Other indoor locations include the top of the stairs and facing your garage door.
When installing your CCTV system, these locations should be your primary focus. Access point assessment and positioning principles will help inform your choices. The latest surveillance technology is on your side.
Ready to Optimise Your Home Security Strategy?Strategic camera positions enhance protection and achieve your CCTV system’s full potential. This guide functions as an overview, but a home security professional is your best option for peace of mind and comprehensive service. Smart Security, in Perth, WA, covers your CCTV needs from all angles. We provide assessment, installation and systems training for all homeowners concerned about their home security.