The best security camera system in the world won’t be of much help if the camera doesn’t pick up suspicious activity. Placement of these cameras is important in helping to deter crime as well as identifying people with bad intentions. Here are a few tips to pick the best places to install security cameras in your home.
Hidden or Obvious Placement?
Before you start placing your security cameras, you will need to decide if you want them hidden or out in plain view. To some criminals, a visible security camera is a deterrent; for others, it’s a signal that the home has valuables worth protecting.
Hidden Home Security Cameras
Choosing to hide your security cameras makes sense in some instances, where an HOA may require it or you are worried that cameras will ruin your home’s aesthetic. Hiding a security camera ensures you get the full “picture” of a person’s apparent motives; were they looking around for a lost pet, or were they checking for unlocked doors?
Hiding your cameras will protect them from vandalism, both by pranksters out for “fun” and by criminals who disable cameras to protect their identities. They’re also usually better protected from the elements.
Visible Home Security Cameras
By far, the best reason to keep your camera out in the open is the warning it sends to potential criminals. Another reason to keep your cameras visible may involve legal issues regarding surveillance within your state or city.
Some of the Best Places to Install Home Security Cameras
An effective security camera network will have devices outside as well as inside the home. Here are some of the best places for each.
Places to Install Outdoor Cameras
Your outdoor security cameras should cover as much area around your home as possible, including sidewalks, yards, windows, and detached buildings.
All doors and windows: Criminals won’t generally use the front door to enter a home; make sure the camera coverage includes all ground-floor windows and doors.
Garages and sheds: Criminals will target a detached shed or a garage to avoid detection.
Front and back yard: A criminal will most likely use your yard, especially a backyard facing away from other houses, to approach your home.
Driveway: A well-placed camera facing the driveway allows you to see “patterns” of suspicious behavior, like vehicles you don’t recognize, unexpected delivery or utility vehicles, and repetitious behavior such as frequent visits (“scoping” your home).
Places to Install Indoor Cameras
Indoor security cameras are an important second layer of security, helping to thwart or identify a criminal should they gain access to your home. Having two vantage points helps solidify your case to insurance agents as well as law-enforcement officers. So where should you place them?
Doors and windows: Make sure your indoor cameras are covering the same doors and windows as your external ones, and add second floor window security to your system.
Hallways and staircases: Criminals will need to use hallways and staircases to move around the house, so it makes sense to place cameras in these areas.
Basement: Keep a camera in the basement, too; you may or may not store valuables there, but a criminal will check to be sure.
Second floor: Jewelry and other valuables are usually stored on the second floor of a home, so make sure your cameras cover the upstairs hallways.
Other Considerations for Placing Security Cameras
It’s not just about where you physically place the cameras. It’s how they’re installed that can make or break a system’s effectiveness. It’s recommended to install security cameras between eight to ten feet above the ground. This placement gives you the most visibility and makes the camera harder to vandalize.
Keep lighting in mind when angling the cameras, making sure to avoid glares or blinding sunlight during the day. It’s also important to understand how your cameras will work at night; are they infrared or will you need to update your outdoor lighting?
Having your security cameras professionally installed is the best option for making sure your home is covered, basement to attic, with cameras and technology designed to keep your family and home safe. Contact us for a free security analysis and see what Next Generation Security Concepts can do for you today.
