The five camera positions that do most of the work
Coverage is not about camera count. Five well-chosen positions beat a dozen scattered ones.
People tend to distribute cameras evenly around a property, which feels thorough and performs badly. Coverage works on choke points — the places everyone must pass through — not on even spacing.
1. The front door
The highest-value position by a wide margin. Most legitimate visitors and a surprising share of illegitimate ones use the front door. Mount at face height rather than up under the eaves: a camera angled steeply down records the top of a head and a hat, which identifies nobody.
2. The back or side entrance
The second-most-used entry point and the one most often left uncovered, precisely because it is out of sight. Anything screened from the street by fencing or planting deserves a camera more than the front does, not less.
3. The main interior circulation point
A hallway, stair landing, or lobby that everyone crosses regardless of which door they came in. This is the single most valuable interior position, because it catches anyone who defeated a perimeter camera — and it works in controlled lighting, so image quality is consistently good.
4. Wherever the valuable things are
The till, the stockroom, the server closet, the garage. Not to catch break-ins — the perimeter cameras do that — but because loss disproportionately involves people who are supposed to be there. A camera covering the point of value is the one that answers what actually happened.
5. The driveway or approach
Vehicles carry more identifying information than people do: plate, make, colour, damage. A camera framed for plate capture at the approach is a specific job needing a narrow lens and careful angle. Attempting it with a wide-angle camera meant for general coverage produces an unreadable smear at exactly the moment it matters.
Where not to put them
- Behind glass. Infrared reflects off the pane and blinds the camera at night. Mount outside or use a camera without IR and rely on ambient light.
- Facing a light source. Sunrise or a security light in frame will silhouette everything in front of it.
- Too high. The most common mistake. Above about ten feet you are recording the tops of heads.
- Anywhere with a reasonable expectation of privacy. Bathrooms and changing areas are not merely poor taste; recording them creates real legal exposure.