The market has an abundance of indoor and outdoor surveillance cameras you can buy to improve your home security system. With the rate of burglaries rising every other year, it is advisable to install security cameras in your property.
That said, security cameras must be installed appropriately to maximize their effectiveness. In this article, we examine nine tips on how to place your surveillance camera to guarantee maximum and optimal coverage.
Cover the Entire Perimeter
Ensure that the security cameras cover the entirety of your property, both indoors and outdoors. The cameras should face different angles to provide maximum visibility and capture a wide field of view. This assures you of a 360o surveillance, which is essential in improving the overall security of your home.
Additionally, make sure that each entry point (exterior doors) has a surveillance camera. Monitoring entrances is the best way of keeping track of all people that enter and leave your premises. This helps you narrow down your search if an incident occurs.
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Ensure Cameras are not Easily Reachable
When installing surveillance cameras, confirm that they are hard to reach. They should be high enough to reduce susceptibility to tampering. Popular methods of tampering include covering the ens by spraying or cutting off the data and power cables.
That said, you should avoid placing the cameras at abnormally high levels. If the cameras are too high, they will record blurred images, making it impossible to identify culprits. Ensure that the height is high enough to prevent tampering but low enough to provide detailed recordings.
Install Sufficient Lighting
Lighting has a significant impact on the effectiveness of security cameras. If an environment has low-light levels, a standard surveillance camera cannot record clear images when it goes dark. You should install adequate lighting so that the cameras are useful after dusk.
You can, however, beat low-light environments by investing on day/night surveillance cameras. These have inbuilt infrared illuminators with extra-sensitive lenses that enable them to record quality images in the dark.
Use both Hidden and Visible Cameras
A smart way of increasing the effectiveness of your surveillance system is by integrating both visible and hidden cameras. Visible cameras serve as a deterrent that prevents criminals from breaking into your property.
Hidden cameras, on the other hand, serve as back up to visible models which are vulnerable to vandalism and damage. A combination of further reinforces the security of your home.
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Placing your Router
If you are using battery-powered surveillance cameras, the placement of your router has a significant impact on their performance. Ideally, the router should be in a central location where the cameras don’t have to work harder to transmit their signals.
When the router is far from the cameras, they will use more energy to communicate. This, in turn, translates into premature battery drainage. It also leads to the irregular transmission of signals.
Focus on High-traffic areas
It is easier for criminals to go unnoticed in high traffic areas. For this reason, ensure that you place more cameras in such locations.
Cover Secluded Areas
Remote areas such as your backyard, perimeter wall, and so forth often invite criminal activity. Installing security cams on such locations reduce the risk of such events.
Avoid Breaching Privacy
Avoid installing cameras in locations where they breach the privacy of your neighbors. The cameras shouldn’t focus on bedrooms and bathrooms. Also, the recorded footage should only be used for security purposes.
Conduct a Security Risk Assessment
The best way to gauge the effectiveness of your home security system is by conducting a security risk assessment. This involves inviting a security expert to examine the potential weaknesses in your surveillance system and making recommendations on how to improve it.
Plan Ahead
Consider the future when installing a surveillance camera system. The problem with traditional camera systems is that they have a closed circuit, which makes them hard to scale.
Therefore, it is advisable to use wireless camera systems that are comparatively easier to scale. Wireless cameras are also easier to install and can fit in most locations.
Conclusion
As seen above, the placement of your security cameras has a significant impact on the overall effectiveness of your surveillance system. The tips mentioned above ensure that you make the most of your security investment.
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