Security Cameras for Parking Lots

A parking lot is one of the most difficult areas to cover with cameras, because it is large, open and mostly empty for much of the time — and then busy in a rush. This article covers how parking lot cameras should be planned, placed and tested.

Break the Lot Into Zones

A lot is too large for one camera. The first step is to break it into zones: entrances and exits, driving lanes, parking rows, pedestrian routes, payment areas and the perimeter. Each zone gets cameras placed for that zone, and the zones together cover the lot.

The zone plan should be drawn on a map of the lot, with each camera named for the zone it covers. That plan can be checked — walk the lot, stand in each zone, and confirm that a camera sees it. Any zone with no camera is a gap.

Entrances, Exits and Plates

The entrance is where vehicles enter, and it is where a record of vehicles should start. A camera at each entrance lane gives a view of vehicles entering, and a dedicated plate recognition camera can capture plates reliably. A general parking camera placed for wide coverage will not capture plates well, because it is not positioned for that job.

Exits deserve the same coverage. If the lot has separate entry and exit lanes, each one needs its own camera. The entrance and exit records together give a complete picture of vehicle movement.

Parking Rows and Pedestrian Routes

Parking rows need pole-mounted cameras with a view down each row. A camera at the corner of a lot cannot see the far rows with usable detail. Place cameras at intervals, so each row is seen from a reasonable distance.

Pedestrian routes are where people actually are — the paths between cars and the building. Those routes need coverage, especially at night, when people are walking to their cars in the dark. A camera that covers the rows but not the routes misses the people.

Night Coverage and Lighting

Parking lots are used at night, and night is when the cameras matter most. Outdoor cameras with infrared night vision cover the lot after dark, but they work best with the lot's lighting, not instead of it. A camera in a dark corner will not help, however good the camera is.

The system should be tested at night, with vehicles moving and people walking, before handover. A system that is only tested in daylight is only half tested. Headlights are a particular problem: a camera aimed into oncoming headlights will be washed out, so the angle should be chosen with headlights in mind.

Recording and Review

Recording for a parking lot should be long enough for an incident to be discovered and reported — a vehicle owner may not notice damage for a day or two. Retention of several weeks is common. A clear process for handling footage requests keeps the system orderly.

When footage is needed, it should be easy to find. The cameras should be named for their zones, so a request for the north-east rows can be answered by finding the right camera, not by searching through all of them.

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