Home › /blog/ › Where Should Security Cameras Be Installed?
Where Should Security Cameras Be Installed?
Where security cameras should be installed in a commercial property — entrances, docks, aisles, parking, perimeter and common areas, with placement guidance.
Where a camera goes matters more than which camera it is. A good camera in the wrong place is useless; a modest camera in the right place is valuable. This guide covers the areas that usually need cameras in a commercial property, and the placement details that make each one work.
Entrances and Exits First
Every entrance and exit should have a camera, because entrances show who came and went. The camera should be mounted at a height that captures faces, not just the tops of heads, and it should be aimed so that it sees people as they pass through, not as they walk away.
Side and rear doors matter as much as the front door. A property with a well-covered front entrance and an uncovered back door has a gap that is easy to find. Each door should have its own camera, and each camera should have a clear purpose.
Where Money and Goods Change Hands
Registers, safes, docks, shipping and receiving, stock rooms and storage areas are where money and goods change hands, and they are where cameras matter most after the entrances. A register camera should see the transaction area clearly. A dock camera should see the trailer and the goods being handled.
These cameras should be placed to see the activity, not just the room. A camera in the corner of a stock room may show the room but not the door, and the door is where goods leave. The camera should be placed so that it sees what it is meant to record.
Parking, Perimeter and Common Areas
Parking areas need cameras in zones — entrances, driving lanes, parking rows and pedestrian routes. The perimeter needs cameras at gates and along fence lines. Common areas — lobbies, hallways, stairwells — need cameras on the routes people actually use.
Outdoor cameras need to be checked for lighting. A camera in a dark corner of a parking lot will not help, however good the camera is. The lighting and the camera have to work together, and the system should be tested at night.
Where Cameras Should Not Go
Cameras should not be placed where people have a reasonable expectation of privacy — restrooms, changing areas, and inside private offices or homes. In schools and churches, classrooms and worship spaces need careful thought. In apartments, cameras should not see into homes or private balconies.
The line between public and private space should be decided during planning, not after installation. A camera that is placed in the wrong spot is a problem that is expensive to fix and difficult to explain.
Placement Details That Matter
Height matters: too high, and the camera sees the tops of heads; too low, and it can be reached and tampered with. Angle matters: a camera aimed into a bright doorway sees silhouettes. Distance matters: a camera too far from what it watches cannot show usable detail. And lighting matters most of all: a camera needs light to see, and the lighting at the location should be checked at the hours the camera will be used.
Each camera should be tested after it is mounted — in daylight and at night, with people moving through its view. A camera that is never tested is a camera that may not work when it is needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should security cameras be installed in a business?
At every entrance and exit, where money and goods change hands — registers, docks, stock rooms — in parking areas and along the perimeter, and in common areas such as lobbies and hallways. Each camera should have a clear purpose tied to an area or an activity.
How high should security cameras be mounted?
High enough that they cannot easily be reached or tampered with, but low enough to capture faces at entrances. The exact height depends on the location and what the camera needs to see, and it should be decided during the design.
Should cameras be placed in employee areas?
Cameras belong in common and work areas where access, goods and equipment are handled. They should not be placed where staff have a reasonable expectation of privacy, and staff should be told where cameras are and what they cover.
Do outdoor cameras need lighting?
Yes. A camera needs light to see, and outdoor cameras should be checked against the lighting that is actually present at night. Infrared night vision helps, but it works best with the property's lighting, not instead of it.