3 Security Camera Mounting Ideas You Should Try

In theory, mounting a camera seems obvious: just mount it above the front door. While that may be a good place to start, consider adding cameras to the side gate, back door, and other entry areas of the house like a basement cellar door. Plus, your security camera isn’t going to be much use if you have it mounted incorrectly. Before you start installing cameras, it’s usually a good idea to sketch up a layout of your property and plan out which areas you need to see. This helps you make sure you have the camera in the perfect spot.

Planning your cameras

First, figure out which areas of your house are most vulnerable or most likely to be a target. Remember, thieves are generally pretty paranoid about being spotted, so look for dark, isolated entry points.  If you’re particularly worried about someone getting through from your backyard, it might be a good idea to have a camera on both sides of the house, not just on the side with a gate, as they might just climb over the fence.

Common places to mount:

• Front door

• Back door

• Off-street windows

• Backyard

• Side gate

• Basement stairs

Most cameras these days have night vision, but it’s not always going to be good enough. Consider adding motion detectors with lights alongside your cameras. Not only will this improve video quality, but it might scare the would-be burglars away altogether.

Make sure the cameras you’re using have a wide enough viewing angle to catch the whole area, especially if your camera is easy to spot. If you get a camera with a wide enough viewing angle, then even if trespassers try and avoid it, they might still be spotted.

Tamper prevention

Though not fun to contemplate, it’s important to consider the possibility that your cameras might be tampered with, or even stolen. If the burglars target your home ahead of time, it’s likely that they have a plan to debilitate your cameras.  In some cases, the burglars will even target security cameras.

One strategy to avoid this involves installing decoy cameras. Place some dummy cameras in obvious spots and hide the real cameras. That way, if the intruders try to block the cameras’ vision, they will focus on non-working cameras and think that they’re safe. Or even better, steal useless non-working cameras.

Mounting the cameras out of reach could also prevent tampering. Keep in mind though, depending on your camera quality, placing them too high might ruin the picture quality. Make sure to check security camera laws in your state. Generally, if your camera is recording your neighbor’s backyard 24/7, it’s probably an invasion of privacy. Also, consider using tamper-resistant screw heads. It’s unlikely that a home invader is going to come prepared with every variation of screw bit in existence.

Ideal features and installation

When shopping for outdoor cameras, there are a few important features to look for. Most outdoor cameras are going to have a pretty decent IP rating (basically how well they survive in harsh weather conditions), but not all outdoor cameras are going to have a high recording quality, so it’s important to keep the following features in mind when selecting an outdoor camera:

• IP rating

• Field of view

• Night vision

• Remote viewing

• Wide angle view

• Customizable alerts

• Sturdy tamper-resistant design

Installation

Consider getting your cameras installed by a professional. Placing and installing cameras can be tricky work. Imagine drilling a hole in your wall, only to discover that your camera doesn’t get a full view from that location. Another perk to professional installation is being able to get the entire process insured.

But if want to install yourself, and you’ve planned out your mounting points, bought your cameras, and have all your tools prepared, you’re ready to begin. If you’re installing cameras that have a wire, you’re probably going to want to feed the wire directly through the wall; otherwise, it might get tampered with. If you’re using dummy cameras, it might be a good idea to install them loosely. That way, if someone does decide to steal them, they won’t damage your property trying to remove them.

At Brinks Home™, we have tools to give you the ability to install outdoor cameras yourself, or experts to install your cameras for you. Call us today for a free quote.