Put home security cameras where people actually come and go: every exterior door, the driveway and garage, side gates and the back of the house. Inside, cover the hallways and rooms that lead to those doors. Mount outdoor cameras about 8 to 10 feet high, aim them so the sun and porch lights are not in the frame, and never point a camera into a bedroom, a bathroom or a neighbor’s windows.
The rest of this guide covers each location, how to choose a camera that will hold up outside in New England, and the mistakes we see most often.
How to plan your camera layout
Walk around the house the way a stranger would. Note every way in, the places you can’t see from inside, and the paths a delivery driver or a visitor takes. Then decide what each camera needs to do. A camera that should identify a face at the front door needs a tighter view than one watching the whole backyard. Trying to make one camera do both usually means it does neither well.
Check the light as well as the angle. A camera pointed toward the setting sun or a bright porch light turns faces into silhouettes. Check each spot at different times of day, and think about where the sun sits in winter as well as summer.
Best outdoor camera locations
Front door and main entrance
Most visitors, package deliveries and break-in attempts start here. A video doorbell gives you a face-level view and lets you talk to whoever is at the door. Add a second camera mounted higher, under the eave or above the door frame, that covers the walkway and steps. If someone covers or breaks the doorbell, the higher camera still has the shot.
Back and side doors
Back and side doors are out of view from the street, which makes them common entry points. Cover each one, along with any slider or French door onto a deck or patio.
Driveway and garage
A camera on the garage or a corner of the house can cover cars, the garage doors and anyone walking up the driveway. If you want license plates, use a separate camera with a narrow view aimed where cars slow down or stop. A wide camera at the house rarely reads a plate at the end of a long driveway.
Backyard, gates and outbuildings
Cover side gates, the path along the side of the house, sheds, pool equipment and any detached garage or barn. A corner-mounted camera can often see two sides of the house at once, which cuts down on blind spots.
Best indoor camera locations
Indoor cameras work best on the routes someone would have to use to move through the house. You don’t need one in every room.
- First-floor hallways that lead to exterior doors.
- The main stairway.
- The mudroom or the door from the garage into the house.
- Common areas such as the family room or kitchen, if you want to check on pets or children while you are out.
- A view of the room or closet where you keep a safe, aimed at the doorway instead of the safe itself.
Many families set indoor cameras to record only when the alarm is armed in Away mode. That keeps the cameras useful without anyone feeling watched at home.
What to look for in an outdoor security camera
Weather rating
Outdoor cameras carry an IP (Ingress Protection) rating. The first digit covers dust and the second covers water.
- IP65: dust-tight and protected against water jets.
- IP66: protected against powerful water jets and driving rain.
- IP67: protected against temporary immersion up to 1 meter for 30 minutes.
- IP68: protected against longer immersion, to a depth the manufacturer specifies.
For a camera under an eave, IP66 or IP67 is plenty. Also check the operating temperature range. A camera that only works down to freezing will have trouble on a January night in Massachusetts, so look for one rated well below zero.
Resolution and lens
Use 1080p as a minimum. 4K is worth it for wide areas like a backyard or a long driveway, where you may need to zoom into a recording. Resolution only helps if the subject fills enough of the frame. A camera with a varifocal lens lets the installer set the view for each spot, so a face at the door or a car in the drive shows enough detail to be useful. Wide-angle lenses cover more ground with fewer cameras but show less detail at a distance.
Night vision and wide dynamic range
Infrared night vision gives you a clear black-and-white picture in the dark. Some cameras also have a low-light color mode or a small built-in light. Wide dynamic range (WDR) helps a camera handle a bright sky and a shaded doorway in the same shot.
Wired or wireless
Wired cameras that run on Power over Ethernet (PoE) get power and data through one cable. They don’t need charging, they don’t drop off Wi-Fi, and they record to a network video recorder (NVR) in your home. Battery and Wi-Fi cameras are easier to put up but depend on a strong signal and need their batteries charged. A busy camera system also puts real load on your network. Our post on how smart devices affect WiFi speed explains why.
Smart detection
Person and vehicle detection cuts down on alerts from trees, shadows and animals. Detection zones let you ignore the street and focus on your own property. Package detection is useful on a front porch.
Common camera placement mistakes
- Mounting cameras too low, where they are easy to knock out of position, or so high that you only see the tops of heads.
- Aiming into the sun, a streetlight or a bright porch light.
- Ignoring shrubs and trees that will grow into the view by next summer.
- Leaving a gap between cameras, such as a side yard neither one quite covers.
- Placing a camera where the Wi-Fi signal is weak, so it drops clips or goes offline.
- Mounting cameras behind a window. Infrared night vision reflects off the glass and you see nothing.
Privacy and recording laws
Keep cameras out of bedrooms and bathrooms, and tell guests and household staff where the cameras are. Outside, it is normal for a camera to catch part of the street or a neighbor’s yard, but don’t aim one into a neighbor’s windows or private spaces.
Audio has stricter rules than video. Massachusetts law restricts recording people’s conversations without their consent, and the rules vary from state to state, including in Rhode Island. Many homeowners turn off the microphones on outdoor cameras for that reason. Talk to an attorney before you record sound.
Connecting cameras to the rest of your security
Cameras do the most good when they work with the alarm, locks and lights. When a door sensor trips, the system can turn on the exterior lights and bring the nearest camera up on your phone or TV. When someone rings the doorbell, you can see them and unlock the door for them from anywhere. Our guide to integrating smart security with home automation covers how that works.
Questions we hear often
How high should outdoor cameras be mounted?
About 8 to 10 feet works for most spots. That is high enough to be hard to reach and low enough to see faces. A doorbell camera sits at door-button height and is paired with a higher camera for that reason.
Can cameras work without internet?
Yes, if they record locally to an NVR or a memory card. You need internet only to view them remotely and get alerts on your phone.
How many cameras does a typical house need?
Start with one for each exterior door, one for the driveway and garage, and one for each side of the house you can’t see from the others. Larger properties add cameras for gates, outbuildings and the pool area.
Planning a security camera project?
We design camera layouts and install wired camera systems tied into alarms, locks and lighting for homes across Greater Boston, the South Shore and Rhode Island. Book a free consultation or read more about our home security systems.
