CCTV camera placement: how to choose positions that deliver useful footage

A camera in the wrong place produces beautiful footage of nothing useful. When an incident occurs, the customer does not care about megapixels. They want to know who came through the door and what they did. Placement decides that far more than specifications do.

This guide gives you a practical way to position cameras so that they answer the questions a customer will eventually ask.

Start with the question each camera must answer

Before you choose a position, write one line describing the camera's job.

• "Identify anyone entering through the main door."
• "See which vehicle enters the yard."
• "Watch who handles cash at the till."
• "See movement along the back fence."

If you cannot write that line, the camera may not need to be there. This one habit improves designs more than any technical rule, and it gives you a clear way to test the result.

Think in layers

Good systems usually combine views at different levels of detail.

1. Overview cameras show what happened and where people moved. They cover large areas with lower detail.
2. Pinch point cameras capture faces, clothing or number plates where people must pass, such as doors, gates and corridors.
3. Detail cameras watch specific items, like cash counters or high-value shelves.

One overview camera can show a person walking through a warehouse, but it will not let you identify them. A camera at the door can. Together, they tell the whole story.

Use pixel density to set distance

As covered in our site survey checklist, the amount of detail depends on how many pixels fall on the target. Here is a simple calculation:

Pixels per metre = horizontal resolution ÷ width of the view in metres

A 4MP camera at about 2560 pixels wide gives:

Remember that pixel density matters at the target's position, not across the whole picture. A camera can be excellent for the area near it and poor at the far end.

Height and angle

Height is a trade-off, and it is a mistake to mount every camera as high as possible.

Too high

From a steep angle, you mostly see the tops of heads, hats and caps. Faces disappear. For identification, a shallow view of the face works much better.

Too low

Low cameras are easy to reach, so they are more vulnerable to tampering, and people can block the view.

A practical compromise

• Mount general indoor cameras at a height that is out of easy reach. Typical ceiling heights often work.
• Keep the vertical angle to the face fairly shallow for identification, often under about 15 to 30 degrees, depending on the guidance you follow.
• To get a low angle with a high camera, move the camera further from the target and use a longer lens.
• Use vandal-resistant housings where you must mount within reach.

Test with a person standing where the target will be, and look at the actual picture.

Light decides more than resolution

Check the light in each position at the times that matter.

Avoid pointing at bright light

A camera looking from inside a shop toward a bright glass door will often turn people into silhouettes. Options include:

• moving the camera so that it faces inward from beside the door, viewing people as they enter
• using a true wide dynamic range camera
• adding light on the inside

Watch for the sun

The sun moves. A position that looks fine at 10 am could be dazzled at 5 pm. Note compass directions, and think about the seasons too.

Plan for night

• Check whether existing lighting stays on all night.
• Infrared range on the spec sheet is often optimistic. Allow for less in real use.
• Avoid mounting infrared cameras close to walls, soffits and eaves, because the reflected light can wash out the picture.
• For colour images at night, you may need a low-light camera and visible light.
• Vehicle headlights need particular care at gates. Angle the view so that they don't shine directly into the lens.

Where cameras commonly belong

Entrances and exits

These are the most valuable positions on nearly any site. Everyone must pass through them. Get a clear face view from inside, looking at people as they enter, and use a longer lens if necessary.

Corridors and stairs

Natural pinch points. Some cameras offer a corridor format, which rotates the picture into a tall view that uses more pixels on the corridor.

Cash and high-value areas

Position cameras to see both the transaction and the person, and pay attention to privacy rules, particularly around PIN entry. Don't aim cameras at keypads where a code could be captured.

Perimeter and yards

Cover likely approaches, gates and blind corners. For long fences, use several overlapping cameras, rather than one camera straining to do it all.

Vehicle gates

Number plate capture needs a specific setup: narrow view, controlled angle, proper shutter speed and consideration of lights at night. A general overview camera rarely does this job. Use a dedicated camera.

Parking areas

Use overview cameras from high positions, plus more detail at entrances. Try to mount cameras where large vehicles won't block the view.

Avoiding blind spots

Walk the route a person would take. Can they get to anything valuable without appearing on camera? Pay attention to:

• corners and spaces directly under cameras
• stacked stock, racks and new displays
• doors that swing open and block the view
• trees, which can grow into the frame
• seasonal changes, such as hanging decorations
• vehicles that are regularly parked in the same place

Where one camera has a blind spot directly beneath it, another camera can often cover it. A pair of cameras can watch each other too, making tampering easier to see.

Privacy and legal limits

Placement has legal and ethical effects, so:

• Do not place cameras in toilets, changing rooms or similar private spaces.
• Avoid views into neighbouring windows and private property.
• Use privacy masks when part of a view can't be avoided.
• Limit coverage of public spaces to what the purpose requires.
• Ask customers to consider signage and workplace rules.
• Leave audio off, unless the customer has taken advice and truly needs it.

Raise these points during the survey. Moving a planned camera is simple. Dealing with a complaint afterward is not.

Fixed, varifocal or PTZ?

• Fixed lens: Simple and affordable. Choose carefully, since you can't change the view without changing the camera.
• Varifocal or motorised zoom: Lets you fine-tune on site, and can save time and ladder trips, especially with remote zoom.
• Pan-tilt-zoom: Good for active monitoring by an operator. On unattended sites, a PTZ can be looking the wrong way at the crucial moment, so don't use it as your only coverage.
• Multi-sensor and panoramic: Good for wide open areas from one position, with fewer cable runs. Check the pixels per metre in each direction.

Common placement mistakes

• Mounting as high as possible. It's a good way to get the top of people's heads.
• Facing a bright window or door. You'll get silhouettes.
• Trying to make one camera do it all. Wide views can't identify.
• Ignoring night conditions. Daytime tests alone will mislead you.
• Not checking the actual image on site. Aim using the real picture, not a guess.
• Forgetting cable and maintenance access. A position that's impossible to service will cost you later.
• Placing near moving objects. Trees, flags and fans cause false motion and higher storage use.
• Not considering future changes. Ask what might move in the next year.

How to test each position

1. Before you fix anything, hold or temporarily mount the camera at the planned position.
2. View the live image on a tablet or tester.
3. Ask someone to stand at the target point, then walk through the path.
4. Take a screenshot, and zoom in. Can you identify them? Can you read what you need?
5. Check with the actual stream settings, since a lower bitrate affects the detail.
6. Recheck at night if night footage matters.
7. Write the result against the camera's one-line job.

Get the customer to agree to each view at handover, and save a reference image of each. It shows what was agreed, and it helps later when someone complains that a camera has moved.

Put it on the drawing

Mark each position on a floor plan with the number, name and purpose, as well as the direction and rough field of view. It helps quote writers and installers, and it makes it easy to see any gaps. Keep the drawing in your job file, along with the handover documents.

Careful placement costs almost nothing extra, yet it's what the customer sees every time they open the footage. Good design can also mean fewer cameras doing better work, which could help you win against a competitor simply offering more of them.