How Many Security Cameras Do I Need To Effectively Monitor My Property?

Is a CCTV any worth investing in? Which type is the best for homes? How many security cameras do I need for optimal effectiveness? What kind of budget do I need to have?

All these are some of the questions that you’re likely to have when the idea of security cameras crosses your mind. Especially if you’re new to the field, you might find it overwhelming, in which case it’s very easy to make the wrong buying decision. Video surveillance now is an integral part of security for business or home. So, getting the wrong equipment will not only be wasteful but also you won’t enjoy the best functions contained.

The current market has a wide array of security cameras, all featuring different designs and capabilities. As such, you should make sure the particular piece you’re interested in matches your unique needs before ordering. That’s not all.

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You need to have enough cameras that can cover the most [if not all] of your property effectively. Hence, ensuring there’s minimal or no blind spots for the burglars to creep through.

Well, this brings us to our main subject, whereby we’ll discuss the number of CCTV that you should have in your property.

A Simple 4 Cameras Setup For a Standard Home Layout

**Above table shows a simple CCTV setup for a standard home with a front yard, back yard, and pool area. It’s just for reference reasons. Thus you can add more cameras for a larger compound. **

Ways to Determine How Many Security Cameras You Need

If you expected a definite answer like “X” cameras pa “X” square foot, sorry to disappoint. Various factors determine how many security cameras you need for your home or business. Of course, you could guess the minimum number that you might need, but having an exact figure can help.

With that, let’s look at 6 simple things that can help you determine the exact number of security cameras that you need.

• What Is The Primary Objective?

Basically, people use surveillance cameras for different purposes. Some need them to just monitor their workforce or families. And others install to deter criminals and enhance the safety of their property.

Usually, the number of cameras that you need largely depends on the situation, or else what you want to achieve. Therefore, if your goal is just for monitoring, one or two cameras on the high traffic area are relatively enough. You won’t even need to focus much on the image quality, but instead, a system that can cover a larger scene.

For security purposes, nonetheless, you will need as many CCTV units as you can get. Then, you will need at least two HD surveillance cameras for capturing enhanced details in the primary areas, especially main entrances.

• What’s Your Building Layout?

Builders create houses and offices using varying layouts. As such, you have to plan a smooth and efficient Surveillance setup to get better results.

In doing so, you will first need to identify the floor plan of your house so that you can know the kind of equipment to get. You will also need to think about the different locations you want to install the devices, which will help you figure out the numbers needed.

As shown in the table above, you will need to install your security cameras in the key strategic points. The driveway is quite more important in ensuring you can clearly see every car moving in and out. So, you might need a higher quality camera aiming in that area.

• How Many Important Areas

After the layout, you can determine the important areas that you might need to keep a watchful eye. These are the places that have valuable items, which will be heartbreaking in case you lost them. They include things like the car, bike, precious jewelry, business assets, and most importantly your family.

So, you’ll need a surveillance system that will push your security perimeter on the outside, alerting you of any intrusion by uninvited guests. That’s before they get to enter the living space or inside the store.

The various places you will need to cover with surveillance camera include:

• Main entry points, i.e. front, back, and side doors
• Windows that can be broken into
• Foyer, hallway, or main staircase
• Garage door
• Parking spot
• Toolshed

Then if it’s places of business, you might consider adding surveillance cameras at:

• Entry points, including doors and windows
• Working areas to monitor the productivity of your employees
• Warehouse, cash registers, and other places where you store your product or valuables, and
• Parking lots- to minimize auto robberies and assaults, as we as collect evidence in case of accidents for on-premise cars.

• Which Type Of Security Cameras Are You Using

That’s right. As mentioned, various security cameras have different designs and capabilities. Some have wide-angle lenses that provide greater coverage, and others have narrow-angle lenses for monitoring a specific target.

As it’s common knowledge, a CCTV with a greater coverage will cover a larger compound with lesser equipment. The captured objects, however, will appear smaller and with lesser details. Hence, won’t be a perfect choice for the main entrances [including front and backdoors] where high clarity is crucial.

On their end, the narrow-angle cameras will capture a limited area, which means you’ll probably require more units for a larger compound. Luckily, the produced video footage will be richer in detail, allowing easier identification of intruders and their get-way van.

Still, the question of wired or wireless security cameras can determine the minimum number of devices you need. Especially with the latter, they transmit data by a radiofrequency signal which might be weak in larger connections. Hence, you can only use a limited number of cameras for seamless monitoring.

• What Is Your Budget?

This is one of the greatest factors on how effective or not your security idea will be. Just as with the designs and features, various surveillance cameras come with different price tags.

Therefore, your set budget not only determines the type of system you can choose but the number you can have as well.

If you have significant funds in your piggy bank, you can get as many cameras as required by your security demands. You can even have one in areas that don’t necessarily need to be covered, like the sides with no entry point [doors or windows].

For someone with a thin wallet, however, the wisest decision is highly essential in ensuring you get the most out of your investment. You might be unable to afford several devices to put at various points of your property. Thus, demanding for the need of a PTZ  security camera, which often can rotate the recording head.

• Are You Planning To Make Future Expansions

Last but not least, you might need to consider if there are any chances of making additions in the future. Of course, the factor is the least essential, but it can become helpful later on in case you’ll be expanding your property.

The tactic will help ensure you get to pick the proper recorder size that will support all the cameras needed. And it might also be great in determining the best budget you can set at hand.
Some of the structural additions we’re speaking of here include:

• Adding a garage or shed
• A small playground or pool area
• A pergola for resting
• Loading bays for the warehouses
• Cooperate canteen for the staff

Final Words:

The question of how many security cameras you might need has no definitive answer. One can come up with the minimum count to consider, yeah. But the exact number to invest in primarily depends on the floor layout of your building and the goal in mind.

In the article, we have highlighted the two key factors, as well as the extras that can come in handy for a conclusive decision. We hope you have you now have a suitable solution to your issue at hand. Even so, we’d recommend avoiding installing security cameras in areas that don’t really need monitoring. A good example is in places where there’s no entry for thieves or important things that needs a watchful eye.

More on that, also refrain from installing cameras in places where there’s a high expectation of privacy. Such locations include bathrooms, dressing/ locker rooms, and bedrooms. This includes both at home and workplaces. For the latter, by the way, you’re not supposed to install any recording device in areas where confidential meetings take place. It is a violation of the employer-employee rights of privacy and you can even end up being sued.

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