Security cameras have become one of the most common devices used for protecting our homes from thieves or any other possible intruders in 2016.
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This is because security companies are not longer simply making fancy cameras which are too expensive for the average consumer, but instead some of the best home security cameras are available at more affordable prices.
Practically speaking, if you own a home or are renting, you still can afford to have at least one security camera installed somewhere in or around your home to keep an eye out for intruders, whether they be critters rifling through your trash or an even more serious threat - a burglar.
The main question that needs to be addressed here, however, is: "What is the best location for home security cameras?" We, as homeowners, need to know the answer to this question in order to use security cameras correctly and thus protect our home properly.
Basic Strategies
If a burglar notices a security camera installed outside your home, in the right spot, it may deter him from his initial plan, or even if he just reads a sign that says your house is under surveillance, this may also serve as a preventative measure of sorts.
Some people even install fake surveillance cameras AKA dummy cameras or "Beware Of Dog" signs on their home, banking on the fact that your average thief in the night isn't going to risk figuring out if the homeowner is bluffing by putting up signs or dummy cameras.
Still, there are places on your property that are known to serve as more strategic than others, which is why, in this article, we want to take a closer look at exactly where you should be putting your security cameras to have the maximum protection for your home and talk about why these spots can be considered more strategic. Some of these locations may seem a bit obvious, while others may surprise you. Let's start with one of the more obvious ones…
Your Front Door
Maybe this will sound predictable to some homeowners, but around 34% of all home intrusions happen through your front door. To others, maybe you are a little surprised, since you might think a burglar wouldn't just walk up to your front door and attempt to break in that way.
So why do they do this? The psychology is fairly simple - its the most direct and possibly the laziest way into your home (if you happen to leave your door open), and neighbors also may not think twice if they see someone confidently approach your front door as if they are either a guest or maybe a delivery person.
So a criminal might knock on your front door and if someone answers, they pretend they're lost and ask for directions, or pretend to be the someone they're not, like a salesman, or maybe they just want to see who you're voting for or any number of easy excuses for them to be at your front door.
Snatch And Grab Thieves
However, if no one seems to be home, they may take the risk and kick in the door, which could be easy enough if you don't have the most secure exterior door, and regardless of if there's a security alarm or not. These types of criminals are looking to snatch and grab, and they might even be expecting an alarm and just looking to go running down the street with your new TV.
The front door might even be a better bet for these criminals than a home with burglar proof windows, particularly if its either unlocked or there is glass which can be easily broken through. If they're clever, and willing to put in some time into casing your neighborhood for easy prey, then they might even notice that you leave the house and never lock your front door.
Camera Above Front Door & Out Of Reach
For the above reasons you may want to have a security camera installed high above the front door so that burglars can't reach it, or leave it in mesh wiring so that burglars can't damage it with sticks, rocks etc.
In any case, make sure it's protected in some way to avoid the picture being obscured by rain, ice, or snow, and keep it in mind that excessive daylight or illuminating night lights can also damage the quality of your security camera's picture quality. In some cases, the lights at night can even come from the security cameras themselves, in the form of LEDs, so just be mindful that you are getting a good night vision image capture at all times.
Peep Holes
Another way to keep a watch on the activity outside of your front door is to use a hidden camera of some kind. One great option here is to use a high-tech peephole such as the Brinno PHVMAC which starts taking pictures upon motion detection. The burglar won't even know that he is being watched, and nowadays you will receive a message on your phone and you can look and see who is there. If it happens to be some weird-looking delivery guy, then it may be time to unleash the hounds.
Inside Front Door
Installing an indoor camera inside your home at a high point facing the front door is also an option, since it will capture anyone entering your home through this door. You might not think this is as effective as placing the camera outside of your door, but placing it inside and high up does have a certain logic to it as well, if you consider it to be used as a back-up security camera to other more prominently displayed outdoor security cameras.
Basically, if you place a security camera inside your front door, most burglars are not going to expect to see this when they walk in. Of course, not every homeowner will want to have a big, imposing security camera pointing at you when you walk through the door. That is why we are suggesting merely to take one of your unassuming indoor cameras that you might use for some other purpose, and simply place it near your front door, pointing in that direction.
The Dropcam Pro by Nest, while it simply might sits where ever you decide to put it, could even be pointed towards your front door "just in case", and it could easily capture someone entering your home just as well as any other camera just as a precaution. Of course, since it would be within reach, you may just be sacrificing a perfectly good Dropcam if a burglar sees it and panics. On the other hand, if you need to sacrifice a camera to prevent a burglary or worse, it is definitely worth it, don't you think?
We have a wide selection of indoor security cameras reviews on this website that homeowners can look at to get an idea of the options available now in 2016.
Your Back Door
This is a place that many people have probably thought of when thinking about the best location for an outdoor home security cameras.
The reason being that your average back door or side door is away from the street, and generally out of sight. In other words, the perfect target for a burglar who is looking to sneak into your home.
By the same token, these locations are where you might want to mount an outdoor security camera. You should, of course, plan out your strategy because it would be unfortunate if you purchased a camera that required a cord and that cord didn't reach the location where you wanted to put your camera. In this instance, a wireless camera like the Uniden GC45 may be a better choice for you.
High Quality Night Vision A Must
Another very important point is to install a security camera with great night vision, since most intruders try to break in through back doors at night, as well as to be highly weatherproof, such as the Trivision NC-335PW, and others that you can find in our outdoor security cameras page. Once again, height is a major factor as a criminal's first instinct might be to damage or destroy the camera.
First-Floor and Off-Street Windows
Obviously, the first-floor windows are the ones burglars have the best access to, thus making them potential place for breaking in. Moreover, if they find first-floor windows that are away from the street view, this makes them an even more tempting target for thieves. We should remind you once again that high quality burglar proof windows can easily prevent a break-in.
A strategy here is to have a security camera placed high and pointing at any windows that might seem vulnerable. This may require you to install a wireless camera like the Uniden GC45 that we mentioned earlier, if you choose to put a camera somewhere that requires a ladder for you to install it in the first place.
Basement Stairs
The reason why basement stairs are on our list of the best locations for home security cameras, is because a great number of them have access doors or small-ish but big enough windows for someone to crawl through. And so, by placing a security camera facing the basement stairs that lead to your home, you'll have pictures of anyone trying to break in your home through your basement. Also, if you're seeing this on your mobile device by way of an alert, you will have a few extra seconds to react to seeing someone trying to sneak up your stairs. At this point, phoning the police is a good course of action, but also, you will have more time to defend yourself if they see the camera and decide they are still going to break in.
Our suggestion here is to install an indoor security camera with night vision and motion detection, such as Zmodo 720p, TENVIS JPT3815W, or some other camera that we have reviewed in our indoor security cameras section.
