How Many Security Cameras Do You Need for Your Home?

December 21, 2020 by Anas Mustafa

Security cameras are one of the most critical components of a home security system. As there won’t always be someone at home, plus you can’t be in multiple places at once. You can rely on security cameras to keep an eye on your property no matter where you are.

That said, there are many things that you need to consider when piecing together your home surveillance system, including the kind of cameras to use, the key features to focus on, and where to place them. You also need to get enough cameras to cover all the vulnerable areas of your home.

How many cameras do you need for your home surveillance system?

When it comes to home security installation, there is no ‘one size fits all.’ Security professionals usually recommend between two and six security cameras for residential properties, and between 8 and 64 cameras for commercial properties, depending on the size.

Generally, the right answer will depend on the size of your property, budget, and personal needs and preferences. This is not an easy question to answer, so many people prefer to skip it and let things unfold as the home security system takes shape. Taking this approach can end up costing you a lot more money due to a lack of planning.

At the very least, you must be able to define whether you need four or more cameras, as this will determine whether to purchase a four-channel or eight-channel recorder. Otherwise, you will have to pay more to upgrade, in addition to having redundant hardware.

Carefully planning your home surveillance system will ensure that your purchases and layout are optimized for your specific situation. Here are some questions to help you decide how many security cameras you need for your home security system:

Step 1: What is your budget?

You should first decide how much money you’re planning to spend on your home security system and what proportion will go towards setting up the video surveillance system.

Step 2: Which areas will be covered in your surveillance?

While setting your budget aside, you must think about all the areas that security cameras need to cover to improve your home’s security. Security professionals can help you identify the common spots for camera placement inside and outside your home, including the front porch, front yard, driveway, garage, back yard, either side of the house, the living room, baby’s bedroom, hallway, and rooms with safes.

You may require additional cameras depending on:

The size of your home — a bigger house will require more indoor cameras for effective surveillance.
Your property’s size — you may need more outdoor cameras to keep your eyes on a larger property.
The number of outbuildings — outdoor cameras should be enough to monitor one shed or workshop. But if you have multiple outbuildings, then you may need more cameras.
Type of cameras — wide-angle lenses offer a greater field of view than those with limited fields, so you will need less of them. You should also consider other factors such as auto-recording, motion detection, weather-proof, night-vision, app availability, WiFi connectivity, and HD resolution.
Bandwidth limit — if you’re using wireless cameras, then the number you connect will depend on your network’s bandwidth to ensure optimal performance.

This step will help you identify the maximum number of cameras you need. But do you need all of them?

Step 3: Which security cameras can multitask?

From your list above, you will notice that some of the areas you think require cameras are located in the same general area and will likely face the same direction. For instance, the front porch, front yard, and driveway can be easily covered by a high-quality camera or a smart doorbell instead of three cameras.

There are probably other areas that can be covered with one camera, either through strategic camera placement to view multiple rooms or locations or by installing a fisheye lens or PTZ (pan, tilt & zoom) camera with 360° view.

Using your list, walk around inside and outside your home while visualizing how you can maximize the area covered by one camera with strategic placement. You may find that the living room and hallway may also share one camera, while one of the sides of your house and some of your backyard could be adequately covered with one camera.

The number of cameras you have will determine the size of the recorder to purchase. You should never compromise on buying a smaller recorder, even to fit your budget. Purchasing a smaller recorder means you will have to settle for fewer cameras.

Step 4: Do the cameras fit your budget?

Now that you know the number of cameras you need, the next step is to determine whether your ideal home video surveillance system fits your budget. If you have the funds, then you should proceed with the camera installation. But if your budget is limited, it’s recommended that you get the right recorder first, and then the cameras. This is because you can purchase more cameras later on and simply connect them to the recorder, as long as the recorder you bought was the right size.

For instance, if you have a specific budget and want to install a five outdoor cameras, and two indoor cameras, you need to purchase an 8-channel recorder. If your budget won’t allow you to get the recorder and all the cameras you just have to ensure you purchase the correct recorder so that when you want to add more cameras in the future you can. A 4-channel recorder can save you money although it can drastically reduce your surveillance system’s effectiveness since you can only have a maximum of 4 cameras.

You may find that you need more cameras to complete your home security system than you budgeted for. If you have the right size of recorder, you can start with fewer cameras and then continuously enhance your surveillance system over time. This is the most cost-effective solution. For more personalized assistance in setting up the ideal surveillance coverage for your property, please contact home security professionals.

For more information about how to determine how many cameras you need for your home surveillance system, call Canadian Security Professionals at +1 877-494-9911 or contact us here.

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