15 - Interior Camera Placement
Interior Design
Indoor cameras can be installed just about anywhere and can be wall or ceiling mounted. Typically cameras are installed in a corner of the room that is opposite the entry point. This usually provides the best coverage and means that anyone who attempts to tamper with the camera will be recorded before they can reach it.
Locating a camera in a great room so that it covers the living room, front door, stairs to a second level, halls, and kitchens is very common. 'Trap Protection' is also a common design choice in homes. Covering hallways eliminates the risk of an intruder moving from one room to another without being recorded but does not violate the homeowner's overall sense of privacy.
Outdoor Cameras Indoors
We do not stock a large selection of indoor only cameras, simply because there is no need. Outdoor cameras work just fine indoors and will actually last longer than when they are installed outdoors. There is no downside to using an outdoor camera indoors, but certain camera styles are preferable for indoor. Small vandal dome cameras are mainly used for indoor applications. Firstly, the viewing distance for indoor use is almost always under 60 feet, so we know that we can standardize on a wide-angle lens for all indoor cameras. Secondly, we want a small camera that does not draw attention to itself. Our wide-angle fixed-view Vandal Domes only have a 3.5" footprint, making them perfect for indoor use.
Find good camera locations that do not allow movement from one area to another without being recorded. Often a camera in the garage is a priority for the homeowner but could be redundant due to perimeter cameras that are covering the garage entry.
Below is an example of an interior design for a high school. They started with trap protection, but the students quickly figured out where the cameras were viewing and moved their inappropriate behavior to the camera blind spots. The solution for the school was to fill in these blind spots with more cameras.
The only floor plans that the school could provide were hanging on a wall, so we took a picture with a smart phone and imported it into our on-line design tool. Sometimes you have to work with what you've got.
Retail Space
In retail, there is no wrong location for a camera, but there are some locations that allow for the most coverage per camera. When choosing camera placement, try to eliminate blind spots when customers have access to the area. Blind spots in retail stores are where all the shoplifting occurs. Overlapping camera coverage is also beneficial, providing multiple points of view of the theft. Below is an example of recommended camera placement.