Top Five Spots for Home Security Cameras
Home is where you feel safe. If you’ve been the victim of home invasion in the past, or simply want to prepare for all possibilities, then you know how serious home security is. You’ve already looked up the best alarm company in Palm Desert and compared the specs of various cameras to make sure you’re getting the best one. The best camera in the world won’t matter, however, if they aren’t positioned properly to pick up potential perpetrators. Here are the five best spots to set up your home security cameras:
1. Over the Front Door
It may seem obvious, but too many people setting up cameras overlook their front door or set one up improperly. More burglars have broken into homes through the front door than any other point of entrance, so it should never be neglected in setting up your security system. Furthermore, an immediately apparent camera can be a fantastic deterrent, and most potential burglars will leave and try another house if they can see an electronic eye watching them front and center. Apparent shouldn’t mean accessible, though; if possible, have the camera mounted well out of reach, or, if you live in a one-story building, surround the camera with mesh or a cage to prevent tampering.
2. Over the Back Door
Back doors, and side doors, and any other doors other than the front are also important points to cover with a camera, as the overwhelming majority of burglars enter through a door of some sort. As with the front door, the camera shouldn’t be in an area that is easily accessed. It is important to keep in mind how well the camera can pick up the area at night; if your back door is shrouded in shadow, consider getting a motion-sensing floodlight, otherwise, alarm companies will not be able to identify the figures recorded, and your camera will have been effectively pointless.
3. Windows Facing Away from the Street
First-story windows are also very effective points of entry, and any windows that are in secluded corners of your house are more vulnerable than most. A wide-lens camera to cover the more obscured windows of your house is a prudent idea. Such a spot being often dark as well, an accompanying flood light here would not be amiss or investing in cameras with proper night vision. First-floor windows should also always remained locked at night.
4. Bottlenecks
Not every camera you should install should be outside; there should be layers of your security system to provide the highest level of coverage. You won’t be able to cover every angle inside your home, but certain perspectives should prove more valuable than others. Any bottleneck area in the house is a good idea to cover: hallways, stairways, anywhere that a burglar would have to pass through to get to your property or loved ones is a good spot to have watched by a camera.
5. Valuable Rooms
Finally, you should have some cameras wherever you feel most vulnerable, what you would feel the most if it was taken from you. If you are a new parent, then the baby’s room is a good spot for a camera (which can double as a baby monitor). If you work from home, then your office should be covered. If you have a beloved collection of vintage Lovecraft action figures in your basement, then that’s where you need a camera. Exact placement will vary from family to family, so take a moment to examine what’s most important for you to protect.
Security cameras are wonderful things that offer both protection and peace of mind, but if they aren’t positioned properly, the security system will be incomplete. Every home is different and requires a different security scheme. Look at your house’s blueprints, work with your Palm Desert alarm companies, and determine which cameras are best for your home’s needs. Keep these tips in mind when you’re placing the cameras, and you’ll be able to weave an effective safety net that will give you and your family protection and peace of mind.