Security camera setup: Where you should (and shouldn’t) install one

Security cameras can be incredibly effective at protecting your home. Most common criminals will give your place a wide berth after seeing one on your house. But you’ll want to install your cameras and video doorbells in the right places to get the best protection.

There are also some locations you shouldn’t set up a security camera; primarily for reasons of privacy—yours as well as your neighbors’.

This story is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best home security cameras.

Best locations to install home security cams

1. At or near your front door

Michael Brown/Foundry

If you could only choose one place to install a security camera, it would be the entrance you use every day: your home’s front door. Whether it’s an indoor security camera pointed at it, a doorbell camera next to the door, or an outdoor camera at your porch, looking down the path, this is the most common entry point a potential burglar would use to get into your home.

A doorbell camera has the added benefit of letting you keep an eye on package deliveries and catching porch pirates in the act (hopefully scaring them away before they act). They’re also great for interacting with visitors when you can’t get to the door.

3. Garage or carport

Whether you keep your car in a garage or a carport or just use that space for storage, you should consider installing a camera there as well. After all, cars are valuable, and you probably also store all kinds of things there as well, like bicycles, sports equipment, tools, and more. Plus, if your garage is attached to your house, this will let you monitor another potential entry point to your home. Some specialized cameras can even tie into your smart garage door opener.

4. Backyard

Michael Brown/Foundry

No matter how large or small your backyard might be, installing a security camera here is just the ticket for spotting potential burglars snooping around thinking they’ll be out of sight of your neighborhood watch. They’re also great for keeping a watchful eye on your kids and/or pets. Replacing your porch light with a floodlight/security cam combo will also alleviate you of the need to keep a camera’s batteries charged, although Arlo and Blink do offer battery-powered floodlight cams.

If you have a backyard storage shed with a lawn mower or other valuable tools, be sure the camera can see that in its field of view. Two of our top picks in this category–the Eufy SoloCam S340 and the Eufy Floodlight Camera E340 are particularly good candidates here, thanks to their pan/tilt mechanisms.

2. Side or back doors

Michael Brown/Foundry

The other most obvious locations to place a security camera are other entry points such as a side door or a back door. These can also be either indoor or outdoor security cameras depending on your home and your needs. Burglars might use these alternative entrances as entry points because they think the front one is too exposed. What’s more, placing a camera or a second video doorbell here will let you keep an additional eye on the rest of your family’s comings and goings—especially those precocious teenagers.

5. Basement

Michael Brown/Foundry

If you tend to store valuables in your basement—be they holiday decorations or bottles of wines you’re aging—it’s a good idea to have a camera there, too. This is especially the case if your basement has a window or some other access to the outside world, as that is another potential entry point that a sneaky burglar might try to use. You’ll want a battery-powered model if there’s no electrical outlet nearby.

6. Common areas

Another great spot to have a security camera are common areas in your home: Your living room, kitchen, or hallways. Just in case a burglar breaks into your home through some other method, like an unmonitored window for example, then this is a surefire way to catch them in the act. You can also use security cameras in these areas to keep an eye on kids, pets, babysitters, or contractors working inside your home.

Three spots you should not install a security camera

1. Aimed at your neighbor’s property

Michael Brown/Foundry

Obviously, you don’t want to point a security camera at your neighbor’s property. This is a huge invasion of privacy and would surely get you complaints and—in some jurisdictions–a visit from local law enforcement.

If you absolutely can’t avoid having your neighbor’s property in your camera’s field of view, use the camera’s privacy features to at least screen the neighbor’s doors and windows. Most home security cameras have this function.

2. Bedrooms

Sure, you might have plenty of valuables in your bedroom, but this is just a no-no for security cameras due to the invasion of privacy. Cameras can get hacked, and you definitely don’t want hackers to have a peek at your most private space.

3. Bathrooms

The same goes for bathrooms. Not only is this a place burglars would ignore anyway, having a camera there would make everyone—family and guests alike—awfully uncomfortable.