OK I Bought One, now Where Should I Locate my Camera?

Careful selection of your IP Camera location is critical for effective monitoring. Often an IP camera will have no operator to move, focus, or adjust the image quality, so where the camera is located is where it stays. There are many considerations.

General objectives are :

1. to maximize coverage area
2. to point at interesting things, or the things you want to monitor, in range and in frame
3. to avoid obstacles like trees, or furniture that could block the view
4.  to avoid pointing at harsh, or minimal light
5. to be in a good location for Wireless reception, or wired access
6. in a location with power source access
7. sometimes, to be concealed
8.  to avoid theft or abuse of the camera
9. to maximize aesthetics
10. to locate where the camera can easily be removed or repositioned
11. to avoid harsh environment with dust, vibration, or interference
12. to avoid very loud, or audio-isolated locations  
13. if you want to cover an area with MULTIPLE cameras, do they overlap?
14. center the camera on the most interesting or more vital area 
15. to be close enough to distinguish objects, faces, etc

One approach is to work backwards.  Place the camera in a approximate location, then walk into the room or area and see if you can see the camera from all the locations you want to monitor. A PTZ (see post on camera types) camera can generally see almost ANYWHERE that you can see the camera, but a fixed camera can only see what the lens is pointed it.

Once you locate your camera, you'll want to look at the image on-screen (read later blog entries to see how to do this) to be sure you can see all you wish to see. You might also want to check it at different times-of-day to see how sunlight, traffic, or other changes affect the view.

In general, its preferable to have a camera INDOORS, or under cover, when possible. So if you want to monitor an entrance, its often better to place a camera indoors and monitor through a window. An indoor camera is not exposed to elements, is less prone to theft or vandalism, and is easier to configure and move. The only exception might be for cases where glare, or tinting attenuates or degrades the video quality, or where outdoor audio monitoring is required.

When finalized, secure the camera mount, secure the connections, then celebrate with a beverage of your choice!