How to Install A Security Camera

Mindy Woodall

Managing Editor, Home Security & Smart Dwelling

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How much does installation cost?

If you install your security camera yourself, and so installation won't cost you a penny. If you adopt to have the pros do it for yous, so you'll need to drop some dollars on that service.

DIY security camera installation

If you can install a camera yourself, then information technology's pretty much costless after you pay for the equipment.

Nigh cameras these days are not merely easy to install on your own, only also designed to be as hurting-free as possible. Some you can set up on a table, mount on a wall, or adhere to a magnetic surface. Nevertheless, non anybody is comfortable with drilling into their walls.

The easiest cameras to install on your ain volition exist wire-gratuitous, battery-powered cameras like the EufyCam two or the Reolink Argus three. If you have an indoor security camera, so those are also quite easy to set upwardly yourself. Yous just demand to put the photographic camera where you want it and plug in the power cord.

Professional person installation

If you become one of the professionally installed Best Home Security Systems we've recommended (namely ADT or Vivint), y'all'll get an installation tech who will install everything for yous, including your cameras. Vivint's organisation installation fee is $49, only ADT'due south fees are significantly more. You may pay every bit much as $199 for that pro installation.

If you want to get a whole network of home security cameras that integrate into your domicile security system, then it's much easier to have a professional person install those cameras for you. It's likewise easier to have the pros install video doorbells, so you don't have to mess around with electrical wires.

Both ADT and Vivint offer professionally installed doorbell cameras.

Pro installation for standalone security cameras

If you're ownership a camera yourself and want to accept it professionally installed, so in that location are third-party services like HelloTech that are a bully way to find local professional installation for security cameras. Plus it'southward actually a decent bang for your buck compared to higher prices from CCTV companies.

How much you'll pay depends on what type of device yous have and potentially other factors as well, such as your location. But HelloTech does list starting prices for security cameras and video doorbells.

Smart security camera installation price: starts at $129

Video doorbell installation price: starts at $99

HelloTech installs devices from several major smart home brands, including Ring and Google Nest.

How should you position your security photographic camera?

Not everyone has to deal with thieves and suspension-ins (thank goodness). Some of us just want to check on deliveries or see who visits our house while we're away. Other people want a way to check on family unit members or pets.

Decide which purpose is virtually of import to you and place your camera where it will all-time be able to run into what you want to go along an eye on.

Indoors or outdoors?

The biggest departure between indoor and outdoor cameras is their ability to endure the weather. The concluding affair y'all want is for your new camera to quit in the offset blizzard of the year, especially since you've noticed your snow boots take gone missing, as well.

Bank check the operating temperature and approved use for the camera yous want to buy. In that location are some models, like the SimpliSafe SimpliCam, that can be modified to work exterior every bit well as indoors.

Where to install an indoor security camera

Installing an indoor camera can be as easy equally finding the correct spot, plugging it in, turning it on, and syncing it with your mobile or desktop app. While some may require drilling, almost indoor cameras we've come across won't require anything more than a screwdriver.

A good indoor camera should take a decent field of view, which you can get with a higher corner or shelf. The best places will have a articulate view of the room, a place to hibernate the camera from thieves, and very little foot traffic (to avert unplugging the camera or tripping on the cord).

Where to install an outdoor security photographic camera

The most popular places for an outdoor camera are in a higher place the garage door or looking over a front or back porch. For a garage photographic camera, brand sure you have a large field of view. For a porch camera, make sure your photographic camera is mostly looking at a driveway or walkway to capture all the action possible with a smaller field of view. Y'all may want to consider a doorbell camera similar the Nest How-do-you-do, the Arlo Video Doorbell, or the RemoBell Southward.

Should you get a wired, wireless, or wire-complimentary photographic camera?

There are generally 3 power options for security cameras, although the terminology tin get a chip confusing:

  1. Wired, which ways the camera relies on wires to connect to both power and your net.
  2. Wireless, which ways your camera can connect to the net wirelessly but requires a power string. Sometimes these cameras are still called "wired" since they require a cord.
  3. Wire-free, where the camera runs off a battery pack and doesn't need any wires at all. Sometimes these cameras are called wireless since they run without power cords.

With wired installation, you're a little limited in terms of placement, just your connection will exist more than reliable and secure. Consider where y'all accept to run the wire and how much length you demand. You tin can always buy longer extension cables.

Steps for installing a wired security camera

  1. Find a stable spot on the wall.
  2. Some cameras may require finding a stud, while others will come with drywall anchors.
  3. Check for existing wiring.
  4. Marker and drill the advisable holes.
  5. Thread the wiring back through the wall to attach information technology to the monitoring source.

Just brand sure the hole y'all drill is big enough to pull the wire through simply not so big that you can no longer mount the camera.

A big do good of wire-free (sometimes all the same called wireless) cameras is being able to place them nearly anywhere. Merely you lot'll still want to brand sure you're inside range of your Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or other wireless connections.

That said, if your outdoor camera needs a power cord, like the Nest Cam Outdoor, y'all should be able to drill easily through denser materials like brick or stucco if needed.

Make sure you place your security photographic camera out of reach so a thief or guilty child tin't just catch information technology and leave. Tech installers recommend placing your cameras at least nine feet above ground—but just don't go and then loftier you can't meet what'due south happening down below.

Should y'all choose local or deject storage?

Nigh cameras today offer cloud storage as a way to prevent thieves from just grabbing the evidence and running, only some people still prefer local storage for its privacy and convenience.

Local storage options vary by camera, just may include these options:

  • microSD cards
  • USB drives
  • Digital Video Recorders (DVRs)
  • Network Video Recorders (NVRs)

If y'all're going with local storage, you'll accept to place your cameras out of harm'south manner, but somewhere you tin can access information technology when you need it. However, if you get deject storage, you lot can view footage through your phone or desktop apps, and you lot can access footage regardless of the camera's condition.

If you lot're going with local storage, you lot'll have to identify your cameras out of damage's way, simply somewhere you tin admission it when you need information technology. Notwithstanding, if you get cloud storage, y'all tin view footage through your telephone or desktop apps, and yous can access footage regardless of the photographic camera's condition.

Recap: How to Install a Security Camera

For virtually cameras nosotros recommend, you can install them yourself. If not, there's ever a professional who tin help— either from the security company itself or a tertiary-party provider like HelloTech.

If y'all are going for DIY installation and need more than specific instructions, some CCTV and surveillance companies have thorough walkthroughs and video tutorials on their websites:

  • Arlo
  • Google Nest
  • Ring
  • Reolink
  • Wyze
  • Eufy

For more info on home security, and to compare cameras, check our our Best Security Cameras and Best Home Security Systems reviews.

Pseudo Home Security in America

Security systems and cameras are crawly if yous've e'er been unsettled past a prowler in your neighborhood or suspicious noises at nighttime. Simply that stuff is expensive, and it seems like a hassle to set up something new. So what about fake security cameras? If they wait just as real, they must be simply as good, right? Or are they?

Nosotros took a survey of 500 Americans to see how people feel about real and fake dwelling house security measures, and if they call up both are as effective. Here are some of the nigh interesting things we institute.

  • 15% have used a fake security camera.
  • 25% have used a fake or outdated security monitoring sign in their grand.
  • 24% take used a fake or outdated security monitoring sticker in the window of their home.
  • 24% have hidden a primal in a imitation stone.
  • 28% accept hidden a fundamental under their chump.
  • 17% have placed a play a trick on delivery bundle outside their business firm.

We asked America: How constructive is fake abode security?

  • 1 in 5 believe that fake home security systems are just as effective as an authentic system.
  • ane in 4 believe that a fake abode security photographic camera is just equally effective as an authentic security camera.
  • 17%  believe that a fake security alert (audible) is more than effective than an authentic alert.
  • 17% believe that a false security monitoring sticker is more effective than an authentic i.

Our takeaways

Enough of people are using tactics similar fake security cameras and outdated yard signs to protect their homes, and many remember these measures are only as effective as the real thing.

But virtually people concur that the genuine commodity is better than any fake. When it comes to defending your property, the majority opinion is that real security systems and real cameras offer better protection. And we agree. A real security camera, with a livestream you tin view through a mobile app and ii-manner audio you tin use to yell at intruders, is e'er going to summit some plastic replica.

Methodology

We conducted an anonymous survey of 500 Americans over the historic period of 18 regarding sentiments virtually their usage and perceived effectiveness of both pseudo and authentic dwelling security measures. Using the responses from our survey, we take highlighted the most mutual answers in this report.

Mindy Woodall

Written by

Mindy Woodall

Mindy has been writing about engineering for seven years. She covers all things smart home for Reviews.org, and keeps rail of the latest robot gadgets. Mindy attended the Academy of Utah and her piece of work has been featured on the likes of Parents.com, Digital Care, Hostfully, and more than.

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