How to Install CCTV Cameras – A Guide
Choose Where to Place the Cameras
This is the first and one of the most important steps to installing a CCTV camera yourself at home or at your place of work.
Let’s take a look at a few things to consider when thinking about where you want to install your CCTV cameras:
Keep them High: Mounting your cameras up high is imperative to making sure you cover all the ground you need. The lower your CCTV camera is, the less you’re going to be able to see with it. Additionally, if one of your cameras is covering a wider area, you won’t need to install as many.
Out of Reach: Another reason why you want to put your cameras up high is to keep them out of reach of people who shouldn’t have access to them. This could include people looking to break into your home, as well as children looking for something to play with.
Keep Away from the Light: ensure that your camera isn’t pointed directly at a light or a light source. This is so that the footage and images the camera records aren’t underexposed.
Power Source is Important: While you may have purchased a wireless camera, you still need to make sure it has access to power. This is why you need to map out your cameras so that they are based around the main power source.
Keep them Sheltered: try to choose spots that are sheltered from severe weather, like the eaves of your roof.
Prepare Installation
Once you’ve figured out where you want your cameras to go, you’ve got to drill the holes in your walls so that they can be screwed in and put in place. You’ll want to also make sure that the end result is your camera pointed where you want it to film – there’s no point screwing holes in walls until you know you camera is going to point in the right direction. If you’ve got a motion detection camera, positioning is even more important.
Most CCTV cameras will come with the screws and the mounting brackets, which is going to make the entire process a lot easier. Refer to the individual instructions that come with your camera, including the mounting hole template to make the entire process a lot more straightforward.
Wiring the Cameras
Running the right cables and wires from your CCTV camera is going to ensure that you don’t need to replace them for a long time, and they aren’t going to get in the way of anything. As we mentioned before, try mapping out your camera system before you install anything, so you can be organized with the wire routes as well.
Drill holes where you will run the wires through, and try charting the most straightforward route – especially if the installation is going to run through a multi-level house.
Push through all of the ends of the cables into the holes that you have drilled – this way, you can keep the wires hidden and protect them from outside elements. It’s also advised that you choose one particular room in the house to place all of your cables.
Each wire that comes with your cameras will also come with another wire and its connector. One of the cables is meant for the power supply, while the other connects to the video recorder. When it comes to the supply power, you can either choose to create one power source for all of them or separate ones for each.
Once the wires have been connected to the recorder, they can then be connected to the display monitor. This is where you will be able to see all the images that your cameras record for you.
Camera Installation
Once you have set up the wiring system, the next step is to connect your CCTV camera to your home monitoring system and ensure that it is successfully receiving the power supply. We talked earlier about power supply and how important this is even with wireless cameras.
When it comes to setting up power supplies for your camera and monitor, we recommend having a power supply for each. This is going to make them more reliable and increase their chances of still working even if there’s a power outage or someone trying to get into your home attempts to cut the wires. You’ll need to use a generator as your Plan B as well so that your cameras can still film if something goes wrong.
Setting Up the Interface
Setting up the interface of your CCTV camera is the last step in the process of setting up your CCTV camera monitoring system. You’ll want to be able to see your camera through your tablet, computer or smartphone, and most CCTV cameras for home installation offer apps that are compatible with devices like this. With a connection like this, you can gain access to features like zooming in and out, as well as motion detection.
With your wireless camera system, you’re going to need to think about setting up sensitivity and motion detection. This can all be set up so you get notifications through your smartphone if your camera picks up any unusual activity.
Before you finish the installation process, we recommend that you recheck the positioning and viewpoints of your cameras.
It’s important to check that your cameras are moving correctly and that they are recording throughout the day. We also recommend checking how big of an area your cameras are capable of covering, so that you can keep your home or business safe and secure.
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