Best Places to Position Security Cameras Around Your Home

Getting your security cameras in the right spots makes the difference between a system that actually protects your property and one that just records footage of empty fence lines. A lot of DIY camera setups go wrong here — cameras pointed at the wrong angles, blind spots left wide open, or every camera crammed onto the front of the house. Here’s where the cameras should go and why, based on the jobs we do every week across Toowoomba.

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1. The Front Door

The front door is the single most important camera position on any property. It might seem obvious, but a huge percentage of break-ins and package thefts happen right at the front entrance. More than a third of burglars enter through the front door, so this is non-negotiable.

Position the camera high enough that it can’t easily be tampered with, but angled down so it captures faces clearly rather than just the tops of heads. A camera here also captures couriers, visitors and anyone approaching the house.

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2. Back and Side Doors

Back and side doors are where a lot of break-ins actually happen because they’re out of sight from the street. An intruder can work on a back door without being seen by neighbours or passing traffic.

Any door that isn’t visible from the road should have a camera covering it. Side gates and the path down the side of the house are common entry routes too, particularly on Toowoomba’s older properties where side access is common.

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3. Driveway and Garage

Your driveway camera does double duty. It captures vehicles coming and going, records number plates, and covers the garage — which often contains tools, bikes and other valuables, and frequently has an internal door into the house.

A camera positioned to cover the driveway also acts as an early warning, picking up anyone approaching the property before they even reach the house. For number plate capture you want the camera angled to catch vehicles front-on where possible.

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4. Backyard and Rear Perimeter

The backyard is where intruders feel safest because they’re hidden from the street. It’s also where a lot of properties store valuable items — trailers, tools, outdoor furniture, machinery.

A camera covering the backyard and rear perimeter catches anyone who’s climbed a fence or come through from a rear laneway. On larger and rural properties this becomes even more important because there’s more ground to cover and more places to hide.

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5. Main Entry Gates and Property Approaches

On rural and acreage properties around Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, the front gate or main approach to the property is a key position. A camera here records every vehicle entering the property, which is invaluable if something goes missing.

For these longer-range positions you want a camera with good resolution and the right lens so you can actually identify vehicles and people at a distance, not just see a vague shape.

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6. Sheds, Granny Flats and Outbuildings

If you’ve got a shed full of tools, a granny flat or any separate outbuilding, it’s worth covering. Sheds are a common target because they often contain thousands of dollars of equipment and are usually further from the house where noise is less likely to be heard.

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Where NOT to Point Your Cameras

Just as important as where cameras should go is where they shouldn’t.

• Directly into the sun — cameras facing east or west can get washed out at sunrise and sunset. Positioning matters to avoid glare at key times of day.
• Over your neighbour’s property — in Australia you should avoid cameras that primarily record a neighbour’s private areas like their backyard or windows. Keep the focus on your own boundary.
• Behind obstructions — trees, gutters and downpipes can block part of the view or grow over the camera over time. We account for this during installation.
• Too high — a camera mounted too high gives you a great view of the tops of people’s heads but useless for identifying faces.

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How Many Cameras Do You Actually Need?

For a typical Toowoomba home, four cameras usually covers the essentials — front door, back door, driveway and backyard. Larger homes, corner blocks or properties with multiple entry points often need six or more. Rural and acreage properties almost always need more cameras to cover the additional ground and outbuildings.

The right number depends on your property’s layout, entry points and what you’re trying to protect. That’s exactly what we work out during a free on-site assessment — rather than selling you a fixed kit, we look at your property and recommend the camera positions that will actually keep you covered.

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Get Your Cameras Positioned Properly

Camera placement is something that’s easy to get wrong and hard to fix once everything’s installed and cabled. Getting a professional to assess your property and plan the positions properly means every camera earns its place and there are no blind spots where it matters.

We install Hikvision and HiLook camera systems for homes, businesses and rural properties across Toowoomba and the Darling Downs, and we take the time to position every camera where it’ll actually be useful.

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