1. Start with entrances
Every entrance people use is a point. Main door, side door, loading ramp. Each point gets a camera facing the person entering, not their back.
2. Add valuable zones
Till, safe, stockroom, server room. Each zone holding something valuable gets its own camera. These are points where footage must be detailed enough to recognise.
3. Cover corners and shadows
A corner is where two planes cannot see. A shadow is where light does not reach. If the space has corners and shadows, one camera will not cover everything.
4. Think about outside
Yard, parking, approach. Outdoor cameras need weather resistance and often more range. One camera on a building corner covers an approach; a wide yard needs more.
5. Add up and round
Add entrances, zones and corners. For a house, that is usually two or three cameras. For a shop, four to six. For a warehouse, it depends on area.
6. When to call someone
When you are unsure about corners, light and positions, it is worth having someone on site. A site assessment shows what a plan cannot — where the sun hits, where shadows fall, where cable can run.
7. What a camera does not solve
A camera records. It does not react. If no one is looking at the footage at three in the morning, the system is half the solution.
RULE OF THUMB: Entrances plus valuable zones plus corners. If a camera has no point to watch, you do not need it.