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Where to Place Security Cameras: Height, Angles and Blind Spots

By Guardian Angel DIY · Updated October 27, 2026 · 10 min read

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A camera is only as good as the place you put it. A well-chosen spot captures a clear face at the door, a license plate at the curb and the moment someone steps into your yard. A poorly chosen one records a sunlit glare, the top of a roof, or nothing at all. Most people spend time choosing a brand and almost none choosing a position. This guide is about the position: where cameras do the most good around a house, how high to mount them, what to point them at, and what to avoid.

What a camera is for

Before you choose spots, be clear about the job. A camera does three things. It deters, since many people avoid a house that visibly has one. It documents, because it records what happened and gives police something to work with. And it informs, because it tells you what is happening while you are home or away. A camera does not stop a break-in, and it does not replace locks, lighting or an alarm. See our guide to video doorbells and cameras for what each type does.

Placement follows from those jobs. Put cameras where someone must pass to get in, where you want a clear view of a face, and where they will notice the camera on the way.

Where to put cameras, in order

You do not need to cover the whole property. Start at the top of this list and stop when your budget does.

1. The front door. Most visits, deliveries and attempts start here. A video doorbell is the usual choice, since it sits at the right height to see faces and lets you speak to the visitor.
2. The back door and any ground-floor door. Rear doors are often out of sight from the street, which is why they are attractive to someone breaking in. They deserve the same attention as the front.
3. The garage and the door between the garage and the house. Cover the garage entry and the driveway, since both are common access points. See our guides on the garage door and opener and the garage-to-house door.
4. The driveway and the approach to the house. A camera that sees the path from the street gives you earlier warning, and a clear view of any vehicle.
5. Side yards, gates and ground-floor windows. These are narrow paths where a person can work out of sight. A camera on a corner of the house can watch a whole side.
6. Inside, only where it helps and only with care. A camera that faces an entry, such as the front hall, can be useful. Living areas, bedrooms and bathrooms are better left alone. See the privacy section below.

Height and angle

This is where most mistakes happen.

• Mount outdoor cameras out of easy reach. Eight to ten feet is a commonly suggested range, high enough that a person cannot easily knock it down or cover it, and low enough that faces are still visible. Follow the maker's recommendation for your model.
• Angle it down, slightly. A camera that points straight out sees heads at a distance and misses the ground. A downward tilt captures faces as people approach and shows what they carry.
• Keep doorbells at their intended height. They are designed to sit at about chest level for faces and packages. Raising them can show the top of a head.
• Think about distance. Faces are easy to read within a few feet and hard to read at thirty. If you want a face, place the camera near where people pass, not far away.
• Avoid a spot a ladder can reach easily, and keep the wiring, if any, out of sight and out of reach.

Handle light and glare

Light decides whether a video is useful.

• Avoid pointing at the sun. A camera facing east or west can be blinded for part of the day, washing out faces at sunrise or sunset. Check the view at different times.
• Avoid pointing at a bright light. A camera that faces a lamp or a bare bulb will silhouette everyone in front of it. Light the subject, not the camera. Our guide to motion and dusk-to-dawn lighting explains how.
• Add light where people will walk. A porch light or a motion light by the door improves night video far more than a more expensive camera.
• Watch for reflections. A camera behind glass, or pointing at a window, can capture only its own infrared glow at night. Mount cameras outside the glass, or turn off infrared if you must shoot through it.
• Check night mode. Many cameras switch to black and white infrared. Make sure the nearest objects are not overexposed, which can happen if the camera is too close to a wall or a column.

Find and fix blind spots

Every camera has gaps. Plan them rather than discover them later.

• Walk the property with a phone open to the live view and have someone move around. See where they disappear.
• Overlap the fields of view. Where one camera ends, another should begin, so a person cannot slip through the gap. Cameras that can see each other are harder to defeat.
• Check behind objects. Bushes, pillars, vehicles and a grill can hide a person from a camera. Trim the plants, and move things that block the view.
• Think about the camera itself. A camera that sees every approach but can be unplugged, covered or knocked down is not much use. Mount it where those are harder.
• Revisit in each season. Leaves and snow change what the camera sees.

Check Wi-Fi and power before you drill

A good spot with a poor connection fails when you need it.

• Test the signal at the exact spot. Stand where the camera will go and test your phone's Wi-Fi strength. If it is weak, plan a Wi-Fi extender or choose a spot closer to the router.
• Plan power. Wired cameras need a cable run. Battery cameras need a recharge, which can be a chore at a high mount. Solar models need steady sun, and a shaded porch may not give it.
• Check the weather rating. Outdoor cameras should be rated for rain, heat and cold. Look for a stated ingress rating, and read the operating temperature range.
• Plan where video goes. Local storage on a memory card, or cloud storage on a plan, should be chosen before you buy. Some cloud video needs a paid subscription, which the doorbell guide covers.

Doorbell picks for the front door

For most homes, the first camera is a video doorbell. These two cover the middle and upper ranges, and both are described in more detail in our doorbell guide.

Where a camera is not the right tool

A camera is not always the best way to watch a spot. For a long driveway or a gate, a motion alert that chimes or sends a notification can give you warning without recording video. These are less expensive and need less setup.

Privacy, neighbors and the law

A camera records other people, and that comes with responsibilities. The rules vary by state and country, so check yours, and follow these common-sense habits.

• Aim at your own property. Avoid pointing at a neighbor's windows, yard or door. Use privacy zones, a feature on many cameras, to block out areas you do not want recorded.
• Be careful with audio. Rules on recording sound differ more than rules on video. Check local law, and consider turning off audio recording if you are unsure.
• Keep indoor cameras to entries. A camera in a bedroom, bathroom or living space records people who may not expect it. If you use one, tell the people who live there, tell guests, and turn it off or cover it when you are home.
• Tell people. A small sign or a visible camera is a fair warning, and it deters.
• Secure the account. A camera is only private if the account is. See our guide to securing your Wi-Fi and smart devices.
• Talk to neighbors. A quick conversation about what your camera sees avoids tension, and it may lead to sharing clips if something happens. See our guide to building a neighbor network.

Test before you finalize

1. Mount temporarily. Use tape, a clamp or a mounting plate before you drill.
2. Check the view by day and at night. Walk through it, and look at the saved clip, not only the live view.
3. Check faces and plates. Make sure that someone at the door or at the end of the driveway can be recognized.
4. Test the alerts. Make sure a person triggers a notification, and a passing car or a tree does not trigger too many.
5. Adjust the zones. Set motion zones to cut false alerts from the street.
6. Then fix it in place. Seal outdoor holes, and tidy the wiring.

What it costs: a simple plan

Common mistakes to avoid

• Mounting too high. It sees the tops of heads.
• Mounting too low. It can be reached, covered or knocked off.
• Pointing into the sun or a bright light. Faces turn into silhouettes.
• Skipping the back of the house. It is often the most private entry.
• Forgetting the Wi-Fi signal. A dropped connection means a missing clip.
• Pointing at the neighbors. Use privacy zones, and keep to your own property.
• Never checking the recorded video. Look at it at least once.

Frequently asked questions