Security cameras have become an essential tool for home security, with brands such as Arlo, Blink, Lorex, and professional systems such as ADT offering increasingly smart features. However, experts at CNET remind us that their use must also be accompanied by responsibility: placing a camera in an inappropriate location can lead to conflicts with neighbors, violate privacy, and even have legal consequences under current law.
Spot 1: Places with the ‘expectation of privacy’
You need your security camera to take care of your home, but the last thing you want it to do is violate other’s safety. Don’t risk breaking the law by locating a camera where people have what the law calls a reasonable expectation of privacy. Don’t locate a security camera in a bathroom, bedroom or similar area where there is a strong expectation of privacy. If you have to place a camera in one of these areas, ensure the camera is visible and everyone in the house knows about it.
Outside cameras are permitted to capture public spaces, because there’s a low expectation of privacy. Keep in mind, your camera helps provide a sense of security and serves as a devide to keep you and your home safe.
Spot 2: Looking directly at a neighbor’s property
Moreover, to protecr all the private places on your property, be aware of positioning security cams so that part of their view captures a neighbor’s area. Legally, those are spots where your neighbors also have a right to their own privacy.
That’s becuase you should try to evaid even the aspects of cameras that are showing toward a neighbor’s lawn or peeking into their windows. Many recent security cams come with the ability to create “privacy zones” that block out certain areas in the camera’s live view.
Spot 3: Hard to see locations
You might be tempted to point cameras at the spots around your home that are complicated to see. If you can’t see a location from your windows or doors, it feels possible that someone can be lurking there. You should think these hidden areas are a burglar’s preferred place to break and enter.
In general, burglars will enter a home through the most obvious paths. According to data collected by security company ADT, 34% of burglars enter through the front door and 22% use a first-floor window.
Spot 4: Behind obstructions
Camera obstructions aren’t always so clear. Pay attention to quick-growing plants that will need you to move your camera every year or two, or tree limbs that get a lot heavier when loaded with spring leaves and will block a view. A quick trimming session may help your installation.
Knowing your camera’s range of view inside too. Will your cam see all you want it to when interior doors are opened and closed? You’ll also want to evade placing the camera in a spot where a pet might interact with it.
Spot 5: Through a window
We know it’s a good idea to pay less for an indoor-only cam. However, there are two big issues with trying this. First, windows have a glare problem. Even when the camera is pressed close against the glass, the view usually doesn’t work because of sun’s position. Over time, dust on the window causes similar problems. Second, the angles and areas you can present through home windows are very limited.
Spot 6: Facing the sky
We don’t mean angling a cam up so it captures only the great blue beyond. This can create issues when the sun passes overhead and blinds the cam. In addition, frequent, direct sunlight increases the risk of UV damage and wear over time.
To avert these problems, work to angle your camera away from the sky and focus on views below the roof/tree/hill line. Moreover, try to place cameras in an area where they’re at least partially protected by shade.
Spot 7: Near vents or heaters
We’ve ran into this problem during some of our tests and sample experiments. Don’t put a camera close to any exhaust vent or heat source. Vents and open heat sources tend to make the camera and its lens dirtier. The result is worse performance and a shorter lifespan for your cam. If you’re using adhesive connections for your camera, a nearby heat source can ruin the adhesive and lead to a fallen and damaged camera (another reason to avoid direct sunlight).
