CCTV Camera Placement Guide for Offices & Commercial Buildings

1. Before you plan the installation

• Walk through the site during working hours and after closing to understand normal movement and access routes.
• List the areas that need identification, transaction evidence, general activity monitoring or perimeter coverage.
• Mark doors, windows, gates, counters, valuable stock, loading points and existing network or power routes on a floor plan.
• Agree who may view or export recordings, how access will be controlled and how privacy-sensitive areas will be excluded.
• Check available cable paths, PoE switch capacity, rack space, UPS backup and internet access for authorized remote viewing.

2. Camera types at a glance

• Turret cameras — compact fixed-view cameras suited to many indoor and sheltered outdoor positions.
• Dome cameras — discreet housings commonly used in reception areas, corridors and public-facing interiors.
• Bullet cameras — visible, directional cameras useful for perimeter lines, gates, loading areas and parking.
• Varifocal cameras — allow the field of view to be adjusted during commissioning when distance and detail vary.
• PTZ cameras — provide operator-controlled movement and zoom for large open areas, but should not replace fixed coverage of critical points.

3. Key placement spots

• Main entrance — capture people approaching and entering, with a view that supports identification rather than only a wide overview.
• Parking and gates — cover vehicle and pedestrian movement without aiming directly into bright headlights.
• Reception — include the visitor approach, waiting area and reception desk while respecting private workspaces.
• Cash counters — frame the counter, customer position and transaction area without exposing PIN entry or other sensitive details.
• Warehouse — cover entry points, dispatch areas, high-value stock zones and loading activity.
• Corridors — aim along the corridor for useful face and movement views instead of across a narrow strip.
• Staircases — cover landings and access points while avoiding blind turns.

4. Height and angle tips

• Mount cameras high enough to discourage tampering, but not so high that faces become only top-of-head views.
• Use a modest downward angle and test the actual recording at the expected subject distance.
• Avoid placing every camera in a corner; the widest view is not always the most useful view.
• Keep important doorways and counters away from the extreme edge of the image, where lens distortion is greater.
• For vehicle access, decide whether the requirement is a general vehicle overview or readable number-plate detail, then choose the position and lens accordingly.

5. Lighting considerations

• Check each view in daytime, after dark and during power-change conditions common at local commercial sites.
• Avoid pointing cameras directly at windows, doors with strong daylight, reflective walls or exposed lights.
• Use wide dynamic range where a scene contains both bright entrances and darker interiors.
• Confirm that infrared illumination does not reflect from glass, glossy surfaces, nearby walls or protective covers.
• Add suitable area lighting when a scene is too dark; camera settings cannot recover detail that was never captured.

6. NVR and storage planning

Storage depends on the number of cameras, recording resolution, frame rate, compression, activity level and required retention period. Allow spare NVR channels for expansion, use surveillance-rated storage, place the recorder in a secured and ventilated location, and protect the NVR, PoE switch and router with an appropriately sized UPS.

Estimate disk capacity with our Free CCTV Storage Calculator, then confirm the final design against the selected camera and NVR settings.

7. Common mistakes to avoid

• Choosing camera positions before defining what each view must show
• Using one very wide camera where identification detail is required
• Ignoring backlight, glare, infrared reflection or night-time conditions
• Leaving blind spots at side doors, stairs, loading areas or service exits
• Installing the NVR in an exposed or easily accessible location
• Using default passwords or sharing one administrator account
• Skipping UPS protection, cable labels, time synchronization and playback testing

8. Final commissioning checklist

1. Confirm every required view
2. Test day and night footage
3. Check recording and playback
4. Verify date and time
5. Secure user access
6. Test UPS backup
7. Label cameras and cables
8. Document the final layout