The Top 3 Camera Placement Mistakes Businesses Make (And How to Fix Them)
Security cameras are one of the most important tools for protecting property, employees, and customers. Yet in Toronto and across the GTA, we often see businesses invest in high-quality CCTV systems that fail when it matters most — not because of the cameras themselves, but because of where and how they were installed.
At Lunarlink Solutions, we perform many site audits where cameras are placed too high, too low, or aimed incorrectly — leaving businesses with useless footage. Here are the three most common placement mistakes and how to avoid them.
Mounting Cameras at the wrong Height
The mistake:
Many people assume mounting cameras as high as possible gives the best coverage. Others place them at eye level for detail. Both approaches can fail.
- Too low (around 8 ft): easy to tamper with or block.
- Too high (20 ft+): wide coverage but no useful facial detail or license plates.
The solution:
For most businesses, the ideal mounting height is 10–12 feet — high enough to prevent tampering, but still close enough to capture faces clearly.
- Entrances & exits: 9–12 feet for reliable identification.
- Parking lots & driveways: 10–15 feet, angled downward. For license plate capture, a dedicated lower-mounted camera may be used.
- Warehouses & large areas: 15–25 feet with PTZ or varifocal lenses to zoom where detail is needed.
The key is not just height but angle and lens selection — a properly placed HD camera will outperform a poorly placed 4K camera every time.
Ignoring Lighting and Environment
The mistake:
Lighting conditions drastically affect footage quality. Cameras aimed into sunlight, reflective glass, or dim alleys often produce overexposed or useless images. Seasonal changes in Toronto make this even worse — bright summers, harsh winters, and long nights.
The solution:
- Use Wide Dynamic Range (WDR) cameras in areas with strong contrasts.
- Position cameras away from direct glare.
- Choose infrared (IR) or low-light cameras for poorly lit areas.
- Ensure outdoor cameras are weatherproof (IP66/67) and rated for Canadian winters.
By planning for light and weather, businesses avoid the common issue of cameras that “work fine in the day but fail at night.”
Overlooking Blind Spots
The mistake:
Most businesses place cameras at the front door — but leave stairwells, side doors, and parking corners exposed. Criminals know where these blind spots are and exploit them.
The solution:
A professional CCTV layout uses overlapping fields of view so no single failure leaves a gap. Wide-angle cameras cover large areas, while zoom or PTZ units focus on critical points. Strategic coverage includes:
- Entrances & exits
- Stairwells & hallways
- Loading docks & side doors
- Parking lot perimeters
Even one blind spot can make an entire system unreliable.
The Cost of Poor Placement
Camera placement mistakes don’t just waste money — they create real risk:
- Missed evidence during incidents.
- Insurance claims denied due to unclear footage.
- Increased liability for property managers.
- Tenants or employees losing confidence in building security.
Often, businesses don’t realize the problem until after a break-in or dispute — when it’s too late.
Conclusion: Placement Matters More Than Equipment
High-resolution cameras are valuable, but without proper design and placement, they won’t deliver results. The right mounting height, angle, and lighting considerations can make the difference between clear evidence and unusable video.
At Lunarlink Solutions, we specialize in CCTV systems that are designed for Toronto’s unique challenges — from high-density downtown sites to sprawling industrial lots. We provide.
- On-site audits to identify blind spots.
- Optimized camera placement plans for maximum coverage.
- Integrated solutions combining CCTV with access control and intercoms.
Contact us today for a free consultation and make sure your cameras work for you when it matters most.
