location of a outdoor camera

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  • I own a color low lux wide angle (3.6mm) outdoor security camera. My dilema is where to locate the camera to get the best view. I know where to put the camera and what wall but im confuse at what height. The camera is covering a small 4 car parking lot and garage. Where im thinking to put the camera there is a Sodium light in the middle of the wall (1) Do I put the camera above or below the light or doesn't matter

    (2)I need to cover as much of the lot as possible…blow the camera there is entrance door

    Thanks

    pingadude,

    Thank you for posting to CCTV Camera Pros forum. In answer to your questions:

    1) I would recommend putting the camera below the light if possible.

    2) A good height to mount cameras with a wide lens, 3.6mm for example, is at about 10 – 12 feet from the ground. This gives you a good viewing angle and generally is out of reach from vandals.

    Please let us know if we can help further.

    Sincerely.

    -Mike

    In addition to Mike's advices above I would also suggest to check your actual field of view in 3D using 3D modeling software.

    There is a special planning software to calculate CCTV camera coverage

    For example in your case you can add/draw a picture and add test objects (cars in your case).

    IP Video System Design Tool calculates actual field of view, angles, dead zone size and result resolution in pixels/foot or pixels/meter. The last version supports import of floor plans or site plan image from BMP/JPEG.

    Here is a sample picture:

    liamlee400.jpg

    You can use the software in the demo-mode for 45 days.