In modern times, even if your home is not in a crime-prone area, there are a lot of advantages to having a home security camera system. Not only it can deter criminals, it can be used to monitor your home and property both locally and remotely.
But when selecting and installing security cameras in your property, you need to consider several key important items.
Law
Before you run out and purchase a camera or a home video surveillance kit, you need to read up on your local and Federal (if you Canadian) laws on surveillance. In my area, we are allowed to install security cameras, record 24/7 and remotely monitor as long as the cameras are pointing at my own property and public streets or public areas. There are no laws on data retention periods or storage (remote storage, cloud storage, local storage).
But in some countries, regions, and even cities within Canada have laws that may limit your ability to install home security surveillance cameras (security cameras). In those cases, please consult with your local authorities before installing the cameras. Laws may vary from required to post signage stating security cameras in the area to not being able to install security cameras at all.
In Canada, the USA, EU and in most Asian countries it is illegal to install security cameras in areas that are considered to be areas with expected privacy such as bedrooms, washrooms, change rooms, pointing directly at a bedroom window, etc. Please do not install any security cameras in these areas.
Technology
When it comes to powering up your cameras, there are several different types of technologies ranging from Wi-Fi cameras with solar battery backups, Wi-Fi cameras, PoE, and existing doorbell wiring cameras. This is the first thing you need to consider when selecting cameras and NVR systems.
For most home owners and renters, the best option is Wi-Fi cameras. But for those of us who owns our properties, we have the ability to route Ethernet cable through wall cavities and other areas.
Storage
You need to calculate and decide how much of data for how long you should retain. When it comes to security camera recordings, you should always consult your local laws on storage and retention. There are two ways to calculate storage; by installing the cameras, running them for awhile and then checking your NVR (Network Video Recorder) hard drive space or NAS hard drive space. Another option, which I recommend, is using an online calculate to decide how much hard drive space needed given your situation. This allow you to select the correct products before going ahead with the installation. I explained this in one of my YouTube videos here.
When selecting hard drive, some people think that “surveillance grade” hard drives are a marketing gimmick. But these surveillance specific hard drives from various manufactures such as WD Purple and Seagate Skyhawk is that they have physical technologies built into these drives to support 24/7 use and recording. In fact, if you use a desktop grade hard drive, that drive is more likely to fail within few years because it may not have the vibration dampening tech built into it. Running a hard drive 24/7 do require specialized tech. Keep that in mind when purchasing your hard drives for your NVR or even NAS.
Placement of cameras
You need to look at your home building plan and consider the design and landscaping. To maximize the coverage with minimum number of cameras will increase security while keeping cost of the installation down. If you are too many cameras recording 24/7, that will result in need for increased storage space. Having fewer cameras also means you save money on camera cost and if they are PoE cameras, the wiring costs.
Blind spots due to home design and landscaping choices can create unique challenges. Trees and shrubs blocking important areas such as walkways, entryways, fences, etc. by house structures or foliage is a problem. You will either have to strategically place and point the cameras to overcome these obstetrical or you will have to eliminate the obstetrical in question. For example, you can trim or cut down shrubs blocking important entrance and exit ways.
You must also point cameras at areas where you would expect more human activities by design. Bad guys will have an excuse to be at areas where we typically expect public to gather. For example, if you have a bus stop in front of your house, you should point a camera towards it. If your local laws prohibits from pointing a camera at the bus stop, then you should point the camera as close to it as possible. If your house face a playground, I would point a camera at the playground area.
At the end of the day, use your judgment and commonsense when determining camera placement. But whatever you do, please do not break the law!
Infrastructure
Always go premium and always choose the latest stable technology and materials. In other words, in 2025 you should be using named brand Cat 6 Ethernet cable for your projects. While even Cat 5e is more than enough for most PoE applications such as cameras and doorbells, it is always better to go well above minimum requirements. When choosing cables, choose name brands like StarTech and solid were cables for in-wall cavity installations.
If you are in the process of building a new house, remodelling your house or renovating parts of your house, consider adding Cat 6 cables while you have access to structures that otherwise would be harder to reach. It is easier to add a Cat 6 cable instead or a regular doorbell wires when you have easy access to wall cavities. When replacing items like front door and frame, think about replacing your regular doorbell wires with Cat 6 cables.
It may be tempting to just pull the wires across walls and cavities during a major renovation. But whenever possible, think about future proofing your project even further. In my house, I have electrical conduits that connects my basement to the roof attic. I have several conduits inside a wall cavity. These are used for running Cat 6 cables for security cameras and doorbells. This allow me to pull wires out and replace with the latest technology standards (for example Cat 7) whenever I want to without having to drill holes or taking down walls. This is why planning is important. If you plan your infrastructure, not only you can use the latest technology, but you can also future proof it.
Type of cameras and advanced features
Do you want AI/ML based detection options built-into the camera or NVR? Do you want cloud backup options? How about remote access via an app, FTP, etc.? Night vision, field of view, resolution and video compression options are not the only features that you should focus on when purchasing security cameras and NVRs in 2025.
Ubiquiti UniFi Protect line of products and Reolink for example offer a lot of cutting-edge AI/ML based tech in their surveillance products. It is up to you to decide how much you want to spend on what technology.
Network and physical security
The security and confidentiality of your security cameras and recordings are as good as your network infrastructure security and the placement of the NVR or NAS. You need to make sure the network cabling are secure and harder for a bad guy to access it. The cameras should be mounted higher up making them harder to reach or when this is not possible, use secure screws to mount them. Have multiple cameras pointing to one area with different angles whenever possible.
When it comes to network security, isolate the security camera system (IPs of your cams, NVR, doorbells, etc.) from the rest of your network. Block the NVR from reaching the Internet except for software updates and to access specified remote apps. This will prevent hackers from getting access to your cameras. Always monitor unusual activities. I check all my network traffic logs end of each week. If I identify a threat, I take actions accordingly. My philosophy is, don’t ignore and don’t wait.