It's the first question almost everyone asks us, and the honest answer is: fewer than a salesperson will tell you, and more than a DIY two-pack will give you. The right number isn't about filling a package — it's about covering the spots that actually matter. Here's the simple method we use when we walk a property.
Start with entry points, not rooms
Burglars don't teleport. They come in through doors, windows, and gates. So we start by counting every way in: the front door, back door, garage, side gate, and any ground-floor window that's easy to reach. Each main entry point deserves a camera that clearly captures a face and what someone's carrying.
Add the approaches
Next, think about the paths to those entries — the driveway, the walkway, the alley behind a business. A camera here gives you warning and a wider story: the vehicle, the direction, the timing. For a typical Garden City home, that's often one camera on the driveway and one covering the backyard approach.
Cover the high-value spots
For a home, that might be the garage where the tools and bikes live. For a business, it's the register, the stockroom, the loading dock, and anywhere cash or inventory changes hands. These cameras protect against the quieter losses — the ones that don't involve a broken window.
A rough starting point
Most homes land between 4 and 8 cameras: entries, driveway, backyard, garage. Small businesses usually start around 6 to 12, depending on square footage and how many doors and tills you're covering. A warehouse or multi-building site is its own conversation — that's where a proper walk-through pays off.
Why placement beats quantity
Ten cameras pointed at the wrong angles are worth less than four placed well. Mounting height, lens angle, and lighting matter more than the sticker on the box. A camera that's too high only films the tops of heads; one staring into the afternoon sun gives you a silhouette. This is the part where experience saves you money — we'd rather install four cameras that do the job than sell you eight that don't.
Want a straight answer for your specific property? We'll walk it with you and map out exactly what goes where — with a clear, itemized quote before we leave.