How to determine the installation height and angle of surveillance cameras
The installation height directly determines whether the human face can be seen clearly and whether it is easily damaged. Recommended heights, depression angles and avoidance matters for different scenarios are given.
Recommended height
| Scene | Recommended height | Instructions |
|---|---|---|
| Indoor corridor/office area | 2.5～3.2 meters | Ceiling or wall mounting, covering and preventing damage |
| Lobby/Atrium | 3～6 meters | Need to adjust the focal length to avoid excessive depression angle |
| Outdoor parks/roads | 3.5～6 meters | Below 3.5 meters are easy to be vandalized |
| Entrance/License Plate Recognition | 1.2~1.8 meters (for license plates only) | Special camera close to the lane to reduce the depression angle |
| Perimeter fence | 3 to 4 meters | Maintain an appropriate angle with the warning direction |
| Parking lot | 2.8～4 meters | Be careful to avoid air ducts and fire ducts |
Depression angle principle
- See the face clearly: The angle between the camera and the target face is recommended to be ≤ 30°. When it exceeds 45°, the proportion of the forehead and eyes will be too large. Hats and bangs will block the image, and the recognition rate will drop significantly.
- Read the license plate clearly: It is recommended that the depression angle be ≤ 25° and the horizontal angle be ≤ 30°, otherwise the license plate characters will be seriously deformed.
- Large scene monitoring: The depression angle can be appropriately increased, but the resolution needs to be increased simultaneously or additional points added.
Situations to avoid
- Facing a strong light source (windows, street lights, car lights): it will cause overall darkness and halo, so you should move it sideways or turn on wide dynamic range.
- The lens is too close to the glass: infrared will be reflected on the glass to form a white screen.
- Installed near tree branches, billboards, and flags: wind and vibration will continuously trigger motion detection.
- Facing the outdoor unit and exhaust outlet of the air conditioner: temperature and vibration will affect the life of the equipment and image stability.
- Long-term direct sunlight: accelerates the aging of the casing and seals. It is recommended to install a sunshade.
Pre-installation checklist
- Confirm the surveillance target and the details that need to be identified (face/license plate/behavior).
- Confirm the load-bearing and wiring paths of the installation surface.
- Confirm the power supply method (PoE / centralized power supply / solar power) and distance.
- Confirm the location of the network access point and switch port.
- After installation, review the screen angles one by one and save the spot photos for archiving.
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