The same specific camera installation mistakes show up repeatedly across different businesses — not because CCTV is inherently difficult, but because these particular errors aren’t obvious until footage is actually needed and doesn’t deliver.

What you’ll learn

  • The specific, recurring mistakes worth checking for
  • Why each one isn’t obvious until footage is actually needed
  • How to catch these in your own installation

Backlighting ruining identification

A camera facing directly into a bright window or doorway during the day often silhouettes anyone passing through it, making identification impossible despite technically “covering” that spot. This is one of the most common and most preventable placement errors.

Mounting height applied uniformly, without purpose

Height and angle should be chosen based on what each specific camera needs to capture — facial identification at an entrance needs different positioning than general area monitoring. Applying the same height everywhere often means some cameras work well and others don’t, without anyone realising until footage is reviewed.

No consideration of night-time performance

A camera performing fine during the day can be nearly useless after dark without appropriate low-light capability — a gap only discovered when footage from an evening incident turns out to be unusable.

Cable routes driving placement, rather than actual risk

Cameras placed where cabling was most convenient, rather than where an actual assessment identified risk, tends to leave real gaps in coverage precisely where they’d matter most.

Recorder and storage treated as an afterthought

A carefully placed camera connected to under-specified storage still fails if footage gets overwritten before anyone needs it — storage sized to your actual retention needs matters as much as camera placement itself.

No testing after installation

Confirming each camera actually produces usable footage — not just a live image — before considering installation complete catches issues while they’re still easy to fix, rather than during an actual incident review.

Cameras that were never actually tested after installation

A camera that shows a live view on a monitor hasn’t necessarily been confirmed to be recording correctly, storing footage as expected, or retrievable when actually needed. A brief test — deliberately reviewing recorded footage from each camera shortly after installation — catches configuration issues while they’re still easy to fix.

Checking your own cameras against this list

Walking your site and asking, for each camera, “would this footage actually be usable if I needed it right now” is a quick, practical way to catch most of these issues without needing a formal review. Where the answer is uncertain for more than one camera, that’s a reasonable basis for a proper walkthrough with whoever manages your system.