Start with entrances, not rooms
Most incidents start at a point of entry. Put the first cameras on the main gate, the front door, the back door and any side gate or window that can be reached from outside. A camera at the gate should see faces and number plates, so it is mounted at head height or a little above, not on the roof.
Then cover what you need to protect
In a shop this means the till and the stock area. In a home it means the parking, the store room and the yard. In an office it is reception, the server or records room and the corridor to it.
Wide view or detail: you usually need both
A wide-angle camera shows what happened across a yard, but faces will be small. A narrower lens or a varifocal camera at a doorway shows who it was. Good layouts pair one wide camera for the area with one detail camera at the choke point people must pass through.
Plan the recorder for growth
Recorders come in 4, 8, 16 and 32 channels. If you need 6 cameras today, an 8-channel NVR or DVR leaves room to add two more later without replacing it.
Frequently asked questions
How many CCTV cameras does a house in Dodoma need?
Most houses need 4 to 8: the gate, front and back doors, parking, and each side of the compound. Larger compounds or houses with several gates need more.
Is one 360-degree camera enough?
Rarely. A fisheye camera gives an overview of one room or yard but does not show faces clearly at a distance, so it works best alongside cameras at the entrances.