How many CCTV cameras do you actually need?

Security · 3 February 2026 · 5 min read

Camera packages are sold in fours because that is how recorders are priced, not because four is the right number for your building.

Start with the question, not the count

What do you need to see? Faces at the entrance, activity at the cash counter, vehicle numbers at the gate, or general movement? Each answer needs a different camera, a different position and a different lens.

A camera that gives general coverage will not identify a face. A camera that identifies faces covers a narrow area. Trying to do both with one camera gives you neither.

The usual answer

For a home, the gate and the main door cover most of what people actually want. For a shop, entry, counter and storeroom. For an office, entry, server or cash area, and general floor coverage.

Storage is where most systems fail

A recorder sized for seven days when you needed thirty will quietly overwrite the footage you eventually need. Decide the retention period first, then size the drive.

Night is the real test

Most footage that turns out to be useless was recorded at night. Ask to see night footage from the exact camera model being quoted, not a brochure image.

Before you sign

Ask where each camera will point and what it will be able to identify at that distance. An installer who cannot answer that has not surveyed your site.

Questions people actually ask

Is a four-camera package enough for a shop?

For most single-room shops, three to four covers entry, counter and storeroom. A larger showroom or one with multiple entrances needs a survey rather than a package.

Do I need cameras that read number plates?

Only if that is a real requirement, because those cameras cost considerably more and need specific placement and lighting. A general-purpose camera pointed at a gate will not reliably read plates.