Top 5 Mistakes Businesses Make When Installing Security Cameras

Eliyon Brackeen
Jun 12
3 min read

Business owner trying to put in security camera.

Installing security cameras seems like a straightforward task—until you realize they’re not recording when you need them most, the footage is too blurry to use, or you’ve got blind spots in key areas. At DNA Security Services, we’ve seen firsthand how poorly planned installations can leave businesses exposed to risk.

Here are the top five mistakes companies make when installing their own surveillance systems—and how to avoid them.

1. Choosing the Wrong Camera for the Job

The Mistake: Many businesses select cameras based on price or brand name rather than function. A camera designed for indoor use gets installed outdoors. A wide-angle lens gets placed in a narrow hallway. Night vision gets overlooked entirely.

What Happens: Footage is useless when it’s too dark, too grainy, or aimed in the wrong direction. We’ve seen businesses try to identify a shoplifter using a 480p camera in a dim warehouse—without luck.

How to Avoid It: Work with professionals who know the difference between license plate recognition (LPR), pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ), and fixed-dome cameras—and when to use them. We evaluate your lighting, distance, and security goals to match each location with the right hardware.

2. Ignoring Camera Placement Strategy

The Mistake: Installing cameras where they’re easy to reach or simply where there’s power access—rather than where they’ll actually capture useful footage.

What Happens: We’ve seen security cameras blocked by door frames, pointed at walls, or too high to capture faces. Even worse: valuable footage gets missed at entrances, cash registers, or loading docks.

How to Avoid It: Start with a site assessment. Our team maps out high-traffic zones, choke points, and areas of vulnerability to ensure no blind spots. Camera placement should always follow a strategy—not convenience.

3. Skipping Professional Installation

The Mistake: Business owners attempt a DIY installation or hire general contractors who don’t specialize in security systems.

What Happens: Cables are exposed. Cameras aren’t weatherproofed. The system isn’t configured properly—resulting in missed recordings or constant false alerts.

Real Example: One local retailer came to us after their break-in footage was corrupted due to improper wiring during a DIY setup. Thousands in damages—zero usable evidence.

How to Avoid It: Choose licensed, experienced installers. At DNA Security Services, our technicians ensure every system is installed to code, with encrypted connections, surge protection, and reliable storage.

4. Forgetting About Storage and Retention

The Mistake: Underestimating how much footage your system needs to store—or not thinking about backups at all.

What Happens: Footage automatically deletes before it can be reviewed. Worse, businesses don’t find out until they need it most—after an incident.

How to Avoid It: We calculate your business’s retention needs (usually 30–90 days) and recommend on-site, hybrid, or cloud-based storage. Our systems also include automated health checks so you’re never caught off guard by a failed hard drive or full storage disk.

5. No Integration with Other Security Systems

The Mistake: Treating video surveillance as a standalone tool, rather than part of a larger security strategy.

What Happens: You have cameras, but no access control. Or video footage that doesn’t trigger alerts or integrate with alarms. When something goes wrong, there’s no automated response—just a video to review after the fact.

How to Avoid It: We help businesses design fully integrated systems that combine video monitoring, access control, and real-time alerts. With cloud dashboards, mobile access, and AI-assisted monitoring, we turn passive cameras into proactive tools.