, take 30 minutes to properly map your property's vulnerable areas. Grab a piece of paper and sketch your home's layout, marking:
throughout your property. Queensland homes, with their hardwood construction and metal roofing, create natural WiFi blockers that can leave cameras disconnected.
- This is high enough to prevent tampering but low enough to capture clear facial details. For Queenslander homes with elevated entrances, mount cameras slightly lower to compensate for the raised approach.
- Each camera should capture part of another camera's view. This eliminates blind spots and provides backup if one camera fails during our summer storms.
- In Chapel Hill and similar suburbs, ground-level windows and under-house areas are preferred entry points for intruders. Don't forget these often-overlooked areas.
- While visible cameras deter opportunistic thieves, completely exposed cameras can be tampered with. Position them where they're visible but not easily accessible without a ladder.
- In Queenslander homes, avoid placing it near the kitchen (appliances cause interference) or external walls.
nodes strategically - Particularly useful for pool areas or garden sheds that are common in Brisbane properties.
- Sometimes a hybrid system with wired connections to key locations provides better reliability, especially during storm season.
- Use unique, complex passwords (minimum 12 characters) for your camera system accounts.
- This prevents access even if passwords are compromised.
- Most modern routers allow you to create a "guest" network that keeps your cameras isolated from your main home network.
- Set a quarterly reminder to check for and install system updates, ideally before storm season begins.
- For example, any motion detection between 9AM-3PM when the house should be empty.
- Focus on entry points and ignore areas with regular movement (like a tree that moves in the wind).
- Minor movements might just log in the system, while a person approaching a door sends an immediate phone alert.
For outdoor cameras in Southeast Queensland, look for:
- Avoid our summer heat or storm season for outdoor work
- Standard screws will rust quickly in Brisbane's humidity
- Queenslander weatherboards aren't always sturdy enough for camera mounts
- Use silicone sealant around wire entry points to prevent water ingress
- Older Queenslanders shift and settle; allow some flexibility in your mounting
systems.
