How Many Security Cameras Do I Need for My Home?

Most Toowoomba homes need between 4 and 8 cameras for solid coverage. The number depends on your property size, how many entry points you have, and whether you want full perimeter coverage or just the high-risk spots covered.

These figures are installed prices — cameras, NVR/recorder, cabling, and labour included. If you're in an older Queenslander in East Toowoomba or Rangeville, expect the upper end of those ranges due to timber framing and higher mounting points on verandahs.

Front of Property

You need at least two cameras here — one wide-angle overview covering the street, driveway, and approach, and one tighter shot aimed at the front door. A single wide-angle rarely captures enough detail to identify faces. The front door camera should be positioned to capture faces at 2–3 metres distance, not pointing down at the top of someone's head.

Rear of Property

One camera covering the back door and one covering the yard is the standard setup. If you have a pool or a large yard — common in Highfields and Westbrook acreage lots — you may need two cameras to eliminate blind spots. Toowoomba's storm season runs October to March; rear-facing cameras cop a lot of weather, so IP66-rated housings are non-negotiable here.

Side Passages

One camera per side passage. These are often overlooked, but a 2-metre-wide side passage between homes is exactly where an intruder moves to reach your back door unseen. A single bullet camera mounted high on the eave handles this well.

Garage and Driveway

If your driveway is long (common on acreage properties around Westbrook and Cambooya), consider one camera at the property boundary and one at the garage. For standard suburban homes, one camera covering both the driveway and garage entry is usually sufficient.

Interior Cameras

Interior cameras are optional for most homeowners. If you want them, prioritise the main living area and any internal access points — like a garage-to-house door. You do not need cameras in bedrooms or bathrooms; under Section 227A of the Criminal Code Act 1899 (QLD), recording in private spaces without consent is a criminal offence regardless of whether it's your own property.

• Buying too few cameras then trying to stretch coverage — one camera pointed at a wide area loses detail fast. Two cameras with appropriate focal lengths cover the same area better and give you useful footage.
• Ignoring side passages — this is the most common gap we see on completed DIY installs.
• Putting all cameras at the front — statistically, rear and side entries are used more frequently in break-ins because they're less visible from the street.
• Choosing camera count based on kit box contents — a boxed 8-camera kit from Bunnings doesn't mean you need 8 cameras. It means you have 8 cameras to deploy sensibly or waste on overlapping coverage.
• Not accounting for night vision range — a camera rated for 20-metre IR range won't cover a 30-metre driveway at night. Match the camera specs to the distance you're trying to cover.
• Skipping surge protection — Toowoomba sits on the Great Dividing Range and is a lightning hotspot. Over 205,000 lightning strikes were recorded in a single SE QLD storm event. A surge protector on your NVR is not optional here — it's cheap insurance against losing your entire system.
• Forgetting about the recorder location — your NVR or DVR needs to be in a secure, lockable location. A recorder stored in an unlocked garage is a liability if someone grabs it during a break-in.