Start with what each camera must show
Before anyone talks about camera numbers, write down what each camera is for. There are two different jobs. A camera that identifies people needs to be close to a doorway or gate, at a height and angle that shows faces. A camera that shows what happened covers a wider area, such as a compound or a shop floor, and won't show faces in useful detail. One camera rarely does both well.
That distinction drives everything else. Entries usually need identification. Stock areas and yards usually need an overview. Tills need a view of the counter without showing PIN pads. Once each point on the site plan has a purpose, the count, the positions and the cabling follow from it. Our CCTV camera hire page describes the equipment itself.
How many security cameras do I need? A counting method
There's no reliable cameras-per-square-metre figure, so count the points instead. Work through the site plan in this order.
List every entry and exit
Doors, gates, loading docks and vehicle access. Each one that matters gets a camera aimed at the approach, at a height that shows faces.
Add stock and equipment areas
Store rooms, compounds, cages and anywhere valuable gear sits overnight. These usually need an overview camera each.
Add cash and payment points
Tills, bars, ticket booths and registration desks, framed on the counter and the people at it, angled away from PIN pads.
Cover the network and recorder
The router, switch and recorder keep every other camera working, so they need a view of their own or a position another camera already covers.
Link the views
Add wider cameras along aisles, fence lines or walkways where you need to follow someone from one point to the next.
Walk the site with the plan
Check each position for mounting, a cable route, light at night and anything blocking the view. The site always adjusts the count.
Worked examples: camera counts for temporary sites
Each count below comes from listing the points that site needs to see. They show the method at work; they aren't standard packages.
| Site | Points to cover | Cameras |
|---|---|---|
| Pop-up store with one entrance, two tills and a stock room | Entrance 1, tills 2, stock room 1, wide view of the floor 1 | 5 |
| Construction site with one vehicle gate, a materials compound and a site office | Gate 2 (vehicles and people), compound 1–2, office door 1 | 4–5 |
| Event back-of-house during bump-in and overnight | Loading dock 1, equipment store 1, bar store 1, staff entry 1 | 4 |
| Short-term storage lease | Roller doors 2, pedestrian door 1, racking aisles 2, yard 1 | 6 |
| Display suite outside opening hours | Entry 1, display area 1, car park approach 1 | 3 |
Network and recording equipment is usually covered by a camera already counted, such as the office or stock room view. A site walk confirms positions, lighting and sight lines.
Where to place temporary security cameras
The right position matters as much as the right count. These placement rules apply to most temporary sites.
High enough, but not too high
Out of easy reach so cameras can't be knocked or turned, but low enough that the angle shows faces rather than the tops of heads.
Light behind the camera, not the subject
A camera facing a bright doorway, the afternoon sun or a floodlight turns people into silhouettes. Aim with the light, or move the camera.
Plan for after dark
A view that works at noon may be in deep shadow at night. Check positions against the hours the site is unattended and the lighting it will have.
Overlap the views
Neighbouring cameras should share a little of the same area, so a person can be followed from one view into the next without a gap.
Mount without damage
Poles, fences, trusses and clamps suit temporary sites. Check the venue's or landlord's rules on fixings before planning a position on a wall.
Keep away from private areas
Toilets, change rooms and neighbouring private spaces stay out of view. Mark any no-camera zones on the plan.
Think about the cable route
Every camera needs a cable path back to a switch. Network cable runs have a maximum length, so distant cameras may need a switch placed closer to them.
Power over Ethernet, recording and storage
Temporary cameras run on power over Ethernet: one network cable from a PoE switch carries both the video and the power. That's what lets cameras go on poles, fences and trusses with no power point nearby. The switch itself needs mains power in a dry, secure spot, and its PoE ports are reserved for cameras when it's chosen. PoE switch hire explains that equipment.
Footage records to equipment on-site, kept somewhere locked, such as a site office or a back-of-house room, not out at the gate it's watching. Recording carries on whether or not the internet is working. Decide how long footage needs to be kept before installation, because that sets how much storage is needed. Continuous recording fills storage faster than recording only when there's movement, so the two choices are made together.
Temporary security cameras on their own network
Cameras send video constantly, and on a shared network they're visible to anyone who joins it. A separate VLAN keeps a guest or contractor on the WiFi from finding, viewing or reaching a camera or the recorder, and keeps camera traffic out of everyone else's way. Default camera and recorder passwords are changed before installation, like every other piece of network equipment; our event WiFi security guide covers the rest.
Viewing cameras from off-site uses upload on the internet connection, which matters on a 4G/5G link. Who can view, and from where, is agreed in the plan. Cameras and WiFi are simplest when they go in together, which is how our network and CCTV packages work, and the construction site internet and CCTV guide covers sites that run for months.
Temporary CCTV planning checklist
Have answers to these before cameras are ordered. Most of them only you can decide.
- A site plan marked with entries, stock, tills and storage
- The purpose of each camera: identify people, or show what happened
- Hours the site is unattended, and the lighting during them
- Mounting points, and the venue's or landlord's rules on fixings
- A secure, powered location for the switch and recorder
- How long footage must be kept
- Who can view cameras, and whether that includes viewing off-site
- Enough upload for any off-site viewing
- Signage and privacy requirements checked for your state and site
- Private areas and no-camera zones marked on the plan
- The date cameras come down, and which recordings are kept
- Who to contact if a camera stops working, at the support level agreed in your plan
Questions people ask
How many security cameras do I need for a temporary site?
Count the points you need to see rather than using an area formula: each entry and exit, each stock or equipment area, each till or cash point, and the network equipment, then add wider views to link them. A pop-up store with one entrance, two tills and a stock room might need about five cameras. A site walk confirms the count.
Where should temporary security cameras be placed?
Place temporary security cameras at entries and exits, over stock and equipment areas, and at tills or cash points, angled away from PIN pads. Mount them out of reach but low enough to show faces, avoid pointing them into bright light, overlap neighbouring views and keep them away from private areas such as toilets and change rooms.
Do temporary CCTV cameras need internet?
No. Temporary CCTV cameras record to equipment on-site, so they keep recording whether or not there's an internet connection. Internet is only needed to view cameras from off-site, and that uses upload. If remote viewing matters, the connection is sized for it, especially on a 4G/5G router where upload is limited.
Do I need signs for temporary CCTV?
Signage and privacy obligations apply to CCTV, including temporary cameras, and the requirements differ between states and types of site, such as workplaces and public spaces. Check what applies to your state and site before the cameras go up. EventWiFi plans camera positions and no-camera zones with you but doesn't give legal advice.
How long should temporary CCTV footage be kept?
How long temporary CCTV footage is kept depends on what the site needs it for and any requirements that apply to you. Decide before installation, because the retention period, together with whether cameras record continuously or on movement, sets how much storage the recorder needs. Agree which recordings to export before the cameras come down.
Does temporary CCTV include someone watching the cameras?
No. Temporary CCTV installation from EventWiFi covers planning, cameras, recording equipment and the network they run on, with viewing access set up as agreed in your plan. Watching the footage and responding to what it shows stays with your team or your own security arrangements. We don't watch cameras or supply guards.
