Choosing the right CCTV system for your home

Why every Australian home needs CCTV

Australia's residential burglary rate sits at around 2% of households per year — roughly one break-in every two minutes nationally. A visible CCTV system is one of the most effective deterrents, and modern IP cameras make it straightforward to set up a reliable, high-resolution system without professional wiring.

In this guide, we walk through the key decisions: camera type, resolution, night vision technology, recorder selection, and storage sizing — everything you need to spec a system that fits your property and budget.

Camera types explained

There are three main form factors for home CCTV cameras, each with trade-offs:

• Turret cameras— compact dome-like housing, vandal-resistant, wide field of view. Best for eaves-mounted positions.
• Bullet cameras— elongated housing with longer IR range. Best for perimeter coverage and driveways.
• PTZ cameras— pan-tilt-zoom with motorised lens. Best for large properties that need active monitoring.

For most Australian homes, a mix of turret cameras for close-range coverage and one bullet camera for the driveway gives the best balance of coverage and cost.