Camera surveillance is a term that most people are familiar with, though not always comfortable with. Most of all, we think of shopping malls, gas stations, federal buildings, banks and post offices when it comes to video surveillance, and a guy in a uniform watching everything that happens in camera range.

However, camera surveillance has become something that belongs even to the private home, and more and more people are installing at least one camera on their property. It’s not necessarily expensive, and it’s not necessarily difficult or expensive to install; mostly you can do it all yourself. The recommended configuration of the surveillance camera is such that it covers your entrances and exits. That means every door in the “shell” of the house and every window that can be accessed from the ground and can be opened. The reasoning behind this, of course, is that to cut costs and avoid the feeling that someone is looking over your shoulder all the time (even if it’s just your own camera), you should limit the number of cameras to around four.

Front door, back door and one on each opposite corner of the house. Remember that one camera can cover two sides of the house from one corner. So what do I do and how? The best place today to buy camera equipment and monitors is online. That’s where you’ll get the gear at the best prices, and that’s where you’ll avoid all the annoying salesmen (and women) you’d find at a security company or specialty store.

If you are just starting out, we recommend that you go to SnallaBolaget.com and click on “Store” on the right hand side. We have chosen a good selection to start a safer lifestyle. You should be able to get a four-camera setup with a monitor included for under three hundred bucks, which also means you don’t have to pay anyone to come set it up for you. A professional installation would normally cost you over a thousand dollars.

Plan your setup. Walk around your house a few times, making sure you know what angle you’d like your camera to cover and what entrances. Draw it on a sheet of paper, preferably. Then get to screwing those screws! It is not more difficult than that. If you feel comfortable with it, put all the cables inside the walls; they will be safer there. Go for a wireless transmission setup if you have little wired experience, that will save you a ton of hours and won’t cost much more either. Place your monitor(s) in a safe, yet easily accessible location: a kitchen cabinet, or just inside your front door, hidden from direct view.

Then it’s over, and the next time someone rings the doorbell, or thinks they saw someone outside under a window, you’ll know who they are before they can say “breaker bar.”