Home security cameras can usually see up to 70 feet depending on their resolution, sensor, and lens focal size.
How far a home security camera can see is a multifaceted answer that’s determined by several factors.
Focal length, resolution, the quality of the camera, camera placement, night vision, and environment all play a role.
The thing about home security cameras is that they are not all created equally.
It’s almost always a case of getting exactly what you pay for.
That’s not to say you can’t get great deals on nice cameras, however, if you want to see far without sacrificing resolution, you need to understand what makes a good security camera and be willing to pay for it.
So let’s take a look at how cameras work, what determines their distance viewing capability, and how to find a happy medium with distance and field of view.
Table of Contents
What Determines How Far A Security Camera Can See?
Focal length and resolution are the main factors that determine how far a security camera can see.
Focal Length
Focal Length is often mistaken as a physical measurement of the lens.
If you could dissect a lens and break it down into a map of its parts, focal length would be defined as the distance between a camera’s sensor and the center of the lens (or optical center).
This distance is measured in millimeters and that’s why you’re always hearing things like, “it has a 50mm lens.”
That’s a description of the focal length of a lens.
The lower the lens, the wider the field of view.
The higher measurements are for narrower views with a sharper image.
Resolution
Resolution is the number of pixels crammed into an inch of screen space (PPI – Pixels Per Inch).
The higher the number of pixels, the better the image will be.
Mostly, the resolution is tied to high-definition television sets, but it applies to any imagery.
Camera placement is almost as important as its technological features.
Under an eave inhibits a top view, a tree in the foreground increases the problems of improper focus, next to a wall limits field of view, etc.
Night Vision is arguably more important than any other, with break-ins occurring above and beyond more often than in daylight.
Focal length is nothing without the night vision tech required to see.
A quality home security camera combines the best of these categories into a camera that can be depended upon to have an ideal range without sacrificing its field of view.
How Far Can Security Cameras See At Night?
Security cameras that have night vision capabilities can usually see from between 10 feet and 190 feet at night depending on the model of the camera and the technology it users.
There are two categories that security cameras come in:
- Consumer-grade home security cameras.
- Commercial-grade security cameras.
Consumer-grade home security cameras are cheaper and use LEDs that can only see up to about 40 feet, while commercial-grade security cameras use more advanced, smart infrared technology, that can see up to 190 feet.
Most night vision cameras use LED bulbs as a light source to project infrared light and illuminate the area where they are pointing.
Consumer security cameras don’t see as far and generally perform worse at night because their light sources are usually fixed and only designed to see a short distance ahead.
Because their lighting source is fixed, consumer home security cameras over-expose anything that appears close up in the camera’s view.
This over-exposure is not very good for nighttime surveillance as it causes images to lose detail and become washed out.
Commercial security cameras perform much better and are equipped with more powerful smart infrared (Smart IR) night vision technology that allows the camera to see further and adjust brightness on the fly to reveal much greater detail on close-up images.
Related Article: Do Blink Cameras Have To Be Plugged In? (All You Need To Know)
How Far Can A 1080p Home Security Camera See?
With a narrow field of view, a 1080p Home security camera may see up to a distance of about 70 feet.
However, if the field of view is wider, it may only allow you to see up to 35 feet.
Aside from focal length, camera quality, placement, and the environment in which the camera is located, the resolution is also a determining factor in how far a security camera will see.
For a long time, 1080p was the go-to standard for picture quality, but now, with higher resolutions like 1440p and 4K becoming more accessible, 1080p is now the recommended minimum resolution you should opt for.
1080p cameras are usually fine for monitoring locations like home entrances, driveways, and small businesses premises.
They provide 1920*1080 resolution images which will struggle to display the finer details of images from long distances.
Which Cameras Are Better For Distance, Varifocal Or Fixed?
Fixed lens cameras are exactly what they sound like, with no zoom-in capability, whereas zoom cameras can zoom in on a point.
Typically, and for obvious reasons, zoom lens cameras are better for distance viewing.
Fixed Lens
Fixed lens security cameras are great for having a wide field of view, while not sacrificing resolution.
Since there’s no zoom, there’s no loss of clarity.
These types of security cameras are often used as doorbell cameras and indoor cameras.
Doorbell cameras often only have a fixed lens with the only zoom capability taking place on your phone, which can cause a lot of distortion and pixel separation.
Varifocal Lens
Traditional varifocal lens cameras require a manual zoom—as in, using a screwdriver to adjust the focal length of the camera.
Home security cameras will often have motorized varifocal lenses, allowing you to zoom from an app.
Of course, home security cameras with a varifocal lens are more expensive.
But they give you the capability of long-distance viewing while designed to mitigate the loss of resolution.
If you need a camera that can view objects over a long distance, home security cameras that have a varifocal lens are going to be your best bet.
What Home Security Cameras Have The Farthest Views?
The Foscam is largely considered to have the farthest viewing range in the home security camera category.
Foscam cameras have a 1,000’ range while still retaining a 103º field of view.
Eufy and Arlo Cams don’t have optical zoom capabilities.
What they do have—this is most useful in 2k resolution models—is digital zoom, where the image is expanded, rather than the focal length of the camera.
With high-resolution cameras, digital zoom is beneficial because it helps you see farther without a heavy loss in resolution.
Home security cameras—like most technology—continue to evolve.
Foscam and high-resolution home security cameras, like Arlo or Eufy, that have digital zoom, will help you see farther than ever before.
You can’t go wrong as long as you understand the basics of a camera lens, how it works, and what you need it for.
