Security Camera System for an Apartment Building
Tenants judge a building by how safe the lobby, mailroom and garage feel. A good system covers every shared space with cameras, lets visitors buzz the right apartment, and lets residents open doors with a card or phone.
Where the cameras go
| Spot | Cameras | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Lobby and main entrance | 2 | Faces of everyone coming in, and anyone following a resident through the door. |
| Mailroom and package area | 1 | The number one complaint in most buildings is stolen packages. |
| Hallways | 1 per floor | Shared hallways and elevator landings, never pointing into an apartment. |
| Garage or parking | 2 panoramic | Car break-ins and damage claims. |
| Back door and trash room | 2 | Side entrances that are often propped open. |
| Laundry room | 1 | Shared equipment and late-night safety. |
Example camera system: 12 cameras
A four-floor building with one lobby, a mailroom, a garage, a back door, a trash room and a laundry room. Prices load live from silarius.com.
| Camera hardware total | … |
Intercom and door access are priced separately in the Building Planner. Cable, mounts and installation are extra.
Plan the whole building. Enter floors, apartments and doors, and the Building Planner prices cameras, intercom and door access together. Free.
Plan my buildingIntercom and door access
A video intercom at the main door lets visitors call any apartment, and residents see who is there before they open. Card or phone access on the main door, garage and side doors means no more copied keys: a lost card is turned off in seconds. The Building Planner compares several intercom and access brands for your number of apartments and doors.
Worth adding
- Off-site copy: Silarius Cloud from $6.99 per camera per month, so management can see and download video from anywhere.
- Live monitoring: Silarius Live Monitoring for the garage and entrances at night.
Questions
Where can cameras go in an apartment building?
In shared spaces: entrances, lobby, mailroom, hallways, elevators, laundry, garage and parking. Never point a camera into an apartment, and check your state’s rules on recording sound.
How many cameras does an apartment building need?
Plan about 6 for the shared ground-floor spaces, plus one per hallway on each floor and two for the garage. A four-floor building usually needs 10 to 14.