FIELD NOTE / SITE SURVEY
CCTV Site Survey Checklist: What to Observe Before Installation
A CCTV site survey checklist should capture scene purpose, distance, movement, light, mounting, cable and PoE paths, storage, privacy, safety, maintenance, and acceptance evidence before a quote becomes a design.
Updated 2026-09-01 · Field notes
- PURPOSE
- A site survey is an observation record, not a promise that a package will fit. Walk the property during representative operating conditions and record entrances, transactions, inventory, loading, staff boundaries, exterior approaches, lighting, weather, reflective surfaces, obstructions, network routes, power, safe access, and future layout changes.
- CONDITIONS
- For CCTV site survey checklist, write the scene purpose, target, distance, movement, lighting, obstruction, access boundary, and evidence limit before selecting a camera or changing a configuration. The same label can describe very different operating conditions. For each proposed camera group, write the purpose, target, distance, direction, height, angle, lens assumption, light condition, obstruction, privacy boundary, recording requirement, network and PoE route, storage input, user role, and acceptance test. Mark facts observed on site separately from assumptions supplied by a vendor or customer.
- LIMITS
- This is a planning or editorial guide. It does not replace a site survey, current official source, legal review, or vendor acceptance test.
Observe the site before drawing the camera count
A site survey is an observation record, not a promise that a package will fit. Walk the property during representative operating conditions and record entrances, transactions, inventory, loading, staff boundaries, exterior approaches, lighting, weather, reflective surfaces, obstructions, network routes, power, safe access, and future layout changes.
For CCTV site survey checklist, write the scene purpose, target, distance, movement, lighting, obstruction, access boundary, and evidence limit before selecting a camera or changing a configuration. The same label can describe very different operating conditions.
Turn observations into scene briefs
For each proposed camera group, write the purpose, target, distance, direction, height, angle, lens assumption, light condition, obstruction, privacy boundary, recording requirement, network and PoE route, storage input, user role, and acceptance test. Mark facts observed on site separately from assumptions supplied by a vendor or customer.
Keep the camera role connected to the network, power, recording, time, privacy, and maintenance path. A useful design explains what is intentionally included, what is masked or excluded, who owns the decision, and what failure would be visible to an operator.
Preserve the unknowns and return for a test
Use the survey to identify where a proof-of-concept, night visit, cable test, safety review, privacy review, or owner decision is needed. At acceptance, compare the installed scene with the survey, record changes caused by shelves, doors, lights, or network paths, and close each unknown with evidence or a named owner.
Record the observed condition, date, device or configuration reference, reviewer, unresolved limitation, and next action. A repeatable acceptance record is more useful than a generic promise that a camera, recorder, service, or analytic will work in every scene.
FIELD CHECKLIST
Record the result, not only the intention
- Record operating hours, entry, transaction, stock, loading, staff, exterior, and neighboring boundaries.
- Observe distance, movement, height, angle, light, reflection, weather, obstruction, and future changes.
- Map mounting, cable, PoE, uplink, recorder or cloud, power, time, service, and safe-access assumptions.
- Separate observed facts, customer requirements, vendor assumptions, and unresolved questions.
- Define proof-of-concept, privacy, safety, night, network, and acceptance follow-up owners.
Sources to verify
- IEC 62676-1-1 official publication record
Use the official publication scope when converting video-surveillance requirements into project-specific tests.
- NIST Privacy Framework
A voluntary reference for identifying and managing privacy risk across the video-system lifecycle.
- CISA network segmentation guidance
A practical reference for layering controls and limiting unnecessary paths between system zones.
FAQ / LONG-TAIL QUESTIONS
Frequently asked questions
What should a CCTV site survey include?
Include scene purpose, target, distance, direction, light, movement, obstructions, mounting, cable and network paths, PoE, recorder or cloud, storage, power, privacy, safety, maintenance, future changes, and acceptance evidence.
Why is a site survey important before buying cameras?
It exposes conditions that a product list cannot: backlight, distance, moving targets, cable and power constraints, storage assumptions, privacy boundaries, safe access, and layout changes. Those conditions determine whether a proposed system can be accepted.
Can a CCTV site survey be done from a floor plan?
A floor plan helps, but it cannot show all light, reflection, obstruction, movement, weather, access, or network conditions. Use the plan with an on-site observation and document what was not observed.