How High Should A Video Doorbell Be Mounted For The Best Motion Detection?

Many homeowners love video doorbells because they're an affordable security measure that's easy to install and allows you to capture the face of any shady individual brave enough to visit your front door. After all, seeing a Ring camera right there will make most thieves think twice about targeting you, so installing one is a no-brainer. However, even though installation is simple, you might struggle to find the right height. 

How high should you mount a video doorbell for the best motion detection? Grab a tape measure (or another measuring tool) and install the video doorbell 48 inches (1.2 meters) off the ground. According to almost all manufacturers, including Ring and Eufy, this height gives you the best coverage, captures faces clearly, and triggers motion detection the moment someone starts approaching your door.

Ring doorbells (and others) generally have a wide field of view around 180 degrees, so that exact height is the sweet spot. Mounting it higher or lower will lead to poor motion detection and increase the chances of capturing motion events that aren't that important for security. Considering that video doorbells may leave some blind spots even when positioned perfectly, you don't want to add to that problem.

Apart from nailing the height, it's also wise to consider where not to put a Ring doorbell. For starters, don't point it at objects that frequently move to avoid triggering false motion events. If you've got a flag on your porch, the moment it gets windy, your Ring or Eufy doorbell will bombard you with alarms. The same goes for swaying trees or even something as innocent as bright lights. These can all trigger motion detection, which drains the battery faster and fills your local storage before you can say "ring."

Of course, some positioning practices might seem like a no-brainer. For instance, you should make sure that the doorbell cam is positioned within 11 inches of the door frame, though that's generally where most people position a regular doorbell. A much bigger challenge for these devices is anything that's a bit unorthodox, so to speak. If the path to your door has stairs, the elevation changes, or you have angled siding, you need to angle the doorbell properly. Fortunately, most manufacturers offer bracket mounts or, in the case of Ring, an official Wedge kit to fine-tune the vertical angle. There are plenty of options. Heck, you can even mount a doorbell camera sideways, although that doesn't offer many benefits.

Other than that, make sure the Wi-Fi connection is good, and rock on. If you're still worried about blind spots, Wi-Fi security cams are rather affordable these days. Using different devices pointing at all areas of your property is an easy way to build a tried-and-true security perimeter – one that most sneaky people will think twice about breaching.