Cameras for the whole lot, not just the front door.
Your house has several entry points, a back yard, a garage and probably a basement, and each one is a way in if nobody is watching. We install wired PoE camera systems with NVR recording and remote viewing, so you can check every angle, live or on playback, from anywhere. No wireless dead spots and no cloud subscription fees.
A doorbell covers one door. A house has five or six ways in. We plan for all of them.
NYC houses come with their own security challenges.
A detached or semi-detached house in Brooklyn, Queens or Staten Island is not an apartment. It has a perimeter, a rear yard, side alleys and sometimes a detached garage. This is what drives every placement decision.
Front door and stoop
The front entry is the highest-priority camera position. We angle coverage for face-level detail at the stoop, including the porch pirate who comes by before you get home. Weatherproof housings handle NYC winters, and vandal-resistant models handle the rest.
Rear yard and back door
Rear yards in NYC are often reached through unfenced alleys or shared driveways, and most homes leave them unwatched. We cover the back door, the yard perimeter and any basement bulkhead with wide-angle or PTZ cameras on the same NVR as the rest of the system.
Detached garage and driveway
Off-street parking is rare and valuable in this city, and it needs its own camera. We run Cat6 from the NVR in the house to the garage, covering the driveway apron and the interior if you store anything worth protecting. No wireless extenders and no signal drop.
Side passages and alleys
Narrow passages between houses are blind spots burglars use. One well-placed bullet camera at soffit height covers the full length of a typical side yard, with cable routed through the soffit or an interior wall to keep it clean and out of the weather.
Older construction and finished basements
Pre-war and mid-century houses in Queens and Brooklyn have plaster walls, older framing and finished basements that make cable routing difficult. We fish Cat6 through tight cavities and around fire blocking, and plan routes to keep wall openings to a minimum.
Remote viewing and mobile access
The NVR supports live and recorded viewing on iOS and Android, at work in Midtown or traveling. Footage is stored locally on the NVR, with no monthly cloud fee and no third-party server holding your video.
Start with four cameras. Leave room for eight.
Add cameras and watch what happens to a 4-channel and an 8-channel recorder.
Room for 4 more, then the recorder is full.
Room for 3 more, then the recorder is full.
Room for 2 more, then the recorder is full.
Room for 1 more, then the recorder is full.
Every port is taken. The next camera means a new recorder.
1 camera has nowhere to plug in. Adding them means replacing the recorder.
2 cameras have nowhere to plug in. Adding them means replacing the recorder.
3 cameras have nowhere to plug in. Adding them means replacing the recorder.
4 cameras have nowhere to plug in. Adding them means replacing the recorder.
Room for 8 more on the same recorder. New cameras are a cable run and a port.
Room for 7 more on the same recorder. New cameras are a cable run and a port.
Room for 6 more on the same recorder. New cameras are a cable run and a port.
Room for 5 more on the same recorder. New cameras are a cable run and a port.
Room for 4 more on the same recorder. New cameras are a cable run and a port.
Room for 3 more on the same recorder. New cameras are a cable run and a port.
Room for 2 more on the same recorder. New cameras are a cable run and a port.
Room for 1 more on the same recorder. New cameras are a cable run and a port.
Every port in use. A 16-channel recorder is the next size up.
Most houses start with 4 cameras: front door, rear door, a side passage and the driveway. Garage coverage or a camera over the basement entrance often comes a year later. Sizing the recorder up front means that camera is a cable run and a port, not a new recorder.
What we install in single-family houses.
Commercial-grade hardware chosen for reliability and longevity: it handles NYC weather, gives true 1080p or 4K and runs as one system.
Wired PoE IP cameras
Cat6 · PoEPower and data over one Cat6 run. No separate outlets at each camera, no wireless interference and no batteries to replace. Standard on every system we install.
NVR with local storage
2 to 4 weeksA network video recorder in a secure interior spot: utility room, basement or closet. Typically set up for 2 to 4 weeks of continuous recording, depending on drive size and camera count.
Turret and bullet cameras
Soffit · eave · long rangeTurrets for soffit and eave mounting, bullets for long-range coverage of driveways and alleys. The right form factor for each position on your house.
4K and 1080p resolution options
4MP · 4K · 1080p4K delivers plate and face detail at distance. For most houses, 4MP or 4K at the key entries with 1080p on secondary positions balances storage and image quality.
Night vision and color night vision
IR · colorStandard IR covers most yards. Color night vision, using streetlight or built-in warm LEDs, records clothing and vehicle colors in low light, worth the upgrade at the main entries.
Mobile app and remote access setup
iOS · AndroidWe set up remote access through the manufacturer's app before we leave, with a walkthrough on live view, playback and clip export. No black box handed over without an explanation.
Our installation process.
From the first call to the final walkthrough, here is what to expect.
On-site assessment
We walk the property, front, sides, rear, garage and basement entrance, and find every coverage gap. We note cable paths, NVR locations and structural challenges like finished ceilings, brick exteriors and fire blocking before we quote.
System design and proposal
A written proposal with camera models, positions, NVR specs, the cable routing plan and total cost. No vague line items: you know what is being installed and where every wire runs before you sign.
Clean installation
Our technicians run Cat6, mount cameras, install the NVR and clean up after themselves. We treat your house as if it were our own, with no shortcuts when fishing cable through finished spaces.
Walkthrough and handoff
Before we pack up, we show you live view on every camera and how to pull up recorded footage, and confirm remote access works on your phone. Camera positions and NVR logins are documented, and you have a point of contact for follow-up.
Security cameras for NYC single-family houses, answered.
RFI log · requests for information
RFI-SF1How many cameras does a typical NYC single-family house need?
Most single-family houses in NYC run 4 to 8 cameras. A standard layout covers the front door, the rear door, one or two side passages, and the driveway or garage if you have one. Larger lots, corner properties and houses with outbuildings push toward 8 or more. We do not pad camera counts: each camera goes where it produces useful footage.
RFI-SF2Why wired PoE instead of wireless cameras?
Wireless cameras depend on your Wi-Fi reaching the camera at full strength, and that signal can be disrupted, jammed or simply drop when the router reboots. Wired PoE cameras get power and data over the same Cat6 cable: no interference, no dead spots around brick or masonry, no batteries. For a permanent installation on a property you own, wired is the right choice.
RFI-SF3Do I need a permit to install security cameras on my house in NYC?
No. Camera cabling is low-voltage work and does not need a DOB electrical permit. In a landmarked building or historic district, exterior camera mounts and conduit may still need Landmarks Preservation Commission approval. Seneca Security is licensed and insured.
RFI-SF4Can you run cable through my finished basement without tearing up the ceiling?
Usually, yes, though it depends on the construction. With drop ceilings or accessible soffits, routing is straightforward. In fully drywalled basements we combine existing penetrations, interior wall cavities and, where necessary, small access cuts that we patch cleanly. We walk the route with you before we start and do not make cuts we are not prepared to finish properly.
RFI-SF5How long is footage stored, and is there a monthly fee?
Footage is stored locally on the NVR hard drive, with no cloud subscription required. Retention depends on drive size and camera count: a typical 4-camera system with a 4TB drive holds 2 to 4 weeks of continuous footage before the oldest recordings are overwritten. We size the drive for your camera count and the retention you want. Cloud backup is available as an option if you want it, not a requirement.
RFI-SF6Can I add cameras to an existing NVR system later?
Yes, if your NVR has open channels. We usually recommend an 8- or 16-channel NVR even if you start with 4 cameras, so you are not replacing the recorder when you add garage coverage or a camera over the basement entrance a year from now. If someone else installed your current system, we can check whether it is expandable before recommending anything new.
Camera installation for every NYC home type.
Ready to cover every angle of your home?
We walk your property, map the coverage gaps and give you a straight quote, with no pressure and no vague estimates.