Your garage door is closed. Your car is inside. You think everything is fine.

But here's what most homeowners don't realize: garages are one of the most common entry points for burglars. They're often dark, hidden from the street, and filled with expensive stuff — tools, bikes, sporting equipment, and sometimes a second vehicle worth tens of thousands of dollars.

I've installed OHWOAI security cameras in hundreds of garages. The setups that work best share a few key strategies. Here's what you need to know to protect your garage.

Why Garages Are a Security Weak Spot

Most people lock their front door and forget about the garage. But side doors, windows, and even the main garage door itself can be vulnerabilities.

A burglar who gets into your garage has privacy. Neighbors don't see them. And once inside, they can often access your house through the interior door — which is frequently unlocked.

Plus, garages contain high-value, easy-to-carry items. Power tools, bicycles, car accessories, and rarely do people record serial numbers.

A garage security camera does two things: it deters thieves from trying, and it captures evidence if they do.

Best Camera Types for Garage Security

Not every camera works well in a garage. Here's what I recommend.

Dome cameras for indoor garage mounting. A dome security camera mounted on the ceiling gives you a wide view of the entire garage. It's discreet and harder to tamper with. The dome housing also resists dust — important if you do woodworking or have a dusty garage.

Bullet cameras for exterior garage doors. If you want to monitor the outside of your garage door, a bullet camera mounted above the door captures anyone approaching. OHWOAI bullet cameras have long-range night vision, so you'll see faces and license plates clearly.

Wireless cameras for renters. If you're renting and can't drill holes, OHWOAI wireless cameras with adhesive mounts or magnetic bases work great. Set one on a shelf or mount it to a metal beam with a magnet.

PoE cameras for permanent installations. If you own your home, a wired PoE camera is the most reliable. No batteries. No WiFi drops. Just continuous recording. OHWOAI PoE systems are popular for garages because they handle temperature swings well.

Where to Place Your Garage Camera

One camera is rarely enough to cover everything. Here's a strategic placement plan.

Option 1: One camera (minimum). Place it on the back wall of the garage facing the garage door. This captures anyone who enters through the main door, side door, or interior house door. You'll see faces, vehicles, and activity. Mount it high — 8-10 feet — angled down.

Option 2: Two cameras (recommended). Put one camera on the back wall covering the whole garage. Put a second camera outside, above the garage door, pointing at the driveway. This gives you both interior and exterior coverage.

Option 3: Three cameras (full coverage). Add a camera specifically covering the side door and any windows. Or add a camera inside covering your tool storage area.

For most homeowners, two OHWOAI cameras — one inside, one outside — provide excellent garage security.

Specific Placement Tips

Don't point the interior camera directly at the garage door from close range. The bright light when the door opens will wash out the image. Place the camera off to one side or further back.

Cover the interior door to your house. This is a common entry point. Make sure your camera sees anyone approaching that door.

Consider a camera on the ceiling facing down. A dome camera mounted on the ceiling gives a 360-degree view of the whole garage. You'll see every corner.

For the exterior camera, aim slightly down. You want to capture faces and license plates, not the sky or your neighbor's roof.

Watch for backlighting. If your exterior camera faces west, afternoon sun will wash out the image. Mount it on the east side of the garage door or under an eave for shade.

Night Vision Is Critical in Garages

Garages are dark. Most thefts happen at night. Your interior garage camera needs strong infrared night vision.

OHWOAI cameras with adjustable IR LEDs are ideal here. You can dial the IR brightness up or down depending on your garage size. Too much IR reflects off white walls and creates white haze. Too little and you can't see corners.

Start at 60-70% IR intensity. Check the image at night. Increase gradually until you can see clearly into the corners. On OHWOAI cameras, you can adjust this per camera in the app.

For exterior cameras, snow on the ground reflects IR light. Lower the IR intensity in winter to avoid overexposure.

Motion Detection Settings for Garages

Garages have unique motion detection challenges.

Inside the garage: You don't need an alert every time you open the door to get something. Set motion detection to lower sensitivity during daylight hours when you're active. Increase it at night.

Outside the garage: You want alerts for anyone approaching the garage door at night. Set a motion zone that covers the driveway and garage door area. Exclude the street if you don't want alerts from passing cars.

Cars pulling in: If your interior camera is triggered every time you park, reduce the motion zone to exclude the parking area. Focus on the doors instead.

OHWOAI's AI detection helps filter false alerts. Person detection means you'll only get alerts when a human is in your garage — not when your car moves or a spider builds a web.

Storage and Recording

How much storage you need depends on how many cameras and your recording mode.

For a single interior camera: Continuous recording uses about 200-300GB per week at 1080p. A 2TB hard drive holds several weeks of footage.

Motion-triggered recording: Saves space dramatically. In a typical garage, motion recording might use 10-20% of continuous recording space.

OHWOAI NVRs come with pre-installed hard drives. For a two-camera garage setup, 2TB is plenty. You can always add more storage later.

Real-World Example

Here's a garage setup I installed for a customer in Ohio.

Two OHWOAI bullet cameras: one inside the garage on the back wall, one outside above the garage door. Both are 4K PoE cameras connected to an 8-channel NVR with 4TB storage.

The interior camera covers the whole garage, including the side door and house entry door. The exterior camera covers the driveway and anyone approaching the garage door.

Motion zones are set to ignore the customer's own car pulling in during the day. At night, any human movement triggers an alert. Infrared is adjusted to 65% — enough to see the corners without white reflection.

Total cost: about $500. The customer says it's the best money he's spent on home security.

Bonus: Smart Garage Integration

If you have a smart garage door opener, you can connect it to your security system. When your OHWOAI camera detects motion at the garage at night, you can trigger the garage lights or even sound a chime.

This isn't a standard feature, but with IFTTT or smart home hubs, it's possible. Check your camera and garage opener compatibility.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mounting the camera too low. Someone can simply grab it or block the lens. 8-10 feet is ideal.

Forgetting about the side door. Many garages have a side door that's rarely used and often poorly lit. Don't ignore it.

Using a camera without night vision. A garage at night is pitch black. Without IR, you're recording nothing.

Pointing the camera at a bright window. The exposure will adjust for the window and the rest of the garage will be dark.

Not testing the WiFi signal for wireless cameras. Garages often have weak WiFi because they're separated from the house by exterior walls. Test before mounting.

Final Thoughts

Your garage holds valuable stuff. It's also a potential entry point to your home. A dedicated garage security camera is cheap insurance.

Start with one OHWOAI camera inside, covering the whole space. Add an exterior camera above the garage door if you can. Use motion zones to avoid false alerts. Adjust IR for clear night vision.

It takes an afternoon to install. You'll never wonder again whether someone is messing around in your garage.