Driveway CCTV Installation in Leicester
Your driveway is where your vehicles sit overnight, where deliveries are left, and often the most visible approach to your home. A properly installed driveway camera captures number plates, detects vehicle movement, and delivers clear footage day and night - without relying on Wi‑Fi or cloud subscriptions.
By the Doberman install team · CCTV system designers & installers, Leicester · Last reviewed February 2026
By the Doberman install team
CCTV system designers & installers, Leicester
Last reviewed February 2026
What you get
Driveway survey
We assess your driveway length, width, lighting conditions, and the camera angle needed for reliable number plate capture at your specific distance.
Camera and lens selection
Lens focal length matched to your driveway distance. Fixed or varifocal depending on whether you need to cover the full drive or focus on a vehicle approach zone.
Professional installation
Camera mounted at the correct height and angle for your layout. Cat6 cable routed cleanly through your property back to the NVR.
Night commissioning
IR range and exposure tested after dark to confirm readable number plates and clear vehicle identification in real nighttime conditions.
How it works
Survey
We measure your driveway, check sightlines, and determine the best mounting position for plate capture and vehicle coverage.
Design
Camera model, lens focal length, and mounting height specified for your driveway dimensions. Fixed quote provided.
Install
Camera mounted, cable run, NVR configured. Night commissioning confirms plate readability and vehicle detection after dark.
Why driveway CCTV needs a different approach
A driveway camera has a specific job that most general-purpose cameras are not optimised for. You need to capture number plates on vehicles that may be moving, at a distance that could be anywhere from 3 to 15 metres, in conditions that range from direct sunlight to complete darkness. This is a very different challenge from covering a front door at 2 metres or a rear garden at wide angle. The wrong lens, the wrong height, or the wrong IR setup will give you footage where you can see that a car was there but cannot read the plate - which defeats the purpose.
The key technical factors are lens focal length, pixel density at the target distance, and IR performance. A 2.8mm wide-angle lens that works brilliantly on a front door will produce number plates that are too small to read at 8-10 metres down a driveway. We typically use 4mm to 6mm fixed lenses for shorter driveways and varifocal lenses for longer ones where the camera needs to resolve detail at the far end. Mounting height matters too - too high and the angle becomes too steep for plate capture; too low and headlights cause glare that washes out the image.
Night performance is where driveway cameras are won or lost. Vehicle headlights create extreme contrast with the dark surroundings, and cheaper cameras with poor WDR (wide dynamic range) will either expose for the headlights and lose everything else, or expose for the surroundings and blow out the plates entirely. We install cameras with true WDR that handle this contrast range properly, and we commission every driveway camera after dark to verify plate readability in real conditions - not just in daylight during the install. For a broader look at how driveway cameras fit into a full home system, see our home CCTV installation page.
Common Leicester driveway types and how we handle them
Leicester has a wide range of driveway configurations, and each one affects camera placement differently. Short front driveways on Victorian and Edwardian semis in Stoneygate, Clarendon Park, and Knighton are typically 3-5 metres from house to pavement. These are straightforward - a single camera with a 2.8mm or 4mm lens mounted above the front door or at soffit height covers both the vehicle and the pavement approach. The challenge with these driveways is often street lighting creating uneven illumination, which we manage with WDR and careful IR tuning.
Longer driveways on detached properties in Oadby, Wigston, and Glenfield may run 10-15 metres from the house to the road. At this distance, a wide-angle lens will not resolve number plates. We use a 6mm fixed lens or a varifocal set to cover the approach zone where vehicles enter the driveway. If you also need to see the full length of the drive for general awareness, we may recommend two cameras - one optimised for plate capture at the entrance and one wide-angle covering the full driveway and parked vehicles. This is common on properties where catalytic converter theft or vehicle damage is a concern.
New-build driveways in Hamilton, Thorpe Astley, and Lubbesthorpe tend to be wider but shorter, often shared or adjacent to neighbouring properties. Camera positioning here needs to avoid capturing the neighbour's property while still covering your vehicles and approach. Mounting angle and lens selection are critical - a carefully positioned camera with the right focal length can cover your driveway precisely without straying into areas that would raise privacy concerns. We always check sightlines during the survey and can demonstrate the field of view on site before committing to a position.
Number plate capture and vehicle detection
Readable number plates require a minimum pixel density across the plate area - typically at least 60 pixels per metre at the target distance. This is a function of camera resolution, lens focal length, and how far the plate is from the camera. A 4MP camera with a 4mm lens will resolve plates clearly at up to about 8 metres. Beyond that, you need a longer focal length or a higher resolution camera. We calculate this during the design stage and select hardware that meets the requirement for your specific driveway length. There is no point installing a camera that produces footage where you can see a car was there but cannot identify it.
Many of the cameras we install for driveway use include built-in vehicle detection. This means the camera can distinguish between a vehicle entering the driveway and general movement like a cat crossing or a tree branch swaying. Vehicle detection triggers push a notification to your phone in real time, so you know immediately when something pulls onto or leaves your driveway. This is particularly useful for overnight monitoring - instead of reviewing hours of footage, you get timestamped alerts for vehicle events only.
All driveway cameras connect back to the NVR via Power over Ethernet, recording continuously regardless of your broadband status. There are no cloud subscriptions or per-camera fees. The NVR timestamps every recording, and vehicle detection events are flagged in the timeline for quick retrieval. If you ever need to provide footage to the police or an insurance company, you can export specific clips directly from the NVR or the app. For full system pricing, see our cost guide.
Pricing
A dedicated driveway camera as part of a wider home system typically adds £200-£350 for hardware depending on whether a fixed or varifocal lens is needed. As a standalone single-camera driveway install, expect from around £550 including NVR, hard drive, and installation. We provide a fixed quote after the survey.
Why Doberman
Lens matched to your driveway
We calculate the focal length needed for plate capture at your specific distance. No guessing, no generic wide-angle cameras.
Night-commissioned for plates
Every driveway camera is tested after dark for number plate readability - not just general image quality. Headlight glare, IR range, and WDR are all verified on site.
Hardwired PoE, not Wi‑Fi
A driveway camera at range is the worst case for Wi‑Fi. Our PoE systems use a dedicated cable - no signal drops, no missed recordings.
Vehicle detection alerts
Get notified when a vehicle enters or leaves your driveway. Smarter than motion detection - ignores cats, foxes, and wind.
About Doberman
Doberman is a Leicester-based CCTV installer. We design, install, and support hardwired PoE camera systems for homes and businesses across Leicester and Leicestershire. All work is carried out by our own team - no subcontractors.
We specialise in wired CCTV that works reliably. No alarm upsells, no smart home bundles, no subscription traps. Our installations are clean, properly commissioned in real conditions, and handed over with a full walkthrough.
Our driveway and placement guides cover everything from camera specs and placement principles to what affects the cost of a CCTV installation in Leicester - worth reading before you get quotes.
Areas we cover
We install driveway CCTV across Leicester and the surrounding areas, including Stoneygate, Clarendon Park, Knighton, Oadby, Wigston, Glenfield, Groby, Hamilton, Thorpe Astley, Braunstone, Birstall, Belgrave, and surrounding villages. If you are not sure whether we cover your area, just ask.
Frequently asked questions
- Can a driveway camera actually read number plates?
- Yes - if the camera is set up correctly. Number plate capture depends on lens focal length, camera resolution, and distance. We calculate the pixel density at your driveway distance during the design stage and select a camera and lens combination that resolves plates clearly. We verify plate readability during night commissioning.
- Will headlights wash out the image at night?
- Not with the right camera. We install units with true WDR (wide dynamic range) that handle the extreme contrast between headlights and dark surroundings. We test this after dark during commissioning - if the camera cannot handle headlight glare at your specific driveway angle, we adjust the position or switch to a model with better WDR performance.
- Do I need a separate camera for my driveway or can one camera cover both the driveway and front door?
- It depends on the layout. If your front door and driveway are close together, a single well-positioned camera with the right lens can cover both. If the driveway runs to the side of the property or is longer than about 6 metres, a dedicated driveway camera with a narrower lens will give you much better plate capture. We advise on this during the survey.
- What about catalytic converter theft - will a driveway camera help?
- A driveway camera with vehicle detection will alert you the moment someone approaches your vehicle. Combined with visible IR LEDs that glow red at night, this acts as a deterrent. The footage also provides evidence - plate capture on any vehicle used, timestamps, and clear images of individuals. Position the camera to cover the underside approach if catalytic converter theft is a specific concern.
- Will the camera capture my neighbour's driveway?
- We position and angle every camera to cover your property only. Lens selection plays a big role here - a narrower focal length aimed at your driveway avoids capturing neighbouring properties. We check the field of view on site during the survey and can demonstrate exactly what the camera will and will not see before we mount it.
- Can I get alerts when a vehicle arrives?
- Yes. We install cameras with built-in vehicle detection that sends a push notification to your phone when a vehicle enters or leaves your driveway. This is more reliable than basic motion detection, which can be triggered by pedestrians, animals, or shadows.