Independent comparisons. We may earn from shop links. More info

How to fit a dummy CCTV camera

Updated: 23 October 2026

The carton is open, you have a plastic shell, a few screws, and a drill, and the Amazon table still reads as if you had bought a recorder. How to fit a dummy CCTV camera is the sequence after that: where a visitor can see it, how the bracket actually fixes, which cells the bullets name, and when a warm bay means you stop. This page does not rank the twelve. Shelf prices stay on the [dummy camera comparison](/hub/electronic-surveillance/dummy-camera). Peter F. updated this from the amazon.co.uk listings. There was no lab test.

The carton is open, you have a plastic shell, a few screws, and a drill, and the Amazon table still reads as if you had bought a recorder.

Our top picks

BW BW 1100B black bullet

Best overall

BW BW 1100B black bullet
9.0/10about £8.49
View offer
WALI WALI SDW-4 four white domes

Best value

WALI WALI SDW-4 four white domes
8.6/10about £15.99
View offer
JUSTOP JUSTOP white dome twin

Alternative

JUSTOP JUSTOP white dome twin
8.0/10about £9.95
View offer
On this page
  1. 1.Put it where a real camera would be, and where it can be seen
  2. 2.Bracket, plugs, and screws
  3. 3.Cells and the red light
  4. 4.If it gets hot

Put it where a real camera would be, and where it can be seen

You are fitting a shape, not a sensor. Put the shell where someone approaching the door, the shed, or the drive would expect a camera, and where they cannot pocket it. A UK publisher uses about 3 metres as a rule of thumb. That height is not a British Standard. One BW 1100B reviewer used about 12 ft. That is one owner, not a specification. If you can grab it from the ground, it is too low. If you hide it in a bush, you have lost the only job it has. Aim the bullet along the approach, not into a neighbour's window. Weather words and the rust review are on the outdoor dummy CCTV camera page.

Bracket, plugs, and screws

None of these twelve is peel-and-stick. Mark the holes, drill, and use plugs in masonry. The white BW dome's reviews describe a click fit onto screw heads, and one review says the holes were misaligned. Offer the bracket to the wall before you commit every hole. The BW-S89-BL lists 3 screws, and a UK review says that package had none. WALI lists 8 screws, and reviews mention flattened heads and a missing screw. BUYGOO lists 6 screws and 6 dowels. QWORK lists screws and expansion tubes. Brick often needs plugs of your own. Do not force a cracked lug. QWORK silver reviews describe brittle plastic that broke while the shell was being marked up. Fasten the battery cover before you leave the ladder.
BW BW 1100B black bullet

Testsieger

BW BW 1100B black bullet
9.0/10about £8.49
View offer

Cells and the red light

You do not have to fit batteries if you only want the shape. Several WALI reviewers leave the cells out. If you fit them, use only the size the bullets state. AA, not included, is the line for the BW 1100B, the BW-S89-BL, JUSTOP white, WALI, and DODUOS. BW2600's bullets say 2 AAA, and a review says AA. The other bullets do not name a size. Match the flat end to the spring if the bay says so. JUSTOP box text, as reviewers quote it, said about every 3 minutes. Reviews report about every 2 or 3 seconds. BUYGOO has a review that says the LED can be switched off. A fast LED is not a fault you fix by rewiring.

If it gets hot

A warm bay is where you stop. A verified review of the JUSTOP white twin says the unit smoked and was hot to touch. Another says separating two wires avoided a fire. A JUSTOP black review says the batteries were too hot to touch after about 10 minutes. Take the cells out if you can do that safely, and do not put them back. Do not open the housing to rejoin wires. The General Product Safety Regulations 2005 are the Great Britain baseline for a product that should not present a risk in normal use. The Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22, times the short-term right to reject at 30 days. A real recorder is a different purchase, which is why dummy camera vs real CCTV exists.

Common questions

How high should a dummy camera go?
High enough that a visitor sees it and cannot lift it off, and low enough that it still reads as a camera on that wall. About 3 metres is a publisher's rule of thumb, not a British Standard. One BW 1100B owner used about 12 ft. Neither figure stops a burglary. If the only tidy spot is at hand height, the shell is in the wrong place.
Do you have to fit the batteries?
No. The shape works without them, and some WALI reviewers prefer that. Fit cells only if you want the red LED, and only in the size the bullets state. AA is named for the BW bullets, JUSTOP white, WALI, and DODUOS. BW2600's bullets say AAA. Cells are not included on those lines.
What if the LED flashes every two seconds?
JUSTOP box text, as reviewers quote it, said about every 3 minutes. UK reviews of the white and black twins report a flash about every 2 or 3 seconds, and a BW2600 review says about every 2 seconds. You can leave it, switch it off if that model has a switch, or take the cells out. Do not rewire it to slow the flash.
What if the camera gets hot?
Take the cells out if you can do that safely, and do not fit them again. JUSTOP reviews describe smoke, a unit hot to touch, and batteries too hot after about 10 minutes. Do not separate wires or open the shell as a repair. Stop using it and use the seller. A smoked unit is a reason to involve the retailer, not a ladder and a screwdriver.
Are the included screws enough for brick?
Often they are a start, not a full fixing. BUYGOO includes 6 dowels, and QWORK includes expansion tubes. Other packs list screws only, and some reviews received fewer than the components line. Masonry usually needs a plug that matches your drill bit. If the supplied screw spins in soft mortar, stop and use a proper plug rather than a longer screw into dust.

Related pages

Dummy camera buying guide

Dummy camera

Best dummy camera UK: BW 1100B or the WALI four-pack

Outdoor dummy CCTV camera: weather words, not solar

Dummy camera vs real CCTV: a shell is not a recording

Sources

Public UK sources from the research digest, plus the amazon.co.uk Dummy Cameras bestseller list for ranks. Shelf prices, stars and review counts are the figures stored with these twelve listings. No laboratory test was carried out. October 2026.

  1. ICO: what the video-surveillance guidance addresses (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  2. ICO: home CCTV systems (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  3. GOV.UK: domestic CCTV (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  4. GOV.UK: Surveillance Camera Code of practice (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  5. GOV.UK: recommended standards for the surveillance camera industry (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  6. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 22 (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  7. General Product Safety Regulations 2005, Great Britain (retrieved 22 October 2026)
  8. amazon.co.uk Dummy Cameras best sellers (retrieved 22 October 2026)