Devices and methods for security camera installation planning

1. A mobile device configured to aid in camera installation planning of a security system of a site, the mobile device comprising:

a housing;

a user interface, wherein the user interface includes a display screen fixed relative to the housing;

a camera fixed relative to the housing such that the housing is oriented by a user to point a camera field of view of the camera at various areas of the site, wherein the camera provides a camera video stream of the camera field of view for display on the display screen of the mobile device, the camera field of view covering a corresponding portion of the site visible to the camera when the camera of the mobile device is aimed at the site;

a controller carried by the housing and operatively coupled to the display screen and the camera, the controller configured to display, over a currently displayed camera video stream, a visible representation of at least part of a virtual field of view of a virtual security camera that is virtually placed at a virtual security camera placement location at the site when the camera field of view of the currently displayed camera video stream currently captured by the camera and displayed on the display screen encompasses a geographic area of the site that corresponds to at least part of the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera, wherein the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera is geographically fixed relative to the virtual security camera placement location and the site, and the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera corresponds to a portion of the site that would be visible to an actual security camera when placed at the virtual security camera placement location in order to provide an indication to the user of what portion of the site would be visible to the actual security camera when placed at the virtual security camera placement location.

2. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to not display the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera when the camera field of view of the camera video stream currently displayed on the display screen displays a geographic area of the site that does not encompass any part of the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera.

3. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to store the virtual security camera placement location of the virtual security camera at the site.

4. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera is, when displayed, superimposed over the camera video stream.

5. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the camera video stream is displayed on the display screen in real time.

6. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to receive from the user of the mobile device via the user interface an input that places the virtual security camera at the virtual security camera placement location at the site while the camera video stream displays the virtual security camera placement location.

7. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to receive from the user of the mobile device via the user interface an input that changes the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera relative to the site.

8. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to receive from the user of the mobile device via the user interface an input that selects the virtual security camera from a plurality of available virtual security cameras.

9. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the controller is further configured to use a reference measurement to scale the visible representation of the virtual field of view relative to the camera video stream.

10. The mobile device of claim 1 , wherein the mobile device includes a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer or a virtual reality headset.

11. A method for establishing placement of a security camera for surveillance of a site, the method comprising:

capturing a camera video stream of at least part of the site using a camera of a mobile device, the camera of the mobile device having a camera field of view that corresponds to a portion of the site visible to the camera when the camera is aimed at the site;

displaying the camera video stream on a display of the mobile device in real time;

displaying an icon on the displayed camera video stream when the camera field of view encompasses a virtual security camera placement location of a virtual security camera, wherein the icon indicates the virtual security camera placement location of the virtual security camera at the site; and

displaying a visible representation of a virtual field of view of the virtual security camera superimposed on the displayed camera video stream when the camera field of view of the camera of the mobile device is moved to encompass at least part of the site that corresponds to at least part of the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera, wherein the visible representation of the virtual field of view is geographically fixed relative to the virtual security camera placement location and the site, and the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera corresponds to a portion of the site that would be visible to an actual security camera if placed at the virtual security camera placement location in order to provide an indication to the user of what portion of the site would be visible to the actual security camera when placed at the virtual security camera placement location.

12. The method of claim 11 , further comprising:

moving the camera such that the camera field of view does not include the virtual security camera placement location and does not include any part of the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera, and in response, displaying the camera video stream but not displaying the icon or the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera.

13. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving an input that places the icon at the virtual security camera placement location while the camera field of view encompasses the virtual security camera placement location.

14. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving an input that adjusts the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera.

15. The method of claim 11 , further comprising receiving an input that selects the virtual security camera from a plurality of available virtual security cameras, each of the plurality of available virtual security cameras having a different virtual field of view characteristic.

16. The method of claim 11 , further comprising using a reference measurement to scale the visible representation of the virtual field of view relative to the camera video stream.

17. The method of claim 11 , wherein the mobile device includes a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer or a virtual reality headset.

18. A method for planning placement of one or more security cameras for surveilling a site, the method comprising

moving about the site with a mobile virtual reality device that includes a camera that provides a real time video stream of a current camera field of view of the mobile virtual reality device, wherein the current camera field of view is referenced to a virtual environment of the site;

placing a virtual security camera in the current camera field of view of the mobile virtual reality device at a virtual security camera placement location at the site, wherein the virtual security camera placement location becomes geographically fixed relative in the site in the virtual environment;

determining a visible representation of a virtual field of view of the virtual security camera, the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera covering a geographic region of the site, wherein the visible representation of the virtual field of view is fixed relative to the virtual security camera placement location and the site in the virtual environment and provides an indication to the user of what portion of the site would be visible to an actual the virtual security camera if when placed at the virtual security camera placement location; and

displaying at least part of the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera in concert with the real time video stream captured by the camera of the of the mobile virtual reality device when the current camera field of view of the camera of the mobile virtual reality device encompasses at least part of the geographic region covered by the visible representation of the virtual field of view of the virtual security camera.

19. The method of claim 18 , further includes:

repeating the placing, providing and displaying steps for one or more other virtual security cameras at the site.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the mobile virtual reality device includes a smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer or a virtual reality headset.