Everything you need to get accurate results from FOV Pro — best practices, tips for on-site use, and answers to common questions.
No account required. Download the app, open it and you're ready to simulate. An email is only needed if you purchase a subscription through our website — the unlock code you receive activates your plan directly in the app.
Just your phone. FOV Pro works with the camera already built into your iOS or Android device — no accessories, no external lenses, no special hardware.
For best results, know the make and model of the camera you're planning to install before you head to site. If it's varifocal, also note the focal length range from the datasheet.
Yes. Once the camera database has been loaded (happens automatically when you first open the app with a connection), it's cached on your device. You can simulate cameras fully offline — in basements, carparks, remote properties, or anywhere else without reliable signal.
The database refreshes automatically in the background when you're next connected.
Hold your phone at the exact mounting point — not eye level, not approximately where the camera will go. The simulation is only as good as the position you test from.
If the camera will be mounted at 3m on a wall bracket, get your phone to that height. A step ladder, elevated platform, or reaching up to the mounting point all work. The extra 30 seconds to get the position right is the whole point of the app.
Aim the phone in the direction the camera lens will face. The green FOV overlay shows you exactly what that camera will capture from that position.
Green bars appear when the selected camera has a wider field of view than your phone's ultrawide lens can physically display. In this case the app uses the widest available lens and shows bars at the edges to indicate that the actual camera coverage extends beyond what's visible on screen.
The FOV numbers shown (H and V degrees) are still accurate — the bars are a visual indicator only, not a fault. Ultra-wide cameras above approximately 100° HFOV will commonly show this behaviour.
Many professional CCTV cameras use a 4:3 sensor aspect ratio rather than the 16:9 widescreen ratio common in consumer cameras. The toggle lets you switch between these modes so the FOV overlay accurately reflects the aspect ratio of the camera you're simulating.
For cameras with a native 4:3 sensor, switching to 4:3 mode gives a taller, squarer overlay that more accurately represents real-world coverage — particularly important for cameras covering stairwells, corridors or scenes where vertical coverage matters.
Simulating from the ground when the camera will be mounted at 3m. Always test from the actual mount height — the coverage changes significantly.
Take a Save to Project screenshot before moving from each position. You'll have a record of every angle you checked, not just the one you chose.
Choosing a fixed focal length camera when coverage requirements are uncertain. If you're not sure what FOV you need, simulate a varifocal camera first — use the slider to explore the full range before committing to a lens.
For PTZ cameras, simulate at the widest focal length first to confirm overall coverage, then use the varifocal slider to check critical detail zones.
FOV Pro calculates the field of view overlay from published manufacturer datasheet specifications. For cameras in our verified database, centre-frame coverage closely matches real-world camera output — real-world testing has confirmed good alignment between the app simulation and actual installed cameras. The live accuracy indicator on the simulate screen tells you the confidence level for every camera you use.
Accuracy varies by situation:
The overlay is most accurate at the centre of the frame. Edge accuracy depends on the specific lens characteristics of the camera.
Several real-world factors can create minor differences between the simulation and an installed camera:
For critical coverage decisions, always supplement with a final check once the camera is installed and aimed.
The app displays a confidence rating on each camera based on how its field of view data was sourced and verified. There are three tiers:
The majority of cameras in the database are A-tier verified. A small number of B-tier cameras are included where full hardware verification has not yet been completed. As the database grows, cameras are upgraded when additional verification is completed.
Find a Camera works in the opposite direction to Simulate. Instead of starting with a camera and seeing what it covers, you frame the area you need to cover and the app finds cameras in the database that match that field of view.
It's useful when you're specifying a system from scratch and need to identify the right lens for a particular coverage zone — for example, covering a specific corridor width from a fixed mounting point.
Stand at the proposed camera mounting point and frame the edges of the area you need to cover. The app reads the angle of view from your phone's position and matches it to cameras in the database.
Results are sorted by how closely they match your framed coverage. You can filter by brand category (Enterprise, DIY, Consumer) to narrow down to the right tier for your project.
When you select a varifocal camera, a slider appears below the live view. Drag it left for the wide end of the focal range and right for the tele end. The FOV overlay updates in real time as you scrub through the range.
The slider is anchored to the datasheet wide and tele endpoint values. This lets you visualise exactly what coverage you'll get at any setting across the full focal range before the camera is installed.
Select the PTZ camera from the database and use the varifocal slider to represent the zoom range. Start at the widest setting to check general area coverage, then slide toward tele to assess what detail the camera can achieve at maximum zoom from that position.
For PTZ patrol positions, simulate each key position separately and save each one to your project. This gives you a documented record of coverage at each preset.
In the Simulate screen, tap Save to Project in the top right corner. Give the position a name (e.g. "Front Entry — Camera 1") and it saves to your current project with the FOV overlay baked into the image.
You can save multiple positions per project — one for each camera location on the job.
The exported PDF includes each saved camera position image with the FOV overlay, the camera model and specification details, and the position name you assigned. It's designed to be included in client handover documentation, sales proposals, or your own installation records.
Yes — export the project as a PDF and share it like any other document. Email, WhatsApp, Dropbox, whatever works for your workflow. The PDF is a standalone document that doesn't require FOV Pro to open.
FOV Pro works on any modern Android or iOS device. Phones with multiple physical lenses (ultrawide + wide + telephoto) give the best experience as they allow the app to access a wider range of effective focal lengths.
Recommended Android: Samsung Galaxy S series (S21 and later), Google Pixel 6 and later, OnePlus 9 and later.
Recommended iOS: iPhone 13 Pro and later (triple camera system). iPhone 13 and 14 standard models also work well with dual cameras.
Older or budget devices with a single camera lens will still work but will have a more limited simulation range.
Both platforms perform well. iOS devices (iPhone 13 Pro and later) have excellent multi-lens support and consistent camera behaviour across models, which makes calibration very reliable.
Android performance is excellent on flagship devices. On some Android phones the ultrawide lens has a slightly cropped field of view compared to the hardware specification due to how the phone manufacturer implements image stabilisation — FOV Pro accounts for this on verified devices in our phone database.
The database currently includes 169+ cameras across 13 brands including Hikvision, Hanwha, Axis, Bosch, Dahua, HiLook, Avigilon, Reolink, TP-Link, Eufy, Google Nest, Uniview and more. It grows regularly as new cameras are added and user submissions are verified.
Use the Add Camera feature in the app, or visit the Add Camera page on this website. Submit the camera details and a link to or upload of the manufacturer spec sheet. Once verified against the datasheet, the camera is added to the database and available to all users — typically within a few days.
Every camera in the database is cross-referenced against the manufacturer's published datasheet. Where possible, FOV values are also validated against hardware. User-submitted cameras go through the same verification process before appearing in the app — submitted cameras are not visible until they've been checked.
Yes. The database includes cameras from brands of all origins — Hikvision, Dahua, HiLook and others are included alongside Western and Korean brands. You can filter the camera list by market segment (Enterprise, DIY, Consumer) to narrow results to your preferred tier. Brand origin information is available within each camera record.
FOV Pro falls back to calculated lens values based on what the app can read from your phone's camera system. In most cases this works reasonably well, but there are two main sources of inaccuracy:
The result is that the FOV overlay may be slightly wider or narrower than the actual camera output. For planning purposes this is usually acceptable. For critical installations, verify with a final check once the camera is installed.
Single-camera phones work in FOV Pro but with a more limited simulation range. The app can only use the one available lens, which means:
For professional use, a phone with at least two lenses (ultrawide + wide) is strongly recommended.
The most common cause on Android is Electronic Image Stabilisation (EIS) — some Android manufacturers apply a digital crop to the ultrawide lens at the hardware level to enable stabilisation. This reduces the effective field of view below the published specification without the app being able to detect it automatically.
On affected devices the ultrawide overlay will appear slightly wider than reality. The fix is to have your specific device verified and added to the database with the corrected values. Submit your phone here and we can investigate.
This issue does not affect the wide (1x) or telephoto lenses — only the ultrawide.
Use the Add Phone page to submit your device details. The most useful information is your phone's model identifier (found in Settings → About), the number of rear cameras, and the HFOV values if you can find them in your phone's spec sheet. We'll research the verified values and add it to the database — typically within a few days.
FOV Pro requires a minimum of:
Devices older than these minimums are not supported and the app may not install or function correctly. Very budget Android devices may also lack Camera2 API support even on newer OS versions — check your device specifications if you encounter issues.
Still have a question? We’re happy to help.
support@fovpro.com.au