A process estimates height and tilt of a camera having an image sensor array and IR illuminators. The process identifies multiple distinct subsets of the illuminators. For multiple heights and tilts, the process constructs dictionary entries that correspond to the camera having the height and tilt above a floor. Each entry includes light intensity values for pixels in images corresponding to activating each of the subsets of illuminators. For each of the subsets, the process receives an image of a scene captured while the subset is emitting light and the other illuminators are not. The process uses the captured images to identify a floor region corresponding to a floor in the scene. The process forms a vector including pixels from the captured images in the identified floor region and estimates the height and tilt of the camera by comparing the vector to the dictionary entries.