How to add license plate reader cams to an existing system

[Video1]

Hello. This is my first post here. My goal is to add two automated license reader cameras to my existing system. I have a 14 camera system using a LTS LTN8716-P16 16 Channels Platinum NVR Network Video Recorder with LTS CMIP1142W-28 4MP IR Outdoor Turret IP Security Cameras.
LTS Platinum NVR
Security Cameras

Out lot is fairly wide with a bunch of trees out front. Is it ok to mount ALPR cameras onto trees vs using a pole? I'm thinking of using a band bracket.

Am I correct that these automated ALPR cams use POE? This means all I have to do is to run a pair of CAT6 cables to the cameras from the house right? I'm installing landscape lighting around our light anyway so this would be the ideal time to lay the cables.

After reading the WIKI, I'm still confused as to the software required. Would I use Blue Iris and then subscribe to OpenALPR or PlateRecognizer?

Is Blue Iris compatible with my existing NVR?

And can I add the ALPR cameras to my existing NVR since it has two open ports remaining?

Thanks in advance for your help. I'm very comfortable building and maintaining PCs but I'm very green when it comes to security cameras. It's about time I learned!

 

[wittaj]

@Video1 - I suggest you look in this subforum for a lot of great info. I will also provide a brief response to your questions.

LPR

Licence Plate Reader cameras

ipcamtalk.com

Out lot is fairly wide with a bunch of trees out front. Is it ok to mount ALPR cameras onto trees vs using a pole? I'm thinking of using a band bracket. Several have mounted on a tree. Very doable.

Am I correct that these automated ALPR cams use POE? This means all I have to do is to run a pair of CAT6 cables to the cameras from the house right? I'm installing landscape lighting around our light anyway so this would be the ideal time to lay the cables. If you purchase an IP camera then yes, it would be POE. There are plenty of analog cams out there that are intended for LPR as well. You will need to decide which camera to go with first.

After reading the WIKI, I'm still confused as to the software required. Would I use Blue Iris and then subscribe to OpenALPR or PlateRecognizer? Keep in mind an ALPR camera already has the software on it to capture, read, catalog, and display the plates, and those can get expensive quick. Most on this site use a non-ALPR camera and configure it specifically to read plates. As far as processing the plates, some will simply just look at the pictures to look at plates, while others will then add on with OpenALPR or Plate Recognizer to automate the system a bit. The software is optional based on your intended purposes.

Is Blue Iris compatible with my existing NVR? I do not have experience with that NVR, but a lot of people are running an NVR and Blue Iris. If you can view your cameras via an IP address then you probably can have it work with Blue Iris.

And can I add the ALPR cameras to my existing NVR since it has two open ports remaining? Some NVR systems don't play nice with cameras that are not of the same brand. Others do just fine. If the NVR is ONVIF compliant, then it will probably work.

Thanks in advance for your help. I'm very comfortable building and maintaining PCs but I'm very green when it comes to security cameras. It's about time I learned!

 

[Video1]

Thanks for the great reply. I'm not sure if my LTS NVR is ONVIF compliant. I may need to upgrade it. This would be the ideal time since that system is now 6 years old. My existing cameras are high enough resolution

Yes, I've seen the threads where folks are using non-ALPR cams. The one ALPR camera I see most commonly advertised is $650 or so. If I can get a non-ALPR cam to work and it costs less than half of the ALPR cam, then I'd be game for that. I don't know how accurate the less expensive camera is though.

All my IP cameras have their own IP address.

@Video1 - I suggest you look in this subforum for a lot of great info. I will also provide a brief response to your questions.

LPR

Licence Plate Reader cameras

ipcamtalk.com

Out lot is fairly wide with a bunch of trees out front. Is it ok to mount ALPR cameras onto trees vs using a pole? I'm thinking of using a band bracket. Several have mounted on a tree. Very doable.

Am I correct that these automated ALPR cams use POE? This means all I have to do is to run a pair of CAT6 cables to the cameras from the house right? I'm installing landscape lighting around our light anyway so this would be the ideal time to lay the cables. If you purchase an IP camera then yes, it would be POE. There are plenty of analog cams out there that are intended for LPR as well. You will need to decide which camera to go with first.

After reading the WIKI, I'm still confused as to the software required. Would I use Blue Iris and then subscribe to OpenALPR or PlateRecognizer? Keep in mind an ALPR camera already has the software on it to capture, read, catalog, and display the plates, and those can get expensive quick. Most on this site use a non-ALPR camera and configure it specifically to read plates. As far as processing the plates, some will simply just look at the pictures to look at plates, while others will then add on with OpenALPR or Plate Recognizer to automate the system a bit. The software is optional based on your intended purposes.

Is Blue Iris compatible with my existing NVR? I do not have experience with that NVR, but a lot of people are running an NVR and Blue Iris. If you can view your cameras via an IP address then you probably can have it work with Blue Iris.

And can I add the ALPR cameras to my existing NVR since it has two open ports remaining? Some NVR systems don't play nice with cameras that are not of the same brand. Others do just fine. If the NVR is ONVIF compliant, then it will probably work.

Thanks in advance for your help. I'm very comfortable building and maintaining PCs but I'm very green when it comes to security cameras. It's about time I learned!

 

[samplenhold]

Realize that Blue Iris runs on a Windows PC and not on the NVR. So when @wittaj states that lots of people are running an NVR and BI, that means they have both an NVR and a Windows PC running.

The $600+ ALPR cam is expecting and NVR of the same brand to maximize the features of the cam. While I do not have one of those expensive ALPR cams, I doubt if you get full features without it being hooked into an NVR designed for it.

Realize that LPR is not just setting up a few cams and you get plates. It is part science and part art. It is a lot of testing and trying out settings. Also, LPR in daytime is very different than LPR at night.

Read through the LPR sub-forum like @wittaj stated.

 

[Video1]

Realize that Blue Iris runs on a Windows PC and not on the NVR. So when @wittaj states that lots of people are running an NVR and BI, that means they have both an NVR and a Windows PC running.

The $600+ ALPR cam is expecting and NVR of the same brand to maximize the features of the cam. While I do not have one of those expensive ALPR cams, I doubt if you get full features without it being hooked into an NVR designed for it.

Realize that LPR is not just setting up a few cams and you get plates. It is part science and part art. It is a lot of testing and trying out settings. Also, LPR in daytime is very different than LPR at night.

Read through the LPR sub-forum like @wittaj stated.

Thank you. I'm reading through the sub-forum now. And yes, there's a LOT to absorb. I understand technology, photography and videography for the most part. I do need to integrate that knowledge with ALPR tech, which I'm unfamiliar with.