Video1
Getting the hang of it
Please bear with me. I'm a total newb at this. I have an existing 14 camera system with a NVR.
The existing cameras are 4 MP IP cams: LTS CMIP1142W-28 4MP IR Outdoor Turret IP Security Camera
The NVR is: 16 channel NVR so I have 2 open channels. This is a PoE NVR but I do not know if it is ONVIF compliant (I suspect it is not). I have an email in to a vendor to inquire. If it is not, I have no problem replacing it.
I'd like to add 2 ALPR cameras to my system, and maybe 2 overview cams as well. These cameras are to be located at the front of our lot, by the street. We have a bunch of trees out front onto which I could affix a housing for the cams with a band. We've had a string of robberies in our neighborhood with one house just four doors over having their garage broken into. Our existing cameras are just too far from the street to be of use. Fortunately the street is only wide enough for one car to pass in each direction. But it is pitch black at night since we have no streetlights.
Having read through a number of threads I have a lot of questions.
Would it be better to build a stand-alone PC instead of using a NVR? If so what kind of CPU and memory do I need to maintain a 60 FPS that folks are recommending to be able to capture license plates? I would think a Ryzen 7 2700x and up CPU should have enough horsepower.
Video card? GTX 1050 should do right?
How are the 16 camera feeds fed into the PC, with a network switch?
And importantly which cameras? The true ALPR cameras are pricey, at about $650 each, but folks seem to be using the Dahua 5241E-Z12E. But as with most things, everything comes with a price. It seems this camera requires lots of trial and error, especially capturing images at night. And it's the night images that are most important to us, as this is when most of the break-ins have been occurring. I read that you should set the camera to switch over to B&W well before sundown, and not use the auto-switch feature. However this would seem to get tedious during the shoulder seasons when the sundown is changing. And during inclement weather and overcast days, how does that affect the system?
It looks like I can have online services like OpenALPR read the plates for a fee. And I can use BlueIris to work with the cameras. But I'm not sure if BI will work with my current NVR.
So I guess what I'm really asking is to get a sense of direction. Can I use my current NVR? Do I build a new PC? And then how do I integrate my existing cameras to a system with two new ALPR cameras and two overview cameras?
Thank you. This is a great forum! Much learning to do!!!
The existing cameras are 4 MP IP cams: LTS CMIP1142W-28 4MP IR Outdoor Turret IP Security Camera
The NVR is: 16 channel NVR so I have 2 open channels. This is a PoE NVR but I do not know if it is ONVIF compliant (I suspect it is not). I have an email in to a vendor to inquire. If it is not, I have no problem replacing it.
I'd like to add 2 ALPR cameras to my system, and maybe 2 overview cams as well. These cameras are to be located at the front of our lot, by the street. We have a bunch of trees out front onto which I could affix a housing for the cams with a band. We've had a string of robberies in our neighborhood with one house just four doors over having their garage broken into. Our existing cameras are just too far from the street to be of use. Fortunately the street is only wide enough for one car to pass in each direction. But it is pitch black at night since we have no streetlights.
Having read through a number of threads I have a lot of questions.
Would it be better to build a stand-alone PC instead of using a NVR? If so what kind of CPU and memory do I need to maintain a 60 FPS that folks are recommending to be able to capture license plates? I would think a Ryzen 7 2700x and up CPU should have enough horsepower.
Video card? GTX 1050 should do right?
How are the 16 camera feeds fed into the PC, with a network switch?
And importantly which cameras? The true ALPR cameras are pricey, at about $650 each, but folks seem to be using the Dahua 5241E-Z12E. But as with most things, everything comes with a price. It seems this camera requires lots of trial and error, especially capturing images at night. And it's the night images that are most important to us, as this is when most of the break-ins have been occurring. I read that you should set the camera to switch over to B&W well before sundown, and not use the auto-switch feature. However this would seem to get tedious during the shoulder seasons when the sundown is changing. And during inclement weather and overcast days, how does that affect the system?
It looks like I can have online services like OpenALPR read the plates for a fee. And I can use BlueIris to work with the cameras. But I'm not sure if BI will work with my current NVR.
So I guess what I'm really asking is to get a sense of direction. Can I use my current NVR? Do I build a new PC? And then how do I integrate my existing cameras to a system with two new ALPR cameras and two overview cameras?
Thank you. This is a great forum! Much learning to do!!!
