Newbie question

[crzipilot]

I've been reading through the threads and such. We are setting up (or trying to ) some security cams on for the entrance and exit of our neighborhood. One thing I'd like is LPR, well not in the sense of catalog into a database, but I want to be able to id the plate.

I have a IPC-HDW2231R-ZS which we can put in the soffit of the guard shack and zoom in to the general area of where a plate would show up.

My question is, is there a difference between just detecting motion and recording via video, and detecting motion and tacking snap shot. Is it possible to do motion video and have it clear enough to read the plate or not?

 

[bigredfish]

If I understand your question, if the video can't capture the plate, the snapshot wont either. The snapshot is simply a single frame of the video. A NVR can send you a snapshot on motion but it wont catch the precise moment regularly. So you capture the video clip

With that camera you'll need to be pretty close (30+ft or so I would think) and focus it on a spot about the width of the car, It will be useless for anything else.

Click the pause button on this video at about 4.25 seconds to see the still capture of the plate. The plate is in view for about 5-7 frames for just under 1 second.
This is at 120ft with a camera (5231E-Z12E) with a much bigger lens.

 

[DLONG2]

I have great results with the free version of OpenALPR, running on the same Windows PC as Blue Iris. Not clear what you mean by wanting to identify a plate but not wanting to catalog it into a database. Do you mean just wanting to have a recording of the plate? If so then yes, as bigredfish pointed out, a camera can record the plate for later viewing for manual identification. But having a service such as OpenALPR you get both the recording and the cataloging, plus the database will show only the plate captures, and not all the other random motion events which might occur on the street.

 

[crzipilot]

Thanks for the info guys. I've been playing with the 2231 I have, and I see how needing a bigger lens. I haven't done too many adjustments, but has anyone been successfull getting clear enough video from a 2231? I saw you mentioned 30' I'll have to measure but that's close to where I am at from the eave of my house going up driveway. I know the angle could have a bunch to do with it too. Or I need to zoom in Max to the specific area the plate will possibly come through not further out than 30'?

As to the open alpr, I saw that and looked at it briefly.. the issue is these cams are going on a neighborhood entrance, and as HOA's change and such we don't want to have to do deal with someone having to maintain a server or computer or what not. Looking at just having the videos thrown up on the cloud etc.

Thanks

 

[bigredfish]

That’s what we do. We have three HOA tag cameras and two for overview. All record 24/7 plus motion and we have enough HD capacity to store 2-3 weeks of video. We don’t have the need for open aplr same as you. If an event occurs we can review video given a rough event time pretty easily.

Yes you need to zoom the 2231 to the point of capturing an area not much wider than the width or two of the car. The 30ft is just a ballpark but you should be close if you zoom. Otherwise you may need a Z5 or Z12 5231 series to zoom further.

You’ll need different exposure settings using the day/night schedule. And yes angle plays a big part as does speed if the vehicle. Anything over about 30 degrees and 20mph gets trickier.

 

[crzipilot]

In my reading I started picking up the exposure settings and shutter speeds. Seen suggestions for night time, still looking for day time. Does going to manual and adjusting the shutter speed to 1/1000th. make a big difference?

At current time I'm playing with my 2231 that I just got installed finally. Trying to do proof of concept, and a few other things. The HOA came up with this idea, and gentleman simply said "I have 4k 4mp amcrest on my house and they are good, so the 8mp should be better.) I explained about the different lens types and the varifocus options out there. He simply said he has no problem reading a plate on his cams around his house. Well that might be a parked car maybe, anyways we got the 1 cam setup in guardshack, and you can identify that a tuck or car goes by. You can see color, make /model, but beyond that it's pretty much useless, as you can't read a plate. So we have one way in, one way out, and the neighborhood is higher end homes. If something goes down, the video will be useless except to say, there's a grey honda that came in and out.

So that's what I'm banging my head up against.......

 

[bigredfish]

It usually takes two cameras. One for the tag, (specifically adjusted and zoomed to get tags), and one for Overview.

Example our HOA entrance: Same as you one way in one way out. (not high end homes overcast day )


(*Remember to switch Youtube player to 1080p and expand to full screen)

 

[bigredfish]

Same thing at the other end of the street at the culdesac.

 

[crzipilot]

Yup, figured we'd need at least two. We have four for each corner of the "guard shack" and I'm getting them a little more educated and on board with getting 1 more cam for LPR on the incoming cars.

Just messing around with the settings on my 2231, I'm able to grab the plate now......as you said zoomed in. With it zoomed out to overview whole driveway, it's on the verge of being able to ID the tag. Driveway length is 60-70' or so. Cam is sitting in an eave 10' off the ground. The most zoomed out one was first attempt a few days, other two was just today when I got a chance to change the cam settings to manual and adjust them.

Looks like for the LPR maybe have to bite the bullet and let him keep his amcrest for the overview and cloud storage and setup a cam server for the LPR. Or just keep the feed for the LPR cam. Like I said, don't need a database, just ability to go back to the feed if something happens in the neighborhood. Our biggest problem now is contractors running over curbs and corners destroying the concrete.