PTZ Camera wide angle to license plate reader recommendation needed

philisher1

n3wb
Apr 3, 2019
10
6
The moon
I need help choosing a camera. My wish list would be, I want to cover my wide driveway area 180° but I also want to be able to read license plates of the cars driving by the driveway on a private road. I was thinking I needed, wide angle with auto PTZ, high shutter speed, IVS to zoom in to track a car as it passes the house. Maximum view/zoom distance 175’ to read the plate. It would be nice if I could control/dim the IR output at night so that it wouldn’t “white” out license plates. One other possible trick, do a 180° spin from the trip of a remote passive IR sensor, to see what is going on in the back yard.
Any suggestions on solving this wish list, what items to buy or how to put it together would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Dahua NVR, Pro Series NVR52A08-8P-4KS2 4K.
 
I need help choosing a camera. My wish list would be, I want to cover my wide driveway area 180° but I also want to be able to read license plates of the cars driving by the driveway on a private road. I was thinking I needed, wide angle with auto PTZ, high shutter speed, IVS to zoom in to track a car as it passes the house. Maximum view/zoom distance 175’ to read the plate. It would be nice if I could control/dim the IR output at night so that it wouldn’t “white” out license plates. One other possible trick, do a 180° spin from the trip of a remote passive IR sensor, to see what is going on in the back yard.
Any suggestions on solving this wish list, what items to buy or how to put it together would be greatly appreciated.
I have a Dahua NVR, Pro Series NVR52A08-8P-4KS2 4K.

On a real computer, Start by studying here: Cliff Notes
You will need to dedicate a camera to just doing LPR duty.
Read the LPR subject area of this forum, its an art.
Trying to do too much with one cam will lead to disappointment.
 
Hopefully it's possible to put your LPR camera much closer to the road, in a position where the viewing angle is relatively shallow and the shorter distance allows you more camera options.

For an off-the-shelf camera that could potentially hit the 175-foot range at a reasonable viewing angle, IPC-HFW5231E-Z12 might work if you can cope with the complex task of keeping it focused at night (it tries to auto-focus but has no details to lock onto in a dark LPR-specific setup).
 

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Now thats a tough angle!
 
Yes! :) Under absolutely ideal conditions, it sometimes hits the cross-traffic as it reaches the stop sign. That is a 5MP cam (Bosch 8000 Starlight) with a 50mm lens at perhaps 50 meters / 150 ft or so, with two CMVision IR-200s for plate reflectivity.

I also have the Dahua 5231-Z12 and did a trial run with it as the LPR, but ended up using it in a different spot. Props to IPC members for the how-to on keeping the Dahua's focus from being lost at night in an LPR scenario.

I know the feeling of wanting some accountability if/when the burglars come to your place. LPR is a pain to set up, but also a nightmare for the burglar who thinks they'll be making a clean getaway. Also inspect your home's surroundings for "choke points" where a well-focused camera could get you positive ID against a prowler.
 
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