Questions from a first-timer.

[RubberSlug]

Hello everyone! I’m brand new to buying/installing IP cameras, but have used them occasionally in my security job. Currently my house has decent coverage with some wifi cameras that do a good job capturing activity. I’m interested in setting up a LP camera so I will have something concrete to give police should anything happen. Eventually I plan to replace the wifi cameras with IP cameras, but it’s not in the budget right now, so the LP camera is the priority. Luckily my long rural driveway is the only way to get to my house, so it’s a perfect chokepoint for LP capture.

Goals:
LP camera that can ID any vehicle going up or down the driveway, connected to a system that can be expanded to include more cameras in the future. Automatic LP logging would be a plus, but not necessary if it costs much more.

Constraints:
Small budget. No exact number, but preferably as cheap as possible while still reliably getting all plates. I know the HFW5241E-Z12E is the gold standard, and I’m open to getting one if I absolutely have to. However, I’m thinking it might be overkill given the layout.

Assuming the LP camera is attached to the house, the closest it could be to the chokepoint is about 50 ft. Farthest is 75ft. Angle would be between 30-40 degrees from the vehicle direction. If I could have it set up across the driveway from the house, it could be just 30 ft away and dead center on the plates. But then I’d have to run cable under the pavement (is that even possible?) or overhead (ugly and vulnerable to damage).

Questions:

Given my goals and constraints, what should I buy? (Camera and NVR)
Does it matter where I set up the NVR keeping expandability in mind?
If I wanted to put up cameras away from the house (on/in the detached garage, on trees etc), how do I run cables over/under pavement without cost and installation frustrations ballooning?

I can post pictures if needed. Thanks for all the super useful information already posted on this site! I’ve learned a ton so far.

 

[sebastiantombs]

In the home user world, an LPR camera is a dedicated camera used for nothing else. The FOV is limited to the vehicle and at night all you'll see are head/tail lights and the plate.

Have a good read of these threads -

LPR

New to LPR? Considerations Before You Begin

Thought I would throw together a post on my experiences so far with LPR in an effort to help others that are considering running down that rabbit hole. There are some practical considerations you should know about LPR. I am approaching this from the position of using Blue Iris and Plate...

ipcamtalk.com

LPR Case Study: Scoping, Planning, Proof of Concept, Installation, & Results

Introduction This thread is about my journey into LPR (License Plate Recognition) after having about 18 months of experience with IP cams and having quite a bit of my system finished. I am not an expert on LPR, or IP cameras either. But I have spent a lot of time working with my system and...

ipcamtalk.com

LPR

Licence Plate Reader cameras

ipcamtalk.com

Review-Dahua IPC-HFW5241E-Z12E AI Varifocal Bullet

Courtesy of @EMPIRETECANDY at Empire Technology Co., Ltd - Small Orders Online Store, Hot Selling and more on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group And EmpireTech-Andy @ Amazon.com: Price Approximately $220US shipped via DHL...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[wittaj]

The biggest thing we see is people always underestimate the actual distance. 50 feet turns out to be 75 feet and then the camera selected isn't the right one.

The Z12E is capable of reasonable distances of 150 feet, but people have been able to get it to 220 feet, especially with additional IR.

The Z4E is the next camera that people have tried, but most have found beyond 50 feet, it is difficult to make out the plates because the optical zoom of that camera is half of the Z12E optical zoom.

After that, it would be one of the varifocal turrets, but those will only reach about 30 feet, but do work well on a mailbox at the street. About half the price of the Z12E.

The Z12E and Z4E are the same price, so why not buy the one that provides the best opportunity to get a longer distance if needed.

Regarding a camera for plates (LPR) - keep in mind that this is a camera dedicated to plates and not an overview camera also. It is as much an art as it is a science. If you want to capture plates, you need a camera just for that.

During daytime it may act as an overview, but at night the shutter tends to need to be faster to capture the plate, and the faster the shutter, the darker the image.

Most of us run B/W to take advantage of the reflective properties of a plate which is why we can run a faster shutter to get the plates. Once you decide to keep it in color, the shutter speed slows way down and might not be fast enough to actually capture a plate.

You may have enough light and the car moving slower to capture, but you may also need to decide what is more important - the overview or the plate. Most of us run two cameras.

At night, we have to run a very fast shutter speed (1/2,000) and in B/W with IR and the image will be black. All you will see are head/tail lights and the plate. Some people can get away with color if they have enough street lights, but most of us cannot. Here is a representative sample of plates I get at night of vehicles traveling about 45MPH at 175 feet from my 2MP camera (that is all that is needed for plates):



You can start out with just the Z12E and put an SD card in it and simply view it all from the camera GUI - an NVR or BI or what not isn't a requirement for the camera.

Now as you swap out wifi for IP, then you need to decide do you want an NVR or Blue Iris, but that is a conversation down the road.

Since it is IP cameras, as long as you can run cable to it, you can put the NVR/computer just about anywhere - not the same limitations as the old analog DVRs.

Taking a cable under the roadway would probably be problematic. You could DIY a solar charging station and then ubiquity nanostation the video feed back to the house (someone here has done that and there is a post somewhere detailing it), but that would be much more expensive than purchasing the Z12E and putting it on your house if you have that line of site.

 

[MikeLud1]

Hello everyone! I’m brand new to buying/installing IP cameras, but have used them occasionally in my security job. Currently my house has decent coverage with some wifi cameras that do a good job capturing activity. I’m interested in setting up a LP camera so I will have something concrete to give police should anything happen. Eventually I plan to replace the wifi cameras with IP cameras, but it’s not in the budget right now, so the LP camera is the priority. Luckily my long rural driveway is the only way to get to my house, so it’s a perfect chokepoint for LP capture.

Goals:
LP camera that can ID any vehicle going up or down the driveway, connected to a system that can be expanded to include more cameras in the future. Automatic LP logging would be a plus, but not necessary if it costs much more.

Constraints:
Small budget. No exact number, but preferably as cheap as possible while still reliably getting all plates. I know the HFW5241E-Z12E is the gold standard, and I’m open to getting one if I absolutely have to. However, I’m thinking it might be overkill given the layout.

Assuming the LP camera is attached to the house, the closest it could be to the chokepoint is about 50 ft. Farthest is 75ft. Angle would be between 30-40 degrees from the vehicle direction. If I could have it set up across the driveway from the house, it could be just 30 ft away and dead center on the plates. But then I’d have to run cable under the pavement (is that even possible?) or overhead (ugly and vulnerable to damage).

Questions:

Given my goals and constraints, what should I buy? (Camera and NVR)
Does it matter where I set up the NVR keeping expandability in mind?
If I wanted to put up cameras away from the house (on/in the detached garage, on trees etc), how do I run cables over/under pavement without cost and installation frustrations ballooning?

I can post pictures if needed. Thanks for all the super useful information already posted on this site! I’ve learned a ton so far.

RubberSlug,

I just installed a HFW5241E-Z12E for LPR and it works great. The images in the below post is taken at about 75 feet at a 35 degree angle.

I just installed my IPC-HFW5241E-Z12E LPR today and need some help with triggering. I have a IPC-T5442T-ZE (LPR FOV is the red box) as an overview that I could use for triggering. I have the camera dialed in with good day and night images just need help with the triggering.
Is it better to use an overview camera, ONVIF from the LPR camera, or Blue Iris to do the triggering.

Thanks,
Mike

View attachment 107373
View attachment 107374
View attachment 107375

 

[Flintstone61]

 

[Flintstone61]

This is a 6mm 5442 AS LED camera. it can identify plates in it's location. but only when they come into the sweet spot. But I really Like it.
If I miss the plate in front cam, I'll get em with this one in back.

 

[DLONG2]

I like the idea of Ubiquiti Nano Stations for securely beaming LAN over the air. They have a discontinued and reasonably priced model still available on AMZN, but they require local power. So if you have a detached garage but with local power then these internet radios would be ideal.

Amazon.com

Update: I see where these Nanostations offer 24v passive PoE for an IP camera, but the Z12 would require a PoE injector.

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Maybe Black Friday you can get a Z12E or B5442E-Z4E with a good price

 

[Flintstone61]

@EMPIRETECANDY
will this base work with the Z12?

Amazon.com

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

@EMPIRETECANDY
will this base work with the Z12?

Amazon.com

Yes correct

 

[Gargoile]

@EMPIRETECANDY
will this base work with the Z12?

Amazon.com

I have the Z12 and just picked up that base. Perfect fit. Just wish the base came with an extra rubber grommet that you use to plug everything except the network cable. It would be nice to use this from the back of the junction box or from the side.. I do not like the screw-in electrical fittings.

 

[RubberSlug]

Thank you everyone for the helpful responses! I like the idea of looking for a deal on a Z12 on black friday. It would be nice to not have to worry about the optical zoom being limited by getting a cheaper camera. I like the idea of the nanostation, but given the price I think it would be cheaper to get a Z12 like wittaj said. Definitely something I'll keep in mind for expanding my IP camera coverage down the road though!