Recommended computer for ALPR with 2 cameras?

pbc said:
Which OPENALPR log actually specifies that the GPU is being used per your comment above?
Click to expand...

From the Watchman client software, click View > Agent Logs

If you watch that log, when the software starts you can see different messages. Try turning the GPU on / off and watch that log and you will see differences.

Based on your description, you have it working if you are seeing the CPU with usage on it.
 
I spoke to Rekor / OpenALPR tech support (they've really been great) and they said that my Intel i5-3320M @ 2.6 ghz cpu "has a PassMark score of 2,617 which should handle around 12 fps @ 1080p or 15 fps @ 720p". Pretty grim. I'm using it's Nvidia GPU. But my tests agree with their conclusions, when I go to 30 fps I miss a lot of plates.

They sent me this chart with some benchmarks for other CPU's:



According to that the laptop processor Intel Core i7-8750H @ 2.2 GHz should be able to handle 53fps at 1080p. It doesn't come cheaply though.

I'm still wondering if anyone has found a laptop that runs particularly well with OpenALPR. I'm running Ubuntu if that's a factor.
 
wrybread said:
I spoke to Rekor / OpenALPR tech support (they've really been great) and they said that my Intel i5-3320M @ 2.6 ghz cpu "has a PassMark score of 2,617 which should handle around 12 fps @ 1080p or 15 fps @ 720p". Pretty grim. I'm using it's Nvidia GPU. But my tests agree with their conclusions, when I go to 30 fps I miss a lot of plates.

They sent me this chart with some benchmarks for other CPU's:

According to that the laptop processor Intel Core i7-8750H @ 2.2 GHz should be able to handle 53fps at 1080p. It doesn't come cheaply though.

I'm still wondering if anyone has found a laptop that runs particularly well with OpenALPR. I'm running Ubuntu if that's a factor.
Click to expand...
That's a very informative chart. What is particularly interesting is the clear advantage of running Ubuntu instead of Windows 10, given the same hardware.
 
I'm a newb at this, but will an AMD Ryzen 7 work? Their current gen of CPU's are 8 or more cores and 16+ threads. The one in my 2 yr old PC has a 15k Passmark score. The newer Ryzens are even better.

wrybread said:
I spoke to Rekor / OpenALPR tech support (they've really been great) and they said that my Intel i5-3320M @ 2.6 ghz cpu "has a PassMark score of 2,617 which should handle around 12 fps @ 1080p or 15 fps @ 720p". Pretty grim. I'm using it's Nvidia GPU. But my tests agree with their conclusions, when I go to 30 fps I miss a lot of plates.

They sent me this chart with some benchmarks for other CPU's:



According to that the laptop processor Intel Core i7-8750H @ 2.2 GHz should be able to handle 53fps at 1080p. It doesn't come cheaply though.

I'm still wondering if anyone has found a laptop that runs particularly well with OpenALPR. I'm running Ubuntu if that's a factor.
Click to expand...
 
Video1 said:
but will an AMD Ryzen 7 work
Click to expand...
Do a search of Ryzen.

here is a long thread:

3990X & Blueirs thoughts ?

Just wanted to see what your guys opinion is how will this CPU perform or what are your guesses on what kind of load it can handle ? for blue iris ? I am not planning on getting it but Wanted to just see what you guys think it can handle.. since it has a really high core count and decent...
ipcamtalk.com ipcamtalk.com
 
any update on plate reading if a vehicle stops for 5 or so minutes so the camera dont capture license plate multiple times.
 
Robert G. said:
I don't think there is a limit on how many plates you can do per month. I do about 900 per day from a single camera.

The $5.00 plan (their cheapest) does have limits though.

1) They retain plate data for only a couple days I think

2) They do not identify the make/model of the vehicle on the $5.00 plan. I think you have to move to the $50 a month plan for that.
Click to expand...

The Watchman retains records for 5 days. Custom software which I and GymRatz designed pulls the CSV records out of the cloud, for me every 5 minutes, but I am interested in discovering how I could use a local DB as storage directly.
 
rahhazar said:
any update on plate reading if a vehicle stops for 5 or so minutes so the camera dont capture license plate multiple times.
Click to expand...

The OpenALPR has a setting in the client configuration for parked cars, but I haven't figured it out. What I do is mask off those areas where parked plates usually sit.
 
rahhazar said:
what if you need the plates of parked cars?
Click to expand...

I use the openALPRD github daemon. It's supposed too log a plate once and ignore it until it picks another plate. At least that's what the python code should do. I don't have it configured correctly so it keeps grabbing the parked car until it crashes.

I masked out two spots where neighbors always park. Just masked the small area where the plate is when parked. It still grabs them on the way to or from their parking space, just not while parked in that exact spot.

IMG_5381.png


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I just got a second camera, and it's confirmed, my old Thinkpad T530 definitely can't process them both. So I'm looking at getting a replacement computer again. To keep costs down I'm thinking about getting a desktop, unless someone knows of a good inexpensive laptop. Doesn't need to be new. It'll be running OpenALPR 24/7/365 under Linux. Would be nice if it had a little room to grow.

Going through this thread again, here's the main points:

- get an NVIDIA GPU that has CUDA processing. Is there a card people particularly recommend? Maybe this one?

Amazon.com: Gigabyte GV-N1030OC-2GI Nvidia GeForce GT 1030 OC 2G Graphics Card: Computers & Accessories

Buy Gigabyte GV-N1030OC-2GI Nvidia GeForce GT 1030 OC 2G Graphics Card: Graphics Cards - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases
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@wtimothyholman mentioned the Dell Optiplex 9020 with a GTX750 "easily handles ALPR for 2 cameras at 2MP resolution at 50 FPS". That computer is on eBay for under $200. Google says it will take a max of 32 gigs of RAM... What do people think about that desktop, good idea?


Or any other models to consider? I've had good experiences with Lenovo Think Centers, thoughts on those?

And just to keep it all in one place, there's also a recommendation for the Dell G3 15 Inch Gaming Laptop, which is on eBay in the $700 range.

Edited to add: this Optiplex 9020 is $150 shipped with 16 gigs of RAM and no HD (the guy said he'll give me 16 gigs of RAM if I leave out the HD, which I don't need):

www.ebay.com

Dell OptiPlex 9020 Desktop Computer for sale online | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Dell OptiPlex 9020 Desktop Computer at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
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Thoughts on that?

This one also looks interesting, and comes with an Nvideo card:

www.ebay.com

Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 SFF - i5-4570 - 16GB RAM - NVIDIA GT 720 - LSI 9207-8e IT | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Lenovo ThinkCentre M83 SFF - i5-4570 - 16GB RAM - NVIDIA GT 720 - LSI 9207-8e IT at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
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rahhazar said:
what if you need the plates of parked cars?
Click to expand...

Sorry for the late reply.

A car parked will be masked and ignored while it is parked, but when the car moves into or out of the masked area then it gets tagged. I just didn't want the OpenALPR to tag a parked plate every time a squirrel runs across the road, triggering the camera.
 
Possible to start a different thread to discuss that? I'm trying to get some input on a computer purchase, and it got pretty side tracked last time I tried. Not complaining, just trying to keep it focused on this.
 
Video1 said:
I'm a newb at this, but will an AMD Ryzen 7 work? Their current gen of CPU's are 8 or more cores and 16+ threads. The one in my 2 yr old PC has a 15k Passmark score. The newer Ryzens are even better.
Click to expand...
It probably will work fine. I was working with OpenALPR tech support on a software issue and they said the they are optimized for Intel CPU's. But for one camera I don't see it stressing that CPU.
 
I have some info on NVidia cards - I have a Dell Optiplex with an I7-7700 running open alpr. The CPU handles it fine, but I have some bigger projects coming up and I wanted to test an Nvidia in this one since the computer is easily accessible and the future ones will be on telephone poles.

I put in a spare Quadro P620 I had. After working with OpenALPR support, the CPU actually handles the processing better. They said a big factor is the amount of memory on the card - the P620 only had 2gb, so it could only get up to 5 simultaneous image processing at the same time before it would crash which is slower overall than how fast the CPU was processing them. They recommend higher end nvidia cards, 4gb minimum, recommend 6gb of memory on the card itself. I know the this P620 quadro is a lower end one, but it would not get past 15fps a second or so of processing before it crashed.

They also mentioned that OpenALPR is optimized for Intel CPU's - Milestone is the same way, it will take advantage of the Intel graphics on chip, while on an AMD processor it will not use the integrated graphics. I think it is the Quick Sync feature in the intel graphics chip that MIlestone takes advantage of, I'm not sure which optimization OpenALPR uses.
 
Robert G. said:
@pbc I assume you are under Windows, did you install the required software? There are some extra bits you need.

It is documented here:

Rekor Documentation

doc.openalpr.com doc.openalpr.com
Click to expand...

So I have been trying to get the GPU working with OpenALPR and the Windows version and getting nowhere.

The link you posted no longer exists, but the revised webpage instructions (below) I believe is missing a step as I get an error message "ERROR - Unable to load GPU 1: GPU support is not installed", yet the GPU works with Blue iris and DeepStack, so i know it is working. I think that a file is missing that OpenALPR needs.

Anyone that got this working with Windows recall if there was another step or file needed?

Windows 10#
Prerequisites:
  1. Windows 10 64-bit
  2. NVIDIA GPU driver >= 417.22
Install:
  1. Install the latest version of the Scout Agent or SDK
  2. Install https://deb.openalpr.com/windows-nvidia/vc_redist_msvc2015.x64.exe
  3. Download and extract the following file to the agent bin directory (default C:\OpenALPR\Agent\bin) or SDK directory: https://deb.openalpr.com/windows-nvidia/openalpr_nvidiawindowslibs_4.1.2.zip
If running the agent, edit the Scout Agent config file c:\openalpr\agent\etc\openalpr\alprd.conf and add the following line:
hardware_acceleration = 1
 
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I just signed up for a new trial so I don't have to move all my config while I mess with it

I see it using the GPU, and it works just by following the instructions above, but as I think you may have reported somewhere else, I'm still seeing quite high CPU. Its using around 20% all the time, no matter what

I'm trying to figure out if that's worth it or not, why bother having a GPU if its going to still use so much CPU?

The CPU usage doesn't seem to go up when there is motion, and the GPU usage sure does. So it is using the GPU

1635967544217.png
 

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Scratch that, the CPU does still go up when a car goes past... Sooooo whats the point of the GPU? Its almost like its doing it twice

Nevermind, I had the window up, closing it makes it no use more CPU
 
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I really just want to see it using less CPU, I feel like there isn't much point in the GPU if its still going to use so much CPU

I don't know if its because of the cameras now feeding into 2 x OpenALPR and Blue Iris, but the new OpenALPR install with the GPU is missing cars.

For instance, it got this van with a phone number, but not the rear plate

1635969280189.png

Going back to my CPU setup, it got the phone number as well as the rear plate

1635969318982.png
 
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