Review - Dahua IPC-HFW7442H-Z 4MP Ultra AI Varifocal Bullet Camera

@rsoxhater I generally go with the more ends up being less approach with OpenALPR. Specifically that through processing the actual FPS OpenALPR will always be less than what you feed it.

Therefore I run:

  • Sub Stream = Sub Stream 2 is the RTSP that I generally pass (depending on the cam of course)
  • Res = full HD (1920 x 1080)
  • FPS = 30 (usually see this process at 10 - 15 through OpenALPR)
  • Iframe = 30 (set to match FPS)
  • Bit Rate = (high, usually between 8192 & 10240)
For reference, I run OpenALPR agents through Docker on a Mac.

Side note, I also have a potential 4th capture stream as well for OpenALPR as I use tripwires on 1 LPR cam to force a PTZ to a preset choke point that is dialed in that it can also get plate + model if needed. By the time the tripwire is tripped the PTZ is in position and waiting for the vehicle :)

HTH

rsoxhater said:
Also, here is the link for the 2 free camera licenses:
rekorsystems.com

Public Safety Software Donation - OpenALPR by Rekor

A software donation initiative designed to provide organizations with valuable data to reduce crime and increase safety. Register now to receive two licenses.
rekorsystems.com rekorsystems.com
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bjthomas09, djernie and David L
Wildcat_1 said:
@rsoxhater I generally go with the more ends up being less approach with OpenALPR. Specifically that through processing the actual FPS OpenALPR will always be less than what you feed it.

Therefore I run:

  • Sub Stream = Sub Stream 2 is the RTSP that I generally pass (depending on the cam of course)
  • Res = full HD (1920 x 1080)
  • FPS = 30 (usually see this process at 10 - 15 through OpenALPR)
  • Iframe = 30 (set to match FPS)
  • Bit Rate = (high, usually between 8192 & 10240)
For reference, I run OpenALPR agents through Docker on a Mac.

Side note, I also have a potential 4th capture stream as well for OpenALPR as I use tripwires on 1 LPR cam to force a PTZ to a preset choke point that is dialed in that it can also get plate + model if needed. By the time the tripwire is tripped the PTZ is in position and waiting for the vehicle :)

HTH
Click to expand...

Sounds good. I'm getting good recognition in the daytime at 5fps on mjpeg at 1920x1080. I'm a bit worried about the h.264 and it seeing an iframe only once a second, but it seems openalpr has made accommodations for that (at least I hope before I swap this camera out). Traffic is usually pretty heavy on this road, but on occasion when there is no traffic cars can pass by at over 40mph.
 
I have never used SD Cards in cameras and record 24/7 the NVR. What happens if you add SD Card to this cam and also use NVR for recording, etc? Is there any advantage to also having SD Card installed?
 
@Davahad yes, it gives you a backup by writing to SD as well. I do that on all cams personally (unless specific installation requirements or dark sites etc). You can also then review the footage through the web GUI directly from the cam. You could also FTP (or now in the new cams thankfully SFTP) to a NAS unit if you wanted to backup caps that way. SD card though is an easy addition and again gives you a backup in case any issues with NVR etc

HTH

Davahad said:
I have never used SD Cards in cameras and record 24/7 the NVR. What happens if you add SD Card to this cam and also use NVR for recording, etc? Is there any advantage to also having SD Card installed?
Click to expand...
 
@rsoxhater based on the attack angle and height of your install along with distance to target you shouldn't have any issues. I run mine in h.264 as well. Set for at least 1/2000 (or higher depending on lighting conditions etc) and you should be fine. Also if you want assistance with the triangulated approach that I mentioned I run can offer some tips there for 2 x ANPR/LPR duty + PTZ for overwatch and activated shot. Let me know if you need any more help.


rsoxhater said:
Sounds good. I'm getting good recognition in the daytime at 5fps on mjpeg at 1920x1080. I'm a bit worried about the h.264 and it seeing an iframe only once a second, but it seems openalpr has made accommodations for that (at least I hope before I swap this camera out). Traffic is usually pretty heavy on this road, but on occasion when there is no traffic cars can pass by at over 40mph.
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Bjthomas09
Wildcat_1 said:
@rsoxhater based on the attack angle and height of your install along with distance to target you shouldn't have any issues. I run mine in h.264 as well. Set for at least 1/2000 (or higher depending on lighting conditions etc) and you should be fine. Also if you want assistance with the triangulated approach that I mentioned I run can offer some tips there for 2 x ANPR/LPR duty + PTZ for overwatch and activated shot. Let me know if you need any more help.
Click to expand...
Do you use the dahua utility that is floating around the forums here to switch to a different profile at night, or does the profile day/night selection work on this firmware?
 
@rsoxhater I don't use the utility, I usually prefer to control within the cam web GUI (or you could use an NVR, not sure of your setup) and go with manual day & night profiles OR you could use the Day/Night auto option in cam which does work in this FW without issue. I've not seen any shift in focus issues with this cam as it changes between profiles.


rsoxhater said:
Do you use the dahua utility that is floating around the forums here to switch to a different profile at night, or does the profile day/night selection work on this firmware?
Click to expand...
 
Wildcat_1 said:
@Davahad yes, it gives you a backup by writing to SD as well. I do that on all cams personally (unless specific installation requirements or dark sites etc). You can also then review the footage through the web GUI directly from the cam. You could also FTP (or now in the new cams thankfully SFTP) to a NAS unit if you wanted to backup caps that way. SD card though is an easy addition and again gives you a backup in case any issues with NVR etc

HTH
Click to expand...

What size SD cards do you recommend? What is the max for this camera?
 
Wildcat_1 said:
@rsoxhater I don't use the utility, I usually prefer to control within the cam web GUI (or you could use an NVR, not sure of your setup) and go with manual day & night profiles OR you could use the Day/Night auto option in cam which does work in this FW without issue. I've not seen any shift in focus issues with this cam as it changes between profiles.
Click to expand...
Installed the camera today. On one side note, @EMPIRETECANDY - we seemed to be missing the gasket that goes between the camera itself and the bracket, but this is definitely a Dahua issue and not Andy (Andy is top notch all the way in my dealings with him). Our buildings and grounds guys picked up some gasket stuff (I forget the name) from the local hardware store and sealed the camera up nice.

Getting great recognition in daytime as I was expecting, doing H.264 @ 20fps. In about 30 minutes of watching and say 100+ cars it has been 100%. I'm going to test the night time settings tonight when its dark with some of Wildcats specific settings. We were able to leave the vivotek camera up as well since the pole had multiple mount points, so I'll have a good comparison. I shut the IR off on the vivotek camera so it'll be all the dahua tonight.

Ruscitti-LPR1.PNG
 
  • Like
Reactions: EMPIRETECANDY, Arjun, David L and 2 others
@rsoxhater glad to see you are up and running and getting great results. Looking at that approach angle you have a nice long run up for ANPR. I would definitely suggest you test the 1/2000 by itself first and then if needed employ HLC for backlighting as you will get a lot of glare from headlights at that angle that may not be compensated for by shutter speed alone. If you DO find you get a lot of glare and can't capture a plate even with 1/2000 at night then look as using HLC and try a setting of between 65-70 to start and go from there. Set IR to AUTO to start and again can adjust as needed. Also you may want to up your contrast a little for the night captures, again test and adjust accordingly.

HTH

rsoxhater said:
Installed the camera today. On one side note, @EMPIRETECANDY - we seemed to be missing the gasket that goes between the camera itself and the bracket, but this is definitely a Dahua issue and not Andy (Andy is top notch all the way in my dealings with him). Our buildings and grounds guys picked up some gasket stuff (I forget the name) from the local hardware store and sealed the camera up nice.

Getting great recognition in daytime as I was expecting, doing H.264 @ 20fps. In about 30 minutes of watching and say 100+ cars it has been 100%. I'm going to test the night time settings tonight when its dark with some of Wildcats specific settings. We were able to leave the vivotek camera up as well since the pole had multiple mount points, so I'll have a good comparison. I shut the IR off on the vivotek camera so it'll be all the dahua tonight.

View attachment 50686
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: looney2ns, EMPIRETECANDY and bigredfish
Wildcat_1 said:
@rsoxhater glad to see you are up and running and getting great results. Looking at that approach angle you have a nice long run up for ANPR. I would definitely suggest you test the 1/2000 by itself first and then if needed employ HLC for backlighting as you will get a lot of glare from headlights at that angle that may not be compensated for by shutter speed alone. If you DO find you get a lot of glare and can't capture a plate even with 1/2000 at night then look as using HLC and try a setting of between 65-70 to start and go from there. Set IR to AUTO to start and again can adjust as needed. Also you may want to up your contrast a little for the night captures, again test and adjust accordingly.

HTH
Click to expand...
Props on the nighttime settings Wildcat. Hitting 90%+ on the night time reads, if not slightly better. Much appreciated!
 
  • Like
Reactions: EMPIRETECANDY
Running the 1/2000 and 70 hlc. In all honesty, at the moment openalpr vs milestone lpr is not a fair comparison, openalpr blows it out of the water. About 18 months ago when we bought the milestone lpr license I did try out openalpr and it was nowhere near as good. Very glad we gave it another try recently.

ruscitti lpr 2.PNG
 
@Wildcat_1 Where do you find the Traffic Flow Stats? I found it once and it showed total cars per day and also broke down the car counts by hour. Disconnected camera and finally installed in new location but cannot find the page that shows these stats.
 

Attachments

  • Capture.JPG
    Capture.JPG
    97.8 KB · Views: 42
@Davahad in the camera web GUI go to Settings, Event, Video Structuralization, Report Tab and there you can run reports from the cam.

HTH


Davahad said:
@Wildcat_1 Where do you find the Traffic Flow Stats? I found it once and it showed total cars per day and also broke down the car counts by hour. Disconnected camera and finally installed in new location but cannot find the page that shows these stats.
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom