Review: IPC-LPR237B-IR / Equivalent of Dahua ITC237-PW6M-IRLZF1050-B - ANPR, Traffic & Access Control Camera

[Robert G.]

Just a couple of my own thoughts over using these cameras vs. using an OpenALPR based system.

PROS

Local processing - you do not require an additional computer sitting there consuming power on an OpenALPR machine. Running a computer powerful enough to process ALPR 24/7 is not cheap on the electric bill every month.
Cost savings - while it is more expensive to purchase the ITC237-PW6M-IRLZF1050-B initially, if you are not paying a monthly fee to OpenALPR you will be saving money after a couple of years of use. The additional camera cost is paid for in about 4 months if you are using OpenALPR commercial editions.
Some Vehicle ID - The ITC237-PW6M-IRLZF1050-B can attempt to do vehicle make/color detection, it is not particularly accurate but it is included. You get none of that info from OpenALPR unless you use their commercial plans.

CONS

Size - these suckers are much larger than HFW5241E-Z12E which most people on this forum currently use for OpenALPR
Cameras are Independent - if you have a pair of cameras (up the street & down the street for example) OpenALPR has the ability to use data from both cameras (front an rear plate capture for example) for more accurate plate reads. Would be super cool if the cameras could share data between themselves, but that is not likely to happen.


That's all I can think of at the moment. I will be running both these cameras & OpenALPR shortly, will be interesting to see which performs better.

 

[dimammx]

Hmm looks like this cam is out of stock everywhere. @EMPIRETECANDY Andy is it just supply chain issue?

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Hmm looks like this cam is out of stock everywhere. @EMPIRETECANDY Andy is it just supply chain issue?

yes, buddy, chips has badly delay, but lucky this is we will get 6 on Thursday.

 

[Wildcat_1]

Keep your eyes peeled and wallet ready @dimammx

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

This model get 2 more stocks in, someone ask me last week, can buy on amazon now.

 

[Wildcat_1]

This model get 2 more stocks in, someone ask me last week, can buy on amazon now.

Go, Go, Go @dimammx

 

[dimammx]

Thanks guys! Will tell my buddy (this one for a friend not for me ) to get it while it is in stock.

 

[EMPIRETECANDY]

Thanks guys! Will tell my buddy (this one for a friend not for me ) to get it while it is in stock.

It's on amazon now, have 2 left. Ask him to select the standard shipping way, we will use fast shipping way, 4-5 working days can be delivered.

 

[Alexander S]

It was very simple, no access to stream is needed.

You configure the settings on SETTING -> NETWORK -> PLATFORM -> ITCPUSH. Here is my setup in the lab:

View attachment 124103



Then when the camera captures a plate, it sends a JSON POST request to your URL.

Well, sorta to your URL. In the Web URL box I first tried

https://lab1.com/dahua/

Got nothing, it made no attempt to connect that I could see.

I changed it from HTTPS to HTTP and then it started sending data.

It did NOT send data to the URL defined however. It started sending data to some other URL:

http://lab1.com/notificationinfo/tollgateinfo

It used my domain name, but totally ignored the URL were it was supposed to go. I used .htaccess to intercept where it was trying to go and direct it to where I wanted it to go.

Once you get that figured out, read the POST body content and you get a JSON object. The JSON object has all the vehicle details, plate info and photos etc. I would assume the data in the JSON object would change based on the options you select on the Upload Info Config section of the ITCPUSH page.

Could you please suggest what should be the response to constant JSON requests?
I've tried to return "200, OK", but its always send same request with first recognized plate.

 

[nwiceman]

Could you please suggest what should be the response to constant JSON requests?
I've tried to return "200, OK", but its always send same request with first recognized plate.

FWIW, I saw this as well after enabling ITCPUSH. Basically, the first time that the camera detects a plate it sends an ITCPUSH. It then keeps sending the same plate information in that push over and over and over again. I turned it on and walked away and the next thing I knew I had over a thousand notifications. There are a few seconds between notifications but I don't remember how much, maybe 10 seconds. The same thing happens if you utilize the Device Test option under ITC. Restarting the camera clears the issue. However, as soon as you get another notification, it starts over again. This was evidenced by both my web server as well as network captures.

@EMPIRETECANDY are you able to raise this issue? I'm running the 2021-07-19 firmware. Maybe a newer firmware exists that has this fixed?

 

[Timokreon]

I'm still thinking on purchasing one of these cameras. If I'm reading/watching everything correctly, this cam would work with my 5216/4ks2e without any problems? As in, having a snapshot of the car/plate show up on screen anytime a car went past?

Along with being able to "AI Search" under motor vehicle detection, which would show all the cars passing by.
Thank you...

 

[Timokreon]

Those who have this camera.... how is this doing with the latest firmware in tracking cars in the USA? Make, model etc... ?

Thanks

 

[Wildcat_1]

Those who have this camera.... how is this doing with the latest firmware in tracking cars in the USA? Make, model etc... ?

Thanks

The older FW I mentioned is still better plus I don't like the hit in bitrate which is why I wouldn't recommend the latest on this one still at the moment

 

[Timokreon]

The older FW I mentioned is still better plus I don't like the hit in bitrate which is why I wouldn't recommend the latest on this one still at the moment

Thanks much. I'm debating on whether to get one of these cams or not. It's one of those where I may really not need it, until I need it type of scenarios.
I'm manually looking up plates at the moment... really not that many on a weekly basis, but I like the idea of having the plates listed out in a daily/weekly format.

 

[Wildcat_1]

Thanks much. I'm debating on whether to get one of these cams or not. It's one of those where I may really not need it, until I need it type of scenarios.
I'm manually looking up plates at the moment... really not that many on a weekly basis, but I like the idea of having the plates listed out in a daily/weekly format.

The camera really is great at what it does. What makes this a tricky purchase for some is that it is a 1 trick pony BUT that 1 trick, it does very well. There are also some newer LPR cams coming from the Traffic & Mobile range at Dahua with movements up to 4MP. Im hoping I can get my hands on one for testing soon as well. Stay tuned but either way this cam remains very good at what it does. Just make sure you can accommodate at your location.

 

[Timokreon]

The camera really is great at what it does. What makes this a tricky purchase for some is that it is a 1 trick pony BUT that 1 trick, it does very well. There are also some newer LPR cams coming from the Traffic & Mobile range at Dahua with movements up to 4MP. Im hoping I can get my hands on one for testing soon as well. Stay tuned but either way this cam remains very good at what it does. Just make sure you can accommodate at your location.

Would you still get this camera knowing that others are coming down the line?
As for accommodations... Yes, I see it's about twice the size of the 5241. I do have a spot near where the 5241 is currently installed. It would be at the same angle, height, etc.. just hidden partially by tree branches. If really looking you'd see it, otherwise a quick glance and you'd most likely miss it.

 

[Wildcat_1]

Would you still get this camera knowing that others are coming down the line?

It will depend on how well it works for quick plates and changing conditions. There are a number of new products coming to this category including the Spotter Range (up to 9MP) which is a much larger footprint with a ton of capabilities but specifically focused on commercial / city / large location based installs. For the 4MP version of the LPR range though, that ones uses the 1/1.8" sensor which is tried and true as we know BUT the question is how will it perform for this specific application and thats what I would want to test first. The upside would be with more resolution to play with, things like vehicle badges for manufacturer etc should be easier on the AI processing. The other potential benefit is not needing to go as tight to get a plate (mid-close-up to cap plate + vehicle identifier and be able to expose for both) BUT this of course does come at the expense of impact to light gathering (regardless of how good the 4MP sensor is for other tasks it changes the game with on camera AI processing requirements) so the night caps would be the key area I would want to test. Plate capture by itself at night would be no issue if dialing in correctly, thats not my concern BUT vehicle recognition + plate capture, thats where it would get interesting and that would be a key win if it can be pulled off. The last thing to consider would be cost. Right now the LPR237 goes for around $450 - $500 so the 437 (4MP version) could be pushing that number to at least the $600 - $700 mark IMO. Depending on your use case, application etc that may price it out of your budget.

With all that said, I do love this camera for what it does (again on the understanding it is for plate /vehicle caps only) and is a really performant beast. I don't think you would regret it if you bought one today. However, unless you need this right away, with what we know now, I would personally advise waiting a month or 2 to see if I can get my hands on a 4MP version and put it through its paces. Then dependent of course on cost and performance, that may be the new way to move forward for that balance of relatively usable footprint for residential / small business installations with a new level of AI processing performance. Worst case it doesn't perform in testing and you can still get the 237 that a number of us use and love today.

HTH

 

[Timokreon]

It will depend on how well it works for quick plates and changing conditions. There are a number of new products coming to this category including the Spotter Range (up to 9MP) which is a much larger footprint with a ton of capabilities but specifically focused on commercial / city / large location based installs. For the 4MP version of the LPR range though, that ones uses the 1/1.8" sensor which is tried and true as we know BUT the question is how will it perform for this specific application and thats what I would want to test first. The upside would be with more resolution to play with, things like vehicle badges for manufacturer etc should be easier on the AI processing. The other potential benefit is not needing to go as tight to get a plate (mid-close-up to cap plate + vehicle identifier and be able to expose for both) BUT this of course does come at the expense of impact to light gathering (regardless of how good the 4MP sensor is for other tasks it changes the game with on camera AI processing requirements) so the night caps would be the key area I would want to test. Plate capture by itself at night would be no issue if dialing in correctly, thats not my concern BUT vehicle recognition + plate capture, thats where it would get interesting and that would be a key win if it can be pulled off. The last thing to consider would be cost. Right now the LPR237 goes for around $450 - $500 so the 437 (4MP version) could be pushing that number to at least the $600 - $700 mark IMO. Depending on your use case, application etc that may price it out of your budget.

With all that said, I do love this camera for what it does (again on the understanding it is for plate /vehicle caps only) and is a really performant beast. I don't think you would regret it if you bought one today. However, unless you need this right away, with what we know now, I would personally advise waiting a month or 2 to see if I can get my hands on a 4MP version and put it through its paces. Then dependent of course on cost and performance, that may be the new way to move forward for that balance of relatively usable footprint for residential / small business installations with a new level of AI processing performance. Worst case it doesn't perform in testing and you can still get the 237 that a number of us use and love today.

HTH

Thanks very much for the insight. I don't really need this camera at all, it's more of another piece to secure my neck of the woods. I currently don't have any problem with manually looking plates up, hence this is more for the convenience and extra capabilities than anything. If I did purchase this one, then I would most likely use the 5241 (capturing plates atm) as a combo watching over my mailbox and capturing any plates/cars that it might be able to grab. The mailbox is about 20 feet from a streetlight, so most likely would/could keep it in color 24/7.

I am looking forward to seeing the new mini-ptz coming out in the very near future, which would also be another piece of the puzzle for the front of the house. Hmmm.. decisions, decisions.

 

[quest100]

I would like to know what are the capabilities of this camera when used with Blue Iris?

As a minimum I want the ability to FTP images that include the plate and date in the file name. This would be sufficient for me to purchase this camera. Without this or some similar ability, I will stick with my HFW5231E-Z12E cameras.

1) Blue Iris can not obtain the plate numbers?
a) Can the camera trigger BI on the optimal plate image?
b) How much delay between the trigger and BI's trigger image?
c) At least the triggers would only occur when a vehicle passes by?
2) Can the camera email and/or FTP photos of both the vehicle and license plate?
a) The most readable capture?
b) What happens when no plate is readable, just that a vehicle is present?
c) Can it include the plate number?
i) FTP file name either <date, plate> or <plate, date>?
ii) Also include any vehicle description, i.e. color, type, model?
III) This might be the easiest way to build up a database for later queries.
3) How can I collect the captures into an external database?
a) Can the camera send the plate info? How?
b) Any recommendations for a database/spreadsheet to collect the info?

I would like to end up with the ability to query when a plate was seen, rarely seen plates, filter out known plates, no plates, etc. I would then like to be able to look at the FTP images from this camera(s) and also non-LPR cameras that would show the vehicle better at night.

 

[wittaj]

You are better off staying with your Z12E cameras and BI or buying this camera and the associated NVR to do what you want, and even then it probably can't check all the boxes.

The camera for plates uses a proprietary program, so the ANPR function would be basically useless to BI. You would need the ANPR NVR to have some of the functionality you are looking for. I have heard it is not real easy to extrapolate out the data to an external database.

Your better bet would be to use paid OpenALPR and the utility written by members here to achieve the ability to do a database, but that again would be outside of BI.

OpenALPR Tool - Save and Query CSV Exports Steps I took To Get Mine Working. ZERO Programming Experience.

The LPR_Viewer and LPR_Downloader are free Windows programs designed by @Gymratz & @DLONG2 which allow you to automatically collect, store, view and manage plate data from your IP cameras. It does require a $5 a month subscription to the 'Watchman' plan available at OpenALPR.com. Also there is...

ipcamtalk.com

OR use the integrated Plate Recognizer within BI.

OR use the BI model that a member wrote here that is free and would keep it all within BI and give you the flexibility to probably do most or all of what you are looking to do:

Blue Iris and DeepStack ALPR

I took a break from my DeepStack Custom Model project and started work on a DeepStackALPR solution. I made a lot of progress on the DeepStackALPR. The solution is API that crops and rotates (if needed) the license plate. Then the API reads all of the characters in the plate and logs the license...

ipcamtalk.com