Trigger settings to prevent bugs setting off alarms?

[talisman2208]

Evening all, I did some looking and couldn't really find an answer. I have a problem with all my night cams constantly going off and recording because of bugs flying in front of the screen. How should I set my settings to prevent these things from happening? I figured it would be pixel travel time, but it's sort of complicated.

 

[sebastiantombs]

The easy way to do that is to use auxiliary IR illuminators and shut off the IR in the cameras. Locate the auxiliary illuminators two feet or so away from the camera and you won't have bugs buzzing the camera all night and spiders building webs on it to catch those bugs.

 

[Rob2020]

Look at Tendelux for value (Amazon) or Axton (BHPhoto) for high end Made in USA as a couple options that are well reviewed here.

 

[srvfan]

The easy way to do that is to use auxiliary IR illuminators and shut off the IR in the cameras. Locate the auxiliary illuminators two feet or so away from the camera and you won't have bugs buzzing the camera all night and spiders building webs on it to catch those bugs.

Not trying to hijack, but will an auxiliary Illuminator work for a camera being used for LPR? I notice that even with Deepstack, I am missing alerts once it gets dark.
Aside from the brands mentioned above, are there any other to consider? Also, are these illuminators POE, and do they stay on all the time, or can you set up times?

 

[wittaj]

Not trying to hijack, but will an auxiliary Illuminator work for a camera being used for LPR? I notice that even with Deepstack, I am missing alerts once it gets dark.
Aside from the brands mentioned above, are there any other to consider? Also, are these illuminators POE, and do they stay on all the time, or can you set up times?

What does your motion setting look like for the LPR cam at night? I have the min size just smaller than half a plate and the make time of 0 seconds and I get them all.

Yes, they will work for LPR, but keep in mind that if your distance is greater than probably 50-75 feet, you probably want a more powerful one. I tried those above and at my distance I couldn't see a difference.

@biggen got one made just for LPR

Axton PoE Illuminator review

I've been running a LPR cam for a few months now and have been extremely happy with it. Daytime plate recognition is damn near 100%. However, night time recognition was much lower. I was getting < 75% plate recognition at night. I shoot out to about ~115 feet using a 5241-Z12. What I've...

ipcamtalk.com

 

[srvfan]

What does your motion setting look like for the LPR cam at night? I have the min size just smaller than half a plate and the make time of 0 seconds and I get them all.

Yes, they will work for LPR, but keep in mind that if your distance is greater than probably 50-75 feet, you probably want a more powerful one. I tried those above and at my distance I couldn't see a difference.

@biggen got one made just for LPR

Axton PoE Illuminator review

I've been running a LPR cam for a few months now and have been extremely happy with it. Daytime plate recognition is damn near 100%. However, night time recognition was much lower. I was getting < 75% plate recognition at night. I shoot out to about ~115 feet using a 5241-Z12. What I've...

ipcamtalk.com

Thanks @wittaj. I will have to check out the motion settings tomorrow as you mentioned. I have that camera (I even think you helped me dial it in when I first got it) cloned and running Deepstack. When you mention motion, I’m assuming it’s the motion setting in Blue Iris? If so, the min size is set fairly small. Would the contrast setting make any difference?
And after glimpsing at the post you linked to, it seems like I would need to have a custom one built to work. Even then, I don’t think it would work due to the mounting necessities.

 

[wittaj]

Yeah, I set my contrast low. Here are my settings. I have a zone A that is basically a diagonal blob so that it doesn't trigger early on a head or taillight. By the time the head or tail light are in the zone, the plate would be in the field of view.

 

[srvfan]

Yeah, I set my contrast low. Here are my settings. I have a zone A that is basically a diagonal blob so that it doesn't trigger early on a head or taillight. By the time the head or tail light are in the zone, the plate would be in the field of view.

View attachment 138476

Ahhh; that could be it right there. My contrast is set way higher if memory serves correct. Maybe just a little under halfway. I will definitely change that. Plus I think that my min size could shrink down more.
As far as zones, I removed all of those on the clone as indicated in the fine tuning Deepstack video below. Funny thing is, the BI user forum mentions adding zones in as a pro tip, lol. Guess I’ll revert to that; during the day it is flawless. I have several other questions about fine tuning Deepstack after making adjustments per the video, but I’ll save that for another post. Thanks again!