Subscriber Discussion

Can You Recommend LPR Cameras For Milestone VMS?

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Joel Rosario
Jan 23, 2017

Hello, dear members and IPVM administrators.

On this occasion I would like to start a discussion on recommended IP camera brands for plate reading (LPR) on the Milestone VMS platform. Where it is taken into account data such as:

  1. Day and night operation,
  2. Operating conditions (low and high temperatures, condensed or not)
  3. Recommended height for a pole installation preventing the possibility of theft or bandaging,
  4. Advantages and disadvantages between the camera Have built-in illuminators vs. use external illuminators properly synchronized to the camera,
  5. Resolutions and FPS recommended for H.264 and MJPEG compressions.

Thanks for you time!

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Ethan Ace
Jan 23, 2017

Milestone has full recommendations for camera compatibility with XProtect LPR in their admin guide. I pulled out the relevant section here.

To answer specific questions, let me start with question 5 first, because it impacts everything else.

5. XProtect LPR can use H.264/H.265 cameras, but it will analyze on keyframes only, which generally means 1 FPS. In our tests, using H.264 resulted in high latency, on the order of 10+ seconds.

Using MJPEG, we saw little difference in processing delay at various resolutions. 720p, 1080p, and 5MP all resulted in similar latency and CPU load.

1. In a camera properly set up for license plate recognition, day and night operation are much more similar than in typical cameras, since it should be monochrome 24/7 with integrated IR for best results.

2. I'm not sure how specifically high and low temperatures would affect capture. Weather conditions like fog, snow, or rain, could reduce accuracy, especially when using strong infrared illumination.

3. Pole height for LPR is tricky, because angle of incidence should be as shallow as possible for best recognition. Milestone recommends 15-30 degrees, for example. So getting that angle while keeping the camera out of reach may require the camera to be mounted further from the capture area, with a longer lens than is usual.

4. External IR used to be most commonly used for LPR, but integrated IR may work, depending on distance. We have multiple tests using standard integrated IR cameras (see License Plate Capture Shootout 2014 and Low Cost License Plate Capture Shootout), as well as dedicated capture cameras with higher powered IR (see Testing Messoa 3MP LPC Camera and Testing Geovision MP License Plate Camera).

Specialized LPR cameras like the Messoa we tested, linked above, with built in IR are often able to capture out to ~100'. But if using standard cameras, you may need external IR for longer ranges.

I hope that answers some questions. Let me know if there's anything else I can clear up.

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Joel Rosario
Jan 23, 2017
The experience is not really improvised. 

I am very satisfied with the very detailed explanation.

Best regards!
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Joel Rosario
Jan 24, 2017

Good Morning guys.

Yesterday, I was looking for information on cameras and models for LPC and using the IPVM comparison tool, I made the following list, which may be interesting for any other member.

 

JH
Jay Hobdy
Jan 24, 2017
IPVMU Certified

We have used a Uniview camera in the past with great success on NVR based systems with no recognition.

 

We are about to start a project tomorrow where we will be installing 2 LPR cameras with Milestone.

 

Bump this thread next week and hopefully I will have some answers.

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