Integrating LPR cams into my existing system

Video1

Getting the hang of it
Jul 15, 2020
60
32
California
Please bear with me. I'm a total newb at this. I have an existing 14 camera system with a NVR.

The existing cameras are 4 MP IP cams: LTS CMIP1142W-28 4MP IR Outdoor Turret IP Security Camera

The NVR is: 16 channel NVR so I have 2 open channels. This is a PoE NVR but I do not know if it is ONVIF compliant (I suspect it is not). I have an email in to a vendor to inquire. If it is not, I have no problem replacing it.

I'd like to add 2 ALPR cameras to my system, and maybe 2 overview cams as well. These cameras are to be located at the front of our lot, by the street. We have a bunch of trees out front onto which I could affix a housing for the cams with a band. We've had a string of robberies in our neighborhood with one house just four doors over having their garage broken into. Our existing cameras are just too far from the street to be of use. Fortunately the street is only wide enough for one car to pass in each direction. But it is pitch black at night since we have no streetlights.
width of road.jpg

Having read through a number of threads I have a lot of questions.

Would it be better to build a stand-alone PC instead of using a NVR? If so what kind of CPU and memory do I need to maintain a 60 FPS that folks are recommending to be able to capture license plates? I would think a Ryzen 7 2700x and up CPU should have enough horsepower.

Video card? GTX 1050 should do right?

How are the 16 camera feeds fed into the PC, with a network switch?

And importantly which cameras? The true ALPR cameras are pricey, at about $650 each, but folks seem to be using the Dahua 5241E-Z12E. But as with most things, everything comes with a price. It seems this camera requires lots of trial and error, especially capturing images at night. And it's the night images that are most important to us, as this is when most of the break-ins have been occurring. I read that you should set the camera to switch over to B&W well before sundown, and not use the auto-switch feature. However this would seem to get tedious during the shoulder seasons when the sundown is changing. And during inclement weather and overcast days, how does that affect the system?

It looks like I can have online services like OpenALPR read the plates for a fee. And I can use BlueIris to work with the cameras. But I'm not sure if BI will work with my current NVR.

So I guess what I'm really asking is to get a sense of direction. Can I use my current NVR? Do I build a new PC? And then how do I integrate my existing cameras to a system with two new ALPR cameras and two overview cameras?


Thank you. This is a great forum! Much learning to do!!!
 
You could find a dedicated computer from the wiki -cliff notes suggestions on ebay. Put blue iris on the computer and dedicate it for your LPR and over view camera setup. Or you could use a dedicated NVR for your new cameras. The new cameras might not work on your NVR i am not sure, but if they do you will not be able to utilize all the features of the Camera on your current NVR. Most camera features are available if you are using the same NVR as the cameras. @bigredfish has a post on setting up a Dahua NVR witch you can read here.

***PSA for those with a New DAHUA NVR with Built-in PoE switch

You say you do not have any lights that will be okay for LPR cameras as they need it to be pitch black, if the IR on the cameras are not enough you can add extra IR lighting to help the cameras light up the license plate. But your over view cameras will need more lighting to have them in color at night to help in identifying the color of things at night. Take your time don't rush your build read as much as you can then ask questions. Good luck!


 
What is the Brand and model of your current NVR?

Never mind I see it. LTS

Agree with what @djernie posted above
 
Yeah, it looks like I'm going to need to build a new PC to run the cameras I need. I will need two cameras for LPR duty as well as two additional observation cameras. Plus now I'm thinking of mounting some cameras facing back towards my house. So that's 6 new cameras added on to the existing 14 I already have. For the price of a 32 camera NVR, it looks like I could build a decent PC for the same money. I'm guessing I should not have any problems hooking up my existing cameras to the PC so long as I have a PoE switch?

In regards to lights, the street is very dark as there are no overhead lights, but I do plan on installing landscape lighting consisting of path lights and some uplights to highlight some of our trees. Will this be a problem for a LPR camera? And by LPR camera I'm talking about the non-dedicated cameras folks have been using such as the 5241E-Z12E.


You could find a dedicated computer from the wiki -cliff notes suggestions on ebay. Put blue iris on the computer and dedicate it for your LPR and over view camera setup. Or you could use a dedicated NVR for your new cameras. The new cameras might not work on your NVR i am not sure, but if they do you will not be able to utilize all the features of the Camera on your current NVR. Most camera features are available if you are using the same NVR as the cameras. @bigredfish has a post on setting up a Dahua NVR witch you can read here.

***PSA for those with a New DAHUA NVR with Built-in PoE switch

You say you do not have any lights that will be okay for LPR cameras as they need it to be pitch black, if the IR on the cameras are not enough you can add extra IR lighting to help the cameras light up the license plate. But your over view cameras will need more lighting to have them in color at night to help in identifying the color of things at night. Take your time don't rush your build read as much as you can then ask questions. Good luck!


 
Yeah, it looks like I'm going to need to build a new PC to run the cameras I need. I will need two cameras for LPR duty as well as two additional observation cameras. Plus now I'm thinking of mounting some cameras facing back towards my house. So that's 6 new cameras added on to the existing 14 I already have. For the price of a 32 camera NVR, it looks like I could build a decent PC for the same money. I'm guessing I should not have any problems hooking up my existing cameras to the PC so long as I have a PoE switch?

In regards to lights, the street is very dark as there are no overhead lights, but I do plan on installing landscape lighting consisting of path lights and some uplights to highlight some of our trees. Will this be a problem for a LPR camera? And by LPR camera I'm talking about the non-dedicated cameras folks have been using such as the 5241E-Z12E.
Computer would make more sense and yes you can connect to current switch. Remember you will not have good license plate recognition unless you have cameras dedicated to that purpose. And in order to get license plate at nite the camera will only show black at night. Be sure and check out the LPR post it will explain license plate capture. As long as your lighting isn't pointing towards any cameras you should be okay. Landscape lighting is not that bright, so it may or may not help. You should buy one varifocus camera and set it up in a temporarily in a bucket with sand and a 2x4. Attach the camera to the board and move it around your area so you will have an idea of where to place the cameras and if they will do what you need. Night time will be the important part. See how much or less lighting you will need and how it will affect the cameras. Here is what it the camera will look like getting plates at night. When there is no car it is black. It's only using the IR light on the camera. This camera is not a dedicated LPR camera it is my PTZ (pan tilt zoom) SD49225t-hn camera i am using until i get didicated LPR cameras. I am zoomed in to the choke point in the street.
LPR.jpg
LPR night camera.jpg
DAYLPR day.jpg