Encountered a stalker - Any tips on tweaking the IPC-HFW2831-Z camera to capture someones car plate number during day time?

[MikeyTech8]

Hey guys,

Hope you;re all doing well. I'm wanting some tips on how to improve the IPC-HFW2831-Z camera so that it is able to capture a car plates number clearer? I've recently encountered a stalker (white small car) where they drove to my street and parked on the side, then when we drove off drove our home to work, they followed us. We tried using the good old method of stopping our on the side of a street but the stalker copied my actions. I did this numerous times and he copied me.

Heres a photo of the capture from the IPC-HFW2831-Z of the stalker. Would like to hear your guys suggestions and camera settings configurations.

Atm my daytime settings is: Gamma 49, Sharpness 53, brightness 55 and Bitrate 8192 (max). Backlight off, exposure: outdoor auto. Fps 30. Thanks

 

[sebastiantombs]

You're not going to be able to improve that due to the angle, IE the camera is too high. You need a camera mounted lower, no higher than the top of the garage door just to get an ID of who. At that height you'd also get a plate number during the day and probably at night as well IF the headlights are off. Getting a plate number, LPR, is almost an art and takes a camera or two dedicated to that only. At night they will only see headlights/tail lights and a license plate.

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[Flintstone61]

You need a IPC HFW5241E-Z12e in conjunction with that Camera.
Why? you ask. ..Because you need to zoom up about 70 feet or more and catch it. And a different angle would help.

 

[Flintstone61]

 

[Holbs]

I had a tire slasher event and everything turned into EMERGENCY NOW! mode.
If you are really needing additional cameras, run a temp Cat6 out to your front lawn on a pole (fake mailbox, birdhouse, fake rock, etc) even if just laid on the ground through the grass and install a camera to the left where that red car is or to the right where that fence is. A indoor Cat5e/Cat6 patch cord or cable will last for a couple months until you decide to put something in longer term.
Really, anything such as mentioned above for camera models or even a varifocal 5442 on a pole at 4'-6' level will catch a plate with the proper adjustments in daytime use. Night time...dunno's.
You made the standard error. One that even I made in the beginning. It's cute to have cameras way up high to see what's all out there. But when you start getting paranoid (or as I say relatively cautious of today's world), you realize cameras at lower height (I purposely have 4' and 6' height cameras on the front of my house now. Used to be 12'-16' high) are the facial ID or plate ID that you can show to police and have action taken. Anything else...you might as well give video which shows a human? sasquatch? alien?
here is my 6' fake birdhouse 5442 6mm (not varifocal) camera: it can do faces & plates.

 

[Flintstone61]

+1 ^ 5442 6mm on a 12ft pole...but much diff angle

 

[Flintstone61]

Or...your gonna have to move that camera down much closer to the street.

 

[Flintstone61]

same 5442 6mm

 

[Holbs]

Hey guys,

Hope you;re all doing well. I'm wanting some tips on how to improve the IPC-HFW2831-Z camera so that it is able to capture a car plates number clearer? I've recently encountered a stalker (white small car) where they drove to my street and parked on the side, then when we drove off drove our home to work, they followed us. We tried using the good old method of stopping our on the side of a street but the stalker copied my actions. I did this numerous times and he copied me.

Heres a photo of the capture from the IPC-HFW2831-Z of the stalker. Would like to hear your guys suggestions and camera settings configurations.

Atm my daytime settings is: Gamma 49, Sharpness 53, brightness 55 and Bitrate 8192 (max). Backlight off, exposure: outdoor auto. Fps 30. Thanks

View attachment 106519

add to all this... I love how vibrant your yellow & red cars look with super duper green grass as backdrop
Daytime is easy to get things figured out.
Night time is the difference. Best re-adjust night time settings and then do LIVE test with your own vehicle or person walking. This is how I found out (thanks to this forum) to change manual shutter speed and various settings between daytime & night time. Learn how to use day or night profiles.

 

[looney2ns]

I had a tire slasher event and everything turned into EMERGENCY NOW! mode.
If you are really needing additional cameras, run a temp Cat6 out to your front lawn on a pole (fake mailbox, birdhouse, fake rock, etc) even if just laid on the ground through the grass and install a camera to the left where that red car is or to the right where that fence is. A indoor Cat5e/Cat6 patch cord or cable will last for a couple months until you decide to put something in longer term.
Really, anything such as mentioned above for camera models or even a varifocal 5442 on a pole at 4'-6' level will catch a plate with the proper adjustments in daytime use. Night time...dunno's.
You made the standard error. One that even I made in the beginning. It's cute to have cameras way up high to see what's all out there. But when you start getting paranoid (or as I say relatively cautious of today's world), you realize cameras at lower height (I purposely have 4' and 6' height cameras on the front of my house now. Used to be 12'-16' high) are the facial ID or plate ID that you can show to police and have action taken. Anything else...you might as well give video which shows a human? sasquatch? alien?
here is my 6' fake birdhouse 5442 6mm (not varifocal) camera: it can do faces & plates.
View attachment 106528
View attachment 106527

You need some serious tweaking performed on those cams settings. What's with the color Ed area at the bottom of the pictures? Is it getting part of the edge of the hole of the birdhouse?

 

[Holbs]

You need some serious tweaking performed on those cams settings. What's with the color Ed area at the bottom of the pictures? Is it getting part of the edge of the hole of the birdhouse?

this was day 1 or 2 of installation. I have since fine tuned it. However...no facial pics This was the only facial pic I could find in my history.

 

[looney2ns]

this was day 1 or 2 of installation. I have since fine tuned it. However...no facial pics This was the only facial pic I could find in my history.

Duh. Didn't see the date, here on my phone.

 

[Holbs]

Duh. Didn't see the date, here on my phone.

damn still wonderful facial picture still of evil UPS man! Look at him... just waiting to take my $$... cause I buy too many cameras from Andy

 

[Holbs]

A 10/29/2021 Friday evening pic of a facial shot.
I do have to combat the outdoor light off in the distance. Luckily, I have my own many lumen light on my garage which helps illuminate 1/120 manual shutter speed picture. This is a Dahua 5442 6mm camera.

 

[NightLife]

Are you adverse to getting out of your car, and walking back to them on the side street so you can have a conversation? You can always have back up, pre-arranged and waiting in a car in very close proximity to where you plan to stop and therefore even closer to where you anticipate they'll pull over. You could even quietly block him in, and then go over to chat.

Hard not to get a bad vibe from this. He's coveting what you've got and learning your patterns of behaviour, schedules etc. You're not an HVT are you?