If you are shopping for the best LPR camera solution, I recommend that you understand the difference between license plate capture and automatic license plate recognition first. Equally important is understanding the differences in installation requirements to accomplish LPC vs ALPR. Let’s start with some definitions.

• License Plate Capture Camera (LPC) – a specialized security camera that is capable of capturing video surveillance footage of moving vehicles clear enough for a human to identify license plates clearly when reviewing recorded video. LPC cameras are typically connected to a DVR / NVR to record the video surveillance footage.
• Automatic License Plate Recognition Camera (ALPR) – a specialized security camera with embedded software that can automatically identify the alphanumeric characters on a license plate. The license plate numbers are typically logged to a database and / or used for access control integrations such as automated gated entries for vehicles. The video recording typically happens on a DVR / NVR and the license plate database may also be located on the security recorder.

Please note that all ALPR cameras are also LPC cameras, but not all LPC cameras have ALPR software built into them. Sometimes, both of these camera types are simply referred to as “LPR cameras”. This can be confusing in the security industry, and we even do this here at CCTV Camera Pros.

Automatic License Plate Recognition Camera

This is the Viewtron LPR-IP4. It is, by far, our best selling “LPR Camera”. It has automatic license plate recognition software built into it. However, it can be used simply as a license plate capture camera. Using the ALPR software is optional. The Viewtron LPR-IP4 is a network IP camera with PoE support. It is my top recommendation for license plate capture and automatic license plate recognition. We almost always sell our Viewtron LPR cameras with a Viewtron NVR. Viewtron NVRs are 100% integrated with the license plate detection and automatic license plate recognition software functions. All of my most recent license plate recognition video demos use this camera.

License Plate Capture Camera

For customers looking for a CCTV camera solution for license plate recording, our LPR-AHD5 is an excellent choice. This is NOT an IP camera. It uses coax cable with BNC connectors to record video to a CCTV DVR. This is an LPC camera. It DOES NOT have ALPR software built into it.

Automatic License Plate Recognition Installation Requirements

Here is the Viewtron LPR-IP4 that is installed on a pole located in the back of the plaza where CCTV Camera Pros warehouse is located. Notice how low to the ground the LPR camera is installed – just 4 feet off the ground. Also notice that the pole is not set back too far off to the side of the road – only 10 feet. This minimizes the vertical and horizontal angle to the license plate detection zone.

License Plate Detection Zone

You can see in this picture how this minimizes the angle of view to the license plate detection zone, which is configured in the software on the Viewtron NVR that this camera is recording to. You can see our complete LPR camera installation guide here.

License Plate Capture Camera Installation

Here is the same model Viewtron LPR camera installed on my house. I installed this camera about a year ago to test license plate capture at a much more extreme mounting angle.

The camera is mounted 9 feet 4 inches high.

The location where the LPR camera is mounted on my house is set back 35 feet from the road.

To help minimize the horizontal angle as much as possible, the camera is focused on a license plate detection zone 110 feet away. The results are that the Viewtron LPR-IP4 works great as a license plate capture camera at this angle, but does not reliably detect the alphanumeric character on plates via the ALPR software. To be clear, I can review the recorded video surveillance footage on my NVR and see every license plate that passes by my house clearly.

Here is the video that I made back when I first tested this ALPR camera at my house. Please note that when I started testing and recording video surveillance footage for this video, my intention was to show people why installing an LPR camera on a house does not normally work well. It was to my pleasant surprise to find out how well the Viewtron LPR-IP4 worked when installed at this distance and angle. Ever since then, the team at CCTV Camera Pros has been recommending our Viewtron license plate recognition systems for “license plate capture” applications when the camera can not be installed down low and close to the road.

Viewtron NVR with ALPR Software Integration

These Viewtron NVRs have ALPR software integration. This means that you can setup / configure all of the ALPR functions from the simple to use interface of the NVR. You can also control multiple LPR cameras centrally on the NVR. I always recommend using a Viewtron NVR with Viewtron LPR cameras.

More LPC and ALPR Camera Videos

You can watch additional license plate capture and automatic license plate recognition videos here.

Have Questions / Need Help?

If you have any questions related to license plate detection or anything related to security camera systems, please email me anytime at mike@cctvcamerapros.net.

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