sheriffa 0 Posted October 1, 2014 I searched the forum but found a post from 2012 so I am creating a new one. I am looking for an outdoor wifi camera that has enough resolution to capture a license plate from 30 ft in the day or night. A bullet camera would be ideal. I already have a system running with 8 BNC cameras and 12 IP cameras. The IP Cameras are using Blueiris software so I would ideally like to ensure the camera would work. I've used ACTi in the past (bad decision) but switched to Vivotek which I love. Any ideas? I've looked at the Foscam FI9805W but feel I need a better image. Thank you. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted October 1, 2014 Use this calculator to find what lens and resolution you need to reach your goal - http://ipvm.com/calculator Just enter the distance, lens, sensor size and such and it gives you an approximate visualization of the plate. At night, figure you'll need maybe 50% more due to noise. Also, at night, to read a plate which is highly reflective and you have to contend with head or tail lights, make the max shutter speed about 1/200/sec. This will make everything near black except for lights and plates. I love the idea of a WiFi camera, just never used them outdoors before. A good source is Brickcom, they have a nice bullet with WiFi built in that worked pretty well for me in testing I've done. Here's a shot of a plate using VGA resolution at 42' at 1/200/sec exposure. If this was taken with auto exposure, the plate would be a white rectangle. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
sheriffa 0 Posted October 2, 2014 Anybody have any experience with specific cameras? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
buellwinkle 0 Posted October 2, 2014 Actually, maybe I started off too low end for you. Our actual LPR camera we use is an Axis Q1604 with a Fujinon 5-50mm lens inside an Axis outdoor enclosure (don't get the outdoor "-E" model as the lens won't fit in that enclosure). We combined it with a Raytec RM100-30 illuminator to allow for a full view of the car at night that overcomes the license plate reflection and taillights. We are looking at putting in an Avigilon dome with a 9-22mm lens for our next project where a vandal dome is needed because of the low install height and there's not too many vandal domes with telephoto lenses. Have you seen the article in my blog on license plate recognition? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thewireguys 3 Posted October 2, 2014 Actually, maybe I started off too low end for you. Our actual LPR camera we use is an Axis Q1604 with a Fujinon 5-50mm lens inside an Axis outdoor enclosure (don't get the outdoor "-E" model as the lens won't fit in that enclosure). We combined it with a Raytec RM100-30 illuminator to allow for a full view of the car at night that overcomes the license plate reflection and taillights. We are looking at putting in an Avigilon dome with a 9-22mm lens for our next project where a vandal dome is needed because of the low install height and there's not too many vandal domes with telephoto lenses. Have you seen the article in my blog on license plate recognition? I wouldn't use the Avigilon dome I would recommend the bullet for LPR. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
