Owning License Plate-Reading Cameras
Owning Versus Renting Plate Cameras
Rented plate-reading services capture only still images and feed your data into a national database.
Owning an AI LPR camera allows you to record full video along with the plate reads, keeping all footage stored securely on-site.
The data stays with the owner, and there is no license required for the plate-reading software.
Rented services do maintain one advantage regarding placement, as they use poles located in the city right-of-way.
Camera Capabilities and Installation Limits
The AI LPR camera operates in an LPR Night Vision mode and an LPR Dedicated mode.
Installation guidance requires mounting the camera up to 5 meters high, covering a capture distance of up to 12 meters, and keeping the horizontal angle under 25 degrees.
At night, the plate camera sees only license plates and headlights.
Because of this limit, the system is paired with a context camera that shows the actual vehicle and driver.
While users of another vendor report that switching a camera to plate mode disables its other analytics, the expectation is that the UniFi system avoids this limitation, though this is not a tested result.
Additionally, 360-degree camera models do not support license plate recognition.
Searching Footage and Managing Incidents
Plate reads become searchable in Protect alongside the rest of your footage, and you can create specific alert triggers in Alarm Manager.
If an incident occurs, Case Manager gathers clips from several cameras, trims and annotates the footage, and exports a zip file with the clips and a PDF.
One installer used this tool to export a full sequence to a police portal after a trailer of trash was dumped at a client property.
Service for Charleston and the Lowcountry
CloudCentric is a managed IT provider in Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, serving businesses across Charleston and the Lowcountry.
We assist property managers, HOAs, contractors, dealers, schools, churches, marinas, and industrial parks looking to watch a lot, yard, or entrance.
Call (844) 422-7000 to discuss an owned plate-reading camera setup for your property.