![[object Object]](/lib_rXUzJsgiPVfTYslm/q7815eu2gldwawy3.png?w=254)
Menu
Hello. Its James here from CloudPass.
In a world where security and data are key, we at CloudPass have seen an increase in demand for our ANPR solution.
Here we aim to give you some food for thought when considering either starting your ANPR journey or replacing an existing solution.
Passive ANPR - This is when you are NOT using a barrier or a set of bollards to manage access. Examples of this include shopping centres, waste management sites and car parks. All where they want everyone to have access.
Access Controlled ANPR - Where you DO have a set of bollards or a barrier. Examples of this is when you want to restrict access either by the vehicle or perhaps a time restriction.
Location plays an important role when considering installing gates, barriers, or bollards. Even more so is the importance of where your ANPR camera or ANPR bollard will be placed. I've been to too many sites or seen drawings where the camera is a) positioned too close to the barrier b) is too low (more on that in the next point) c) poor location.
Risks of being too close to the barrier - One of the biggest challenges for a camera that is too close to the barrier is where the camera will read a VRN (Vehicle Registration Number). It's often the case that when too close, the camera will in fact read too far back. Here is a classic example of what happens - A car will drive up to a set of barriers that is NOT allowed access. As the camera is too close to the barrier it will read the VRN too far away and the vehicle continues to drive right up to the barrier. Next, a vehicle that is allowed access will drive up behind the first vehicle, the VRN gets read and the ANPR solution knows to open the barrier. The barrier then opens and lets the wrong vehicle through...
This is a familiar tale when the location of the camera is wrong. But there are things you can do! Firstly, you want the ANPR camera to be able to see over the barrier (if there is an obstructing view) and be able to read a VRN as close to the barrier as possible. This ensures that you are always reading the nearest vehicles to the barrier. Secondly, if you are limited to space, then you may want to consider an ANPR bollard, which could be a great alternative. Click here to see more info from our previous blog - https://cloudpass.com/blog/tmc-camera
In short, a bad angle will give you bad reads. An ANPR solution is only as good as the read the camera provides it with. The industry norm is a <45-degree angle. This helps the camera avoid sunlight hitting the camera and helps the camera understand the direction the vehicle is heading amongst many other benefits.
Another thing to ensure getting right is what we refer to as 'region of interest'. This is the region where you'd like the camera to read a VRN. Vehicles can approach a barrier or road in a variety of ways. So, it's important the region covers this to get great results.
There are several types of ANPR solutions in the marketplace. The most common types are On Premises, Hybrid and Cloud. As our name suggests, at CloudPass we are a true cloud solution. The benefits here are as follows
Here is a link to a blog we that goes in to a bit more detail - https://cloudpass.com/blog/hello-world
I'll start off by saying this, an ANPR camera is pretty dumb. It will see a VRN (and in some cases the vehicles make, model and colour) and assume it's the right vehicle. In an age where thieves are more cunning then two-factor authentication could be the answer. We recently had a customer who wanted to replace an existing on premisis ANPR solution and increase their security. They had previously had thieves brake into their compound as they had noticed VRN's of vehicles that were being granted access and copied their plates. If this sounds familiar to issues you are having or haven't even thought about then 2FA is ideal. At CloudPass we can match vehicles with a specific pin code we provide them with to ensure the right vehicle is gaining access.
Hopefully you found this useful and insightful. Don't forget to visit our website if you'd like to know more - https://cloudpass.com/
Or if you'd like to book a demo at a time that suits you and see what CloudPass has to offer - https://cloudpass.com/book-a-demo
James