CCTV system help please - auto track and number plate req

Hi, after a number of attempted break ins and theft of property out side unit we want to upgrade our cctv.

At the moment the place is covered in cctv cameras but are only really any good in day light and close up. As theft tends to happen at night the camera footage has always been crap.

So we are looking at getting one external high quality camera. We would like it to -

1- Auto track (Be able to sit watching one area unless something moves in this area and then we want it to track it)
2- Read a number plate (From 100 meters away and at night .This will be where the camera needs to be always watching unless tracking something)
3 - Obviously high quality. No point in a camera that you cant make out number plate etc.
4- record for at least 3 weeks before it over rights.


So any help on what system to use, camera etc you would recommend ? IS a £1000 budget realistic for one camera that can do this? or we talking lots more? i dont really want to spend more but end of the day if it costs more it costs more ! i have no idea on cost so help on this also please.

Im also happy to install myself but again we will consider paying a pro if rates are fair.

Many thanks

Get a local pro to quote you on the spec.

Ask for specifics so you can tell what each are actually offering.

Just been having a quick look and one of my suppliers is offering something at 949+ VAT for the camera that looks close to what you are asking but a proper site survey is required to get things done correctly.

secureiam said:

Get a local pro to quote you on the spec.

Ask for specifics so you can tell what each are actually offering.

Just been having a quick look and one of my suppliers is offering something at 949+ VAT for the camera that looks close to what you are asking but a proper site survey is required to get things done correctly.

Click to expand...

Hi and thankyou for your reply.

I have had a couple of local CCTV company's in and to be honest they don't seem to have a clue. They all seem to want to sell us more cameras than we need that simply are not up to the job. We have already had a load of cameras installed (16 cameras !) Yes they work indoors o.k but still poor for the couple of thousand £ it cost us. We had a attempted break in and the footage was so poor at nigh we couldn't work out what car it was let alone get a number plate.

We then upgrade to one so called good camera outside, again the top gate was ram raided and they tried to get into unit again. But they gave up and stole a trailer instead. When reviewing footage it was agin of no use.

Then we had a whole Arctic Trailer stolen in broad day light! As it was the back car park the camera could not make out the tractor units reg as to far away (hence i want a camera that can zoom as well as track.

I have since been in touch with SONY but none of their contractors have turned up to quote. I have chased but the company's simply don't turn up.

So im at the point now of asking for help on a forum to get a idea of spec so i can check spec for myself and also possibly going to install myself. Personally i would prefer to pay a pro. End of the day if im spending my time fitting the camera then im costing the company my wage, so we are no worse off if we pay someone .

If someone on here wants the job they can have it. I would like to know spec tho so i can check myself and so i know what to tell a contractor what cctv camera i would like or be advised on.

PM me with a list of companies that you have tried and an email address, I can pass your details on to some of my colleagues in the trade down your way.


If they are already on the list I will not ask them, but will let you know.

If the quote and haven't been on site then I would avoid there may be issues that they need to take into account that they would know only from a site survey like lighting etc.

To have a clear image of the number plate at night the illumination source has to be separate from the camera by several feet.

The reflective number plate reflects light back to the source, this is perfect for making it appear very bright to the driver of a car behind but has the effect of blinding the camera preventing it getting seeing the plate clearly.

ANPR cameras rely on a mixture of street lighting and / or adaptive IR illumination where the power fed to the LEDs is automatically adjusted to provide enough illumination to read the plate without dazzzling the camera.

its something you want to get right, just the number plate may not be enough due to possible false plates, but may give something the police can track back.

would you be better having trackers on your trailers?

ANPR is a difficult and specialist thing to do. £1000 is unlikely to be enough. You may like to consider a "megapixel" camera... We use Avigilon but a 20 Mpixel camera would blow your budget away - and then there's the NVR. However, the detail you can record (day or night) is staggeringly good and you wouldn't need to track the camera as you can pan and zoom after the event. Premiership football clubs use them to identify smokers when the cleaners have found fag butts after the match.

Having said that, 100m is a long way away to see a number plate at night. You will probably need to install some IR lighting closer to the vehicle and have the camera zoomed in (unless it's the megapixel). Ideally, you want the number plate to be at least 1/4 of the width of the screen...

I've used the Sony Ipela range in the past. To get their bullet camera to read number plates of vehicles travelling toward/away from the camera up to 20 mph from 50m away day and night, I had to mess around with all the settings for ages. I ended up turning off all the clever features and running at a high shutter speed with the lens stopped down. The picture you got was rubbish - all grey and washed out - but you could read the number plates. That's all the company wanted so they were happy.

The Mobotix cameras are worth a look. Their on-board Video Motion Detection (VDM) is quite good and they can record to an SD card. They also have a built-in PIR, microphone and speaker. But their NVR offering is awful...

In summary, what you want to do is really hard. You either need lots of cheaper cameras or one or two really good ones. Ask your CCTV company to show you other sites that they have installed and see if they meet your requirements. Be prepared to spend quite a bit - but it should be less than the price of a replacement trailer!

Hi and thanks for the replies.

I don't have the name for the other companys who have been in. Reason for this is i didn't arrange who was coming.

I was trying to keep post short as possible without having to explain everything but as questions are being asked i should correct or should i say give more info on whats happened.

So to start, i never arranged for companys to come in and quote / site visit. One of the neighboring units arranged everything and we (my company and the other neighboring units )was going to split cost of outside cctv.

The trailers stolen was not mine, they was property of neighboring units. My company / unit has not had any finacial loss. We was targeted but they have not yet managed to get through the security in place protecting the unit.

The distance of camera (100 meters) 100 meters is around the distance away of the distance away from entry from the road. Ideally i want the camera to pick up vehicles this far away incase it parked up and people came the rest of the way on foot. So hopefully vehicle used is a registered vehicle. However if the car was to drive in (while gates open) then teh vehicle would be driving towards camera and will be around 20 meters away before it can turn side on to camera. (thats calculating distance from camera as camera will be mounted up high)

As for teh original units that was sharing cost, they have since moved out hence im now following this up off my own back to pay for teh system.

also the cost bit. If i cant do what i want within the £1k budget then we pay more. If it costs 5k it costs 5k. and so on. As with any job, no one wants to spend more than is nessary and as i dont know what i need im trying to set a budget as such. I just don'twant to be ripped off nominating a budget to a contractor quoting. Hence a spec of what i require would be great to approach potential contractors with .

Get people in to see the site. Get demonstrations and/or references. Get quotes. Ignore anyone who tells you that they can read number plates at night at 100m with a £100 camera!

I have sent you a PM with information about a camera system that could be the solution to your ANPR requirement

Hi Bernard,

Thanks for the link. The camera suggested is maybe over specified tho. I only want a camera that i can see a reg plate on if i need review the recording. I dont need it to actually read the reg etc.

Im not dismissing ! i will defo look into what you suggested.

The thieves have to get on site via a gate - so why not set one of your existing cameras near the gate so the camera is filming the plate from a few metres?

You are better off upgrading your physical security anyway. Ram raiding a concrete bollard won't do much for a truck. Put spikes down at night. They won't get far with four flat tyres.

FWIW, I totally sympathise with the OP but, in my experience, thieving scum turn up 99% of the time in one of the following;

(a) Stolen vehicle
(b) Vehicle on false plates
(c) Vehicle with no current registered keeper

Therefore, even spending money on a camera which can read a number plate will not directly assist with detection and possible recovery of goods.

IMHO, money would be far better spent on upgrading access security.

It may well be worth a call to your local Crime Prevention Officer. His/her advice is free. (note that they are called something else in some police forces but I cannot recall that term)

"Don't know it alls"