CCTV
ANPR camera systems in Kent
Number plate recognition for yards, car parks and gated entrances, where you want a record of what came and went or a barrier that opens for known vehicles.
- Free estimates
- Insurance work undertaken
- Domestic & commercial
ANPR is not a normal camera pointed at a car
This is the thing that catches people out. A general purpose CCTV camera covering an entrance will show you that a vehicle arrived. It will very often not give you a readable plate, because reading a plate reliably needs a camera specified, lensed and positioned for that one job.
It needs to be roughly square-on to the plate rather than looking down at it from a height, at a point where vehicles are slowing or stopped, at a distance matched to the lens. Headlights at night and low sun in the morning both defeat a camera that was not chosen for it. That is why ANPR is a survey decision and not something you add to an existing camera afterwards.
What it is genuinely useful for
Worth having where one of these is a real problem rather than a nice idea.
- A record of every vehicle entering and leaving a yard or site
- Barrier or gate opening automatically for a list of known vehicles
- Staff and contractor parking on a site with limited spaces
- Evidence tied to a specific vehicle rather than a general view of an incident
- Sites where deliveries are disputed and the vehicle identifies the delivery
The data protection side, which is heavier than for CCTV
A number plate identifies a vehicle, and through it a person, so an ANPR system processes personal data and does so more deliberately than ordinary CCTV. That raises the bar on the things a business already has to get right.
In practice it means being clear about why you are capturing plates, keeping the records only as long as that purpose justifies, signage that tells drivers ANPR is in use and who operates it, and restricting who can search the log. A system that quietly retains every plate for years because that was the default is the one that becomes a problem.
We will raise this at survey. Most sites have a perfectly good reason for ANPR and simply need the retention and access decided deliberately rather than left as it came out of the box.
Common questions
Frequently asked questions
Can you add ANPR to my existing cameras?
Almost never, and it is worth knowing before you ask. Reading a plate reliably needs a camera positioned square-on at a point where vehicles slow, with a lens matched to the distance. A general purpose camera covering the same entrance will show a vehicle arriving and will usually not give you a readable plate, particularly at night. ANPR is normally an additional camera specified for the job.
Will it work at night?
Yes, if it was specified for it, and this is exactly where the wrong camera fails. Headlights blow out an ordinary camera's exposure and the plate becomes unreadable. Cameras intended for ANPR handle that, which is a large part of why they cost what they do. If night capture matters, say so at survey, because it changes the specification.
Can the gate open automatically for our vehicles?
Yes, that is one of the more useful applications. A list of known plates opens the barrier or gate and everything else is stopped, which removes fobs and codes for regular vehicles. It works best where the approach lets a vehicle slow at a predictable point, so the entrance layout is part of the design rather than an afterthought.
How long can we keep the records?
As long as your reason for capturing them justifies, and no longer. That is a decision to make deliberately rather than accept as a default, because a system quietly holding every plate for years is harder to defend than one holding them for a period you chose for a stated reason. We will raise it at survey along with signage and who can search the log.
Is ANPR only for large commercial sites?
Mostly, and we will tell you if it is not worth it. It earns its place where vehicle movements are the actual question: yards, car parks with limited spaces, gated commercial entrances. On a domestic driveway a good general camera and a gate intercom usually does everything ANPR would, for a lot less.
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No up-selling, just simple honest advice. Domestic and commercial work across Aylesford, Maidstone, Medway, Sittingbourne, Gravesend, Canterbury, Tunbridge Wells, Sevenoaks, Dartford, Bromley.