A private housing estate sought to control vehicle access; without use of RFID tags. Nedap’s ANPR Access HD linked to Nortech’s Norpass3 access control system was chosen for Nottingham Park Estate Limited (NPEL), a private residential housing estate to the west of Nottingham. The estate company dating from 1985 wanted a vehicle identification system to replace the ageing RFID tagging used to control vehicle access in and out of the estate.
A Cheshire based installer, Sitewatch Fire & Surveillance Ltd, was commissioned to identify an upgrade. They chose Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) based access control from Nortech. This manages access in and out of the estate for residents, park staff and authorised visitors. Supported by Nortech, Sitewatch installed Nedap’s ANPR Access HD cameras at each access point to the estate, replacing the old vehicle tag readers. The cameras are linked to the Norpass3 access system; the number plate of each authorised vehicle is registered within the Norpass3 system.
Nedap’s ANPR Access HD is an all in one camera including High Definition camera, analyser and infra-red (IR) illuminator. The product makers say it covers nearly all European countries and supports a range of IR-reflective license plates. The usage of a HD sensor with the high power IR, enables reading more complex number plates in more challenging circumstances and from a wider range, the product company claims.
As a vehicle approaches the access point, the ANPR camera can automatically read the number plate at up to 10m. The plate is passed to the Norpass controller for validation and, if valid, access is granted to the vehicle. This avoids the need to issue vehicle tags to users, doing away with costs of tag replacement and reducing admin time. Gary Jackson, Branch Manager North Region of Sitewatch Fire & Surveillance Ltd said: “The new system improved customer convenience and put an end to vehicles trying to use the park for a shortcut.”
