Long-range PoE cameras
4MP-8MP cameras with IR illumination to 100-130 feet (varifocal lenses for tuning the FOV after install). Color-at-night optional for high-traffic perimeters.
What's different about outdoor / yard installs
Perimeter motion zones
Per-camera motion zones tuned to ignore the highway, the neighbor's parking lot, and wildlife paths. We walk the property at install + use 24-48 hours of capture to dial in.
License-plate capture
Dedicated LPR camera at the entrance. Reads every plate. Allow / watch / block lists. Vehicle-arrival alert pages your phone with the plate number embedded in the message.
Off-hours arming
Outside posted business hours, alerts go to your phone in <3 seconds. During business hours, the system records but doesn't page you (you're already there).
Cellular failover
For yards with flaky rural ISP service, a 4G/5G failover modem keeps off-site sync working. The cameras keep recording locally regardless of internet status.
Tamper detection
Every break-in starts with someone covering or pivoting a camera. The AI watches for that move and pages you immediately, even if the masked camera is now blind.
Camera placement principles for yards
- Entrance LPR camera at 6-8 feet, angled down 15-25 degrees, dedicated to plate capture (don't try to share with overview).
- Overview cameras at 12-16 feet, aimed across rows of vehicles. Wide FOV (100-130 degrees) to maximize coverage per camera.
- Perimeter cameras at corners, looking inward + outward (covers fence-line). 50-90 degree FOV for distance.
- Building / office cameras at standard install heights (8-10 feet), separate from perimeter feed for easier review.
- Lighting matters as much as cameras. Dusk-to-dawn motion-triggered floods at perimeter corners eliminate the IR-only view at the time of most break-ins. Quote includes lighting recommendations.
- Cabling for outdoor runs uses direct-burial CAT6 in conduit + IP68-rated weather boots. Aerial runs use UV-rated outdoor cable. No "we'll just zip-tie it to the fence" shortcuts.
What you actually get when something happens
Real-world example: A car gets stolen off the lot at 3 a.m. With this system you get: (1) a phone alert at 2:58 a.m. when the unfamiliar plate entered the lot, (2) the LPR-captured plate in the alert text, (3) the camera clip showing the actor + the vehicle, (4) the timestamp + duration on the lot, (5) the plate of the trailer / tow vehicle if any. Hand all of that to the responding officer when they arrive.
Common questions from auto / yard operators
My yard is huge. How many cameras do I need?
Per-camera coverage at the heights and FOVs above is usually 50-80 feet of effective recognition distance. A typical 1-acre lot lands at 8-14 cameras. We do the camera-position drawing during the site walk so you're not guessing.
Will wildlife trigger constant alerts?
Per-camera motion zones + minimum-pixel-area thresholds eliminate most. The first 24-48 hours of operation are calibration; after that false positives settle below 5% of true alerts.
What about really long perimeters (10+ acres)?
Long perimeters get a hub-and-spoke install: a small NVR per zone, all reporting to a central aggregation portal. Wireless point-to-point bridges connect zones where cabling is impractical. This is a Custom-tier engagement; see Custom details.
Do I need to be present for the install?
For the site walk + cutover yes. For the actual cabling work (the disruptive part), no. Most yard cabling can happen during business hours since it's outside on poles + walls.