Do you need new barriers and cameras to implement the system

At most sites, no. The barrier, the readers, the weighbridge and often the cameras are already in place and working, and TraxSystem is configured around the existing installation without requiring it to be replaced. The usual exception is the camera for number plate recognition, because an ordinary CCTV camera is rarely suitable for reading plates. Compatibility is checked against a list of your devices before the contract is signed, so you have the answer before you spend any money.

Barriers, weighbridges and readers: when the hardware stays as it is

The system was designed to work with whatever is already installed on site, because a plant that had to replace its hardware in order to buy the software would, in most cases, not buy it.

The system controls barriers and gates with a pulse: if the device accepts an open signal from a controller, it will work. That covers the vast majority of barriers found at industrial sites, whatever their age.

From a weighbridge, the system reads the value shown by the weight indicator. How far the integration goes depends on the indicator model, so that is the first thing to check, and giving the model in the first conversation shortens the analysis by several days.

Existing access control infrastructure, meaning readers and cards, can usually be set up in the system, and the cards already in circulation can be kept.

Cameras for viewing and cameras for number plate recognition

A camera for viewing and a camera for plate recognition serve two different purposes, and the same camera rarely does both well. For seeing what is happening at the gate, practically any IP camera you already have will do.

For number plate recognition, what counts are things an ordinary CCTV camera doesn’t provide: the viewing angle onto the plate, illumination at night, sharpness while the vehicle is moving and resolution in the area where the plate appears. A camera mounted high up to see the whole yard is no good for ANPR, because it sees the roof of the vehicle instead of the plate.

The camera’s quality matters less here than its purpose and where it is mounted. A cheap camera positioned correctly will read a plate that a good camera in the wrong place will not.

When hardware has to be bought or installed

When hardware is needed, there are three options:

• your own hardware: you buy and install the devices you choose, and we check compatibility and configure them in the system,
• installation by your own people: your team or a local installer does the installation, and we provide the design, the specification and technical support,
• installation by us: once the quote is accepted, we take care of selection, supply, installation and commissioning.

Hardware and installation are always priced separately from the licence and are never included in any software price. The pricing configurator shows the amount for the software alone.

How to check hardware compatibility before signing the contract

For the first conversation, have ready:

1. the device models: barrier, weighbridge indicator, readers and cameras (the model number from the rating plate is enough),
2. photos of the gate taken from where the vehicle stops and from the position of the existing camera, because they settle the ANPR question faster than any description,
3. a description of what should happen: whether the barrier should lift by itself or the operator should approve each entry.

Before buying anything, you can also see the whole flow in a demo. We set it up with your gates and your rules, so you can walk through the process from booking to exit before you order any hardware.

What software cannot replace in the installation

TraxSystem won’t fix a badly positioned camera: if the camera can’t see the plate, no software will read it. Nor does it replace the legal verification of the weighbridge, which is a metrological obligation that has nothing to do with the software.

TraxSystem is not a video recorder and does not replace one. Images are processed in memory to recognise the plate, and only photos and short clips of the moments that matter are saved to disk, so your CCTV recorder stays where it is.

TraxSystem doesn’t support every controller. The list of tested devices is finite, so with unusual hardware the answer is “we will check”, not “it will definitely work”.

Questions and answers

See also: How long does it take to implement a vehicle entry control system · What is ANPR: number plate recognition explained · How much does a vehicle entry control system cost