On this page (10)
- Hardware from different manufacturers in one system
- ANPR cameras and number plate recognition
- Barriers, gates and relays
- Access controllers and readers
- Weighbridges and weighbridge indicators
- Patrol checkpoints, document scanners and printers
- What we do not promise when connecting hardware
- Checking your hardware compatibility
- Questions about hardware compatibility
- Related
Hardware from different manufacturers in one system
A TraxSystem deployment starts from the process on site, and the devices are fitted to it afterwards. Software tied to a single manufacturer of barriers or readers ends where that manufacturer’s devices end, and it needs a uniform installation. A site that has grown over ten years usually does not have one.
That is why TraxSystem connects to devices through interfaces: REST for controllers and devices, standard streaming protocols for cameras, indicator protocols for weighbridges. Who made the device then matters less than how the system talks to it.
ANPR cameras and number plate recognition
TraxSystem works with network cameras that provide a stream in a standard network format. Whether plates are read reliably depends less on the camera model than on how the camera is positioned, how the gate is lit and the resolution on the plate.
The plate has to sit in the frame at an angle at which the characters are legible. A camera mounted too high or at a sharp angle gives poor results, whatever it cost.
A gate facing into the morning sun and a gate left unlit at night are two different lighting problems, and both are solved before you buy any software.
What counts is the resolution on the plate, not the resolution of the sensor: how many pixels fall on each character at the point where the vehicle stops.
Recognition can run on the server or on our edge device at the gate. The second option, described on the TraxSystem devices page, takes the processing of the gate camera image off the server and means the image never leaves the gate.
Barriers, gates and relays
TraxSystem controls barriers and gates through an interface supporting three protocol generations and through relay modules, which covers most installations found on industrial sites. If a barrier can be opened with a contact, it can be opened from the system.
The opening pulse is pulled by the controller, with no acknowledgement of receipt. Bear that in mind when designing how the gate is run and when diagnosing reports along the lines of ‘the barrier didn’t react’.
Access controllers and readers
Access controllers communicate with TraxSystem over a REST interface, in two generations of our own protocol. Card number matching copes with the case where the same number is stored in decimal in one device and in hexadecimal in another. When hardware from different sources is combined, that is the most common cause of ‘card not working’ reports.
We handle turnstiles as points with two readers, because in TraxSystem the direction of passage follows from the point type. The system does not work it out from whether the person is already on site.
Offline cards stored in the controller’s memory work by date range only, and time schedules do not apply in offline mode. That is a hardware limitation to take into account when designing critical points.
Weighbridges and weighbridge indicators
TraxSystem connects to the weighbridge indicator, so the make of the weighbridge platform does not matter. When quoting, we ask for the indicator model and for the interface it uses to provide the reading.
The system supports automatic, two-stage and manual weighing; the details are on the weighbridge page.
Patrol checkpoints, document scanners and printers
Patrol checkpoints are confirmed with a proximity tag or a position on the map. The tags are fixed in place on site and need no power.
Document scanners are handled by an agent on the workstation, for two generations of hardware, and printers by a print agent, which allows local printing even when the server is in another location.
What we do not promise when connecting hardware
We do not make barriers, cameras or readers. We work with the ones already on site, and for new hardware we help you choose it from a supplier. We do not choose it without seeing the site, though, because the camera angle, the lighting and the place for the kiosk are settled on the spot. Nor do we carry out electrical installation or building work.
TraxSystem describes the devices, but it is not an installation design and does not replace as-built documentation. Nor do we promise compatibility with a device we have not seen: if there is something unusual on site, we check it before we quote.
Checking your hardware compatibility
Send us a list of what is on site, with models: cameras, access controllers, readers, barriers and the weighbridge indicator. We will tell you what will work as it is, what needs checking and what we cannot connect.
biuro@traxsystem.pl · +48 883 432 522
Questions about hardware compatibility
We have access controllers from another manufacturer. Will they work?
That depends on whether they can be integrated through a network interface. We cannot connect controllers that work in a closed ecosystem. If you send us the model, we will check which group it falls into.
Do we have to buy the kiosk from you?
Yes, because the kiosk and terminals are our devices and part of the system. Cameras, barriers, readers and the weighbridge can come from any supplier.
What if the site has no hardware at all?
The system then works as records kept by hand, and all the logs and reports work in the same way. Hardware adds automation to functions that work without it too. A sensible approach is to start with the log and add devices in stages.
Is hardware included in the licence price?
No. Hardware is priced separately, outside the software price from the pricing configurator.
Related
TraxSystem devicesNumber plate recognitionAccess controlArchitecture
Further reading: Do you need to replace barriers and cameras? · What is ANPR? · Weighbridge failure: what to do