Installation Requirements for ELSAG LPR System

Your agency is scheduled for an ELSAG North America License Plate Reader (LPR) system installation in the near future. In order to complete the installation within the allotted timeframe and to insure proper operation of the system, the following items must be insured by the customer prior to the installation date.

  1. Vehicle requirements - LPR installations are typically expected for Ford Crown Vics, Chevrolet Impalas, and Dodge Chargers. Installation in vehicles other than these need to be noted to the ELSAG installation technician at least 10 days prior to the installation date to insure that the proper mounting hardware is available at installation.
  2. Rear seat – If the vehicle is equipped with a fiberglass rear prisoner seat, this will have to be removed prior to installation in order for us to run power and Ethernet cables from the trunk to the passenger compartment.
  3. Power requirements – System power requirement: 12 volts at 5 amps. The agency has two options for powering the LPR systems: DIRECT WIRED (permanent) or POWER / CIGARETTE PLUG (portable). Please note that regardless of the power option chosen, the following requirements must be met in order to insure proper operation of the LPR system in the field.
    1. DIRECT WIRED (permanent) – The LPR system is hardwired into the vehicle using three circuits provided by the customer so as to connect to the LPR wiring cable provided by ELSAG. We will need an ignition source (powers on when the ignition key is turned on) rated at a minimum of 5 amps; a battery source run directly to the battery rated at 10 amps; and a solid ground source preferably run directly to the battery as well. The battery and ground circuits should use a minimum of 14 gauge wiring.
    2. POWER / CIGARETTE PLUG (portable) – The LPR system is power via a power plug provided by the customer using the ELSAG portable power cable with a male power connector (cigarette plug). We will need a battery source run directly to the battery rated at 10 amps; and a solid ground source preferably run directly to the battery as well. The battery and ground circuits should use a minimum of 14 gauge wiring.
  4. Computer requirements – The minimum requirements for the customer provided LPR computer is as follows: Windows XP operating system with a minimum of 1 GB RAM, available disc space for loading the LPR software (app. 900MB) and for storing LPR data.
  5. Computer connections – We will need to connect our LPR system to the agency computer via one USB port and one Ethernet port. Please be advised if you are using certain broadband communication providers (e.g.: Verizon or Sprint air cards) that the use of some air cards prevents having an additional network connection at the time the air card is installed. This is a nuance of the air card software in allowing only one network connection via the air card and disconnecting all others. This is a problem in only a small number of air cards but just to forewarn you in the event you are using an air card on the agency computer. In case of a conflict of this nature, you will need to contact your service provider. In some cases they can provide a software upgrade to remedy this issue. If no software upgrade is available, it may be necessary to use a different model of air card.
  6. We will need to load our LPR software to the agency computer which will require someone with administrative rights to the system. Barring any conflicts with the agency software on the computer, this LPR software load should take about 20 minutes and requires at least three re-boots of the system.
  7. If you have any questions regarding the LPR installation, please feel free to contact your ELSAG NA representative.