Car Tracker installation guide

Introduction

This new Car Tracker solution is part of the Cirrus AI suite of products. The camera plugs directly into the controller, and a vendor-agnostic Camera Agent handles connected cameras.

What you need before starting

Confirm you have the right hardware and the correct power configuration for your controller version before heading to the install site. The instructions below focus on Milesight cameras, which can cover all use cases.

Hardware requirements

• Cirrus Car Tracker Camera
• Controller — A1 v2.x controller
• Ethernet cable — UTP cable for connecting camera to controller
• Power supply (if needed, for A1 v2.1 non-PoE controllers only) — 12 Vdc power supply OR Cirrus logo with 12 Vdc output, plus a DC power cable

Power options by controller version

Physical installation

Mount the camera, run the cable to the controller, and verify the link is live before moving on to software preparation.

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Mount the camera

Mount the camera following the Cirrus assembly SOP for the sheet metal frame and Milesight's positioning guidelines for the camera model in use.

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Camera model

Milesight AI Road Traffic Pro Bullet Plus — models TS4466-X4RPE and TS8266-X4PE. The positioning values below apply to these models specifically. Cable: 47-0094 Cable — PoE RJ45 32.8 ft for Car Tracker.

Recommended positioning (TS4466-X4RPE / TS8266-X4PE)

Setting	Height	Width	Length	A1 · Horizontal tilt angle	A2 · Vertical pitch angle
Recommended	10–20 ft	0 ft	65.6 ft	0°	10°–20°

• Aim the camera as head-on to license plates as possible. The video feed should face oncoming or departing plates as squarely as possible — keep the horizontal tilt angle (A1) close to 0° and avoid side-on views, which reduce read accuracy.
• Ensure the camera has a clear view of the traffic lane
• Consider lighting conditions (direct sunlight, shadows, night lighting)

Position on the enclosure (Cirrus assembly SOP)

1. Align the cameras with the designated mounting positions on the left or right sides of the main enclosure. Recommended installation height: ~10-20 ft.

   

2. Secure and mount the cameras firmly onto the sides of the enclosure following the assembly steps below.

   

3. Connect the 47-0094 RJ45 PoE network cable from the controller to the side camera.

   

   

Assemble the camera and junction box

1. Fix a sticker on the position where the camera is intended to be installed.

   

2. Remove the tension disc on the rear cover of the junction box, cut an opening in the rubber plug, route the cables through the opening, then fasten the rear cover to the sticker.

   

3. Install the front cover at an angle near 90° to the rear cover. Pay attention to the two "Top" markings — the "Top" on the bullet must be aligned to the "Top" on the junction box.

   

4. Adjust the cable length, connect the cables to the corresponding interfaces, and fix the tension disc. Close the junction box and fix the screws last. Plug the small rubber plug into any hole on the rubber plug that is not in use.

   

5. Adjust the shooting direction and fix the setscrew.

   

Minimum image requirements for license plate recognition

Milesight requires all field deployments to meet these image quality standards for reliable recognition:

• Plate height: license plate characters should appear 32–45 px high in the captured image
• Focus and clarity: the plate area must be in sharp focus with all characters legible — no motion blur, glare, reflections, or severe over-/underexposure
• Alignment: plates should be horizontally aligned, with tilt within ±5°
• Framing: the plate must remain within the recognition area — not cut off, blocked, or at the extreme edges of the frame
• Environment: avoid excessive bright sky or headlight exposure; ensure the plate area is evenly illuminated day and night

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Pole or corner mounts

For field installation on poles or corners, several optional accessories are available — see Milesight accessories.

Controller preparation

Using Screenhub Control Selective Field Upgrade (SFU), install the Camera Agent and Local Web Server and upgrade the Screenhub Player. Then complete the camera's first-time activation and reboot.

systemctl restart selective-update.service

sudo reboot

Initial camera configuration

After the controller preparation steps and reboot, the Camera Agent applies the default configuration and the controller automatically registers the connected camera to Screenhub. Open the camera web UI through the controller's local web server and fine-tune the view.

Open the camera web interface via the controller

The camera's web UI is reachable through the controller's local-web-server (lws), which proxies the camera console and handles login automatically. You do not need to know the camera password.

1. Enable temporary LAN access on the controller. Log in to the controller with webSSH and run:
   bash Copy

   sudo lws-access enable --duration 30min

   This opens lws on the controller's LAN interface and registers an auto-revert timer; it also auto-reverts on reboot.
2. From any device on the same LAN, open http://<controller-hostname>.local/camera-console/. <controller-hostname> is the controller's hostname (typically the controller ID, e.g. c1234). The camera UI appears directly — lws completes the Milesight first-time activation dialog the very first time and auto-fills credentials on every subsequent visit.
3. When you are done, revoke LAN access early (optional):
   bash Copy

   sudo lws-access disable

   Otherwise it auto-reverts when the duration expires.

Automatic configuration

After the post-activation reboot, the Camera Agent automatically configures the camera. It applies these values every time it connects — at service startup and on every reconnect — not just once during setup.

License Plate Recognition

Traffic → LPR → General

Image — Day / Night Switch

Media → Image → General → Day/Night Switch — forces Day mode so plate reads stay consistent instead of drifting with the camera's IR-cut auto-switching.

Event Push

Data Transmission → Post → Post Settings — points the camera's HTTP event push at Camera Agent's receiver so plate events reach the agent in real time.

System Time

System → System Setting → Date&Time — moves the camera off its own NTP sync and onto the controller's clock and timezone so plate-event timestamps convert to UTC correctly.

Double-check that LPR was enabled

Verify the mode was actually set, and enable it manually if not:

1. In the camera web interface, click the settings wheels icon in the left sidebar
2. Go to Traffic → LPR
3. Check the box next to Enable LPR if it isn't already checked

Manual adjustments

Use the camera's web interface to fine-tune settings:

• Zoom level: Adjust for optimal plate visibility. Use the live view page to check zoom level and see vehicle and license plate detection in real-time. Select LPR from the stream dropdown to see the detection overlay. Use the controls on the right side to adjust zoom.

• Region of Interest (ROI): See Configure Region of Interest below for detailed instructions

Configure Region of Interest (ROI)

1. In the camera web interface, navigate to Traffic → LPR
2. On the General tab, check the Enable LPR checkbox
3. In the Detection Region section, draw on the camera preview to select the area of interest. The selected region is shown as a blue box.
4. In Detection Settings, under Attributes Identification, check the box next to All

ROI best practices

The ROI should be configured to:

• Exclude parked cars from detection
• Limit detection to a single lane
• Limit detection to a specific distance from camera
• A trigger line setting is usually not required

The image below shows an example of a poorly configured ROI — the blue region covers too wide an area, capturing unwanted detections (highlighted in red boxes) that should be excluded from the detection region:

Verify date & time settings

With a new installation, the time shown on the LPR page can be wrong even when the Date&Time settings look correct. You must explicitly save them once:

1. In the camera web interface, navigate to System → System Setting → Date&Time
2. Click Save — even if all the settings already look correct

MicroSD card

Add a Micro SD card to the Milesight camera for local storage, then format and configure it through the Local Web Server and camera page.

Prerequisites

• Micro SD card
• Physical access to the camera
• A computer (or a device) that's on the same subnet as the camera

1. Loosen the screw on the rain cover and slide it back or remove it.
2. Locate the protective plate on the underside (bottom part) of the camera body.
3. Use a star screwdriver to unscrew the screws holding the bottom panel cover. Keep these screws safe.

1. Locate the Micro SD card slot inside the exposed chamber (see picture below).
2. Refer to the picture below for the orientation of the SD card.
3. Slide the card into the slot and press down until you hear a clear "click", indicating it is locked into place.

1. Put the rain cover back into its place and tighten the screw securely.

Troubleshooting physical installation

Common issues that show up during the physical install. Click any item to expand it.

Camera not powering on

No network activity

Camera not appearing in Screenhub Control

Camera web interface not accessible