Copyright 2024 V0LT - Conner Vieira
The ultimate customizable dashcam/license plate recognition platform.
While Predator is designed to be stable and reliable, you should not depend on it for safety or security critical tasks. See the SECURITY.md document for more information.
This is the repository for the original version of Predator (often referred to as "vanilla Predator" or "main-line Predator" for clarity). Predator is intended to be a self-contained dash-cam platform with ALPR capabilities. It operates primarily offline, and is not intended for CCTV analysis. To learn more about alternative Predator editions (i.e. versions more suited for stationary home/property security) and the rest of the Predator ecosystem, see https://v0lttech.com/predator/ecosystem.php.
If you're interested in commissioning a custom ALPR product using technology from Predator, or need assistance with the installation process, don't hesitate to contact V0LT.
Downloads for stable releases of Predator can be found here.
Installation, set-up, and usage documentation can be found in the DOCUMENTATION.md file, which is included in the downloads linked above.
Predator is a customizable camera platform focused primarily on license plate recognition in an automotive context. Predator is similar to a traditional dash-cam, but adds license plate recognition, object identification, motion detection, and many additional features. It can detect license plates and recognize objects in both pre-recorded video and real-time video streams, or simply capture video like a typical dash-cam. Predator strives to be the ultimate dash-cam platform for both technical hobbyists and customers with unique needs.
Predator is an extremely versatile platform, and supports several different modes to better support all situations and use cases.
Management mode isn't a primary mode of Predator, but it allows the user to configure, maintain, and manage Predator from within the program.
Pre-recorded mode allows Predator to analyze pre-recorded video, and detect license plates and objects.
Real-time mode allows Predator to detect license plates and objects in real-time video streams.
Dash-cam mode allows Predator to record video like a traditional dash-cam, with customizable overlays and video processing.
Predator is an extremely customizable platform designed to fit a wide variety of use cases. Here are some examples that highlight what Predator is capable of.
Predator allows technically minded users to build their own dash-cam to their specifications. Whether you want a clean and concealed install, or an advanced multi-channel setup, Predator gives you more flexibility than any other dash-cam platform.
Predator's ALPR capabilities make it easy to set up alerts for license plates. When an AMBER alert is issued in your area, adding the associated license plate to your ALPR hot-list allows you to help rescue missing children without needing to distract your attention from driving.
Predator's advanced dash-cam capabilities enable features that are useful to enterprise users with unique needs. Predator's customizable video overlays allow you to review the speed and location of a vehicle, as well as custom relay triggers that can monitor actions like braking, horn use, warning lights, and sirens.
In addition to real-time computer vision analysis, Predator is capable of analyzing prerecorded video from any source with license plate identification and object recognition. When using Predator's built-in dash-cam capabilities, prerecorded mode allows you to automatically analyze previously recorded dash-cam video with just a few button presses.
While dash-cam mode offers plenty of useful features while driving, Predator also comes with parking protection functionality, where the camera remains dormant until an event is detected.
Since Predator is open source, self hosted, offline, and self contained, you can rest assured that it's completely private, and that it doesn't share any of the information it collects.
Predator works entirely offline, and never needs to connect to the internet to function. All internet based functionality is entirely optional and non-critical to normal operation.
Predator, and all of its dependencies, are free and open source from top to bottom, meaning you can study how it works, make changes, and distribute it to others freely.
By design, Predator doesn't require specialized hardware to run. While higher resolution cameras will obviously yield better results, any video format supported by FFMPEG will work with Predator.
While being technically minded will certainly help, Predator doesn't require professional installation or setup to function. As long as you're reasonably experienced with the Linux command line, setting up Predator should be a piece of cake.
Predator is extremely customizable, making it easy to fit into any use case. Whether you want an intelligence security camera, or a powerful dashcam device, Predator can be adjusted to fit your needs.
Predator is designed to support low-energy-usage hardware such that it can be easily installed in a vehicle. A single USB port is often enough to power an entire Predator system.
Predator supports GPX files to allow for correlating license plates detected in pre-recorded video to their physical coordinates. This makes information gathered from analyzing long streams of dashcam video much more useful and effective.
Predator supports customizable real-time alerts, allowing the user to be notified when a license plate matching a hot-list is detected via audible sound alerts, visual cues, and push notifications!
Predator is designed to be safe, regardless of the installation context. It's easy to configure Predator to completely hands (and eyes) free, ensuring that you don't have to look away from the road when Predator runs in a vehicle.
Predator comes with a fully featured dash-cam mode, allowing for customizable recording without processing license plates. Dash-cam videos can later be processed by Predator in pre-recorded mode if desired. Predator's dash-cam mode allows for multi-channel recording, provided the hardware supports it, making it easy to simultaneously record multiple angles using multiple cameras.
While Predator comes with a straight-forward command-line interface, it can be fully configured to run in headless mode, without any user interaction necessary. This makes it perfect for vehicle installations, where the driver wants Predator to automatically start when the vehicle turns on.
In addition to license plate scanning, Predator also supports general object recognition. It can collect a list of common objects and save them to a file, making it easy to find important events.
Predator's extreme customizability can be a bit overwhelming to new users. For this reason, Predator is extensively documented, and comes bundled with step-by-step guides on how to download, install, configure, and run it.
While it shouldn't be fully relied upon for safety critical tasks, Predator is designed to be extremely dependable regardless. When configured appropriately, steps are taken to decrease the likelihood that Predator will false negative due mistakes in the analysis.
Predator automatically adapts to changing lighting conditions in both real-time and dashcam mode by allowing the frame-rate to change dynamically over time. Predator automatically detects frame-rate changes, and updates the playback speed of saved video files accordingly.
Predator supports automatic parking dashcam functionality, where recording stops when the vehicle is parked, until motion is detected. This allows Predator to run continuously while only capturing important events on video.
In dash-cam mode, when parking mode is active, Predator will keep a video buffer of customizable length at all times. This means that Predator can go "back in time" when motion is detected, and save the last few seconds of video retroactively.
Predator's dash-cam recording capabilities support an arbitrary number of video channels. As long as you have sufficient processing power and /O bandwidth, Predator allows you to connect as many cameras as you want. Even if you exceed your device's processing capabilities, Predator will continue recording at a lower frame-rate to ensure you don't miss any important events.
Predator supports GPIO features that allow you to customize your install with physical buttons and relays. Predator can be configured to save dash-cam video with a GPIO circuit is closed, or even display the state of a relay in a dash-cam overlay.
When operating in real-time mode, Predator can display alerts when it detects a plate found in a configured database.
While operating in pre-recorded mode, Predator can analyze any video, including dashcam video. Note that the screenshot below is for demonstrative purposes, and shows what kinds of information Predator can detect. It does not accurately reflect the Predator user interface.
After scanning through an entire pre-recorded video based on user-configured preferences, Predator can display and export all of the plates it detected.
