Detection module

Vehicle detection on the CCTV you already have

Vehicle detection alerts you when a vehicle enters a zone you set, with the clip. Woodcock AI offers it where supported, confirmed in your site assessment. The module runs on your existing UK CCTV cameras, in the zones and hours you choose, such as a yard gate after closing, so someone can check what the camera saw.

Check if vehicle detection is supported on your site What it does
Illustrative night camera view of a closed yard gate with a box van outside, marked with a vehicle detection boxIllustrative example · Vehicle at gate
The module

What vehicle detection does

Vehicle detection is a module that watches the cameras covering your gates, yards and bays for vehicles. When a vehicle appears in a zone you have chosen, during the hours you have set, it sends an alert with the clip to the people who need to know.

A typical use is a closed site: a van or lorry pulling up to the gate after hours. Because every alert comes with the video, nobody has to act on a notification alone. It is not number plate recognition, and it does not replace your security procedures; it adds alerts to the CCTV you already run.

Illustrative diagram: an existing gate camera, a zone and schedule you set, vehicle detection where supported, and an alert with the clip in the app Existing cameraONVIF or RTSP Zone and hourse.g. gate, after close Vehicle detectionwhere supported Alertwith the clip
Illustrative diagram: how a vehicle alert is set up on a camera you already have.
Illustrative camera view of an empty yard at dusk with a line drawn across the gate and a zone marked on the groundIllustrative
Illustrative example: zones and gate lines, here set up for intrusion, are drawn the same way to decide where vehicle alerts come from
Your site

Where it is supported: confirmed in your site assessment

Whether vehicle detection works on a camera depends on what that camera can see. That is why we confirm it for each site rather than promise it everywhere.

  • The view. The camera needs a clear enough view of where vehicles appear, such as the gate, the yard entrance or a bay.
  • The picture. Focus, lighting and distance matter. Very dark scenes, glare from headlights or a camera far from the gate can hide the detail the module needs.
  • Your rules. Tell us where and when vehicles matter on your site. The free site assessment says what is supported on your cameras before anything is set up.
Illustrative render of a phone showing a Woodcock AI alert with a video clip
Illustrative example: the render shows a smoke alert; vehicle alerts arrive the same way.
How alerts work

Every alert arrives with the clip

Alerts go to the people you choose by app push notification, email or SMS. Each one includes the video clip and a plain-English description of what the camera saw, so the right person can check it in seconds.

Alerts to a monitoring centre (ARC) and phone-call alerts are available as optional add-ons. The same app shows alerts from every module, so vehicle, fire and intrusion events sit in one place.

Illustrative mock-up of an after-hours vehicle alert in the Woodcock AI app, with a thumbnail of a van at a closed gateVehicleVehicle at gate · Gate cameraAfter hours · zone: main gate · clip attachedWatch the clipIllustrative mock-up
Illustrative mock-up, not a real screen: an after-hours vehicle alert arrives in the app with the clip.
One camera, several modules

Combining with fire and intrusion

Most sites start with their biggest risk, often smoke and fire, and add modules later. A gate camera can watch for smoke and flame, raise intrusion alerts after hours and, where supported, flag vehicles too. See all detection modules.

Real CCTV frame of smoke and flame from a vehicle, picked up by an outdoor camera running Woodcock AIReal footage
Real footage: an outdoor camera running a fire module. One camera can run several modules.
Sectors

Where vehicle detection is used

It suits sites with gates and yards that close at night and cameras that already cover them. Each is confirmed in the site assessment.

FAQ

Vehicle detection questions

Short answers on scope, cameras and alerts. More in the Woodcock AI FAQ.

What is vehicle detection?

It is a detection module that watches existing CCTV for vehicles in the areas and hours you choose, such as a gate, a yard or a loading bay. Woodcock AI offers vehicle detection where supported, confirmed in your site assessment, and every alert arrives with the clip.

Does it work on my cameras?

Often, where the view allows. It runs on the ONVIF or RTSP cameras and recorders you already have, but the camera needs a clear enough view of the area where vehicles appear. Whether it is supported on each camera is confirmed in your site assessment.

What can it alert on?

Vehicles appearing in a zone you have drawn, during the hours you have set, for example a vehicle arriving at the gate after the site has closed. What is supported on your cameras is confirmed in the free site assessment.

Is this number plate recognition (ANPR)?

No. This page describes vehicle detection: spotting that a vehicle is in a zone and sending the clip. It is not a number plate recognition system, and we do not claim it reads plates.

Can it run alongside fire and intrusion detection?

Yes. Several modules can run on one camera, so a gate camera can watch for smoke and fire, people entering after hours and, where supported, vehicles too.

Where do alerts go?

To the people you choose, by app push notification, email or SMS, each with the clip and a plain-English description. Alerts to a monitoring centre (ARC) and phone-call alerts are available as optional add-ons.

How does it learn my site?

A self-learning AI is fitted to each site and learns what is normal for each camera, such as headlights on a nearby road. Every detection has a feedback button, and that feedback goes into retraining for your site.

How do I find out if my site is supported?

Book a free site assessment. We review your cameras, their views and where vehicles matter on your site, and confirm what is supported before anything is set up.

Night-time 3D view of a waste site with CCTV cameras linked to Woodcock AI watching the stockpiles, yard and buildings
Next step

Check if vehicle detection is supported on your site

A free site assessment looks at your cameras and where vehicles matter on your site, and confirms what is supported before anything is set up.

Free site assessment How it works
Illustrative 3D render
Related

Keep exploring

Vehicle yards and dealershipsTheft, vehicle fires and EV baysAll detection modulesEvery module in one placeIntrusion detectionZones, schedules and night yardsSkip hire yardsFire and intrusion for skip yardsScrapyardsFire, theft and ELV areasHow it worksFrom camera to alert, edge or cloud
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