VisuDock Live OCR Documentation

Everything you need to install the app, connect your cameras, read plates and text, and set up alerts. If something is not covered here, the FAQ and support are one click away.

1. Introduction

VisuDock Live OCR is a Windows desktop application that watches your cameras and reads from them:

• License plates (also called number plates, or ANPR) — vehicle numbers at a gate or checkpoint.
• Text — signs, labels, serial and container numbers, and on-screen text.

All recognition runs on your own computer. Your video, images, plates and scanned text never leave your PC. The app is designed for private property and authorized checkpoints that you control.

2. Installing the app

1. Download the installer from the download page.
2. Run the installer and follow the on-screen steps.
3. Open VisuDock Live OCR from the Start menu. The free trial starts on first use.

System requirements

3. Adding your cameras

You can add cameras one at a time, or let the app scan your network. Supported sources:

Getting a clean picture

• Aim the camera so the plate or sign is large in the frame and roughly horizontal.
• Good lighting matters most. Avoid strong backlight and deep shadows.
• Use the camera's sub-stream for a lighter load, or its main stream if you need more detail.
• Up to 6 cameras can run at the same time. Each has its own scan box and its own entry or exit role.

4. Text OCR vs License Plates

The app has two reading modes. Switch between them with the mode selector at the top of the window.

5. The scan box

The scan box is the single biggest improvement you can make. Draw it over the gate, the sign, or the area where the plate appears.

1. Start the camera feed.
2. Drag on the video to draw a box around the area you care about.
3. Adjust its corners if needed, then save it for that camera.

Only the area inside the box is read. That means fewer false readings, faster processing, and steadier results.

6. Plate recognition and accuracy

In License Plates mode, three settings control the balance between missed plates and wrong plates.

Accuracy level

Only readings at or above this confidence are used, for both alerts and the register. The default is 90%%.

• Higher (95–98%): fewer wrong plates, but more plates missed.
• Lower (70–80%): catches more plates, but more misreads.

If real plates are being skipped, lower the level a step at a time and watch the results.

Confirmation reads

How many matching reads are needed before a plate is logged:

• Fast — log after 1 read (default).
• Balanced — log after 2 matching reads.
• Strict — log after 3 matching reads. Fewer wrong plates, but the entry appears a little later.

Repeat cooldown

A vehicle that stays in view is not logged over and over. By default it is logged again only after 5 minutes. Options range from 1 minute to 1 hour.

Merging misreads

Similar-looking misreads of the same plate (for example O and 0, or I and 1) can be merged so one vehicle is not logged twice.

Custom plate pattern (advanced)

If your country's plates follow a fixed shape, enter a pattern in the advanced field and only plates matching it are accepted. An invalid pattern never crashes the app — the previous rule simply stays active.

7. The vehicle register

The register is the daily log of every plate read. Each row shows the time, the plate, the match confidence, the direction, the camera, and a photo.

• Entry / exit gates: set each camera as an entry or exit gate so the log shows whether a vehicle came in or went out.
• Photos: optionally save a photo with each record as proof.
• Search and filter: search by plate or camera, and browse by date.
• CSV export: export records for your own records or reporting.
• Retention: records and photos are deleted automatically after 7, 15 or 30 days. Data is never kept longer than 30 days.
• Location: everything is stored in a folder on your PC, by default Documents\VisuDock.

8. Alerts

When a plate on your blacklist or a matching keyword appears, the app can tell you in several ways:

Each alert channel has its own section in the settings, showing whether it is on or off.

9. Privacy and your data

• Recognition runs on your computer. No video, images, plate numbers or scanned text are uploaded to us.
• Records, photos and settings stay in a folder on your PC, and you choose when they are deleted.
• If you enable email or Telegram alerts, those messages are sent from your own accounts, so the privacy policies of Gmail and Telegram apply.
• The licence check sends only a hashed PC identifier, the app version and your licence status — never camera data.

See the full Privacy Policy.

10. Trial and licence

• The 30-day free trial gives you every feature, with no card needed.
• After the trial, monitoring continues with a monthly ($9) or yearly ($89) subscription.
• When a trial or subscription ends, monitoring stops — but your saved records stay on your PC and can still be exported.
• Orders and payments are handled by Paddle.com, our Merchant of Record. Payments have a 14-day money-back guarantee.

See pricing and the refund policy.

11. Troubleshooting

The camera will not play, or the picture is black

• The camera is probably using H.265 / HEVC. Open the camera's own settings and switch it — or its sub-stream — to H.264. This is the most common issue.
• Check the RTSP address, username and password.
• Make sure the PC can reach the camera: try opening the stream in VLC with the same address.

Plates are being missed

• Lower the accuracy level a step or two.
• Draw a tighter scan box right on the gate.
• Move or zoom the camera so the plate is larger and roughly horizontal.
• Improve the lighting; avoid glare and deep shadows.

Plates are being read wrongly

• Raise the accuracy level.
• Set confirmation reads to Balanced or Strict.
• Turn on misread merging if it is off.

Recognition is slow / the app uses a lot of CPU

• Use the camera's sub-stream instead of the main stream.
• Use a tight scan box so less of the frame is processed.
• Reduce the number of cameras running at once.

The same vehicle appears many times in the register

• Increase the repeat cooldown in the register's advanced settings.
• Make sure misread merging is on.

Email or Telegram alerts are not arriving

• Check the channel shows as on in the alert settings.
• For Gmail, use an app password rather than your normal password, and make sure 2-step verification is on.
• For Telegram, check the bot token and that you have started a chat with the bot.

Windows warned me when installing

• That is SmartScreen. If you downloaded from visudock.com, choose More info then Run anyway.

12. Lawful use

VisuDock Live OCR is for lawful use on private property, residential gates, and authorized industrial or commercial checkpoints under your control. It must not be used to harvest or track plates of general public traffic on public roads or neighbouring properties. You are responsible for following the surveillance, privacy and data-protection laws that apply where you operate. See our Terms of Service.