ANPR Edge · Setup guides
Setting up a computer that runs a car park unattended.
ANPR Edge's "How this computer is set up" screen (under Support) shows what the installer set on this computer and the state it is in now. Each setting has a guide here: what it does for you, how to switch it on, and how to check it worked.
Keeping it running
Turn the computer back on by itself after a power cutWhen the building loses power, this setting makes the computer switch itself back on as soon as power returns, so counting carries on. Without it, the computer stays off until somebody presses the power button — which can be days if nobody notices.Stop Windows going to sleepA computer that is asleep counts nothing, and only a key press or mouse movement wakes it. The installer sets Windows to never sleep and never hibernate while plugged in. If the row reads Off, something has changed that setting since — often a new power plan or a Windows update.The watchdog that restarts the softwareA small companion program, ANPRWatchdog, runs alongside ANPR Edge. If the software stops for any reason it starts it again, usually within seconds, so a fault at night does not mean a lost night of counting.Start counting automaticallyWith this on, ANPR Edge starts counting as soon as the cameras connect — exactly as if somebody had pressed Start. After a restart or a power cut nobody needs to open the app and press anything.Sign in to Windows automaticallyANPR Edge can only count once somebody is signed in to Windows. With this on, the computer signs itself in after a restart and locks the screen straight away, so it gets back to work without anybody at the keyboard — and nobody walking past can use it.Stop the power button sending the computer to sleepOut of the box, one press of the power button — or of Sleep in the Start menu — quietly puts the whole car park to sleep. The installer makes the physical button do nothing and the Start menu button shut down properly, so the computer can only be stopped on purpose.
Network and remote access
Switch the computer on remotely (Wake on LAN)Wake on LAN lets support switch this computer on over the network instead of asking somebody to walk to it. It is optional — everything else works without it — but it saves a site visit when a computer has been shut down.Get the network running at full speedPictures from your cameras go out over this connection. A gigabit network card that has dropped to 100 or even 10 Mbps makes them queue up behind each other, and results arrive late. The app reads the speed but does not change it, because changing it briefly disconnects the computer.
Records for support
Keep a record when Windows crashesIf Windows ever crashes with a blue screen, this keeps the small file that explains why. Without it there is nothing for anyone to look at afterwards. It costs nothing while the computer is running normally, and it also makes Windows restart by itself after a crash.Record which programs start and stopIf the software is ever closed unexpectedly, this is what tells us what closed it. Windows notes each program that starts in its Security log (event 4688), and "Download Logs" includes the relevant entries from the last three days.