How many cameras will one PC run?
Sites commonly run 16 to 100 cameras, and up to around 200, on a single machine. Where you land inside that range has less to do with the camera count than with what you ask of each one.
- ResolutionTen 4K cameras are a far heavier load than ten 1080p cameras. This is the biggest lever you control.
- How much recognition is onPlate reading and QR reading are AI work. Enabling them on every camera instead of the two that need them changes the sizing completely.
- The graphics cardA card with 4 GB and DirectX 12, preferably Nvidia, does the AI work. Without one VISEC uses the processor, which works but carries far fewer recognition streams.
- Displaying versus recordingRecording thirty cameras is cheaper than drawing thirty live tiles on screen. A machine that records quietly in a cupboard goes further than one someone watches all day.
Windows 10 or 11, 64-bit, 8 GB of memory is the floor. For the AI features, a graphics card with 4 GB and DirectX 12, preferably Nvidia. Then plan disk for the recordings — four or five cameras on motion fill roughly 500 GB in three to four months.
- Record the main stream, display the sub streamFull quality in the archive, cheap tiles on screen.
- Recognition only where it paysPlate reading belongs on the lane camera, not on the one watching a corridor.
- Tighten the motion zonesLess recording is less disk and less work.
- Drop the frame rateMost scenes are fine well under 30 fps, and it scales almost linearly.
- Split across two PCsA paid license covers up to 3 PCs, so a large site can be divided by building or by gate without buying another license.
Quick answers.
Do I need a server?
No. An ordinary desktop that stays on is what most sites use. What matters is the graphics card if you want recognition, and disk space for recordings.
Does the license limit how many cameras per PC?
The license sets the total number of cameras. A paid license can be installed on up to 3 PCs, so you can spread that total across machines.
Will 200 cameras really run on one machine?
That is the top of the range and assumes sensible resolutions and recognition only where needed. Size for what you actually enable, and test with the free license first.
Try it on one camera.
The free license is the complete program — recording, alerts, plate recognition, QR reading and access control. It does not expire.