Do your clients want to know who pulled in their driveway, who parked in front of their house, or when the school bus dropped off the kids? Now they can. In a unique security offshoot for the smart home, Rekor Systems, Inc. (NASDAQ: REKR) has launched its Watchman Home product built around a monthly-fee-based Software as a Service (SaaS) business model that can read license plates in all 50 states as well as plates from over 70 foreign countries.

Watchman Home, which is available directly to consumers but certainly can be implemented and managed by integrators for their clients (and bundled into a service plan), can turn nearly any existing home security camera into a license plate recognition device (without loss of the original security camera functionality) by simply installing the Watchman Home software.

Furthermore, it can be integrated into smart home systems and automatically recognize permitted authorized vehicles and work with Internet-connected devices to monitor and control systems and appliances remotely.

Homeowners can use the software to add in the license plate numbers of vehicles they want to track, such as the school bus, gardener, hockey team carpool or teenage drivers, and will receive alerts when those particular vehicles arrive at the house.

Rekor is offering the Watchman Home software in a monthly SaaS model for as little as $5 per month per camera.

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Instantaneous Search Results Thanks to Cloud Technology

Meanwhile, the company’s new website provides access to CarCheck API — an instantaneous results web service running in the cloud that analyzes images of vehicles and responds with license plate data, as well as Watchman, which analyzes HD streaming video on locally hosted PCs. CarCheck API is available also as a SaaS model starting at $99 per month.

All these products work with most existing IP cameras. Prior to the launch of the new website, early adopters from over 40 countries have purchased the company’s vehicle recognition software.

“Up until now, it was prohibitively expensive and technically difficult for businesses and average homeowners to use automatic license plate reading and advanced machine learning based vehicle recognition to protect life and property. With the launch of our downloadable and cloud-based products, anyone can access affordable license plate reading in minutes — as well as obtaining access to advanced machine learning vehicle recognition that provides make, model and body type through our CarCheck API and Watchman,” says Robert Berman, president and CEO, Rekor.

“Homeowners and businesses who have already deployed cameras on their property will be thrilled to learn they can now further protect their families and add functionality to their smart homes and businesses by downloading our software.

“Watchman Home will send an instantaneous alert if there is a vehicle on your property that should not be there, while also instantly identifying the arrival of a vehicle that is permitted and activate smart home functionality. Its frictionless, easy and affordable. With the launch of this product, as well as our new website, we are democratizing license plate recognition for everyone,” says Matt Hill, Chief Science Officer, Rekor.

The main factor propelling the growth of the home security camera market is the easy installation of security cameras for the safety-conscious homeowner, according to the company. Additionally, growth has been further influenced by motion detection and visual identification with real-time alerts on cell phones.

According to ResearchAndMarkets, the smart home market is expected to be more than $3.4 billion by the end of the year 2025. Research firm Berg Insight reports that 63 million American homes will qualify as “smart” by as early as 2022.

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