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Edge vs cloud LPR: choosing a hybrid architecture

Beacon LPR
  • edge computing
  • cloud
  • AI LPR
  • architecture
  • ONVIF

Pure cloud LPR ships every frame offsite and pays in latency and bandwidth. Pure edge keeps inference local but makes city-scale search and evidence hard. Hybrid AI LPR runs recognition near the camera and archives structured intelligence in the cloud.

Edge responsibilities

  • Real-time inference on ONVIF / VMS streams
  • Hotlist matching and local alerting
  • Bandwidth-efficient event publish (MQTT / webhooks)

Cloud responsibilities

  • Long-term searchable archive
  • Cross-site analytics and heatmaps
  • SSO, RBAC, audit logs, and evidence packages

Beacon hybrid model

Beacon LPR is built edge-first with cloud archive so agencies and enterprises keep sub-100ms awareness on site without giving up enterprise search and compliance controls.

Explore the platform or read what is AI LPR.