Hi,

The fence in my backyard borders a municipal lane. Right across the lane there is a commercial parking lot. Here vehicles constantly damage my cedar fence as they back up into it, and no one wants to accept responsibility for the damage. As there is no visual proof to present to the local authorities. My fence spans roughly 25 feet across the width of my back yard, with my neighbors’ property immediately adjacent on each side of it and my property. The lane immediately in front of my fence is roughly 20 feet in width. What I want to do is install two security cameras each on top of its own 12 foot pole which will in turn be installed flush, one on each end of the fence. Each camera will be looking down and in the opposite way. At night I will illuminate the 20 x 25 foot target area with motion activated light. My aim is of course to record any potential incident and the license plate number of the perpetrator.

Will the above setup allow me to fulfill my goal, which is to record just a top view of the perpetrator backing up into my fence and then get some sort of readable visual on the plate number as they advance and leave the target area?

The roughly 20 x 25 foot target area the camera will monitor will be frequented by moving vehicles. Would a camera equipped with an auto focus feature allow for a better, clearer visual on the license plate? Or will a manual varifocal lens be the optimal alternative?

What HD CCTV box security camera would be appropriate for my situation? I am willing to spend as much as $200 per camera? I already have the 15 inch (12 volt dc) outdoor camera enclosure with heater and fan.

Thank you for your time.