Is it impossible to get licence plates on cars if the Arlo Go camera is mounted on the wall?

[ArloGoVML4030]

I can't see the licence plates on cars. My friend has the same problem with his arlo pro 2. My arlo go is mounted on the garage wall about 2 5m(8 feet) from the ground. Is it impossible to get licence plates on cars if the camera is mounted on the wall?

[jguerdat]

It's a combination of the very wide FOV, the distance, the camera resolution and the compression. The Go is 720p (<1 megapixel) while the Pro 2 is 1080p (2 megapixels). Now position this relatively low resolution camera some distance away from said license plate so that really very few pixels of the whole array are in use and then compress it. You're not going to see tons of detail.

Move the camera closer is the only resolution although not necessarily possible. These aren't ID cameras which would need a longer focal length and maybe resolution.

[JonQ]

This is a little disconcerning since I was wanting to purchase the VML4030 around our dumsters and record license plates. I was told that this camera records in 1080p?

[jguerdat]

Even 1080p is only 2 megapixels spread out over 130 degrees FOV, plus compression. You may be able to position them to get plates but I suspect you'd need good lighting and have them mounted relatively close to make it truly useful. Trial and error would be needed - make sure you have a return privilege.