--- title: "Types of Speed Cameras: Fixed, Mobile, Average & Red-Light" description: "Compare fixed, mobile, average-speed and red-light cameras, ANPR and France danger zones. Learn how they differ and what the app’s coverage means." source: "https://speedometer.app/speed-cameras/types/" image: "https://speedometer.app/images/features/speed-cameras-types.jpg" --- # Types of Speed Cameras Explained Fixed, mobile, average-speed and red-light cameras, number-plate recognition and France’s danger zones — what each does, and how a road alert differs from a measuring device. An educational guide. App camera data supplied by SCDB.info. ![Types of Speed Cameras: Fixed, Mobile, Average & Red-Light](/images/features/speed-cameras-types.webp) This guide distinguishes the purpose of a camera from the technology it uses. Spot cameras measure speed at a point; average-speed systems calculate it across a section. Red-light cameras check signal violations, and ANPR reads number plates for several purposes. A French danger zone is an alert format, not a camera. These categories explain enforcement; they are not a list of everything our app detects. ## Quick comparison Speed-camera types at a glance. | Type | What it measures | Where you meet it | Notes | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Fixed speed camera | Instant speed at one point | Roadsides, urban arterials | Visibility varies by installation. | | Mobile speed camera | Instant speed (handheld or vehicle-mounted) | Anywhere — police-operated | No fixed installation. | | Average-speed camera | Average speed over a stretch | Motorways, long roadworks, tunnels | The whole section’s distance and travel time matter. | | Red-light camera | Whether you crossed on red | Signalled intersections | Triggered by induction loops or video. | | Combined speed + red-light | Both at the same intersection | High-risk junctions | One device, two enforcement modes. | | ANPR camera | Reads your number plate (often for non-speed enforcement) | Toll points, low-emission zones, bus lanes, average-speed pairs | The technology behind average-speed enforcement. | | Danger zone (France) | Nothing — it's a flagged stretch of road | France only | An alert format used in France, not a speed measurement. | ## The main categories in detail ### Fixed speed cameras Permanently installed units that measure speed at a point. Some are conspicuous and others blend into their surroundings; visibility varies by installation and country. Fixed systems can use radar, laser or road sensors; the method depends on the model. Evidence may combine a measured speed with photographs or video. Some systems use successive images as a secondary check. Visible flash, infrared illumination and daylight imaging are different options, so the absence of a visible flash does not tell you whether a measurement was made. **—** Manufacturers and product families you'll see named in the press: Gatsometer (the Dutch firm that gave the British nickname "Gatso" to almost every speed camera), Vitronic Poliscan, Jenoptik / Robot, Truvelo D-cam, MultaRadar. ### Mobile and handheld cameras The same speed-measurement physics, but operated by the police rather than installed on the road. Mobile equipment may be handheld, tripod-mounted or fitted to a vehicle, using radar or laser according to the device. Locations can change. Some database products include previously reported mobile-control sites, but a mapped site does not establish that a patrol is there now. Our app does not provide live mobile-patrol detection. ### Average-speed cameras (SPECS, Tutor, Section Control) A pair (or chain) of cameras enforces the limit across a stretch of road, not at a single point. Cameras read a vehicle’s number plate at checkpoints and record the time. Distance divided by elapsed time gives the average speed across the section. What matters is the whole journey between the measurement points, not just the speed beside either camera. **—** Names associated with section enforcement include SPECS in the UK, Tutor in Italy, radar tronçon in France and Section Control in Austria. They share the distance-over-time principle; equipment and operating rules can differ. Germany ran a Section Control pilot on the B6 near Hannover that was suspended in 2024; the technology itself remains widely used in neighbouring countries. ### Red-light cameras Catch drivers who enter an intersection after the signal has turned red. Triggering is by induction loop (a current pulse fires when a vehicle crosses the stop line on red) or by video analytics (the camera "sees" the light state and the vehicle position). Two photos are usually captured to establish that the vehicle moved through the intersection rather than just stopped on the line. Red-light enforcement does not normally measure speed. ### Combined speed + red-light cameras One device, two enforcement modes — used at junctions where both speed and signal compliance matter. On a green or amber light the device functions as a fixed speed camera. On red, the same hardware photographs vehicles entering against the signal. These cabinets are common at high-risk urban intersections. ### ANPR cameras Cameras that read your number plate as you pass, in real time. ANPR stands for Automatic Number Plate Recognition. It reads a vehicle’s registration plate and can support tolls, access controls, parking or police vehicle checks. Combined with timestamps at known points it can support average-speed enforcement. Reading a plate alone neither measures speed nor identifies the person driving. ### Danger zones (France) A road-alert zone, not a camera or a measuring device. French rules restrict warnings about the location of enforcement equipment. A danger-zone alert marks a stretch of road for attention rather than an exact camera point. Our app uses regional zone presentation in France. A zone’s appearance or length does not by itself establish legal compliance; see the country guide for the official rules. ### Less common types You'll meet these occasionally — they're usually not what people mean by "speed camera". Bus lane cameras (enforce dedicated-lane restrictions), weight-check cameras (commercial vehicles), height-restriction cameras (tunnels and bridges), no-overtaking cameras (specific motorway segments), and stationary police checkpoints. Most do not measure speed; some do not photograph at all and just trigger an alarm for an officer downstream. ## Which of these does the app warn you about? PRO camera alerts use SCDB.info locations stored in the app. Supported categories include fixed-speed, red-light, combined and average-speed records where available, with regional filtering and presentation such as danger zones in France. Country coverage, categories and data versions differ: this guide is not a coverage inventory. The app does not detect live mobile patrols or promise an alert for every camera. [![Download on the App Store](/_image/?href=%2F_astro%2FDownload_on_the_App_Store_Badge_US-UK_RGB_blk_092917.CVyK0T4N.svg&w=150&h=50&f=svg)](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id901574501?pt=100782816&ct=sp.cameras.types&mt=8) ## Speed-camera-types FAQ A fixed spot camera measures speed at a point. An average-speed system matches a vehicle between checkpoints and divides the distance by the elapsed time. The latter assesses travel across the whole section, rather than relying on a single reading beside a camera. Cameras read a vehicle’s number plate at checkpoints and record the time. Distance divided by elapsed time gives the average speed across the section. What matters is the whole journey between the measurement points, not just the speed beside either camera. There's no single look. Fixed cabinets are typically grey or yellow boxes mounted on a roadside pole or a gantry, with one or more lenses and (often) a flash unit. Some are designed to blend into street furniture; others are deliberately bright. Mobile units can be vans, motorcycles, or police officers with a handheld device. Average-speed cameras are usually mounted on overhead gantries above the carriageway and look more like CCTV than a "speed gun". No. Roadside enforcement cameras have different purposes. ANPR alone reads a vehicle’s plate; it does not measure speed or identify the driver. A red-light camera checks a signal violation, while bus-lane and access cameras check other restrictions. Speed measurement requires the appropriate sensors or a timed journey between known points. French rules restrict warnings about the location of enforcement equipment. A danger-zone alert marks a stretch of road for attention rather than an exact camera point. Our app uses regional zone presentation in France. A zone’s appearance or length does not by itself establish legal compliance; see the country guide for the official rules. A red-light camera enforces signal compliance — it photographs vehicles that cross the stop line after the light has turned red. A speed camera enforces the speed limit. The two are sometimes housed in the same physical cabinet ("combined") at high-risk intersections, but the underlying offences and the evidence required are different. ## Related guides [ ### Speed cameras: the complete guide The pillar — how cameras work, where they're used, and the legal landscape across countries. →](/speed-cameras/)[ ### Speed camera alerts for iPhone PRO alerts using SCDB.info data in 40+ countries, subject to coverage and regional restrictions. No ads. →](/speed-cameras/iphone-app/)[ ### Are speed camera apps legal? Country guide A reference table for the legality of speed-camera alert apps and radar detectors per country. →](/speed-cameras/laws-by-country/)[ ### Automatic speed-limit alerts A separate alert layer: get warned the moment you cross the posted limit, with custom thresholds. →](/speed-limit-app/) ## Speed-camera approach alerts, powered by SCDB.info. PRO alerts in 40+ countries. Coverage varies. No ads. [![Download on the App Store](/_image/?href=%2F_astro%2FDownload_on_the_App_Store_Badge_US-UK_RGB_blk_092917.CVyK0T4N.svg&w=192&h=64&f=svg)](https://apps.apple.com/app/apple-store/id901574501?pt=100782816&ct=sp.cameras.types&mt=8) Always drive within the posted limit. Alerts are an aid to attention, not a licence to speed.