This topic describes the billing details for the Internet Protocol camera (IPC) service.
IPC billing
The Internet Protocol camera (IPC) service is an intelligent analysis and search service for content from IP cameras. It uses AI algorithms to automatically detect media content features, such as objects, scenarios, text, and icons. It then parses, retrieves, and processes these features. This helps you efficiently manage media assets. The IPC service offers three billing methods: monthly, quarterly, and yearly. The billing rules are as follows:
Billing rules
Rule Projects | Billing information |
Billing rule | Billing is based on device ID. Each device is billed independently based on the billing cycle and specifications. |
Billing method | Subscription: Monthly, quarterly, and yearly billing are supported. |
Billing cycle | Alibaba Cloud starts the billing cycle after you successfully create an IPC order. The exact billing time is subject to the system. The corresponding fees are deducted from your account. Ensure that your account has a sufficient balance. |
Activation method | Currently, you can only activate the service by calling the CreateIpcOrder operation. |
The IPC service is available only in the China (Shanghai), China (Beijing), China (Shenzhen), and China (Hangzhou) regions.
IPC orders created using the CreateIpcOrder API are created at the Alibaba Cloud account level. All orders are placed in the China (Hangzhou) region. The purchased resources are shared among all devices across all regions.
Pricing
The following table describes the specifications and prices for the IPC service.
Billing cycle | Specification | Description | Price |
Monthly (30 days) | Understanding only | Includes 300 IPC image analysis calls per day. Re-identification (re-ID) analysis is not included. | CNY 7/month/device |
Understanding only (with re-ID) | Includes 300 IPC image analysis calls per day. Re-ID analysis is included. | CNY 8/month/device | |
Search only | Includes 75 event searches per day. | CNY 7/month/device | |
Understanding + Search | Includes 300 IPC image analysis calls and 75 event searches per day. Re-ID analysis is not included. | CNY 9/month/device | |
Understanding (with re-ID) + Search | Includes 300 IPC image analysis calls and 75 event searches per day. Re-ID analysis is included. | CNY 10/month/device | |
Quarterly (90 days) | Understanding only | Includes 300 IPC image analysis calls per day. Re-ID analysis is not included. | CNY 19/quarter/device |
Understanding only (with re-ID) | Includes 300 IPC image analysis calls per day. Re-ID analysis is included. | CNY 22/quarter/device | |
Search only | Includes 75 event searches per day. | CNY 19/quarter/device | |
Understanding + Search | Includes 300 IPC image analysis calls and 75 event searches per day. Re-ID analysis is not included. | CNY 25/quarter/device | |
Understanding (with re-ID) + Search | Includes 300 IPC image analysis calls and 75 event searches per day. Re-ID analysis is included. | CNY 28/quarter/device | |
Yearly (365 days) | Understanding only | Includes 300 IPC image analysis calls per day. Re-ID analysis is not included. | CNY 74/year/device |
Understanding only (with re-ID) | Includes 300 IPC image analysis calls per day. Re-ID analysis is included. | CNY 86/year/device | |
Search only | Includes 75 event searches per day. | CNY 74/year/device | |
Understanding + Search | Includes 300 IPC image analysis calls and 75 event searches per day. Re-ID analysis is not included. | CNY 98/year/device | |
Understanding (with re-ID) + Search | Includes 300 IPC image analysis calls and 75 event searches per day. Re-ID analysis is included. | CNY 110/year/device |
The number of IPC image analysis calls includes both image and video analysis. The usage rules are as follows:
If you submit a task for an image set, the number of image analysis calls consumed is equal to the number of submitted images (n).
If you submit a task for a video, the number of image analysis calls consumed is equal to the video duration × frames per second (fps).
Billing example
Assume that a user creates an IPC order by calling the CreateIpcOrder operation. The user subscribes one device to the IPC service with the Analysis (with re-ID) + Search specification on a quarterly basis. After the order is successfully created, the system deducts CNY 28 from the user's account.