Evaluation: Axis P3301 Fixed Dome Network Camera
In the world of IP CCTV it is Axis who can normally be found at the forefront of innovation. They have a long history with network video and their cameras are among the most mature and feature-rich cameras on the market. While they are not the first manufacturer to release cameras with H.264 (Sony has had this technology for a number of years now) we really have to take a look when Axis launch a new technology.
The Axis P3301 is the first camera from Axis to include H.264 compression. This method of compression was developed to provide good quality video output at substantially lower bit-rates than previous methods, i.e. it should allow the camera to use less bandwidth over the network but still provide a high level of quality. We’re going to evaluate that as well the camera’s installation procedure and performance.
What you get
The build quality of the camera is excellent, which is to be expected from an Axis product. The design is compact and unobtrusive measuring only 144mm diameter and 94mm high. The polycarbonate casing (indoor graded only) comes complete with tamper-proof screws to help reduce the risk of people interfering with the camera and even a sturdy screwdriver is supplied to screw them in with. The other items contained in the box include an indoor power supply, 4-pin terminal block for alarm I/O, an installation guide and CD-ROM containing setup and management software.
Optional accessories include a mounting kit for drop ceilings or an alternative black casing for those who prefer it.
The camera also contains an internal microphone so you can listen-in to the surrounding area, although for better clarity the option to use an external microphone is available, but not supplied. The camera offers half-duplex communication only.
Network Installation
As it should be, the network setup procedure for Axis cameras is now very mature. There are tools contained on the CD-ROM which will allow you to perform either a single camera installation or large multi-camera installations. The process for either is extremely simple and if the instructions are followed, should allow the camera to be set up by the most novice of users.
The camera also supports multiple levels of user access and HTTPS encryption. So let’s log in:
Home page
The home page of the camera opens with the live view. If this is your first installation a plug-in may be required to be installed in the browser, this will be downloaded directly from the camera.
Clicking the ‘setup’ pages the first thing I noticed was a new feature from Axis, Stream Profiles.
Stream Profiles
These allow you to set up various image setting profiles including image appearance, frame rate, compression, overlay settings and audio support. These profiles can then be selected from the live view page (home) or used when transferring images for alarm events. There are a number of profiles ready-prepared, ranging from high quality to mobile viewing but there’s also room to create your own.
Performance
Below is the image taken from the camera in an office environment under fluorescent lighting using default settings:
MJPEG, 640×480, 30% compression, illumination approx: 360 lux
The image above shows that the camera can deliver Axis’ usual high quality but it is a little muted. If we tweak the white balance we can try and get something closer to natural colour:
MJPEG, 640×480, 30% compression, illumination approx: 360 lux
One of the great benefits of Axis camera products is there seemingly endless image/exposure settings which helps you get the most out of your camera. Here we have adjusted image and exposure settings:
MJPEG, 640×480, 30% compression, illumination approx: 360 lux
Low light
Below is the same image taken in low-light:
MJPEG, 640×480, 30% compression, illumination approx: 1.5 lux
As you can see the camera still provides a pretty clear image in low-light conditions. The camera is advertised to operate down to 1 lux and we took this image at approx: 1.5 lux and it delivers a remarkably bright image for the conditions and still retains full colour.
H.264 quality
To compare the new H.264 codec with Axis’ established methods of video compression I took the bit-rate data from both an Axis P3301 and an Axis 207W. The image settings were set on default values and the images were of roughly the same complexity. The results were as follows:
| MJPEG | MPEG-4 | H.264 | |
| Axis P3301 | 10.54Mpbs | — | 0.6Mbps |
| Axis 207W | 9.09Mbps | 1.8Mbps | — |
The data shows that the bit-rates for both H.264 and MPEG-4 are vastly reduced in comparison to MJPEG streams. This is to be expected as these methods of compression are far more suited to motion than quality.
When we compare H.264 and MPEG-4 though we find that relatively, against MJPEG compression there is hardly any difference but side by side we see that MPEG-4 in this example uses three times the bit-rate of H.264.
The picture quality didn’t suffer either and when testing fast moving targets the image appears stable with much less artefacting you would normally find with MPEG-4 compression.
Enhanced motion detection
This camera is advertised as having enhanced video motion detection. When I quizzed Axis about the details the told me:
“It’s more reliable and will cause less false triggering compared to the older products. The difference can be most seen in environments where the level of light changes a lot. E.g. if you turn on/off the light the enhanced motion detection shouldn’t consider that as motion and trigger an event. Except for this is it a lot less sensitive to noise in the image so less false triggering is also seen in dark environments”
My testing of the motion detection didn’t show any major signs of improvement. I tested during low-light and saw no immediate signs of improvement and as Axis suggested I turned the lights on and off going from around 600 lux to 3 lux and back again and this was still triggering alarms.
However if I were to use the feature for a longer period of time having been used to using the older products I am sure there will be improvements but I would perhaps look at it as an upgrade rather than an enhanced version.
Active Tampering Alert
Another of the advertised featuers is the camera’s Active Tampering Alarm. This should notify the user if the camera has been moved, blocked, obscured or sprayed with paint etc.
I tested this. First I set up an event in the camera using the ‘Camera Tampering’ trigger with notification by email. Then I allowed the camera 20-30 seconds to build the scene. This gives the camera time to get used to its current position. Then to trigger the alarm I simply moved the camera to point at a different area and within 20 seconds I received an email notifying me that the camera had been tampered with.
It worked really well. There are also settings to adjust the amount of time before it will trigger a notification and you can omit triggers from dark images. This helps reduce false alarms due to lighting but means you won’t get any alerts if the camera is sprayed or covered.
Overall
Axis again delivers an outstanding camera for the IP CCTV security market. It provides great image quality and low-light sensitivity in a camera which, thanks to H.264, can out-perform any of the models that come before it.
If you are looking for bandwidth efficiency with good image quality then I suggest you take a look at the Axis P3301 or for a heavy-duty vandal resistant option the Axis P3301-V.
Comparable Products
Sony SNC-DF50P
More expensive at almost double the price but is the only comparable product with H.264 compression. It supports all the key features of the Axis P3301 but also includes intelligent video analytics based on Sony’s DEPA technology platform.