IP CAMERA LEARNING & RESOURCE CENTER

HD video surveillance is the next big thing. HDTV cameras have been gaining huge ground over the past year and we’ve witnessed quite a surge in sales over the past 6 months. Axis have been at the forefront of this, first launching the HD Q1755 camera back in Q1 2009 and steadily releasing new models on a consistent basis including fixed HD cameras at full 1080p resolution as well as fully functional PTZ HD domes.

We looked at one of their latest HDTV models, the Axis P3344 which is a compact fixed dome network camera with models available for indoor and outdoor use. We looked at the model with a 6mm lens but a 12mm option is also available.

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The P1344 and P1346 are both static IP cameras from Axis Communications which can deliver security footage to HDTV standards. What does this mean? Well, HDTV standards ensure the cameras can deliver high-definition images at full frame rates together with high colour fidelity. The P1344 can deliver 720p footage which is 1280×720 resolution at 30fps and the P1346, 1920×1080 resolution also at 30fps. We are going to look at both and see how they stackup.

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IP cameras can send you email notification on alarm or at scheduled intervals, but to do this they require access to a SMTP server to send the email. Most email accounts come with SMTP access for outgoing mail but not all of them are easy to integrate with your IP camera because they require a secure connection.

This guide will walk you through setting up SMTP settings in an Axis IP camera with a GMX email account. This guide uses an Axis M1011 IP camera but most Axis IP cameras have pretty similar settings.

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IP security cameras allow you to view your home or business from anywhere in the world with access to an Internet connection. To connect to your camera you need to know the IP address of your Internet connection that your camera is connected to. This is known as the ‘public’ IP address.

Most domestic ISPs allocate dynamic IP addresses which changes each time you connect to the Internet. If this happens it will leave you unable to connect to your camera.

Axis Internet Dynamic DNS Service provides a way to continually access your camera even if your IP address changes. This is achieved by your camera updating the Axis Internet Dynamic DNS Service with its current external IP address and the service provides you with a unique domain name to link to the address.

This guide walks you through the setup process.

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The new P33 series of fixed dome network cameras from Axis include a new pixel counting feature. This feature allows an installers to easily verify any regulatory or customer specific requirement for resolution such as number plates or entrance ways to ensure sufficient detail for identification.

We thought we would take a look at how this works in closer detail.

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A feature which is not activated as standard in the new Axis M10 series is video clip creation. This guide will show you how to set up your M10 camera to record video clips manually from the live image page and store them to the hard disk drive.

This guide will work for the following:

Axis M1011
Axis M1011-W
Axis M1031-W

This feature uses Axis Media Control which is Axis’ name for their ActiveX plug-in for Internet Explorer. This means that this feature will only run using Internet Explorer.

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The Axis M1031-W is the flagship model from Axis’ latest camera series, the M10.

The M10 series is a range of IP security cameras aimed at the entry-level end of the market but it seems without any compromises made in terms of features. In fact, the features on offer are substantial considering the price. These are the cheapest Axis cameras we have seen and we can’t help wondering where the catch is? Let’s see if we can find it…

What’s in the box?

First let’s take a look at what you get in the box.

• Axis M1031-W camera
• Flexible mouting stand
• G-clamp (optional mounting method)
• AC Adapter
• Power extention cable
• Installation guide and warranty information
• CD-ROM including installation tools, video management software and product documentation

It’s good to see Axis are still including a power extension cable and the G-clamp mount with their entry-level cameras as these are very useful and could have been so easily omitted at this price.

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The Q1755 is the first true HDTV IP camera from Axis Communications. It is a static camera with a fixed zoom and autofocus feature and it conforms with the HDTV standards as laid down by the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE). What does this mean? Surely this is just a megapixel camera with a fancy name? Well, no. Let us explain…

HDTV

The key difference between an HDTV IP camera which conforms to HDTV standards and a megapixel IP camera is in the broadcast quality output. HDTV standards stipulate that the camera must output at resolutions 720p (1280×720 SMPTE 296M) and 1080i (1920×1080 SMPTE 274M) at a full frame rate of 25/30fps (PAL/NTSC). Compare that to megapixel cameras which output large, high resolutions images but at much slower frame rates.

The question is, does the Q1755 meet the requirements? Let’s find out.

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It can be quite a challenge to find a suitable lens for megapixel cameras. It seems that the technology in an average IP camera progresses at a much faster rate than lens manufacture. After all, crafting lenses is a highly skilled industry with very traditional roots while the electronics industry tends to move faster than a freight train.

So when we heard that Axis had began to replace the lens that ships with their popular 211M camera with a brand new megapixel lens to improve picture quality, we had to take a look. Any improvement in megapixel image quality is very welcome and of great benefit to the IP CCTV industry.

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