AXIS Camera Companion User Manual
Contents
1. To check the current firmware version open the camera s Setup pages in a web browser The firmware version is displayed in the Basic Setup and About pages To upgrade the camera s firmware follow these steps Go to www axis com techsup and download the latest firmware Open the camera s Setup pages in a web browser Go to Setup gt System Options gt Maintenance Specify the path to the firmware file and click Upgrade oe ES qT r The upgrade process can take up to 10 minutes Do not disconnect power during this time After upgrading the camera will restart automatically When the firmware has been upgraded open AXIS Camera Companion go to Configuration gt Cameras and click om to add the upgraded camera to the site Network Share Discovery Problems If a network share cannot be found check e ls the NAS Network Attached Storage device installed and connected to the network For installation instructions refer to the documentation provided with the NAS e ls the NAS connected to the same network subnet as the computer If not the NAS must be added manually e Is the NAS blocked by a firewall or antivirus software HSTION Page 32 AXIS Camera Companion Recording and Playback Problems Storage problems Too few recordings from one of If several cameras record to the same network share it the cameras might happen that some cameras use lots of storage while there are very few recordings from one of the other2. cameras Possible solutions e Add more network shares for example by creat ing additional shares on the NAS Network Attached Storage e Go to Configuration gt Cameras gt Storage and reduce the number of days to store recordings AXIS Camera Companion Page 33 Recordings are removed after just a couple of days Can use the SD card reader on my Windows computer to access recordings on the SD card The oldest recordings will be removed to make space for new recordings when the SD card or network share is full or after the number of days specified in Configuration gt Cameras gt Storage To keep recordings for more than a few days the size of the recording files must be reduced Go to Configuration gt Cameras and edit the Motion Recording or Continuous Recording settings Try one or more of the following e Reduce the frame rate e Reduce the resolution e Use motion recording instead of continuous recording e Seta schedule to record only during specific time periods e Reduce the motion detection sensitivity No The SD card is formatted to use an ext4 file system when the camera is added to AXIS Camera Companion Windows cannot read this file system without additional software Use AXIS Camera Companion to access recordings HSTION Page 34 AXIS Camera Companion Playback problems Recordings are not synchronized This can happen if the cameras clocks are not synchronized To synchronize the c
3. Model Camera model S N The camera s serial number printed on the camera label Firmware The camera s firmware version Video port The video port Applicable when using a video encoder with multiple video ports or a camera with multiple view areas Storage Select storage Select the storage device SD card or network share to use with the selected camera To connect a new network share click Connect Network Share Warning Recordings made to the network share can no longer be accessed if the share is replaced Days to keep recordings Enter the number of days to keep recordings or select Max to keep recordings until the storage device is full Recordings older than the specified number of days will be removed Motion Recording Configure the motion recording settings to suit image quality requirements and available disk Space Detector Detector selection is available for selected camera models Passive infrared sensor PIR sensor Select the PIR sensor to detect motion in dark environments as well as in normal daylight The PIR sensor detects motion by measuring changes in infrared light Video motion detection Select video motion detection to detect motion within the camera s field of view Video motion detection detects motion by measuring changes in visible light and could be unreliable in low light environments Click Settings to configure video motion detection AXIS Camera Companion Page 19 Recording p
4. UPnP Is UPnP enabled If the router does not support UPnP or if Internet Access cannot be enabled even though UPnP is enabled port forwarding must be configured manually in the router Port forwarding also known as port mapping is a technique used to make devices on a private network LAN accessible from the Internet For instructions on how to configure port forwarding refer to the documentation provided with the router To get general information about port forwarding and communicating over the Internet see Troubleshooting on page 26 AXIS Camera Companion Page 35 Camera status Unable to contact MyAxis The camera is configured but AXIS Camera Companion can not contact MyAxis Check your Internet connection OK Unresolved Is the camera registered to another MyAxis account If the camera is available on the network de select the checkbox and select it again to transfer the camera to the current site If the camera is not available on the network de selecting the checkbox will make the camera unavailable for the site Page 36 AXIS Camera Companion User Manual Ver 1 0 AXIS Camera Companion Printed April 2013 Axis Communications AB 2013 Part No 51468
5. descriptive names Click on the default name displayed below the thumbnail and type a new name 3 When all cameras have been given descriptive names click Next to continue Notes e Up to 16 cameras can be added to the site e Camera names can also be changed later from the Configuration gt Cameras page Add camera manually Cameras can also be added by specifying the IP addresses or host names Click Add Camera Manually enter the address or host name in the field and click Add Set Up a Network Share Cameras without an SD card can be configured to record to a network share A network share can be a share on a NAS Network Attached Storage or any server that uses CIFS Common Internet File System Note CIFS is used by Windows operating systems Several network shares can be used AXIS Camera Companion automatically distributes the cameras among the network shares If using a video encoder with multiple video channels all video channels will be connected to the same share Configure the NAS to use a fixed IP address Using a dynamic DHCP address might cause recording problems if the NAS is restarted Click Connect Network Share to search for available network shares For more information about storage requirements see Storage Estimate on page 7 AXIS Camera Companion Page 7 Network Share Search AXIS Camera Companion automatically searches the network for available network shares When the search is finished a li
6. in the scene is the most important A scene with a lot of motion or a lot of detail requires more disk space compared to a scene with little movement Other important factors are the resolution and frame rate used for recording These settings can be modified from the Configuration gt Cameras page in AXIS Camera Companion Continuous recordings require more disk space than motion triggered recordings AXIS Design Tool can be used to calculate storage requirements Go to www axis com tools HSTION Page 8 AXIS Camera Companion Finish The selected cameras have now been installed If any error occurred during installation error messages will be listed here If there are no errors the wizard closes automatically Note During installation SD cards are formatted Depending on the size of the SD card this might take several minutes If a camera could not be installed check that the camera is connected to the network that power has been applied and that the SD card is inserted correctly Click Close to close the wizard Cameras that were not installed can be added from the Configuration gt Cameras page Overview AXIS Camera Companion has three pages Live View display live video from connected cameras Recordings play and export recordings Configuration configure recording and storage settings set up Internet Access and customize AXIS Camera Companion To navigate between the pages click one of the icons in the up
7. or Network Attached Storage NAS to store recordings A network router and or network switch and network cables Video is recorded to SD cards in each camera alternatively to a Network Attached Storage NAS No central computer or server is necessary In case of an incident open the AXIS Camera Companion software to playback and export video Getting Started Click the Get Started button to start the AXIS Camera Companion wizard which will help you set up and configure your system Import site To import a site created at another computer click Import site Browse to the site an accs file and click Open Log On To log on to a site select the site enter the password and click Log On Note Depending on the entered password you are logged on as either Administrator Operator or Viewer For more information see Access Accounts on page 22 Select Remember password to remember the password next time you log on To create a new site click Create new site To import a site click Import site Browse to the site an accs file and click Open A site can be deleted if at least one other site exists To delete the site expand the site list and click the X next to the site s name Log on problems Incorrect password The password was not accepted Check that Caps Lock is off and try again Could not connect to cameras AXIS Camera Companion cannot contact any of the connected cameras Check that all cables are conne
8. password to confirm the spelling Select Can use PTZ to enable the PTZ controls for the operator or viewer Click OK to save the changes 6 Internet Access To access cameras connected to the site from the Internet Internet Access must be enabled Internet Access can only be enabled if the site is protected by a password and if you are signed in to your MyAxis account Sign In to your MyAxis account The Internet Access options are only available if you are signed in to your MyAxis account Click Sign In to open the sign in dialog see My Axis Account on page 4 for more information Enable Internet Access Select the cameras for which Internet Access should be enabled Click Enable All to enable Internet Access for all cameras Click Disable All to disable Internet Access for all cameras AXIS Camera Companion will try to enable Internet Access by configuring port forwarding in the router If port forwarding cannot be configured automatically see Internet Access Problems on page 34 m Customize Live view streaming If the available bandwidth is limited performance problems may arise when watching live video To limit bandwidth usage select a lower maximum resolution and or a lower maximum frame rate The values selected here affect live view only What values to select depend on image quality requirements and on the available bandwidth Using high values normally improves image quality but increases bandwidth usage The va
9. patent htm and one or more additional patents or pending patent applications in the US and other countries This product contains licensed third party software See the menu item About in the product s user interface for more information Trademark Acknowledgments AXIS COMMUNICATIONS AXIS ETRAX ARTPEC and VAPIX are registered trademarks or trademark applications of Axis AB in various jurisdictions All other company names and products are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective companies Apple Boa Apache Bonjour Ethernet Internet Explorer Linux Microsoft Mozilla Real SMPTE QuickTime UNIX Windows Windows Vista and WWW are registered trademarks of the respective holders Java and all Java based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle and or its affiliates UPnP is a certification mark of the UPnP Implementers Corporation SD SDHC and SDXC are trademarks or registered trademarks of SD 3C LLC in the United States other countries or both Also miniSD microSD miniSDHC microSDHC microSDXC are all trademarks or registered trademarks of SD 3C LLC in the United States other countries or both WPA WPA2 and Wi Fi Protected Setup are marks of the Wi Fi Alliance Microsoft Windows Windows Vista WWW Internet Explorer DirectX Intel Intel Core Pentium and Xeon are registered trademarks of the respective holders Acrobat Adobe Apache Debian Ethernet Internet
10. please provide a System Report with your query To generate a system report 1 If possible log on to the site before generating the system report 2 Click PA to open the Help menu 3 Select Save System Report 4 Select a folder to save the system report in and click Save Update AXIS Camera Companion To check if a software update is available 1 Click to open the Help menu 2 Select Check for Updates 3 Follow the on screen instructions Troubleshooting For solutions to common problems refer to the following topics e Camera Discovery Problems on page 29 e Network Share Discovery Problems on page 31 e Recording and Playback Problems on page 32 e Internet Access Problems on page 34 Camera LED indicator LED indicator flashes Video cannot be recorded because the SD card or network share is amber not available The disk might be missing or corrupted LED indicator is unlit Refer to the camera s Installation Guide for description of LED indicator behavior For some camera models some LEDs are unlit under normal operation AXIS Camera Companion Page 27 Camera status codes Connecting AXIS Camera Companion is trying to contact the camera Missing decoders Video cannot be displayed because necessary decoders are not installed To install decoders open the camera s built in webpages in Internet Explorer When prompted install AXIS Media Control AMC which includes the necessary decoders For instruc
11. AXIS M3005 V to a PoE enabled network Note Power over Ethernet PoE is a technology that enables a network device to be powered by the network cable 1 Insert the SD card not necessary if using a NAS Network Attached Storage for recording 2 Connect the network cable 3 Wait until the Status LED indicator on the front side turns green For this camera model the LED will display green for about 10 seconds before becoming unlit Other camera models For other camera models refer to the camera s Installation Guide Select Cameras AXIS Camera Companion automatically searches the network for connected cameras and displays a thumbnail from each camera that has been found If no cameras are found see Camera Discovery Problems on page 29 HSIT9SNA Page 6 AXIS Camera Companion Place the mouse pointer over the thumbnail to display the camera s address serial number S N model and if applicable video port The serial number is printed on the product label Click Refresh to repeat the search for example if new cameras have been connected Refreshing the page also checks the status of the cameras After a camera s firmware has been upgraded it will show the status code Upgrade camera at network address until the page has been refreshed Add cameras To add cameras follow these steps 1 Select the cameras to be added to the site To select a camera click on the thumbnail or the checkbox 2 Give the cameras
12. Explorer lomega LaCie Linux Machintosh Microsoft Mozilla MySQL Red Hat UNIX Windows WWW Wi Fi are registered trademarks of the respective holders Java and all Java based trademarks and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of Oracle and or its affiliates UPnP is a certification mark of the UPnP Implementers Corporation WPA is a mark of the Wi Fi Alliance Support Should you require any technical assistance please contact your Axis reseller If your questions cannot be answered immediately your reseller will forward your queries through the appropriate channels to ensure a rapid response If you are connected to the Internet you can e download user documentation and software updates e find answers to resolved problems in the FAQ database Search by product category or phrase e report problems to Axis support staff by logging in to your private support area e chat with Axis support staff selected countries only e visit Axis Support at www axis com techsup Learn More Visit Axis learning center www axis com academy for useful trainings webinars tutorials and guides AXIS Camera Companion Page 3 AXIS Camera Companion AXIS Camera Companion is an easy to use network video surveillance solution for systems with up to 16 cameras To use AXIS Camera Companion you need AXIS Camera Companion software this program Axis network cameras or video encoders with connected analog cameras SD cards
13. USER MANUAL AXIS Camera Companion COMMUNICATIONS About this Document This document is intended for users of AXIS Camera Companion It contains a compilation of the program s help pages Legal Considerations Video and audio surveillance can be regulated by laws that vary from country to country Check the laws in your local region before using this product for surveillance purposes Liability Every care has been taken in the preparation of this document Please inform your local Axis office of any inaccuracies or omissions Axis Communications AB cannot be held responsible for any technical or typographical errors and reserves the right to make changes to the product and documentation without prior notice Axis Communications AB makes no warranty of any kind with regard to the material contained within this document including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose Axis Communications AB Shall not be liable nor responsible for incidental or consequential damages in connection with the furnishing performance or use of this material This product is only to be used for its intended purpose Intellectual Property Rights Axis AB has intellectual property rights relating to technology embodied in the product described in this document In particular and without limitation these intellectual property rights may include one or more of the patents listed at http www axis com
14. ble but disabled the camera firmware needs to be updated to enable audio Edit camera settings Current settings for the selected camera are displayed in the bottom pane Click I to edit settings Camera e Camera name The name of the camera e Address Click on the link to open the camera s built in webpages Log in with user name ACCAdmin and the site password If no site password has been set use pass For infor mation on how to use the webpages refer to the camera s User Manual available on www axis com e Model e Video port The video port shown when applicable Storage e Storage type SD card or network share e Keep for Number of days to keep recordings e Oldest recording Oldest recording on the SD card or network share AXIS Camera Companion Page 17 Motion recording e Resolution Resolution used for recording e Frame rate Frame rate used for recording e Schedules Schedules used for recording Continuous recording e Resolution Resolution used for recording e Frame rate Frame rate used for recording e Schedules Schedules used for recording Overlay Settings Overlays are displayed superimposed on the video image and are used to provide additional information for example date and time or the name of the camera Show text Select this option to display an overlay text Show date and time Select this option to display date and time as overlay Select the date and time formats fr
15. creen for a defined interval The interval can be set under Configuration gt Customize Note The sequence will only display on the monitor and does not affect how each camera HSTION records events To change the cameras displayed in the split view right click in one of the camera views and select the desired camera Press Esc to exit the split view Turn Light On Off Note Light is supported by selected camera models The light on the camera can be turned on and off To switch between the two options right click in the Selected Camera area B and select Turn Light On Off Original Video Size Video can be shown in original size or be stretched to fit the size of the Selected Camera area B To switch between the two options right click in the Selected Camera area B and select or clear Original Video Size If the original size is larger than the Selected Camera area the video will be shrinked even if Original Video Size is selected Pan tilt and zoom Note Pan tilt and zoom PTZ is supported by selected camera models To pan and tilt click in the video image to steer the camera view to the new position To zoom in and out use the scroll wheel To enable digital PTZ for cameras that support mechanical PIZ right click in the video image and clear the Use Mechanical PTZ box When using a camera with PTZ functionality preset positions can be set up from the camera s built in webpages A preset position is a
16. cted and that all network routers and switches are working correctly HSTION Page 4 AXIS Camera Companion My Axis Account A MyAxis account is required to start using AXIS Camera Companion Sign in Enter your e mail address or username Enter the password and click Sign in Forgot password Click Forgot password to open a webpage where you can enter the email address associated with your MyAxis account If the email address is valid you will receive an email with further instructions on how to reset your password Register New User Click Register new user to open a webpage where you can create a MyAxis account Fill out the form on the webpage and click Register new account When the registration is complete you will receive an email with further instructions Create Site A site consists of up to 16 cameras The site is used to access live and recorded video export video clips and configure different settings Create a new site To create a new site Enter a Site name 2 Enter a Site password and re enter it to confirm the spelling Use a strong password to keep the site safe from unauthorized access 3 Click Next to continue Using a site password can prevent unauthorized access to the site The password is also used to access the cameras connected to the site If you do not want to use a password clear the Use site password box The site password is applied to all cameras on the site If you have a camera o
17. cted to the network that power has been applied and that the camera is working normally Under normal operation the LEDs are either green or unlit A red or amber indicator usually indicates a network or camera problem Refer to the camera s Installation Guide or User Manual for a detailed description of the LED indicator behavior Firewall Firewalls and antivirus software can sometimes block camera discovery If required configure the firewall to allow network traffic to and from AXIS Camera Companion If this does not solve the problem configure the firewall to allow the following ports UDP port 5353 and TCP port 80 IP address problems Any device in a network must have a unique IP address to be able to communicate with other devices When using AXIS Camera Companion it is recommended to use DHCP Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol to assign IP addresses automatically A DHCP server is usually built into the router If cameras cannot be accessed open the router s configuration pages and check if DHCP has been enabled Refer to the documentation provided with the router for instructions AXIS Camera Companion Page 31 Upgrade camera The status code Upgrade camera at network address indicates that the camera s firmware must be upgraded before the camera can be added to AXIS Camera Companion Note Some camera models cannot be used with AXIS Camera Companion Go to www axis com for a full list of compatible products
18. esolutions could be available e D1 highest resolution e ACIF e 2CIF e CIF e QCIF lowest resolution Schedules The camera can be configured to record all the time or to record according to one or several schedules To record all the time select Always on To enable a schedule select Schedules and then select a schedule from the list To create a new schedule click New To modify a schedule highlight the schedule and click Edit HSTION Page 20 AXIS Camera Companion To delete a schedule highlight the schedule and click Delete Motion Detection Settings Motion Detection is used to detect moving objects within an area of interest When objects are detected the camera will start recording Area of Interest The Area of Interest is a virtual area that is defined in the product to detect moving objects When an object enters that area the camera starts recording The default area of interest is a rectangle placed in the center of the image The area of interest can be moved by clicking inside the area and dragging to desired position To resize the area click on one of the corners and drag to a new position Sensitivity A high sensitivity triggers on ordinary colored objects on ordinary backgrounds A low sensitivity triggers on very bright objects on a dark background for example a flashing light Normally a high sensitivity level is recommended Select the desired Sensitivity If the sensitivity already ha
19. guration sheet showing an overview of the site configuration can be saved to a pdf file The site can be exported to a file which can be imported when creating an AXIS Camera Companion site on another computer or smartphone The exported site is an accs file Name To change the site name click on the name Enter a new name and click OK Access Accounts It is possible to have up to three accounts for AXIS Camera Companion The accounts have different passwords and give different access levels co Administrator Can change settings access recordings and live view Qe Operator Can access recordings and live view Le Viewer Can access live view The passwords are used to log on to the site and to access the cameras connected to the site If a password is changed the password will be changed on all cameras connected to the site AXIS Camera Companion Page 23 To change the administrator password click Edit Administrator Access To enable operator access click Enable Operator Access To change the operator password click Edit Operator Access To disable operator access click Disable To enable viewer access click Enable Viewer Access To change the viewer password click Edit Viewer Access To disable viewer access click Disable It is recommended to use password to protect the site Site Configuration Sheet Click Save to save a document describing the current configuration of the system This document provides an
20. ilable when using Remote Desktop Folders To change the default Snapshots folder click Browse and navigate to the desired location To change the default Recordings folder click Browse and navigate to the desired location Jump back button Specify the number of seconds to jump back when using Jump backward button during playback Digital signature Select Show digital signature options when saving recordings to be able to add digital signatures when exporting a video clip For more information see Digital Signature on page 15 Contact information Click Add to add support contact information Once the contact information has been added click Edit to edit the information or click View to view it m Contact Information The contact information dialog is used to provide support information to the user Enter company name in the top field and contact information in the bottom field Web and email addresses will automatically be converted into links limited to one address per line To add a company logo click Add Picture Click Clear to delete all information from the dialog Click Preview to see a preview This is what the user will see when selecting Contact information from the help menu Click OK to save or Cancel to close the dialog without saving HSIMON3 Save System Report The System Report is a zip file containing logs and reports for system analysis and troubleshooting If contacting Axis Technical Support
21. le Playback To play a recording follow these steps 1 Use the timeline and calendar to find the recording 2 Select the camera in the timeline and move the playback marker y to the desired time 3 Click the Play button The recording is played as Selected Recording B Recordings from all cameras are played in the Camera Selector C Click on another video thumbnail in the Camera Selector C to play that as Selected Recording B The playback control panel includes the following buttons from left to right Q Jump backward The number of seconds to jump backward is specified under Configuration gt Customize gt Jump back button Jump to previous recording start Jump to the previous recording If in the middle of a recording it will jump to the start of that recording Play Pause Start pause and resume playback Jump to next recording start AXIS Camera Companion Page 13 Playback speed Place the mouse pointer over any of the playback control buttons to display the Playback speed control Drag the needle forward or backward or place the mouse pointer over the control and scroll the mouse wheel to change playback speed Mute Click to mute or unmute audio Audio volume Use the slider or place the mouse pointer over the slider and scroll the mouse wheel to change audio volume Export video clips To export a recording follow these steps 1 Use the timeline and calendar to find the
22. locks the cameras built in webpages must be used See below for information on how to access the built in webpages It is recommended that all camera clocks and the computer clock are synchronized with the same NIP server Note For cameras with Internet Access enabled the clocks are synchronized automatically Video freezes in playback If too many cameras record to the same NAS Network Attached Storage it might happen that video freezes during playback Reduce the number of cameras recording to the same NAS for example by using several NAS devices or by configuring some cameras to record to SD cards instead Exported recordings cannot be Use AXIS File Player to play recordings exported from played AXIS Camera Companion AXIS File Player is free software included with the exported recording and does not require installation or administrator rights Media Components Missing The error message Media Components Missing may appear if AXIS Camera Companion is installed on a server To solve this install Desktop Experience 1 In Windows click the Start button and select Administrative Tools gt Server Manager 2 Select Features gt Add features 3 Follow the instructions to install Desktop Experience Internet Access Problems If Internet Access cannot be enabled check e Is the router connected to the Internet Can you access Internet from the computer e ls there a firewall that prevents access e Does the router support
23. lues required for acceptable image quality depend on factors such as lighting conditions and the amount of motion in the area under surveillance If Autostart in split view is selected the application will remember the current site password and run automatically when Windows starts It will log on and go directly to split view This option can be used in a public view monitor Select Use native aspect ratio in fullscreen to show the video in original aspect ratio on the monitor adding black borders if required If the option is cleared the video will be stretched to fill the monitor The recordings are not affected by this option AXIS Camera Companion Page 25 Specify the Sequence speed to set the number of seconds to display each camera when Show as sequence is selected in split view Video rendering Video rendering is the process of finalizing video for display on for example a computer screen Rendering can be performed by computer hardware or software Hardware rendering makes use of the computer s graphics card and is recommended for best performance If the graphics card does not meet AXIS Camera Companion system requirements hardware rendering might cause video display problems In this case deselect Enable hardware rendering to render video using the computer processor CPU instead If the Enable hardware rendering option is unavailable check if the graphics card driver needs to be updated Hardware rendering is always unava
24. mited To be able to save recordings for several days resolution and frame rate may need to be reduced at the expense of image quality The values required for acceptable image quality depend on factors such as lighting conditions and the amount of motion in the area under surveillance Aspect ratio Aspect ratio is the ratio of the image width to the image height Most cameras support 4 3 16 9 and 16 10 aspect ratios The 16 9 and 16 10 aspect ratios are widescreen formats The 4 3 aspect ratio is used in conventional TV monitors For Axis Corridor Format select a 16 9 aspect ratio resolution and rotate the image on the Configuration gt Cameras page Read more about Axis Corridor Format on www axis com HSTION Page 22 AXIS Camera Companion Video encoder resolutions When using a camera connected to a video encoder some of the following resolutions may be available e D1 highest resolution e ACIF e 2CIF e CIF e QCIF lowest resolution Schedules The camera can be configured to record all the time or to record according to one or several schedules To record all the time select Always on To enable a schedule select Schedules and then select a schedule from the list To create a new schedule click New To modify a schedule highlight the schedule and click Edit To delete a schedule highlight the schedule and click Delete Site The site name and access accounts can be changed on the Site tab A confi
25. ms If cameras cannot be found check e Are all cables connected Check that the cameras LED indicators indicate the correct con ditions See LED indicators on page 30 e Are the cameras connected to the same network subnet as the computer If not cameras must be added manually or imported using an accs file e Are cameras blocked by a firewall See Firewall on page 30 e f error message The computer has a static IP address and might be unable to find cam eras is displayed check if DHCP is enabled See IP address problems on page 30 e f status code Upgrade camera is displayed the camera s firmware must be upgraded See Upgrade camera on page 31 HSIMODN3 Page 30 AXIS Camera Companion Camera discovery status codes Connecting AXIS Camera Companion is trying to contact the camera Enter password for camera This status code is displayed if the camera has been added to an AXIS Camera Companion site with a different password or if a password has been set from the camera s built in webpages Click on the text and enter the password for the other site or for the camera s root user Upgrade camera See Upgrade camera on page 31 Device not supported Some camera models cannot be used with AXIS Camera Companion Go to www axis com for a full list of compatible products LED indicators Depending on model cameras have one three or four LED indicators The indicators show for example that the camera is conne
26. n a site and add that camera to a new site with a different password the camera will no longer be available in the old site Important Make a note of the password and store it in a safe place If the password is lost cameras must be reset to factory default and a new site must be created AXIS Camera Companion Page 5 Connect Cameras Before proceeding to the next step make sure that e SD cards have been inserted not necessary if using a NAS Network Attached Storage for recording e Cameras are connected to the network e Power has been applied e Cameras LED indicators indicate the correct conditions product dependent refer to the camera s Installation Guide Important Use empty SD cards If the SD card has a file system other than ext4 the card will be formatted when the camera is added to AXIS Camera Companion last step in this wizard Any material present on the SD card will be deleted when the card is formatted When all cameras are up and running click Next to continue Wired Cameras The instructions on the Wired Cameras tab show how to connect AXIS M1013 and AXIS M1014 to a wired network Insert the SD card not necessary if using a NAS Network Attached Storage for recording Connect the network cable Connect power te ee Wait until the Status LED indicator on the front side turns green Power over Ethernet The instructions on the Power over Ethernet tab show how to connect AXIS M3004 V and
27. oblems see Recording and Playback Problems on page 32 Go to Time Enter the time hours minutes and seconds to go to and click OK Investigation Mode Investigation Mode allows you to step through the recorded video frame by frame to find the exact moment when an incident happened and take a snapshot from that moment The time hour minute second and fractions of a second displayed is not shown in the snapshot To include time configure the overlay settings from Configuration gt Cameras gt Overlay Settings Close the Investigation Mode window to return to the main window of AXIS Camera Companion Find the incident Click on the thumbnails to step 30 15 5 or 1 frames backward top panel or forward bottom panel or move the slider Note If the framerate is set to less than 12 fps the thumbnails step 5 3 2 or 1 frames backward and forward It is also possible to step to the next or the previous frame using the forward and backward arrows or placing the mouse pointer over the slider and scrolling the mouse wheel To zoom in and out of the video place the mouse pointer over a point of interest and scroll the mouse wheel Click in the zoomed in image to recenter it When satisfied click ge to take a snapshot Note The snapshot will contain the entire camera image regardless of the zoom level Snapshot folder The snapshot is saved in the folder specified under Configuration gt Customize Original Video Si
28. om the drop down lists Time Settings It is important that all cameras in the system are synchronized to the same time Notes Changing the time on the cameras could cause problems with the recordings e It can become difficult to find earlier recordings in the time line e It can trigger an automatic removal of old recordings e It can become impossible to play back old recordings Set time 1 Back up your recordings before setting the time For information about how to export record ings see Export video clips on page 13 2 There are three options to set the time on all cameras e Select Axis Internet time server and click OK to synchronize the cameras with Axis internet time server This requires the cameras to be connected to the internet e Select Other NTP server type in the address to the NTP server and click OK e Set time manually Click Set Time to synchronize the time of the cameras with the com puter time and time zone 3 Click Yes in the dialog that appears HSTION Page 18 AXIS Camera Companion Camera Properties Camera name The name of the camera To change the name click in the field and enter a new name Address The camera s IP address Click on the link to open the camera s built in webpages Log in with user name ACCAdmin and the site password If no site password has been set use pass For information on how to use the webpages refer to the camera s User Manual available on WWW axis com
29. overview of the settings for each camera and can for example be used as part of an installation sign off Export Click Save to save an accs file with the cameras connected to the site The file can be imported when creating an AXIS Camera Companion site on another computer or smartphone Note To access cameras from the Internet Internet Access must be enabled on Configuration gt Internet Access Edit Administrator The password is used to log on to the site and to access the cameras connected to the site If password is changed the password will be changed on all cameras connected to the site Current password Enter the current password It is recommended to use password to protect the site New password Enter the new password Confirm password Re enter the new password to confirm the spelling Click OK to save the changes Enable Edit Operator or Viewer The operator and viewer accounts have different passwords and different access levels e The operator can access recordings and live view but cannot make any changes to the site e The viewer can only access live view The password is used to log on to the site and to access the cameras connected to the site If a password is changed the password will be changed on all cameras connected to the site It is recommended to use passwords to protect the site Password Enter the password HSTION Page 24 AXIS Camera Companion Confirm password Re enter the new
30. per left corner To display this help click PA and select Help To switch to another site click PA select Switch to Site and select a site from the list To log off from the current site click PA and select Log Off AXIS Camera Companion Page 9 Live View The Live View page displays live video from the connected cameras A Menu Click here to go to Recordings or Configuration B Selected Camera C Camera Selector with video thumbnails To change the Selected Camera B click on the desired video thumbnail in the Camera Selector C or use the forward gt and backward lt arrows to select the next or the previous camera Click Mute to mute or unmute audio or use the Audio volume slider to change audio volume If the image is upside down go to Configuration gt Cameras to rotate it To disable video thumbnails right click in the camera selector and clear the Show Video in Thumbnails box Take Snapshot Click ge to take a snapshot of the video image The snapshot is saved in the folder specified under Configuration gt Customize Show Split View A split view displays video from multiple cameras Click EE to create a split view The split view will open in full screen mode To change the type of split view right click in the split view and select the desired type 1x1 split 2x2 split 3x3 split 4x4 split or Sequence Sequence will cycle through all connected cameras showing each camera in full s
31. predefined camera view which is used to steer the camera directly to a specific location To go to a preset right click in the Selected Camera area B select PTZ Presets and select the preset To set up preset positions the camera s built in webpages must be used For instructions refer to the camera s User Manual Using a joystick It is possible to control the pan tilt and zoom PTZ of the selected camera using a joystick Buttons 1 4 go directly to preset positions 1 4 if they are defined Buttons L 5 and R 6 are used to select the previous or next camera this works even if the camera does not support PTZ AXIS Camera Companion Page 11 Media Components Missing The error message Media Components Missing may appear if AXIS Camera Companion is installed ona server To solve this install Desktop Experience In Windows click the Start button and select Administrative Tools gt Server Manager Select Features gt Add features Follow the instructions to install Desktop Experience Recordings On the Recordings page you can e Play recordings e Export video clips e Step through recorded video frame by frame to investigate incidents and take snapshots hse aa la du oe s Menu Click here to go to Live View or Configuration B Selected Recording C Camera Selector with video thumbnails D Timeline To zoom in and out in the video place the mouse pointer over the point of interest in the Selected Reco
32. rding and scroll the mouse wheel To play another recording as Selected Recording B click on the desired video thumbnail in the Camera Selector C To enable and disable recordings and to configure recording and storage settings go to Configuration gt Cameras To disable video thumbnails right click in the camera selector and clear the Show Video in Thumbnails box HSTON Page 12 AXIS Camera Companion The oldest recordings will be removed to make space for new recordings when the SD card or network share is full or after the number of days specified in Configuration gt Cameras gt Storage Searching for recordings Timeline The timeline D shows recordings from the selected day To select a different day click on the date displayed to open the calendar or use the forward gt and backward lt arrows to move to the next or the previous day To zoom in and out in the timeline place the mouse pointer over the playback marker y and click or or place the mouse pointer over the time line and scroll the mouse wheel Click to collapse the timeline To go to a specific time right click and select Go to Time Enter the time to go to and click OK The timeline is not updated automatically To repeat the search right click in the timeline and select Refresh Recordings are color coded e Blue Continuous recording e Red Motion triggered recording e Purple Recording not created with AXIS Camera Companion profi
33. recording to be exported 2 Move the playback marker y to the desired time 3 Click BY Save Recordings 4 Drag the yellow markers to select the part of the recording to be exported 5 Use the checkboxes to select which cameras to export recordings from 6 Click Save to start exporting or Cancel to exit without saving The exported video clips are ASF files which can be played by for example AXIS File Player and Windows Media Player AXIS File Player is a free software included with the video clip The video clip is saved in the folder specified under Configuration gt Customize Investigation Mode Investigation Mode allows you to step through the recorded video frame by frame to find the exact moment when an incident happended and take a snapshot from that moment To open Investigation Mode follow these steps 1 Use the timeline and calendar to find the recording 2 Select the camera in the timeline and move the playback marker y to the desired time 3 Click ey Original video size Video can be shown in original size or be stretched to fit the size of the Selected Camera area B To switch between the two options right click in the Selected Camera area B and select or clear Original Video Size If the original size is larger than the Selected Camera area the video will be shrinked even if Original Video Size is selected HSTION Page 14 AXIS Camera Companion Troubleshooting For solutions to common pr
34. rofile Resolution A high resolution makes details in the image clearer and sharper Depending on camera model the aspect ratio is given in parentheses after the resolution see below When using a camera connected to a video encoder see below Frame rate Number of frames per second A small value could cause the video to appear uneven or jumpy What resolution and frame rate to select depend on image quality requirements and on the available space on the SD card or network share Using high resolution and high frame rate normally improves image quality but requires more disk space When recording to an SD card disk space is limited To be able to save recordings for several days resolution and frame rate may need to be reduced at the expense of image quality The values required for acceptable image quality depend on factors such as lighting conditions and the amount of motion in the area under surveillance Aspect ratio Aspect ratio is the ratio of the image width to the image height Most cameras support 4 3 16 9 and 16 10 aspect ratios The 16 9 and 16 10 aspect ratios are widescreen formats The 4 3 aspect ratio is used in conventional TV monitors For Axis Corridor Format select a 16 9 aspect ratio resolution and rotate the image on the Configuration gt Cameras page Read more about Axis Corridor Format on Wwww axis com Video encoder resolutions When using a camera connected to a video encoder some of the following r
35. s required to mask a part of an area of interest to avoid unwanted triggering of camera action It can be defined when swaying objects such trees or flags are inside the area of interest Check the Enable exclude area box to add an exclude area The exclude area is defined by a polygon of 3 20 points The exclude area can be modified in the same way as Area of Interest New Edit Schedule To create or edit a schedule follow these steps 1 Enter a descriptive Name for the schedule 2 Select Entire day to record the entire day or select Specify start and end time and enter the Start time and End time or use the sliders to set the times 3 Select the Days on which the schedule should be active Click OK to save the schedule Continuous Recording Configure the continuous recording settings to suit image quality requirements and available disk Space Recording profile Resolution A high resolution makes details in the image clearer and sharper Depending on camera model the aspect ratio is given in parentheses after the resolution see below Frame rate Number of frames per second A small value may cause the video to appear uneven or jumpy What resolution and frame rate to select depend on image quality requirements and on the available space on the SD card or network share Using high resolution and high frame rate normally improves image quality but requires more disk space When recording to an SD card disk space is li
36. s been set from the camera s built in webpages there is a Custom option in the list Exclude Area The Exclude Area is a virtual area that is defined in the product whenever it is required to mask a part of an area of interest to avoid unwanted triggering of recordings It can be defined when swaying objects such trees or flags are inside the area of interest Check the Enable exclude area box to add an exclude area The exclude area is defined by a rectangle and can be modified in the same way as Area of Interest Motion Detection Settings AXIS Video Motion Detection is an application that detects moving objects within an area of interest When objects are detected the camera will start recording Area of Interest The Area of Interest is a virtual area that is defined in AXIS Video Motion Detection to detect moving objects When an object enters that area the camera starts recording The area is defined by a polygon of 3 20 points The default area of interest is a square placed in the center of the image The area of interest can be moved by placing the pointer over the area When the pointer becomes a cross click and drag to desired area To move a point left click on it and drag to a new position To add points click on a line To remove a point right click on the point you want to remove AXIS Camera Companion Page 21 Exclude Area The Exclude Area is a virtual area that is defined in AXIS Video Motion Detection whenever it i
37. st of found shares is displayed Select the share to connect and click Select If no network shares are found see Network Share Discovery Problems on page 31 To repeat the search click Search Again To specify the share address manually click Enter Manually Connect a Network Share To connect a network share 1 Enter the Network share path in the form ip_address share where ip_address is the IP address or host name of the NAS or computer and share is the name of the share 2 Enter the User name for the network share if required by the network share 3 Enter the Password for the network share if required by the network share Click OK Ready to Install Check that all settings are correct To change the settings click Back to return to the previous pages All settings can also be changed later Click Finish to install cameras After installation motion detection recording will start automatically on cameras with an SD card and on cameras using a network share Note The oldest recordings will be removed to make space for new recordings when the SD card or network share is full Storage Estimate The storage estimate on the Ready to Install page is calculated using AXIS Camera Companion default settings With these settings a camera using 720p HD recording and a 32 GB SD card can store 2 4 weeks of recording The exact number of days recordings can be stored depends on several factors of which the amount of motion
38. tings for all connected cameras C Rotate counterclockwise Depending on camera model the image can be rotated in steps of 90 or 180 degrees Er Rotate clockwise Depending on camera model the image can be rotated in steps of 90 or 180 degrees Pea Overlay settings Configure overlay text date and time E Edit settings Configure camera storage and recording settings Camera List All the cameras connected to the site are shown in a list HSIMON3 Page 16 AXIS Camera Companion Change the order of the cameras by dragging and dropping Changing the order in this list will also change the order in live view and recordings If internet access is enabled for the site the order will be updated in MyAxis If settings have been changed from a camera s Setup pages right click any camera and select Refresh to update all cameras in the list Camera Thumbnail Name The name of the camera To change the Name click on the camera s name and enter a new name Status Camera status code e OK normal operation e Other status codes see Troubleshooting on page 26 Motion Detection Check the box to enable motion recording Continuous Check the box to enable continuous recording Storage Storage information e SD card e Network share e No storage no SD card or network share is used with the camera Audio Check the box to enable audio The checkbox is only visible if the camera supports audio If the checkbox is visi
39. tions see Accessing a camera s built in webpages on page 28 No storage An SD card or network share is not available Storage error The network share is disconnected or the SD card is unmounted Video display problems Page 28 AXIS Camera Companion Replacing an SD card If the SD card must be replaced follow these steps 1 Go to Recordings and export all recordings that should be saved see Export video clips on page 13 2 Go to Configuration gt Cameras and click E to remove the camera from the site Reset the camera to factory default see Resetting a camera to factory default on page 28 Disconnect power from the camera Replace the SD card EE Reconnect power and wait until the camera s status LED indicator turns green 7 Goto Configuration gt Cameras and click E to add the camera to the site Accessing a camera s built in webpages To access a camera s built in webpages 1 Goto Configuration gt Cameras Select the camera and click on the Address link under Camera Properties The camera s webpages will open in a web browser Log in with user name ACCAdmin and the site password If no site password has been set use pass The webpages can also be opened from a web browser Enter the camera s IP address in the browser s address field for example http 10 96 127 85 If using Internet Explorer install AXIS Media Control AMC when prompted This requires administrator rights on the comp
40. uter If using Windows 7 or Windows Vista you must also run Internet Explorer as administrator For information on how to use the built in webpages refer to the camera s User Manual which is available on www axis com Resetting a camera to factory default Problems such as an inaccessible camera status No contact or Camera error storage problems and lost passwords can be solved by resetting the camera to factory default Cameras can be reset from the built in webpages or by using the control button For instructions refer to the camera s Installation Guide or User Manual After the camera has been reset it must be re added to the site Go to Configuration gt Cameras and click EL AXIS Camera Companion Page 29 Contact Technical Support If contacting Axis Technical Support please help us solve your problem expediently by providing a System Report and a detailed description of the problem The System Report contains logs and reports for system analysis and troubleshooting For instructions how to generate a System Report see Save System Report on page 26 Screenshots copying what is currently displayed on the screen to a file will assist Technical Support in assessing your problem 1 Press ALT PRT SCR 2 Open the Paint program included with Microsoft Windows 3 In Paint open the Edit menu and select Paste 4 Save the file Attach the System Report and the screenshots to your support case Camera Discovery Proble
41. ze Video can be shown in original size or be stretched to fit the size of the image window To switch between the two options right click in the image window and select or clear Original Video Size If the original size is larger than the Selected Camera area the video will be shrinked even if Original Video Size is selected 71 Digital Signature Adding a digital signature to the exported video clip is a way to verify the authenticity of the file and make tampering more difficult Create Signature Select Sign with password to add a password to the digital signature This creates a stronger authentication for the file The password is not needed to play the video clip it is only used to verify its authenticity Note Make sure to keep the password since the signature is not valid without it Select Sign without password to create a normal digital signature Click OK to save the video clip with its signature or click Cancel to close the dialog without saving Configuration The Configuration page is divided into these four tabs E Cameras Add and remove cameras change storage and recording settings Le Site Change site name and site password export the site 6 Internet Access Configure Internet Access 71 Customize Customize AXIS Camera Companion A Cameras Add and remove cameras and edit camera settings B Add a new camera to the site E Remove the selected camera Le Time settings Configure the date and time set
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