Axis has produced another first within the IP network camera industry with the Axis Q1910 thermal imaging camera and the external version the Axis Q1910-E.
These cameras have the ability to able identify movement in complete darkness and in conditions that a normal camera would struggle to identify objects in such as dust, haze, smoke and light fog.
These cameras also feature:
• PoE – For easy installation.
• Two way audio – This allows users to be able to communicate with visitors or intruders.
• Motion detection.
• Audio detection.
• Detection of tampering attempts.
• H.264 video compression - This reduces bandwidth usage and storage compared to MJPEG.
• Individual colour palettes.
NG Systems have added a new instrument to their highly successful ‘Ranger’ CCTV test equipment range that has been specifically designed for the engineer involved in the installation and maintenance of IP camera systems.
PINGER is a small, lightweight, rechargeable battery-operated unit with pre-programmed range of camera manufacturers search algorithms combined with specialized software and hardware features that can dramatically reduce the amount of time required to set up an IP camera or locate problems within an IP video network.
Every hour of on-site time that can be saved during installation and maintenance can make a substantial difference to the bottom line.
By connecting Pinger directly to a camera, its current IP address, subnet mask and gateway may be found and re-assigned in seconds, which is particularly useful on cameras where these details have been lost or forgotten!
Pinger can search a network to discover and report the existence of all cameras it finds*, displaying their make, model, IP address, MAC address and port number on its backlit LCD screen.
Pinger will also report on any IP camera, printer, PC, Server, Ethernet switch, router etc, that support uPNP or SNMP protocols displaying any relevant data published by the device.
“Every hour of on-site time that can be saved during installation and maintenance can make a substantial difference to the bottom line.”
Individual IP addresses may be PINGed or a range of addresses may be scanned for active devices and their IP address and domain name displayed if available. Power-over-Ethernet (PoE) points may also be analysed providing the voltage level and source (End-span or Mid-span).
A Port Scan utility is provided that will indicate which TCP ports are in use at a particular IP address and PTZ functions may be tested for specific cameras either remotely or directly on the camera.
A recent addition, ‘Gateway Test’, provides immediate confirmation as to whether the local network has access to the internet.
Although some of Pinger’s functions may be mimicked by a standard laptop computer, Pinger’s small size, eight-hour battery life, immediately available applications and fast turn-on provide a far superior, professional and practical approach
The on-board Li-Ion battery powers Pinger for up to eight hours and can be quickly recharged from the universal mains adaptor (supplied) or from a nearby PC or laptop’s USB socket.
Optional equipment include a protective leather-board case and a PoE splitter which enables Pinger to be connected directly to a camera whilst maintaining PoE power.
* Pinger is presently loaded with camera detection software for the following cameras: Axis, Acti, IQEye, JVC, Mobotix, Panasonic and Sony. It is anticipated that several more brands will be added over the next few months which may be directly downloaded from NG Systems’ website. Regular firmware updates will also be available as additional features are added.
The Panasonic BL-C140 and Panasonic BL-C160 are both excellent outdoor network cameras. Both are packed with great features to protect your home including Detection options, user defined Recording Profiles and the option to receive Alerts when you are away as well as access from your mobile phone. Both are almost identical in terms of specification as shown in the table at the bottom of the article.
If you already have reasonable lighting at home or are able to provide it, the BL-C140 is the cost effective route to remote surveillance. If no existing lighting is available and you have no plans to install any, the BL-C160 could be the answer, this model is supplied with it’s own built in LED illumination, while it will not light up the whole of your driveway it will provide enough usable light for the Camera to record good pictures up to 3m away.
The BL-C140 is supplied with no supplementary illumination and while this Camera will perform well at night it will rely on some sort of artificial lighting to deliver the results, both Cameras require a minimum of 2.5 Lux in the field of view to deliver usable results in darkness, but obviously the better the lighting the better the images will be.
The type of lighting provided is very flexible, if you already have a lighting scheme at the front of your property to welcome visitors that is on during the hours of darkness this may well be sufficient, alternatively, if you have a Halogen type Security Lighting system triggered by PIR type sensors when people approach the property, this would also work very well.
The BL-C160 offers the user a completely self contained outdoor surveillance solution which is ideal for providing small area night coverage just around an entrance area, the operation of the lighting profile is user defined and can be set to operate when motion is sensed, or on a timed basis and can also be set to come on when the Camera is accessed over the Network - the BL-C160 offers the home user great value at professional quality!
Panasonic BL-C140/BL-C160 Network Camera Specifications
Zoom
10× (by area) digital zoom
Number of Pixels
1/4 inch CMOS sensor, 320,000 pixels
Illuminance
5–10,000 lx (3–10,000 lx when in Color Night View mode)
Heard of Video Analytics? Sometimes also referred to as VCA (Video Content Analysis), this ground breaking technology has become available thanks to the evolution of the Network IP Camera.
Network Cameras send Video as a Data File rather than the Composite Video signals produced by Analogue Cameras, this Meta Data carries a wealth of information and some exciting developments have made it possible to deliver Management Information automatically about events that might be of interest.
Some of the more common ones include Facial recognition, Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR), Virtual Tripwire and many more - we have been testing a new ‘True View’ People Counting Plug In written by Cognimatics AB in Sweden. Cognimatics have teamed up with Axis to enable three of their standard Camera models to be used to count people through a busy Entrance door, the Axis 212, 207W and 209 FD-R.
These are all standard Axis Network Cameras and the counting functionality is added by purchasing a software module from Cognimatics, we tested the Axis 212.
The Camera cannot really be used for Surveilance tasks becuase positioning is critical and the unit needs to be mounted at a minimum of 3m above the floor looking vertically down at the counting area.
Once mounted correctly, you log onto the Camera’s Browser and choose ‘Settings’ to confirm a few simple configuration requirements, entry of the mounting height, adjustment of the count target area along with any offset, also the start and finish time for counting.
Once the parameters are set, click ‘Enable’ and the Camera will start to count people ‘In’ and ‘Out’ of the area selected, up to one month’s worth of data can be stored without need for export. As a user you access the data again through the browser by clicking ‘Statistics’, this presents a page showing the number of visitors counted in and out for today and yesterday. The software also provides an interface to EPOS data so that it is possible to show the Sales Conversion rate and Average Basket size.
On the bottom left of the Statistics page the Name of the People Counting Camera and any others installed in the same Network will be listed, by clicking the camera link you are taken to a Graphical view showing statistics for multiple days and weeks.
The Cognimatics/Axis partnership offers an affordable, yet very accurate solution to ‘Stand Alone’ People Counting that will appeal to many Retailers looking for statistics to target their marketing efforts, or improve staff rostering.
