AXIS 25896R3 User Manual
AXIS 213 PTZ Network Camera
User’s Manual
About This Document
This manual is intended for administrators and users of
the AXIS 213 PTZ Network Camera, and is applicable
for software release 4.30. Previous experience of
networking will be of use when installing and using
this product. Some knowledge of UNIX or Linux-based
systems would also be beneficial, for developing shell
scripts and applications. Later versions of this
document will be posted to the Axis Website, as
required.
Safety Notices Used In This Manual
Caution! - Indicates a potential hazard that can
damage the product.
Important! - Indicates a hazard that can seriously
impair operation.
Do not proceed beyond any of the above notices until
you have fully understood the implications.
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/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.
This product contains source code copyright Apple
Computer, Inc., under the terms of Apple Public Source
License 2.0 (see http://www.opensource.apple.com/apsl/).
The source code is available from:
http://developer.apple.com/darwin/projects/bonjour/
Legal Considerations
Camera surveillance can be prohibited by laws that
vary from country to country. Check the laws in your
local region before using this product for surveillance
purposes.
Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC)
USA - This equipment generates, uses, and can radiate radio
frequency energy and if not installed and used in accordance
with the instruction manual, may cause interference to radio
communications. It has been tested and found to comply with
the limits for a Class B computing device pursuant to Subpart
B of Part 15 of FCC rules, which are designed to provide
reasonable protection against such interference when operated
in a commercial environment. Operation of this equipment in a
residential area is likely to cause interference, in which case
the user at his/her own expense will be required to take
whatever measures may be required to correct the interference.
Shielded cables should be used with this unit to ensure
compliance with the Class B limits.
Canada - This Class B digital apparatus complies with
Canadian ICES-003.
Europe - This digital equipment fulfills the
requirements for radiated emission according to limit B of
EN55022:1998, and the requirements for immunity according
to EN55024:1998 residential, commercial, and light industry.
Japan - This is a class B product ba sed on the stand ard of the
Voluntary Control Council for Interference from Information
Technology Equipment (VCCI). If this is use d ne ar a radio or
television receiver in a domestic environment, it may cause
radio interference. Install and use the equipment according to
the instruction manual.
Australia - This electronic device meets the requirements of the
Radio communications (Electromagnetic Com patibility) Standard
1998 AS/NZS 3548.
Liability
Every care has been taken in the preparation of this manual; 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 manuals without prior n otice. Axis
Communications AB makes no warranty of any kind wit h 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 con seq uential damages in
connection with the furnishing, performan ce or use of th is materi al.
Trademark Acknowledgments
Ethernet, Internet Explorer, Linux, Macintosh, Microsoft,
Mozilla, Netscape Navigator, UNIX, Windows, WWW are
registered trademarks of the respective holders. Java and
all Java-based trademarks and logos are trademarks or
registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the
United States and other countries. UPnP is a certification
mark of the UPnP
Communications AB is independent of Sun Microsystems
Inc.
TM
Implementers Corporation. Axis
Axis Customer Services
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:
• download user documentation and firmware updates
• find answers to resolved problems in the FAQ database.
Search by product, category, or phrases
• report problems to Axis support staff by logging in to
your private support area
• visit the Axis Support Web at www.axis.com/techsup/
Safety Notice - Battery Replacement
The AXIS 213 uses a 3.0V CR2032 Lithium battery as the
power supply for its internal real-time clock (RTC). This
battery will, under normal conditions, last for a minimum
of 5 years. Low battery power affects the operation of the
RTC, causing it to reset at every power-up. A log message
will appear when battery replacement is required. The
battery should not be replaced unless required! If the
battery does need replacing, please observe the following
points:
• Caution! Danger of Explosion if battery is incorrectly
replaced
• Replace only with the same or equivalent battery, as
recommended by the manufacturer.
• Dispose of used batteries according to the manufacturer's
instructions.
AXIS 213 User’s Manual
Revision 3.1
Part No: 25896
November 2005
Copyright© Axis Communications AB, 2005
2
AXIS 213
Table of contents
Product Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Hardware Inventory. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
AXIS 213 PTZ Network Camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Accessing the camera . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Accessing from a browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Setting the Password. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Accessing the camera from the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
The Live View page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10
Video and Audio Streams. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Video Stream Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
MPEG-4 protocols and communication methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
AXIS Media Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
How to stream MPEG-4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
Other methods of accessing the video stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
Setup. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
Accessing the setup tools from a browser. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
3
Event Configuration. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Event Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
Event Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
Motion Detection. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
Port Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .40
System Options. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Security. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
Date & Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42
Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
Network - SOCKS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Network - SMTP (email) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
Network - UPnP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
RTP/MPEG-4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
AXIS 213
4
Ports & Devices - I/O Ports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
LED Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .47
Maintenance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .49
Resetting to Factory Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50
Connection Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
AUDIO IN/OUT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
Inputs and outputs (I/Os). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .51
VIDEO IN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
VIDEO OUT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
RS-232C . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .52
Schematic Diagram - Connection Module . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Checking the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Updating the Firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .54
Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55
Technical Specifications. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .59
General performance considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Optimizing your system. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .62
Frame rates - Motion JPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Frame rates - MPEG-4. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .63
Bandwidth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
Glossary of Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .67
AXIS 213 - Product Description
Product Description
The AXIS 213 is a full-featured PTZ Network Camera for security surveillance and
remote monitoring. The images from the camera are made available on the network as
real-time, full frame rate Motion JPEG streams and/or MPEG-4 video streams. The
AXIS 213 also has an infrared (IR) lamp and a removable IR filter for day and night
operation.
The AXIS 213 can optionally be equipped with a connection module that provides 2
inputs and 3 outputs, which can be connected to external devices, e.g. door sensors.
The connection module also provides Audio IN/OUT connections, thus providing
support for 2-way audio. For more information on the connection module see
51.
Video can be viewed in 5 resolutions (up to 768x576). Up to 20 viewers can access the
AXIS 213 simultaneously when using Motion JPEG and MPEG-4 unicast. The number
of simultaneous viewers can be increased by using multicast MPEG-4.
The AXIS 213 contains advanced scheduling tools that can be used to trigger an
event. As the AXIS 213 is designed for use in security systems, it is equipped with
security features such as IP address filtering and multilevel passwords. The AXIS 213
has a built-in Web server, providing full access to all features through the use of a
standard Web browser.
page
5
Hardware Inventory
Check the items supplied with your AXIS 213 against the following list:
Item Title/Variants
PTZ Network Camera AXIS 213
Indoor power adapter with
power cable
Printed documentation AXIS 213 Installation Guide
Warranty document
CD Contains complimentary software and docu-
Optional Accessories Connection Module
Europe
UK
Australia
USA/Japan
Korea
mentation.
The power adapter is country
specific.
AXIS 213 - Product Description
6
AXIS 213 PTZ Network Camera
1
IR Light - infrared light for
night vision. Activated from the
AXIS 213 web page.
2
Network Indicator - the
multi-colored network indicator
flashes as follows:
•Amber - flashes for activity on a 10
Mbit/s network
•Green - flashes for activity on a 100
Mbit/s network
•Red - flashes for failed firmware upgrade
•None - no connection or disabled by the
administrator
1
2
3
Network Connector - The AXIS 213
connects to the network via a standard RJ-45
connector. The AXIS 213 detects the speed of
the local network segment
(10BaseT/100BaseTX Ethernet).
4
Output/Input Connector - For connection
of the connection module cable. See below for
further information.
5
Power Connector - For connection of the
power adapter (included).
3
4
5
The Reset Button is located on the underside of the unit. This button is used to
restore the factory default settings, as described in
Resetting to Factory Default
Settings, on page 50 or to install the AXIS 213, see the Installation Guide for more
information.
The Serial Number is located on the label on the underside of the unit.
AXIS 213 - Product Description
Optional Accessory:
Connection Module - The connection module provides the physical interface to 3
relay outputs, 2 digital inputs, audio in/out, video in/out and the RS-232C serial port.
Connection Module, on page 51 for more information.
See
7
RS 232C
Audio In/Out
Video In/Out
Note: For information on installing the AXIS 213, please refer to the Installation Guide.
3 Relay Outputs
2 Digital Inputs
Connector to
AXIS 213
AXIS 213 - Accessing the camera
8
Accessing the camera
The AXIS 213 can be used with most standard operating systems and supports
Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.x or later, Netscape 7.x or later and Mozilla 1.4 or later.
Note: To view streaming video in Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows, you must set your browser to
allow the AXIS Media Control (AMC) to be installed on your computer. The first time an MPEG-4
video stream is accessed, AMC also installs an MPEG-4 decoder for viewing the video stream. As a
license is required for each instance of the decoder, the product administrator may have disabled the
installation. If your workstation restricts the use of additional software components, the camera can
be configured to use a Java applet for updating JPEG images. See the online help for more information.
Accessing from a browser
1. Start a browser (Internet Explorer, Mozilla, Netscape Navigator).
2. Enter the IP address or host
name of the AXIS 213 in
the Location/ A ddress field
of your browser.
3. Enter the user name
and password set by
the administrator.
4. A video image is
displayed in your
browser.
Notes:
•User functions in the AXIS
213 may have been customized to meet the specific
requirements of the application. Consequently, many of
the examples and functions
in this section may differ
from those displayed in your
Live View page.
•If the AXIS 213 is to be placed upright on a desktop, the image must be rotated.
Go to Setup > Video & Image and set Rotate image to 180 degrees.
AXIS 213 - Accessing the camera
Setting the Password
1. When accessing the camera for
the first time, the ‘Configure
Root Password’ dialog will be
displayed on the screen.
2. Enter a password and then
re-enter it, to confirm the
spelling. Click OK.
3. The ‘Enter Network Password’ dialog will appear. Enter the User name: root
Note: The default administrator user name root is permanent and cannot be
deleted or altered.
4. Enter the password as set in step 2 above, and click OK. If the password is
lost, the camera must be reset to the factory default settings. See page 50.
5. If required, click Yes to install the AXIS Media Control (AMC). You will need
administrator rights on the computer to do this.
Accessing the camera from the Internet
Once installed, the camera is accessible on your local network (LAN). To access the camera from the Internet you
must configure your router/firewall to allow incoming data traffic. For security reasons this is usually done on a
specific port. Please refer to the documentation for your router/firewall for further instructions.
For more information, please visit the AXIS Internet Dynamic DNS Service at www.axiscam.net or, for Technical
notes on this and other topics, visit the Axis Support Web at www.axis.com/te chsup
9
AXIS 213 - Accessing the camera
10
The Live View page
The following provides an overview of each button on the Live View page. If the
AXIS 213 has been customized, the buttons will be displayed accordingly:
To resize the displayed image, click the View Size buttons:
1
half-size (x
resolution of the image (not available in Sequence Mode).
The Video Format drop-down list allows the video format on the
Live View page to be temporarily changed.
/2), full-size (x1), x2 or x4. This will not change the
The 2 types of Output button
each control the output
directly from the Live View
page. These are configured
under Setup > Live View
Config > Layout.
These buttons start/stop the Sequence Mode which automatically
displays the view from preset positions at set intervals. Sequence mode is
configured in Setup > PTZ Configuration > Sequence Mode.
The source list is used to select the preset positions already
configured in the camera. These are created in Setup > PTZ
Configuration > Preset Positions.
The Manual trigger buttons trigger an action directly from the Live
View page. These buttons are configured under Setup > Live View
Config > Layout. Click these buttons to manually start and stop events.
Use the Snapshot button to capture a snapshot of the image currently
being displayed in the window. Right-click on the image to save it in
JPEG format on your computer.
Pulse - click this button to activate the
output for a defined period of time, e.g.
to switch on a light for 20 seconds.
Active/Inactive - click these buttons to
manually start and stop a connected
device, e.g. switch a light on/off.
AXIS 213 - Accessing the camera
Pan/Tilt/Zoom controls
The Live View page also displays the Pan/Tilt/Zoom controls.
These are enabled/disabled for specified users by the administrator
under System Options > Security > Users > User List..
Note: Setting the iris and focus manually will disable Auto iris/Auto focus.
The control panel
Click the Ctrl panel button to display the control panel, where
the following settings are available:
• Auto focus: Automatically adjusts the image focus.
• Auto iris: Automatically adjusts the amount of light
reaching the camera and gives the best results, This
also protects the image sensor from strong light.
• Backlight comp: Enabling backlight compensation
makes the subject clearer if the image background is
too bright, or if the subject is too dark.
• Navigation mode: “Center” will move the camera
view to center on the position that was clicked.
“Joystick” moves the camera in the direction indicated by a mouse click, relative to the center of the
image. The further from the center the image is clicked, the greater the
movement.
• IR cut filter - when set to off, the camera will be able to “see” infrared
light, e.g. at night, thus making the image clearer. The image is shown in
black & white when the IR cut filter is off.
• Shortcuts - These buttons can be configured to provide direct access to
various built-in auxiliary commands provided by the PTZ driver. See
Advanced - Ctrl Panel
on page 35.
11
AXIS 213 - Accessing the camera
12
Viewer controls
The default viewer to use for displaying moving images is selected from Setup >>
Live View Config >> Layout.
The AMC viewer toolbar is available in Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows
only. See
toolbar displays the following buttons:
AXIS Media Control, on page 15 for more information. The AMC viewer
The Play/Stop buttons start and stop the live video stream.
The Snapshot button takes a snapshot of the currently displayed image. The
Snapshot function and the target directory for saving snapshots can be
configured from AMC (AXIS Media Control), which is available from the
Windows Control Panel (Internet Explorer for Windows only).
Click the View Full Screen button and the video image will fill the entire
screen area. No other windows will be visible. Press Esc (Escape) on the
computer keyboard to cancel full screen view.
Click the Mute /Microphone buttons to switch the sound off and on. Only
available if Audio is enabled and the Connection Module with a
loudspeaker/microphone is connected.
Use the sliders to control the volume on the speaker and
microphone. The volume can be set between 0 and 100.
Server push (not available for Microsoft Internet Explorer)
With this method, the AXIS 213 maintains and controls an open HTTP connection to
the browser and sends data as and when required, for as long as required.
QuickTime
For use with MPEG-4 only. Note that in the settings for Video & Image > Advanced
> MPEG-4, the Video object type must be set to Simple.
Java applet
This alternative uses a Java applet to update the images in the browser. No download
is required. Note that when this alternative is selected, external video sources will
not be available on the live view page, and audio will be mono-directional only (to
the client only).
Still Image
Displays still images only. Hit your browser’s Refresh button to view a new image.
AXIS 213 - Accessing the camera
PTZ Control Queue
Only one user can use the Pan/Tilt/Zoom controls at any one time. When multiple
users are accessing the AXIS 213’s Live View page, they must be placed in a queue
and assigned a set period of time during which they have the use of the PTZ cont rols.
Use the buttons to request or release control of the PTZ controls.
The PTZ Control Queue is set up by the administrator under PTZ Configuration >
Control Queue.
13
AXIS 213 - Video and Audio Streams
14
Video and Audio Streams
The AXIS 213 provides several different image and video formats. The type to use
depends on your requirements and on the properties of your network.
The Live View page in the AXIS 213 provides access to Motion JPEG and MPEG-4
video streams, as well as to single JPEG images. Other applications and clients can
also access these video and audio streams/images directly, without going via the Live
View page.
Video Stream Types
Motion JPEG
This format uses standard JPEG still images in the video stream. These images are
then displayed and updated at a rate sufficient to create a stream that shows
constantly updated motion.
The Motion JPEG stream uses considerable amounts of bandwidth, but also provides
excellent image quality and access to each and every individual image contained in
the stream.
Note also that multiple clients accessing Motion JPEG streams can use different
image settings.
MPEG-4
This is a video compression standard that makes good use of bandwidth, and which
can provide high-quality video streams at less than 1 Mbit/s.
The MPEG-4 standard provides scope for a large range of different coding tools for
use by various applications in different situations, and the AXIS 213 provides certain
subsets of these tools. These are represented as Video object types, which are selected
for use with different viewing clients. The supported video object types are:
• Simple - sets the coding type to H.263, as used by e.g. QuickTime™.
• Advanced Simple - sets the coding type to MPEG-4 Part 2, as used by AMC (AXIS
Media Control)
When using MPEG-4 it is also possible to control the bit rate, which in turn allows
the amount of bandwidth usage to be controlled. CBR (constant bit rate) is used to
achieve a specific bit rate by varying the quality of the MPEG-4 stream. When using
VBR (variable bit rate), the quality of the video stream is kept as constant as possible,
at the cost of a varying bit rate.
AXIS 213 - Video and Audio Streams
Notes: •MPEG-4 is licensed technology. The AXIS 213 includes one viewing client license. Install-
ing additional unlicensed copies of the viewing client is prohibited. To purchase additional
licenses, contact your Axis reseller.
•All clients viewing the MPEG-4 stream must use the same image settings.
MPEG-4 protocols and communication methods
To deliver live streaming video over IP networks, various combinations of transport
protocols and broadcast methods are employed.
• RTP (Realtime Transport Protocol) is a protocol that allows programs to manage
the real-time transmission of multimedia data, via unicast or multicast.
• RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) serves as a control protocol, to negotiate
which transport protocol to use for the stream. RTSP is thus used by a viewing cli
ent to start a unicast session, see below.
• UDP (User Datagram Protocol) is a communications protocol that offers limited
service for exchanging data in a network that uses the Internet Protocol (IP). UDP
is an alternative to the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP). The advantage of UDP
is that it is not required to deliver all data and may drop network packets when
there is e.g. network congestion. This is suitable for live video, as there is no point
in re-transmitting old information that will not be displayed anyway.
• Unicasting is communication between a single sender and a single receiver over a
network. This means that the video stream goes independently to each user, and
each user gets their own stream. A benefit of unicasting is that if one stream fails,
it only affects one user.
• Multicast is bandwidth-conserving technology that reduces bandwidth usage by
simultaneously delivering a single stream of information to multiple network
users. This technology is used primarily on delimited networks (intranets), as each
user needs an uninterrupted data flow and should not rely on network routers.
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AXIS Media Control
The recommended method of accessing live video (MPEG-4 and/or Motion JPEG) and
audio from the AXIS 213 is to use the AXIS Media Control (AMC) in Microsoft
Internet Explorer for Windows. This ActiveX component is automatically installed on
first use, after which it can be configured by opening the AMC Control Panel applet
from the Windows Control Panel. Alternatively, right-click the video image in
Internet Explorer.
AXIS 213 - Video and Audio Streams
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How to stream MPEG-4
Deciding on the combination of protocols and methods to use depends on your
viewing requirements, and on the properties of your network. Setting the preferred
method(s) is done in the control applet for AMC, which is found in the Windows
Control Panel. When this has been set, AMC will test all the selected methods in the
specified order, until the first functioning one is found.
RTP+RTSP
This method (actually RTP over UDP and RTSP over TCP) should be your first
consideration for live video, especially when it is important to always have an
up-to-date video stream, even if some images do get dropped. This can be configured
as multicast or unicast.
Multicasting provides the most efficient usage of bandwidth, especially when there
are large numbers of clients viewing simultaneously. Note however, that a multicast
broadcast cannot pass a network router unless the router is configured to allow this.
It is thus not possible to multicast over e.g. the Internet.
Unicasting should be used for video-on-demand broadcasting, so that there is no
video traffic on the network until a client connects and requests the stream. However,
as more and more unicast clients connect, the traffic on the network will increase and
may cause congestion. Although there is a maximum of 20 unicast viewers, note that
all multicast users combined count as 1 unicast viewer.
RTP/RTSP
This unicast method is RTP tunneled over RTSP. This can be used to exploit the fact
that it is relatively simple to configure firewalls to allow RTSP traffic.
RTP/RTSP/HTTP or RTP/RTSP/HTTPS
These two methods can also be used to traverse firewalls. Firewalls are commonly
configured to allow the HTTP protocol, thus allowing RTP to be tunneled.
AXIS 213 - Video and Audio Streams
Other methods of accessing the video stream
Video/images from the AXIS 213 can also be accessed in the following ways:
• If supported by the client, the AXIS 213 can use Motion JPEG server push to display video. This option maintains an open HTTP connection to the browser and
sends data as and when required, for as long as required.
• As single JPEG images in a browser. Enter e.g. the path: http://<IP
address>/axis-cgi/jpg/image.cgi?resolution=CIF
• Windows Media Player. This requires AMC and the MPEG-4 decoder to be
installed. The paths that can be used are listed below, in the order of preference.
• Unicast via RTP: axrtpu://<IP address>/mpeg4/media.amp
• Unicast via RTSP: axrtsp://<IP address>/mpeg4/media.amp
• Unicast via RTSP, tunneled via HTTP: axrtsphttp://<IP
address>/mpeg4/media.amp
• Unicast via RTSP, tunneled via HTTPS: axrtsphttps://<IP
address>/mpeg4/media.amp
• Multicast: axrtpm://<IP address>/mpeg4/media.amp
Other MPEG-4 clients
Although it may be possible to use other clients to view the MPEG-4 stream, this is
not guaranteed by Axis.
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For some other clients, e.g. QuickTime™ the Video Object Type must be set to Simple.
It may also be necessary to adjust the advanced MPEG-4 settings.
To assess the video stream from e.g. QuickTime™ the following path can be used:
rtsp://<IP address>/mpeg4/media.amp
This path is for all supported methods, and the client will negotiate with the AXIS 213
to determine exactly which transport protocol to use.
Audio transmission methods
The audio stream can be accessed in the Live View page when viewing either Motion
JPEG or MPEG.
AXIS 213 - Video and Audio Streams
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Using Motion JPEG
The basic transmission method of audio used in conjunction with Motion JPEG video
streaming is transmission over HTTP. The video and audio streams are not
synchronized when using Motion JPEG so the streams may be slightly out of sync.
The latency in any stream should be low, but this will depend on the network
infrastructure.
Using MPEG-4
When using MPEG-4, audio is streamed using the same protocol as the video stream.
When audio is transmitted using MPEG-4, the Axis product sends synchronization
information along with the streams to the client that is performing the
synchronization.
Audio is streamed from the client to the server over HTTP when using Motion JPEG
and MPEG-4.
Accessing the Audio Streams
In addition to accessing audio in the Live View page using AMC, audio from the
Video Server can also be accessed in the following ways:
HTTP-API
You can read about accessing audio for the other protocols through the HTTP-API at
http://www.axis.com/techsup
QuickTime/Windows Media Player
It is possible to use QuickTime and Windows Media Player to listen to the audio
stream using the same methods to access video streams.
AXIS 213 - Setup
Setup
The AXIS 213 is configured from the setup tools, which are available from the link in
the web interface. The setup tools can be used by:
• administrators, who have unrestricted access to all the Setup tools
• operators, who have access to the Video & Image, Live View Config and Event
Configuration settings.
See the section on Security, on page 41 for more information on user access control.
Accessing the setup tools from a browser
Follow the instructions below:
1. Start the browser and enter the
IP address or host name of the
AXIS 213 in the
location/address field.
2. The Live View page is now displayed. Click Setup to display the Setup
configuration tools.
Setup tools
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AXIS 213 - Setup
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Video & Image settings
The following descriptions offer examples of the available features in the AXIS 213.
For details of each setting, please refer to the online help files which are available
from each page. Click
To optimize the video images to your requirements, modify the following settings
under Image Appearance:
• Resolution (including Aspect ratio correction and 4CIF de-interlacing)
• Compression • Color Setting
• Rotate Image • Brightness
Note: All configuration of images and overlays will affect the performance of the AXIS 213, depending on
the usage and the available bandwidth. Please keep in mind the following when changing the image
settings:
•Lower compression improves image quality, but generates larger files
•Color uses more bandwidth than Black & White
•Rotating the image 90 or 270 degrees will lower the maximum frame rate
•When using MPEG-4 as the video format, the compression setting will define the minimum
compression level. The compression level will temporarily increase as and when required, i.e. when the
bit rate approaches the maximum value as defined in the current profile@level combination.
to access the help files.
You may need to press the Stop and Play buttons on the Live View page before the
settings take effect.
Overlay Settings
Include an image and date and
time with your own text which
Date & Time
overlay
image
is placed on one line at the top
or bottom of the video image.
See Overlay Image Settings, on
page 21 for instructions on
how to upload an overlay
image to the AXIS 213.
AXIS 213 - Setup
Video Stream
Define the maximum video stream time per session in seconds, minutes or hours.
When the set time has expired, a new stream can be started by refreshing the page in
the browser.
Define the maximum frame rate (fps - frames per second) allowed for each viewer, to
avoid bandwidth problems on the network.
Test - For a preview of the image and overlay settings before saving, click Test. The
Brightness setting does not affect the Test image. When satisfied with the settings,
click Save. Please note that the preview image will be in JPEG format, even though
the settings are valid both for Motion JPEG and MPEG-4.
Overlay Image Settings
An overlay image is an image included in the video image. This might, for example,
be your own company logo. Follow these instructions to upload and use an overlay
image:
1. Go to Setup > Video & Image > Overlay Image.
2. To upload the image to the AXIS 213, click the Browse button and locate it on
your computer or server.
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3. Click the Upload button and follow the on-screen instructions.
4. The image is now available in the Use overlay image drop-down list.
5. Click Save.
6. Go to Setup > Video & Image and modify the parameters under Overlay
Settings.
Overlay image requirements:
Image Formats Image Size
• Windows 24-bit BMP (full color)
• Windows 4-bit BMP (16 colors)
There are a number of limitations when using overlay images, such as the size and
positioning of images. Please use the online help
The height and width of the overlay image in
pixels must be exactly divisible by 4.
for more information.
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