Axis Communications 0291-004 User manual

USER MANUAL

AXIS Q7404 Network Camera

Notices

This manual is intended for administrators and users of the AXIS Q7404
Network Camera, and is applicable for firmware release 5.20 and later.
It includes instructions for using and managing the encoder on your
network. Previous experience of networking will be of use when using
this product. Some knowledge of UNIX or Linux-based systems may also
be beneficial, for developing shell scripts and applications. Later
versions of this document will be posted to the Axis Website, as
required. See also the product’s online help, available via the
Web-based interface.
AXIS Q7404 supports ONVIF v1.01. For more information about ONVIF
go to www.onvif.org For more information about enabling ONVIF go to
the Developers page at www.axis.com

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 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.

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/

AXIS Q7404 User Manual

Equipment Modifications

This equipment must be installed and used in strict accordance with the
instructions given in the user documentation. This equipment contains
no user-serviceable components. Unauthorized equipment changes or
modifications will invalidate all applicable regulatory certifications and
approvals.

Trademark Acknowledgments

Apple, Boa, Bonjour, Ethernet, Internet Explorer, Linux, Microsoft,
Mozilla, Netscape Navigator, OS/2, Real, QuickTime, 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. Axis Communications AB is independent of Sun Microsystems
Inc.
UPnPTM is a certification mark of the UPnPTM Implementers Corporation.

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:

• 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 by logging in to your private support
area

• visit Axis Support at www.axis.com/techsup

AXIS Q7404 Network Camera User Manual

Copyright© Axis Communications AB, 2009-2011

June 2011 Part no. 43610

Rev. 3.1

AXIS Q7404 - Table of contents

Notices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2

Product Description . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4

Key features . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

LED indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Using the Video Encoder . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Access from a browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Access from the internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Setting the root password . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

The Live View page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Video and Audio Streams . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .10

How to stream H.264 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Motion JPEG . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Alternative methods of accessing the video stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Accessing the audio stream (Channel 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Video & Audio settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .12

Video Stream . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Stream Profiles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Camera Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Overlay Image . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

Privacy Mask . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Audio Settings (Channel 1) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

Live View Config . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17

Layout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17

PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .20

Installing the PTZ driver . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

PTZ configuration . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

PTZ controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24

Applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .26

Application Packages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26

Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .27

Event Servers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Event Types . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

Camera Tampering . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Motion Detection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

Port Status . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

System Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .33

Security . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

Date & Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Network . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

Ports & Devices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

Maintenance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Support . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Advanced . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Resetting to the Factory Default Settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

Unit connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .42

LED indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .44

Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .45

Checking the firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

Upgrading the firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Symptoms, possible causes, and remedial action . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

Technical Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .50

General performance considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51

Optimizing your system . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52

Glossary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .55

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

3

AXIS Q7404 - Product Description

Product Description

This manual applies to the AXIS Q7404 Video Encoder.

The AXIS Q7404 Video Encoder contains four separate video channels, one for each video input. Each channel has its own IP
address. The descriptions in this document apply to each of the four video channels except where otherwise indicated.

Key features

• Full frame rate in H.264 and Motion JPEG in all resolutions
AXIS Q7404 can deliver 30/25 fps in all resolutions up to D1 (720x480/576) in at least three differently configured
streams per channel.

• Reduced bandwidth using H.264 compression
H.264 compression provides streams that use less bandwidth than streams with the same image quality in MPEG-4 Part 2.

• Multiple, individually configurable streams
AXIS Q7404 can deliver multiple, individually configurable streams on each video channel in full frame rate at the highest
resolution in H.264 and/or Motion JPEG; e.g. one H.264 stream with the highest image quality for live viewing, one stream
with higher compression that is optimized for storage and another stream more suited for mobile viewers.

• Intelligent video capabilities
AXIS Q7404 has the capability and performance to run intelligent video applications. The encoder offers enhanced video
motion detection, active tampering alarm and audio detection.

• Image setting adjustment
Contrast, brightness and saturation can be adjusted to improve image quality before encoding.

• Advanced security and network management
AXIS Q7404 offers the highest degree of security, including multiple user access levels, IP address filtering, HTTPS
encrypted video streams that do not affect performance and IEEE 802.1X to control network access. Network
management features include Quality of Service for reservation of network capacity and support for IP protocol version 6
in addition to the standard IPv4. IPv6 is a requirement in many large installations.

• ONVIF
This is a global interface standard that makes it easier for end users, integrators, consultants, and manufacturers to take
advantage of the possibilities offered by network video technology. ONVIF enables interoperability between different
vendor products, increased flexibility, reduced cost, and future-proof systems.

4

Overview

Mounting hole

Power LED

Control button

Power connector

RS-485/RS-422 connectors 1-4

Video inputs 1-4

Network connector

75 Ohm termination switch (x4)

Audio in and out

I/O terminal connectors 1-4

Network LED

Status LEDs 1-4

Product label includes:
Product ID & 4 Serial numbers (S/N)
The serial numbers may be required
during the installation.

AXIS Q7404 - Product Description

LED indicators

LED Color Indication

Network Green Steady for connection to a 1000 Mbit/s network. Flashes for network activity.

Amber Steady for connection to a 10/100 Mbit/s network. Flashes for network activity.

Unlit No network connection.

Status Green Steady green for normal operation.

Amber Steady during startup, during reset to factory default or when restoring settings.

Red Slow flash for failed upgrade.

Power Green Normal operation.

Amber Flashes green/amber during firmware upgrade.

5

AXIS Q7404 - Using the Video Encoder

Using the Video Encoder

Please refer to the Installation Guide supplied with your product in order to install the AXIS Q7404 Video Encoder. The AXIS
Q7404 can be used with most operating systems and browsers.

Notes:

• To view streaming video in Internet Explorer, set your browser to allow ActiveX controls and install AXIS Media
Control (AMC) on your workstation.

• QuickTime

• If your workstation restricts the use of additional software components, the video encoder can be configured to
use a Java applet for viewing Motion JPEG.

• The video encoder includes four (4) decoder licenses for viewing H.264 video streams and one (1) AAC audio
license. The licenses are automatically installed with AXIS Media Control. The administrator can disable the
installation of the H.264 decoder, to prevent installation of unlicensed copies.

• Each AXIS Q7404 has four serial numbers and four IP addresses.

Access from a browser

1. Start a browser (Internet Explorer, Firefox).

2. Enter the IP address or host name of one of the video channels of the AXIS Q7404 in the Location/Address field of
your browser.
To access the video encoder from a Macintosh computer (Mac OSX), click on the Bonjour tab and select one of the
AXIS Q7404 channels from the drop-down list.

3. If this is the first time you access the video channel, see Access from the internet, on page 7. Otherwise enter your
user name and password, set by the administrator.

4. The encoder’s Live View page appears in your browser.

TM

is also supported for viewing streaming H.264 video and audio.

Note:

The layout of the Live View page may have been customized to specific requirements. Consequently, some of the
examples and functions featured here may differ from those displayed on your own Live View page.

6

AXIS Q7404 - Using the Video Encoder

To configure the password
directly via an unencrypted
connection, enter the password here.

To create an HTTPS connection,
start by clicking this button.

Access from the internet

Once connected, the video encoder is accessible on your local network (LAN). To access the video encoder from the Internet
you must configure your broadband router to allow incoming data traffic to the video encoder. To do this, enable the
NAT-traversal feature, which will attempt to automatically configure the router to allow access to the video encoder. This is
enabled from Setup > System Options > Network > TCP/IP Advanced.

For more information, please see NAT traversal (port mapping) for IPv4, on page 37. See also the AXIS Internet Dynamic DNS
Service at www.axiscam.net For Technical notes on this and other topics, visit Axis Support web at www.axis.com/techsup

Setting the root password

To gain access to the product, the password for the default administrator user root must be set. This is done in the ‘Configure
Root Password’ dialog, which is displayed when the video encoder is accessed for the first time. To prevent network

eavesdropping, the root password can be set via an encrypted HTTPS connection, which requires an HTTPS certificate.

Note:

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol over SSL) is a protocol used to encrypt the traffic between web browsers and serv­ers. The HTTPS certificate controls the encrypted exchange of information.

To set the password via a standard HTTP connection, enter it directly in the Configure Root Password dialog.

To set the password via an encrypted HTTPS connection, follow these steps:

1. Click the Create self-signed certificate button.

2. Provide the requested information and click OK. The certificate is created and the password can now be set
securely. All traffic to and from the video encoder is encrypted from this point on.

3. Enter a password and then re-enter it to confirm the spelling. Click OK. The password has now been configured.

Notes:

• The default administrator username ‘root’ is permanent and cannot be deleted.

• If the password for root is lost, the video encoder must be reset to the factory default settings. See page 41.

• If prompted, click Yes to install AXIS Media Control, which allows viewing of the video stream in Internet Explorer.
You will need administrator rights on the computer to do this. If using Windows Vista you must also run Internet
Explorer as administrator; right-click the Internet Explorer icon and select Run as administrator.

7

AXIS Q7404 - Using the Video Encoder

The Live View page

If your video encoder has been customized to meet specific requirements, the buttons and other items described below may or
may not be displayed on the Live View page. The following provides an overview of each available button:

General controls

The Stream Profile drop-down list allows you to select a customized or pre-programmed stream pro­file from the Live View page. Stream profiles are configured under Setup > Video & Audio > Stream

Profiles. See Stream Profiles, on page 14 for more information.

Pulse – Click this button to activate the output for a defined period of time - e.g. switching a light on

for 20 seconds.

Active/Inactive – Click these buttons to manually start and stop a connected device - e.g. switch a
light on/off.

The Manual trigger buttons can trigger an event directly from the Live View page. These buttons are
configured under Events.

The Snapshot button saves a snapshot of the video image currently on display. Right-click on the
video image to save it in JPEG format on your computer. This button is primarily intended for use
when the AXIS Media Control viewer toolbar is not available.

AXIS Media Control toolbar

The AXIS Media Control viewer toolbar is available in Internet Explorer only. See AXIS Media Control (AMC), on page 11 for
more information. The toolbar displays the following buttons:

The Play button connects to the Axis product and starts playing a media stream.

The Stop button stops the media stream being played.

The Snapshot button takes a snapshot of the view. The location where the image is saved can be specified
using the AMC Control Panel.

Click the View Full Screen button and the view will fill the entire screen. No other windows will be visible.
Press Esc (Escape) on the computer keyboard to cancel full screen view.

The Record button is used to record the current media stream. The location where the recording is saved can
be specified using the AMC Control Panel.

AMC Audio controls (Channel 1)

AMC audio buttons control the speakers and microphone connected to the client computer. The buttons are only visible when
audio is enabled.

Speaker button – Click to switch the sound on or off.

Microphone button – Click to switch the sound on or off.

In Simplex - speaker only mode, click this button to stop sending audio to the video encoder.

Use the slider to control the volume of the speakers and the microphone.

8

AXIS Q7404 - Using the Video Encoder

Half-duplex mode

The Talk/Listen button is used to switch between sending and receiving audio. The button can be
configured from the Audio tab in the AMC Control panel:

• Push-To-Talk mode: Click and hold down the button to talk/send, release the button to listen.

• Toggle mode: Click once to switch between talking and listening

Simplex – speaker only mode

To send audio, the Talk and Microphone buttons must both be enabled. Click either button to stop
audio transmission.

Pan/Tilt/Zoom controls

If a PTZ device is installed, the Live View page also displays controls for the PTZ device. See PTZ controls, on page 24, for more
information.

9

AXIS Q7404 - Video and Audio Streams

Video and Audio Streams

The video encoder provides several image and video stream formats. Your requirements and the properties of your network
will determine the type you use.

The Live View page in the video encoder provides access to H.264 and Motion JPEG video streams, audio streams and to the
list of available stream profiles. Other applications and clients can also access the video and audio streams directly, without
going via the Live View page.

How to stream H.264

This video compression standard makes good use of bandwidth, and can provide high quality video streams at less than 1
Mbit/s.

Deciding which combination of protocols and methods to use depends on your viewing requirements, and on the properties of
your network. The available options in AXIS Media Control are:

Unicast RTP This unicast method (RTP over UDP) should

be your first consideration for live unicast
video, especially when it is important to
always have an up-to-date video stream,
even if some images are dropped.

RTP over RTSP This unicast method (RTP tunneled over

RTSP) is useful as it is relatively simple to
configure firewalls to allow RTSP traffic.

RTP over RTSP over
HTTP

This unicast method can be used to traverse
firewalls. Firewalls are commonly configured
to allow the HTTP protocol, thus allowing
RTP to be tunneled.

Unicasting is used for video-on-demand broadcasting,
so that there is no video traffic on the network until a
client connects and requests the stream.

Note that there are a maximum of 20 simultaneous
unicast connections.

Multicast RTP This method (RTP over UDP) should be used for live multicast video. The video stream is always

up-to-date, even if some images are dropped.

Multicasting provides the most efficient usage of bandwidth when there are large numbers of cli­ents viewing simultaneously. A multicast broadcast cannot however, pass a network router unless
the router is configured to allow this. It is not possible to multicast over the Internet, for example.

Note also that all multicast viewers count as one unicast viewer in the maximum total of 20
simultaneous connections.

AXIS Media Control negotiates with the video encoder to determine the transport protocol to use in the order listed above.
This order can be changed and the options disabled, to suit specific requirements.

Important!

H.264 and AAC are licensed technologies. The video encoder includes four H.264 licenses (one for each channel) and one
AAC license. Installing additional unlicensed copies of the viewing client is prohibited. To purchase additional licenses,
contact your Axis reseller.

Motion JPEG

This format uses standard JPEG still images for 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 provides excellent image quality and access to every
image contained in the stream. The recommended method of accessing Motion JPEG live video from the video encoder is to
use the AXIS Media Control in Internet Explorer in Windows.

10

AXIS Q7404 - Video and Audio Streams

AXIS Media Control (AMC)

The recommended method of accessing live video from the video encoder
is to use the AXIS Media Control in Internet Explorer in Windows.

The AMC Control Panel can be used to configure various video and audio
settings. Please see the AXIS Media Control User’s Manual for more
information.

The AMC Control Panel is automatically installed on first use, after which
it can be configured. Open the AMC Control Panel from:

• Windows Control Panel (from the Start menu)

• Alternatively, right-click the video image in Internet Explorer and
select Settings.

Alternative methods of accessing the video stream

Video/images from the video encoder can also be accessed in the
following ways:

• Motion JPEG server push (if supported by the client, Firefox, for example). This option maintains an open HTTP connection
to the browser and sends data as and when required, for as long as required.

• Still JPEG images in a browser. Enter the path http://<ip>/axis-cgi/jpg/image.cgi

• Windows Media Player. This requires AXIS Media Control and the H.264 decoder to be installed. The paths that can be
used are listed below in the order of preference:

• Unicast via RTP: axrtpu://<ip>/axis-media/media.amp

• Unicast via RTSP: axrtsp://<ip>/axis-media/media.amp

• Unicast via RTSP, tunneled via HTTP: axrtsphttp://<ip>/axis-media/media.amp

• Multicast: axrtpm://<ip>/axis-media/media.amp

• To access the video stream from QuickTime™ the following paths can be used:

• rtsp://<ip>/axis-media/media.amp

• rtsp://<ip>/axis-media/media.3gp

Notes:

• The video encoder supports QuickTime 6.5.1 and later.

• QuickTime adds latency to the video and audio stream (up to 3 seconds)

• It may be possible to use other players to view the H.264 stream using the paths above, although Axis does not
guarantee this.

• <ip> = IP address

Accessing the audio stream (Channel 1)

The Live View page provides access to audio through AXIS Media Control; in addition audio can be accessed in the following
ways:

VAPIX®

You can read about accessing audio for the other protocols through the VAPIX® application programming interface (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.

Java Applet

The Java applet supports simplex audio.

11

AXIS Q7404 - Video & Audio settings

Text,

overlay

date & time

Video & Audio settings

This section describes how to configure the video encoder, and is intended for product Administrators, who have unrestricted
access to all the Setup tools; and Operators, who have access to the settings for Video & Audio, Live View Config and Events.

You can configure the video encoder by clicking Setup in the top right-hand corner of the Live View page. Click on this
page to access the online help that explains the setup tools.

Note:

Audio is available on video channel 1.

Video Stream

The video stream settings are separated into 4 tabs:

•Image

• Audio (Channel 1)

• H.264

•MJPEG

Image

Image Appearance

Use these settings to modify the image resolution
and compression. Setting the compression level
affects the image quality and the amount of
bandwidth required, the lower the compression, the
higher the image quality with higher bandwidth
requirements. Enable aspect ratio correction to
improve the image appearance when video from an analog camera is displayed on a digital screen (for example a computer
monitor). The image can also be mirrored (reversed) and rotated. See the online help files for more information.

Video Stream

To avoid bandwidth problems on the network, the frame rate allowed to each viewer can be limited. Select the Unlimited
radio button to allow the highest available frame rate or select the Limited to... radio button and enter a value (1-30) fps in
the field.

Text Overlay Settings

Use these settings to include a text, date, and time as
overlay. Click for information on available options.

Preview

For a preview of the image before saving, select video
format and click Open. When satisfied with the
settings, click Save.

12

AXIS Q7404 - Video & Audio settings

Audio (Channel 1)

Enable Audio

Check this box to enable audio in the video stream.

Note:

The checkbox Enable audio support under Systems Options > Security > Audio Support must also be checked to
enable sound in the product. See Audio Support (Channel 1), on page 34.

Current Audio Settings:
The configuration defined under Video & Audio > Audio Settings is shown here. See Audio Settings (Channel 1), on page 15.

H.264

GOV Settings

The GOV structure describes the composition of the H.264 video stream which consists of 2 image forms, I-images and
P-images. An I-image is a complete image, whereas a P-image is only the differences in the image as compared with the
previous image.

The GOV length determines how many P-images are sent before the next complete I-image is sent.

Setting the GOV-length to a higher value saves considerably on bandwidth but if there is congestion on the network, there
may be noticeable decay in the video quality. Setting the GOV-length to a lower value increases the video quality, in this case.

Note:

GOV length should not be higher than the set frame rate when using a pre-trigger buffer, see page 29.

Bit Rate Control

The bit rate can be set as Variable bit rate (VBR) or Constant bit rate (CBR). VBR adjusts the bit rate according to the image
complexity, using more bandwidth for increased activity in the image, and less for lower activity in the monitored area.

CBR allows you to set a fixed Target bit rate that consumes a predictable amount of bandwidth. As the bit rate would usually
need to increase for increased image activity, but in this case cannot, the frame rate and image quality are affected
negatively. To partly compensate for this, it is possible to prioritize either the frame rate or the image quality whenever the bit
rate needs to be increased. Not setting a priority means the frame rate and image quality are equally affected.

Note:

To determine a reasonable bit rate, go to Setup > Video & Audio > Video Stream > Image. Under Text Overlay
Settings, check the Include text checkbox and enter the code #b in the field. The current bit rate will display as a text
overlay on the Live View page.

To preview the image stream while configuring the GOV settings and Bit rate control, select Open under Preview.

MJPEG

Sometimes the image size is large due to low light or complex scenery. Adjusting the Maximum frame size helps to control
the bandwidth and storage used by the Motion JPEG video stream in these situations. Defining the frame size as Unlimited
provides consistently good image quality at the expense of increased bandwidth and storage usage during low light. Limiting
the frame size optimizes bandwidth and storage usage, but may give poor image quality. To prevent increased bandwidth and
storage usage, the maximum frame size should be set to an optimal value.

13

AXIS Q7404 - Video & Audio settings

Stream Profiles

There are 4 pre-programmed stream profiles available for quick set-up. The settings can be adjusted and/or new customized
profiles can be created. Each profile has a descriptive name, describing its usage and/or purpose. The profiles can be accessed
from the Live View page.

Go to Setup > Video & Audio > Stream Profiles to set up and configure stream profiles.

To create a new stream profile, click Add to bring up the Stream Profile Settings panel:

1. Enter a unique name and a description for your profile.

2. Select a Video encoding (H.264 or MJPEG) from the drop-down list.

3. Change the stream settings under the Image, Audio, H.264 and MJPEG tabs. See Video Stream, on page 12.

4. Click OK to save the profile.

To copy an existing stream profile, click Copy and enter a new name. Change the stream profile settings as above. To modify
an existing stream profile, click Modify and change the settings as above. For pre-programmed profiles, the original settings
can always be restored by clicking the Restore button.

To remove a stream profile, select the profile and click Remove. Pre-programmed profiles cannot be removed.

Camera Settings

This page provides access to the advanced image settings for the AXIS Q7404.

Image Appearance

Color level - Select an appropriate level by entering a value in the range 0-100. Lower values mean less color saturation,

while the value 100 gives maximum color saturation.

Brightness - The image brightness can be adjusted in the range 0-100, where a higher value produces a brighter image.

Contrast - Adjust the image's contrast by raising or lowering the value in this field.

Video Input

Offset adjustments - If the image is surrounded by a black border, change these settings to remove the border. Be careful

to only use low values, no more than 1-3, as higher values may put the image out of sync.

4CIF de-interlacing - The video signal from an analog camera can cause motion blur problems in the image due to

interlacing. Applying a de-interlacing filter improves image quality. Select Adaptive Interpolation for best image
quality or select Blending for improved image quality.

Once satisfied, click Save.

Overlay Image

An overlay image is a static image superimposed over the video image. See the online help for supported image sizes and
formats.

Before the overlay image, e.g. a logotype, can be used it must be uploaded to the AXIS Q7404. Click Browse and locate the
image file on the computer. Click Upload. When uploaded, the file can be selected in the Use overlay image drop-down list.

To place the overlay image at specific coordinates in the live view image, check Include overlay image at the coordinates and
enter the X and Y coordinates.

Once satisfied, click Save. Click View to view the overlay image in the video stream.

14

AXIS Q7404 - Video & Audio settings

Privacy Mask

A privacy mask is an area of solid color that prohibits users from viewing parts of the monitored area. Up to 3 privacy masks
can be used. Privacy masks cannot be bypassed via the VAPIX® Application Programming Interface (API).

Privacy Mask List

The Privacy Mask List shows all the masks that are currently configured in the AXIS Q7404 and if they are enabled.

Add/Edit Mask

To define a new mask:

1. Click Add and place the box over the desired area to conceal.

2. Choose a color, black, white, gray or red for the box from the drop-down list Privacy mask color

3. Enter a descriptive name in Mask name.

4. Click Save.

To edit a privacy mask, select it and reshape, move or change color as needed.

Audio Settings (Channel 1)

This section describes how to configure the basic audio settings for the video encoder. The audio functionality for all streams
is enabled under Video & Audio > Video Stream > Audio.

Audio Channels

Audio mode - The available audio modes are:

• Full duplex. Simultaneous two-way audio. Transmit and receive audio (talk and listen) at the same time.

Note:

There is no echo cancellation; if there is echo, try moving the microphone or the speaker.

• Half-duplex. Audio is transmitted in both directions between the video encoder and the client, but only in one direction
at a time. You must actively transmit/receive audio using the Talk/Listen button available on the Live View page (see AXIS
Media Control toolbar, on page 8). In Push-To-Talk mode, click and hold the button to speak and release it when finished
speaking. In Toggle mode, click once to switch between speaking and listening.

Note:

The Talk/Listen button mode is configured from the Audio tab in the AMC control panel (see AXIS Media Control
(AMC), on page 11).

15

AXIS Q7404 - Video & Audio settings

• Simplex – Network Video Encoder speaker only. Audio is transmitted from the client to the AXIS Q7404 and played by
the speaker connected to the encoder. To send audio, the Talk and Microphone buttons in the AMC Toolbar must both be
enabled. Click either button to stop audio transmission.

• Simplex – Network Video Encoder microphone only. Audio captured by the microphone connected to the video encoder
is transmitted from the encoder to one or more clients.

Audio Input

An external microphone or a line source can be connected to the Audio in connector on the video encoder. Set Source to
Microphone or Line depending on the connected device.

The Enable microphone power option provides DC power for an external microphone. If using a small electret condenser
microphone such as a clip-on microphone or a PC microphone, enable this option.

Note:

To use a high impedance dynamic microphone, do not enable microphone power. Microphone power will not harm the
microphone; if you are uncertain, try switching it off and on. To use a professional microphone requiring 48V phantom
power, you need an external power supply and a balanced-unbalanced converter (audio transformer) in between.

If the sound input is too low or too high, adjust the input gain for the microphone attached to the video encoder.

Select the desired audio Encoding format: AAC, G.711 μ-law or G.726.

Select the required Sample rate (number of times per second the sound is sampled). The higher the sample rate, the better the
audio quality and the greater the bandwidth required.

Changing the Bit rate changes the audio compression level and hence audio quality. A higher bit rate can improve audio
quality but requires more bandwidth.

The video encoder can be configured to trigger an event if the sound level rises above, falls below, or passes the set alarm

level.

Audio Output

If the sound from the speaker is too low or too high, adjust the output gain for the active speaker attached to the video
encoder.

When satisfied with the settings, click Save, or click Reset to revert to previously saved settings.

Note:

To receive synchronized audio and video in H.264, it is recommended that the time settings the video encoder and
client computer are synchronized with an NTP server. This is enabled in the video encoder under System Options >
Date & Time. Please refer to the help pages for more information.

Audio Clips

Audio clips can be played when an event occurs or manually from the Live View page. Audio clips are created either by
recording sound using a microphone or by uploading a sound file to the encoder. Audio clips that have been added to the Axis
product are listed in the Audio Clip List page. You can add new clips, play, download, modify and remove clips. Refer to the
online help for further information.

16

Live View Config

Layout

AXIS Q7404 - Live View Config

Stream Profile

From the Stream Profile drop-down list, select the stream profile that is to be used for the Live View page. Listed are the
pre-programmed stream profiles as well as the ones created under Video & Audio > Stream Profiles. See Stream Profiles, on
page 14, for more information.

Default Viewer

From the drop-down lists, select the default method for viewing video images for your browser. The video encoder attempts to
show the video images in the selected video format and viewer. If this is not possible, the video encoder overrides the settings
and selects the best available combination.

Browser Viewer Description

AMC Recommended viewer in Internet Explorer (H.264/Motion JPEG).

QuickTime H.264 only.

Internet Explorer

Other browsers

Java applet A slower imaging alternative to AMC. Requires one of the following installed on the client:

• JVM (J2SE) 1.4.2 or higher

• JRE (J2SE) 5.0 or higher

Still image Displays still images only. Hit the Refresh button in your browser to view a new image.

Server Push Recommended viewer for other browsers (Motion JPEG).

QuickTime H.264 only.

Java applet A slower imaging alternative to Server Push (Motion JPEG only).

Still image Displays still images only. Hit the Refresh button in your browser to view a new image.

17

AXIS Q7404 - Live View Config

User-defined link

Viewer Settings

Check the Show viewer toolbar box to display the AXIS Media Control (AMC) or the QuickTime viewer toolbar under the video
image in your browser.

The administrator can disable the installation of the H.264 decoder included with AXIS Media Control. This is used to prevent
installation of unlicensed copies. Additional decoder licenses can be purchased from your Axis dealer.

Enable Show crosshair in PTZ joystick mode and a cross will indicate the center of the image in PTZ joystick mode.

Check the Use PTZ joystick mode as default box to enable joystick mode. The mode can be changed temporarily using the PTZ
Control Panel (see Control panel, on page 25).

Check the Enable recording button to enable recording from the Live View page. The recordings are saved to the location
specified in the AMC Control Panel (see AXIS Media Control (AMC), on page 11).

Action Buttons

Check the boxes to display the action buttons on the Live View page.

The manual trigger button can be used to manually trigger and stop an event. See Events, on page 27.

The snapshot button can be used to save a snapshot from the video stream. This button is mainly intended for use with
browsers other than Internet Explorer, or when not using AXIS Media Control to view the video stream. AXIS Media Control for
Internet Explorer has its own snapshot button.

Play audio clip section allows the user to pick an audio clip from a drop-down list and play it from the camera. See Audio
Clips, on page 16.

User Defined Links

User-defined links can link to web pages, or can be used to
run scripts or activate and control external devices
connected to the video encoder. Once configured, the links
appear on the Live View page.

To set up a link, check the Show custom link box, select
the cgi or web link radio button, enter the URL and a
descriptive name in the provided fields.

A link defined as a web link will open in a new window,
while a cgi link will run for example a script in the
background.

Example:

Set up cgi links to control a connected PTZ device from the
Live View page. In this example, the links will start and
stop a continuous pan and tilt movement.

1. Check Show Custom Link 1.

2. Enter a descriptive name, such as “Start
continuous pan”.

3. Select the Use as cgi link radio button and enter the cgi link in the field:
http://<ip>/axis-cgi/com/ptz.cgi?continuouspantiltmove=30,-30

4. Check Show Custom Link 2.

5. Enter a descriptive name, such as “Stop continuous pan”.

6. Select the Use as cgi link radio button and enter the cgi link in the field:
http://<ip>/axis-cgi/com/ptz.cgi?continuouspantiltmove=0,0

18

AXIS Q7404 - Live View Config

For more information on the VAPIX® Application Programming Interface (API), see the Developer’s pages at Axis web site
http://www.axis.com

Note:

<ip> should be replaced by the IP address of the video channel.

Output Buttons

The output buttons are used to manually activate/inactivate the output ports, for example to switch a light on and off. To
display the output buttons on the Live View page, select the type of control to use for the port from the drop-down list:

• Pulse – Activates the output for a defined period of time

• Active/Inactive – Displays two buttons, one for each action (on/off)

Input/output ports are specified at System Options > Ports & Devices > I/O Ports. See I/O Ports, on page 39.

19

AXIS Q7404 - PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom)

PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom)

This Axis product supports several PTZ devices. Please see www.axis.com for a complete list of supported devices, and to
obtain the correct driver. Follow the instructions below to install a PTZ device.

Installing a PTZ device is accomplished in two steps:

• Installing the PTZ driver

• Setting up the COM Port, see page 39.

Installing the PTZ driver

1. Go to PTZ > Driver Selection.

2. Under Upload, click Browse... to find the driver. The driver has the file extension.ptz (e.g. driver.ptz).

3. Click Upload. If the driver was successfully uploaded, it will be available under Driver Management > Uploaded
drivers.

4. From the Uploaded drivers drop-down list, select the driver to install and click Save.

5. Enter the Device ID, select the Device Type from the drop down list and click Save.

6. Set up the COM Port for the PTZ driver. See COM Port, on page 39 for instructions.

Notes:

• After a PTZ driver has been installed, PTZ > Advanced > Device will contain additional driver specific settings that
can be configured for the PTZ device.

• Advanced users and application developers can also use the Axis Application Programming Interface and HTTP
specification for generic control of PTZ devices using CGI commands or a TCP/IP client. Refer to the Axis website
at www.axis.com for further information.

Uninstalling a PTZ driver

1. Go to PTZ > Driver Selection

2. Click Uninstall

20

AXIS Q7404 - PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom)

PTZ configuration

Once PTZ has been installed for the AXIS Q7404, the following sub menus appear under PTZ.

Preset positions

A preset position is a pre-defined camera view than can be used to quickly move the camera to a specific location.

From Preset Position Setup, use the PTZ controls to steer the camera to the required position. When satisfied with the
camera's position, enter a descriptive name. Click Add to save the camera position, iris and focus settings as a preset position.

The position can be assumed at any time, by selecting the preset's name from the Preset positions drop-down list. Preset
positions can be selected in the Live View page; they can be selected as an action when an event is triggered or as a part of a
Guard Tour.

One position can be set as the Home position, which is readily accessible by clicking the box beside Use current position as
Home. The position's name will then have (H) added to the end, for example, Office Entrance (H).

Guard tour

A guard tour moves between chosen Preset Positions, one-by-one, in a pre-determined order or at random, and for
configurable time periods. The guard tour sequence will keep running after the user has logged off or closed the browser.

Note:

It is not recommended to run two or more guard tours at the same time.

21

AXIS Q7404 - PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom)

Advanced

Device Settings
The device settings window is for driver specific settings, so the appearance of this window can vary depending on the driver
installed. Options that can be configured include: Driver Specific Settings for Video Source 1, Mechanical Limits for Moving

Video Source 1, Light Control for Video Source 1, and Extended Driver Specific Settings for Video Source 1.

Note:

For download and installation information about PTZ drivers for your Axis product please visit www.axis.com

Controls

Driver-specific Panel Shortcut Command Buttons can be created to provide direct access to auxiliary commands provided by
the PTZ driver. The buttons will be displayed in the PTZ control panel which is opened by clicking Ctrl Panel on the Live View
page.

The pan, tilt, focus and iris controls can be disabled by unchecking the boxes under Enable/Disable controls.

See also PTZ controls, on page 24, and Control panel, on page 25.

Limits

Define the pan, tilt, zoom and focus limits. Movements to the left and right, up and down can be restricted to narrow the area
under surveillance. The near focus limit can be set to avoid focusing on objects too close to the camera.

Note:

To be able to set limits, the driver needs to be an “absolute” driver.’

OSD Menu
If the PTZ unit supports an internal configuration menu, this can be accessed using the On-Screen Display (OSD). Configure
the analog camera by opening and navigating through its internal menu on this page.

22

AXIS Q7404 - PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom)

Control Queue

The PTZ control queue gives one user exclusive access to the PTZ controls for a limited amount of time, placing other users in
queue. To keep their place in the queue, waiting clients must regularly poll the video encoder. The polltime and the maximum
number of users allowed in the queue can be configured on this page.

A user who belongs to a group (see Security, on page 33) with a higher PTZ priority can go before other users in the queue and
take control of the video encoder. The order of priority for taking control of the queue is as follows:

1. Administrators - An administrator takes over PTZ control regardless of who is first in queue. The administrator
will be removed from the queue 60 seconds after their last PTZ control command.

2. Event - The video encoder can be configured to go to a preset position when triggered by an alarm (see Events, on
page 27). The event will immediately be placed first in the queue, except when an administrator is in control.

3. Operator - Same as administrator, but with lower priority.

4. Guard Tour - A guard tour has PTZ control for an indefinite period of time. It may be overridden by an operator,
event or administrator. The guard tour will resume when higher priority groups leave the queue. For more
information see Guard tour, on page 21.

5. Viewer - Multiple viewers must wait for their turn. The viewer has 60 seconds PTZ control before control is passed
to the next viewer in queue.

Notes:

• To identify the different users in the viewer group, cookies must be enabled on the client.

• The administrator can enable or disable PTZ control for selected users.

23

AXIS Q7404 - PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom)

PTZ controls

If the video encoder has been appropriately configured, the Live View page displays the controls available for the installed Pan
Tilt Zoom (PTZ) device. The administrator can enable/disable the controls for specified users under System Options > Security
> Users > User List.

The controls shown depends on the PTZ device. The most common controls are:

• the Pan bar - moves the camera to the right and left

• the Tilt bar - tips the camera up and down

• the Zoom bar - zooms the view in and out. Note that this is only available if the camera is fitted with a
zoom lens

• the Iris bar - adjusts the brightness of the image

Clicking on the bars themselves or on the arrows at the end of the bars moves the camera to a new position. The type of
movement and the location of this new position depends on the type of PTZ driver.

When controlling the camera using a relative PTZ driver (see the bars in the illustration above) the new position is relative to
the previous position, for example, left of, below, or above. Clicking the bar further from the center results in a larger
movement.

In contrast, when using an absolute driver, each position on the bar (see
right) represents a defined position in the device’s range of movement, with
the center of the bar representing the point midway between the two
extremes of movement.

Clicking a position directly on the bar moves the camera directly to the new position in one smooth movement. Clicking on
the arrows at the ends of a bar causes an incremental change.

24

AXIS Q7404 - PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom)

Using CGI links to control PTZ devices

User-defined CGI links on the Live View page can be used to issue API (Application Programming Interface) requests, such as
PTZ commands. These links are configured in the Live View Layout settings, see User Defined Links, on page 18.

PTZ control modes

The PTZ device can also be controlled using click-in-image movement, which has two different types of navigation - Center
and Joystick.

Click the Center mode button and click on a position in the image to center the camera view on that posi­tion.

Click the Emulate joystick mode button and click in the image to move the camera in the direction of the
mouse pointer.

Note:

There is also joystick support in AXIS Media Control (AMC).

Control panel

Click the Ctrl panel button to access the PTZ control panel. The buttons available in the control panel depend
on the installed PTZ driver.

• Auto focus – automatically adjust the image focus.

• Auto iris – automatically adjust the amount of light reaching the image sensor

• Backlight comp – enabling backlight compensation makes the subject clearer if the
background is too bright or if the subject is too dark

• IR cut filter – when set to off, the camera will be able to “see” infrared (IR) light, for
example at night; it increases light sensitivity. The image is shown in black & white when
the IR cut filter is off. Set to Auto to automatically turn the filter off when the available
amount of visible light falls below the minimum requirement.

• Driver-specific shortcut command buttons can also appear in the Control panel, see
Advanced, on page 22.

PTZ Control Queue

With the PTZ control queue enabled the time each user is in control of the PTZ settings is limited. Click the buttons to request
or release control of the PTZ controls. For more information, see Control Queue, on page 23.

25

AXIS Q7404 - Applications

Applications

Application Packages

The Applications feature allows you to upload third party applications for use on this device. Listed under Applications >
Packages are the applications that have already been installed. Click on the name to view the menu options - Settings, License

and About.

Settings - This depends on the application.

License - Once uploaded some applications need a license to run, and a license code is required for the uploaded application.

If there is an Internet connection Automatic Installation appears in the web page. If there is no Internet connection to the
camera, go to www.axis.com to acquire a License key file. You will need a license code and the device's serial number to
receive a license key.

About - Details support for this application. To upload an application, browse to the package and click Upload Package.

Installed Applications - A list of installed applications with information about the version, and the vendor; the status of the

application (running or not running), and information about the license (if installed).

Start/Stop - Start or stop the application.

Remove - To delete an application, select it and click Remove.

Log - To generate a log of the application happenings, select an application and click Log. This log is helpful when requesting

support from the application’s vendor.

26

AXIS Q7404 - Events

Events

An event or Event Type in the video encoder triggers actions when activated. An event type is a set of parameters that defines
the actions. A common event type is an alarm that causes the video encoder to upload images to an Event Server. Many event
types use an Event Server to receive uploaded images and notification messages.

This section describes how to configure the video encoder to perform certain actions when events occur.

Definitions

Event type

Triggered Event - see page 28

Scheduled Event - see page 29

Action

A set of parameters describing how and when the video encoder performs certain actions
An event that is started by some sort of signal, for example, an external device such as a door

switch, motion detection, or a system event.
An event that runs during pre-programmed time periods.
This occurs when the event runs, for example, uploading of images to an FTP server, or email

notification.

Event Servers

Event servers are used to receive uploaded image files and/or notification messages. To set up an event server connection in
your video encoder, go to Setup > Events > Event Servers and enter the required information for the server type.

Server type Purpose Information required

FTP Server • Receives uploaded images • Descriptive name

HTTP Server • Receives notification messages

• Receives uploaded images

TCP Server • Receives notification messages • Descriptive name

For details on each setting, see the online help available from each web page.

• Network address and Upload path

• User name and password

• Port number

• Descriptive name

• URL (network address and script)

• User name and password

• Proxy settings

• Network address (IP address or host name)

• Port number

When the setup is complete, the connection can be tested by clicking the Test button (the connection test takes
approximately 10 seconds).

Event Types

An Event Type describes how and when the video encoder performs certain actions.

Example: If somebody passes in front of a camera connected to the video encoder and an event has been configured to

detect and respond to motion, the video encoder can record and saves images to an FTP server, and can send a notification
email to an email address. Images can be sent as email attachments.

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AXIS Q7404 - Events

Triggered Event

A triggered event can be activated by:

• Input ports

• A manual trigger – using the manual trigger button on the Live View page or through the VAPIX® Application Program­ming Interface (API)

•Video loss

• Movement in a motion detection window

• Audio – when the sound level rises above or falls below the alarm level (configured in Audio Settings, see page 13). Avail­able on video channel 1.

• On boot – for example after power loss

• Pan Tilt Zoom preset positions. This option is only available when a PTZ device is used with the video encoder. See PTZ (Pan
Tilt Zoom), on page 20.

• Camera tampering – if the camera is repositioned or if the lens is covered

How to set up a triggered event

The following example describes how to set up the video encoder to upload images when the main door is opened. A door
sensor is connected to one of the I/O ports.

1. Click Add triggered on the Event Types page. The Triggered Event Type Setup page appears.

2. Enter a descriptive Name for the event, such as Main door open.

3. Set the Priority - High, Normal or Low.

4. Set the Respond to Trigger parameters to define when the event is active, for example, after office hours.

5. Select the input ports alternative from the Triggered by drop-down list and specify the state (active, inactive or
change) that the input must enter for the event to be triggered.

6. Set the When Triggered parameters, that is, define what the video encoder will do if the main door is opened. To
upload images, select Save stream and enter the required information. See Save stream, on page 29.

7. Click OK to save the event in the Event Types list.

Please see the online help for descriptions of each available option.

Notes:

Up to 10 event types can be configured in the video encoder, and up to four of these can be configured to upload
images. File names can be formatted according to specific requirements. See File Naming & Date/Time Formats in the

online help .

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AXIS Q7404 - Events

Save stream

To upload images to an FTP or HTTP server, or to send images by email, check the Save stream box.

Image frequency – Set the image frequency to a desired frame rate. The frame rate will be the best possible, but might not be

as high as specified, especially if uploading via a slow connection.

Pre-trigger and Post-trigger buffers

Pre- and post-trigger buffers are very useful when checking to see what happened immediately before and/or after a trigger,
for example, 30 seconds before and/or after a door was opened. All uploaded images are JPEG images.

Include pre-trigger buffer - Contains images from the time immediately preceding the trigger. Check the box to enable the
pre-trigger buffer and specify the desired buffer length in seconds, minutes or hours.

Include post-trigger buffer - Contains images from the time immediately after the trigger. The post-trigger buffer is
configured in the same way as the pre-trigger buffer.

Notes:

• Pre- and post-trigger buffers will be lost if the connection to the event server fails.

• The maximum length of the pre-/post-buffer depends on the video image size and selected frame rate.

• If the pre- or post-buffer is too large for the video encoder’s internal memory, the frame rate is reduced and
individual images may be missing. If this occurs, an entry is created in the log file.

Continue image upload (unbuffered) - Upload video images for a specific length of time for as long as the trigger is active.

Select type – Upload images to an FTP or HTTP server, or send images by email.

Create folder – Images uploaded to FTP and HTTP servers can be saved to designated folders. Folders can for example be

names using the current date and time, see File Naming & Date/Time Formats in the online help .

Base file name – Used to name all uploaded images. Add a suffix or use your own file format to give the images unique
names, see File Naming & Date/Time Formats in the online help .

Use stream profile – Use the settings saved in a stream profile when uploading or emailing images. Only MJPEG profiles can
be selected.

Scheduled event

A Scheduled event can be activated at preset times, in a repeating pattern on selected weekdays.

How to set up a scheduled event

The following example describes how to configure the video encoder to save images from pre-programmed time periods.

1. Click Add scheduled on the Event Types page.

2. Enter a descriptive Name for the event, such as Scheduled e-mail.

3. Set the Priority (High, Normal or Low).

4. Set the Activation Time parameters (24h clock) for the event. For example, select Recurrence pattern and let the
event start on Fridays at 18.00 with a duration of 62 hours.

5. Set the When Activated parameters, that is, define what the video encoder will do when the event is active. To
save images, select Save stream and enter the required information. See Save stream, above.

6. Click OK to save the Event in the Event Types list.

Please see the online help for descriptions of each available option.

29

AXIS Q7404 - Events

Camera Tampering

The camera tampering application generates an alarm whenever the camera is repositioned, or when the lens is covered,
sprayed, or severely defocused.

For the video encoder to send an alarm you must create a triggered event, see How to set up a triggered event, on page 28.

Settings

The Minimum duration parameter sets the minimum tampering period, that is an alarm will not be triggered until this period
has elapsed, even if the tampering conditions are otherwise met. This can help prevent false alarms for known conditions that
affect the image.

If the camera lens is sprayed or covered so that the camera live view becomes dark, it will not be possible to distinguish this
situation from other situations where the same effect is seen, such as when lighting conditions change.

When the Alarm for dark images parameter is enabled, alarms are generated for all cases where the lights are either dimmed
or turned off, or if the lens is sprayed, covered, or rendered severely out of focus. If not enabled, no alarm will be sent.

After you define these settings, click Save.

Motion Detection

Motion detection is used to generate an alarm whenever movement occurs (or stops) in the video image. A total of 10 Include
and/or Exclude windows can be configured.

• Included windows target specific areas within the video image.

• Excluded windows define areas within an Include window that should be ignored (areas outside Include windows are
automatically ignored).

Once configured, the motion detection windows appear in the list of available triggers, for triggering events. See How to set up
a triggered event, on page 28.

Notes:

Using the motion detection feature may decrease the video encoder’s overall performance.

30

AXIS Q7404 - Events

Set up a motion detection include window

1. Go to Setup > Events > Motion Detection.

2. Create a new motion detection window:

a) Using AXIS Media Control (Internet Explorer): Select the radio button Configure Included Windows and click

New. Select the new window in the list of windows and enter a descriptive name.

b) Using the Java applet: Click Add Window. Select the Include radio button and enter a descriptive name in the

field below.

3. Adjust the size (drag the bottom right-hand corner) and position (click on the text at the top and drag to the
desired position) of the active window.

4. Adjust the Object Size, History and Sensitivity profile sliders (see table below for details). Any detected motion
within an active window is indicated by red peaks in the Activity window (the active window has a red frame).

5. Click Save.

To exclude parts of the Include window, create an Exclude window by selecting the
Exclude option and position the Exclude window within the Include window.

To delete an include/exclude window:

a) Using AXIS Media Control (Internet Explorer): Select the window in the list of windows and click Del.

b) Using the Java applet: Select the window and click on the cross in the upper right corner.

Please see the online help for descriptions of each available option.

Object Size History Sensitivity

High level Only very large objects

trigger motion detec­tion

Low level Even very small objects

trigger motion detec­tion

Default value Low High High

An object that appears in the region
will trigger the motion detection for
a long period

An object that appears in the region
will trigger motion detection for only
a very short period

Ordinary colored objects on ordinary
backgrounds will trigger the motion
detection

Only very bright objects on a dark
background trigger motion detection

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AXIS Q7404 - Events

Examples:

• Use a high object size level to avoid triggering on small objects in the video image.

•Select a high history level to reduce the number of triggers in situations with a lot of movement during a short
period of time.

•Select a low sensitivity level to detect flashing light only. In other cases, a high sensitivity level is recommended.

Port Status

Under Events > Port Status there is a list showing the status of the video encoder’s input and output ports. This is for the
benefit of Operators who have no access to the System Options section.

Example: If the Normal state for a push button connected to an input is set to Open circuit, as long as the button is not

pushed, the state is inactive. If the button is pushed, the state of the input changes to active.

32

AXIS Q7404 - System Options

System Options

Security

Users

User access control is enabled by default. An administrator can set up other users, by giving these user names and passwords.
It is also possible to allow anonymous viewer login, which means that anybody may access the Live View page, as described
below:

The user list displays the authorized users and user groups (levels):

Viewer Provides the lowest level of access, which only allows access to the Live View page.

Operator An operator can view the Live View page, create and modify events, and adjust certain other settings.

Operators have no access to System Options.

Administrator An administrator has unrestricted access to the Setup tools and can determine the registration of all

other users.

HTTP/RTSP Password Settings - Select the type of password to allow. You may need to allow unencrypted passwords if there
are viewing clients that do not support encryption, or if you recently upgraded the firmware and the existing clients do
support encryption, but need to log in again, and be configured to use this functionality.

User Settings - Check the relevant box to enable anonymous viewer login; this allows any viewer direct access to the Live
View page.

Enable Basic Setup - Before using the AXIS Q7404, there are certain settings that should be made, most of which require
administrator access privileges. To quickly access these settings use the Basic Setup in the menu. All settings are also available
from the standard setup links in the menu. Basic Setup is enabled by default but can be disabled and removed from the menu.

IP Address Filter

Enable IP Address Filtering to allow or deny access to the video encoder. Once enabled, the IP addresses in the list are allowed
or denied access according to the choice made in the drop-down list Allow/Deny the following IP addresses.

The administrator can add up to 256 IP address entries to the list (a single entry can contain multiple IP addresses). The users
from these IP addresses need to be specified in the user list with the appropriate access rights. This is done from Setup >
System Options > Security > Users.

HTTPS

The video encoder supports encrypted browsing using HTTPS.

A self-signed certificate can be used until a Certificate Authority-issued certificate has been obtained. Click the Create
self-signed Certificate button to install a self-signed certificate. Although self-signed certificates are free and offer some
protection, true security is only implemented after the installation of a signed certificate issued by a certificate authority.

A signed certificate can be obtained from an issuing Certificate Authority by clicking the Create Certificate Request button.
When the signed certificate is returned, click the Install signed certificate button to import the certificate. The properties of
any certificate request currently resident in the video encoder or installed can also be viewed by clicking the Properties
button. The HTTPS Connection Policy must also be set in the drop-down lists to enable HTTPS in the video encoder.

For more information, please refer to the online help .

33

AXIS Q7404 - System Options

IEEE 802.1X

IEEE 802.1X is a standard for port-based Network Admission Control providing secure authentication of wired and wireless
network devices. IEEE 802.1X is based on EAP (Extensible Authentication Protocol).

To access a network protected by IEEE 802.1X, devices must authenticate themselves. The authentication is performed by a
third-party entity called an authentication server, typically a RADIUS server, examples of which are FreeRADIUS and Microsoft
Internet Authentication Service. In Axis implementation, the network device and the authentication server authenticate
themselves with the help of digital certificates using EAP-TLS (Extensible Authentication Protocol - Transport Layer Security).
The certificates are provided by an Certification Authority (CA). You need:

• a CA certificate to validate the identity of the authentication server

• a CA-signed client certificate and a private key to authenticate the network device.

To allow the network device to access a network protected by IEEE 802.1X:

1. Obtain a CA certificate, a client certificate and a client private key (contact your network administrator).

2. Go to Setup > System Options > Security > IEEE 802.1X and upload the CA certificate, the client certificate and
the client private key.

3. Under SETTINGS, select the EAPOL version, provide your EAP identity and private key password.

4. Check the box to enable IEEE 802.1X and click Save.

Certificates

CA Certificate - The CA certificate is used to validate the identity of the authentication server. Enter the path to the

certificate directly, or locate the file using the Browse button. Then click Upload. To remove a certificate, click Remove.

Client Certificate/Client private key - The client certificate and private key are used to authenticate the network device. They
can be uploaded as separate files or in one combined file (e.g. a PFX file or a PEM file). Use the Client private key field if
uploading one combined file. For each file, enter the path to the file, or locate the file using the Browse button. Then click

Upload. To remove a file, click Remove.

Settings

Eapol version - Select the EAPOL version (1 or 2) as used in your network switch.

Eap identity - Enter the user identity (maximum 16 characters) associated with your certificate.

Private key password - Enter the password (maximum 16 characters) for the private key.

Enable IEEE 802.1X - Check the box to enable the IEEE 802.1X protocol.

Audio Support (Channel 1)

Enable audio support - Allow clients to retrieve audio streams from the AXIS Q7404, and is used to totally enable or disable
the sound source. See also Audio Settings (Channel 1), on page 15 for information on how to configure the audio settings.

Note:

This parameter will enable/disable all audio functionality in the video encoder, even in configured events and stream
profiles with audio.

34

AXIS Q7404 - System Options

Date & Time

Current Server Time - Displays the current date and time (24h clock). The time can be displayed in 12h clock format in the
overlay (see below).

New Server Time - Select your time zone from the drop-down list. If you want the server clock to automatically adjust for
daylight savings time, select the Automatically adjust for daylight saving time changes.

From the Time Mode section, select the preferred method to use for setting the time:

• Synchronize with computer time – Sets the time from the clock on your computer.

• Synchronize with NTP Server – The video encoder will obtain the time from an NTP server every 60 minutes.

• Set manually – This option allows you to manually set the time and date.

Note:

If using a host name for the NTP server, a DNS server must be configured under TCP/IP settings.
See Basic TCP/IP Settings, below.

Date & Time Format Used in Images - Specify the formats for the date and time (12h or 24h) displayed in the video streams.
In addition to the predefined formats, customized date and time formats can be used. See File Naming & Date/Time Formats
in the online help for information on how to create your own date and time formats.

Network

Basic TCP/IP Settings

AXIS Q7404 support both IP version 4 and IP version 6. Both versions may be enabled simultaneously, and at least one version
must always be enabled. When using IPv4, the IP address for the video encoder can be set automatically via DHCP, or a static
IP address can be set manually. If IPv6 is enabled, the video encoder receives an IP address according to the configuration in
the network router. There is also the option of using the AXIS Internet Dynamic DNS Service. For more information on setting
the IP address, please see the Installation Guide supplied with the product.

Network Settings

Click the View button for an overview of the IP configuration of the video encoder.

IPv4 Address Configuration

Check this box to enable IPv4.

Obtain IP address via DHCP - Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) is a protocol that lets network administrators
centrally manage and automate the assignment of IP addresses on a network. DHCP is enabled by default. Although a DHCP
server is mostly used to set an IP address dynamically, it is also possible to use it to set a static, known IP address for a
particular MAC address.

Note:

DHCP should only be enabled if using dynamic IP address notification (see below), or if your DHCP server can update a
DNS server, which then allows you to access the AXIS Q7404 by name (host name). If DHCP is enabled and you cannot
access the unit, you may have to reset it to the factory default settings and then perform the installation again.

Use the following IP address - To use a static IP address for the AXIS Q7404, check the radio button and then make the
following settings:

• IP address – Specify a unique IP address for your AXIS Q7404. (To check if the IP address you intend to use is available or
not, click the Test button)

• Subnet mask – Specify the mask for the subnet the AXIS Q7404 is located on

• Default router – Specify the IP address of the default router (gateway) used for connecting devices attached to different
networks and network segments.

35

AXIS Q7404 - System Options

IPv6 Address Configuration

Check the box to enable IPv6. Other settings for IPv6 are configured in the network router.

Services

Enable ARP/Ping setting of IP address - The IP address can be set using the ARP/Ping method (for instructions, see the
Installation Guide supplied with the product), which associates the unit's MAC address with an IP address. Check this box to
enable the service. Leave disabled to prevent unintentional resetting of the IP address.

Notes:

• The ARP/Ping service is automatically disabled two minutes after the unit is started, or as soon as an IP address is
set.

• Pinging the unit is still possible when this service is disabled.

Enable AVHS - AXIS Video Hosting System (AVHS) in conjunction with an AVHS service provides easy and secure Internet
access to live and recorded video accessible from any location. For more information and help to find a local AVHS Service
Provider please go to www.axis.com If AVHS is not to be used this option can be disabled.

• One-Click enabled - Press the camera’s control button (see Hardware overview, on page 6) to connect to an AVHS
service over the Internet. Once registered the camera stays connected to the AVHS service. If the camera is not
registered within 24 hours after the button is pressed, the camera will disconnect from the AVHS service.

• Always - The camera will constantly attempt to connect to the AVHS service over the Internet. Once registered the
camera will stay connected to the service. This option can be used when the camera is already installed and it is not
convenient to use the one-click installation.

AXIS Internet Dynamic DNS Service - Use the AXIS Internet Dynamic DNS service to assign a host name for easy access to
your video encoder. Click Settings to register the video encoder with the Axis Internet Dynamic DNS service, or to modify the
existing settings (requires access to the Internet). The domain name currently registered at the Axis Internet Dynamic DNS
Service for your product can at any time be removed. For more information, please refer to the online help and
www.axiscam.net

Advanced TCP/IP Settings

DNS Configuration

DNS (Domain Name Service) provides the translation of host names to IP addresses on your network.

Obtain DNS server address via DHCP - Automatically use the DNS server settings provided by the DHCP server. Click the
View button to see the current settings.

Use the following DNS server address - Enter the desired DNS server by specifying the following:

• Domain name – Enter the domain(s) to search for the host name used by the video encoder. Multiple domains can be
separated by semicolons (;). The host name is always the first part of a Fully Qualified Domain Name, for example,
myserver is the host name in the Fully Qualified Domain Name myserver.mycompany.com where mycompany.com is
the Domain name.

• DNS servers – Enter the IP addresses of the primary, and secondary DNS servers. (This is not mandatory with regard
to secondary DNS servers.)

NTP Configuration

Obtain NTP server address via DHCP - Check this radio button to automatically look up and use the NTP server settings as
provided by DHCP. Click the View button to see the current settings.

Use the following NTP server address - To use manual settings, check this radio button and enter the host name or IP
address of the NTP server.

36

AXIS Q7404 - System Options

LAN (intranet)

WAN (Internet)

Broadband
(NAT)
router

ISP

Host Name Configuration

The video encoder can be accessed using a host name, instead of an IP address. The host name is usually the same as the
assigned DNS Name.

For more information see the online help .

Link-Local IPv4 Address

This is enabled by default and assigns the video encoders an additional IP address for use with UPnP™. The video encoder can
have both a Link-Local IP and a static/DHCP-supplied IP address at the same time – these will not affect each other.

HTTP and HTTPS

The default HTTP/HTTPS port numbers (80 and 443 respectively) can be changed to any port within the range 1024-65535.
This is for example useful for simple security port mapping.

NAT traversal (port mapping) for IPv4

A broadband router allows devices on a private network (LAN) to share a single connection to the Internet. This is done by
forwarding network traffic from the private network to the “outside”, that is, the Internet. Security on the private network
(LAN) is increased since most broadband routers are pre-configured to stop attempts to access the private network (LAN) from
the public network/Internet.

Use NAT traversal when your video encoder is located on an intranet (LAN) and you wish to make it available from the other
(WAN) side of a NAT router. With NAT traversal properly configured, all HTTP traffic to an external HTTP port in the NAT router
is forwarded to the video encoder.

Notes:

• For NAT traversal to work, this must be supported by the broadband router. The router must also support UPnP™.

• The broadband router has many different names: “NAT router”, “Network router“, Internet Gateway”, “Broadband
sharing device” or “Home firewall” but the essential purpose of the device is the same.

Enable/Disable - When enabled, the video encoder attempts to configure port mapping in a NAT router on your network,
using UPnP™. Note that UPnP™ must be enabled in the video encoder (see System Options > Network > UPnP).

Use manually selected NAT router - Select this option to manually select a NAT router and enter the IP address for the
router in the field provided.

If a router is not manually specified, the video encoder automatically searches for NAT routers on your network. If more than
one router is found, the default router is selected.

Alternative HTTP port - Select this option to manually define an external HTTP port. Enter the port number in the field
provided. If no port is entered here a port number is automatically selected when NAT traversal is enabled.

37

AXIS Q7404 - System Options

Notes:

• An alternative HTTP port can be used/be active even if NAT traversal is disabled. This is useful if your NAT router
does not support UPnP and you need to manually configure port forwarding in the NAT router.

• If you attempt to manually enter a port that is already in use, another available port is automatically selected.

• When the port is selected automatically it is displayed in this field. To change this enter a new port number and
click Save.

FTP

The FTP server running in the video encoder enables the upload of new firmware, and user applications. Check the box to
enable the service.

RTSP

The RTSP protocol allows a connecting client to start an H.264 stream. Check the box to enable the server and enter the RTSP
port number to use. The default setting is 554. Note that H.264 video streams will not be available if this service is not
enabled.

SOCKS

SOCKS is a networking proxy protocol. The video encoder can be configured to use a SOCKS server to reach networks on the
other side of a firewall/proxy server. This functionality is useful if the video encoder is located on a local network behind a
firewall, and notifications, uploads, alarms, and such need to be sent to a destination outside the local network (such as the
Internet). See the online help for more information.

QoS (Quality of Service)

QoS (Quality of Service) guarantees a certain level of a specified resource to selected traffic on a network. Quality can be
defined as a maintained level of bandwidth, low latency and no packet losses. The main benefits of a QoS-aware network can
be summarized as:

• The ability to prioritize traffic and thus allow critical flows to be served before flows with lesser priority.

• Greater reliability in the network, thanks to the control of the amount of bandwidth an application may use, and thus
control over bandwidth races between applications.

The QoS in Axis network video products marks the data packets for various types of network traffic originating from the
product. This makes it possible for network routers and switches to reserve a fixed amount of bandwidth for these types of
traffic. The video encoders mark the following types of traffic:

•Live video

• Live audio (Channel 1)

•Event/alarm

• Management network traffic

QoS Settings - For each type of network traffic supported by your Axis network video product, enter a DSCP (Differentiated
Services Codepoint) value. This value is used to mark the traffic’s IP header. When the marked traffic reaches a network router
or switch, the DSCP value in the IP header tells the router or switch the type of treatment to apply to this type of traffic, for
example, how much bandwidth to reserve for it. Note that DSCP values can be entered in decimal or hex form, but saved
values are always shown in decimal.

For more information on Quality of Service, please see the Axis support web at www.axis.com/techsup

SMTP (email)

Enter the host names (or IP addresses) and port numbers for your primary and secondary mail servers in the fields provided, to
enable the sending of notifications and image email messages from the video encoder to predefined addresses via SMTP.

If your mail server requires authentication, check the box for Use authentication to log in to this server and enter the
necessary information. See the online help for more information.

38

AXIS Q7404 - System Options

SNMP

The Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP) allows remote management of network devices. Depending on the level of
security required, select the version of SNMP to use. The three levels of security are:

• SNMP v1 – includes no security.

• SNMP v2c – uses very simple security. The community name can be specified as a password for read or read/write access
to all supported SNMP objects. The community is the group of network devices using SNMP.

• SNMP v3 – provides encryption and secure passwords. HTTPS must be enabled.

UPnP™

The video encoder includes support for UPnP™. UPnP™ is enabled by default, and the video encoder then is automatically
detected by operating systems and clients that support this protocol. This means that when using a workstation running
Windows XP or Windows Vista with UPnP™ enabled, the AXIS Q7404 Video Encoder will automatically be detected and added
to My Network Places in Windows.

RTP/H.264

These settings are the RTP port range, and the IP addresses port numbers (video and audio), and Time-To-Live value used for
multicasting. Only certain IP addresses and port numbers should be used for multicast streams. For more information, please
see the online help .

Bonjour

The video encoder includes support for Bonjour. Bonjour is enabled by default, and the video encoder is automatically
detected by operating systems and clients that support this protocol.

Ports & Devices

I/O Ports

The AXIS Q7404 has 2 configurable input/output ports per video channel.

Select the port direction (Input or Output) from the drop-down list. The ports can be given descriptive names and their
Normal state can be configured as Open circuit or Grounded circuit.

See also the online help and Unit connectors, on page 42.

COM Port

The AXIS Q7404 has one RS-485/RS-422 serial port for each video channel. The ports support the following modes:

Generic HTTP - Allows the video encoder to receive data and send commands via HTTP.

Pan Tilt Zoom - Used for control of a PTZ device. The PTZ device requires a driver. See Installing the PTZ driver, on page 20 for

more information. Drivers can be downloaded from www.axis.com

Generic TCP/IP - Allows the video encoder to receive data and send commands via TCP/IP.

Daisy chain server - Allows Daisy chain clients to communicate with the AXIS Q7404.

See also RS-485/RS-422 connector, on page 43.

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AXIS Q7404 - System Options

Maintenance

Restart - The video encoder is restarted without changing any setting.

Restore - The unit is restarted and most current settings are reset to factory default values. The settings that do not reset are:

• the boot protocol (DHCP or static)

• the static IP address

• the default router

• the subnet mask

• the product interface language

• IEEE 802.1X settings

Default - The default button should be used with caution. Pressing this returns the video encoder's settings to the factory
default values (including the IP address).

Upgrade Server - See Upgrading the firmware, on page 45.

Support

Support Overview

The Support Overview page provides valuable information on troubleshooting and contact information, should you require
technical assistance.

System Overview

System Overview is an overview of the video encoder’s status and settings. Information that can be found here includes the
video encoder’s firmware version, IP address, security, event and image settings and recent log items. Many of the captions are
also links to the proper Setup page to conveniently make adjustments in the video encoder’s settings.

Logs & Reports

When contacting Axis support, please be sure to provide a valid Server Report with your query. The Access Log is automatically
included in the server report.

Information

The Server Report and Parameter List may prove useful when troubleshooting a problem or when contacting the Axis support.

• System Log – Provides information about system events.

• Access Log – By default, the Access Log lists all failed attempts to access the video encoder but can be configured to
list all connections to the video encoder, whether successful or not. Go to Support > Logs & Reports > Configuration
and select the desired level of information from the list. See below for more information. The Access Log is useful for
various purposes such as tracking all access to the video encoder, simple web attraction tracking, system analysis and
troubleshooting.

• Server Report – Provides information about the server status and should always be included when requesting support.

• Parameter List – Shows the unit's parameters and their current settings.

• Connection List – Lists all clients that are currently accessing video and audio. It is also used for system analysis and
troubleshooting.

Configuration

From the drop-down lists, select the size and level of information to be added to the System Log and Access Log files.

The default information level for the Access Log is set to Critical & Warnings, i.e. failed connections. However, in an error
situation and when requesting support, set it to the highest information level Critical & Warnings & Info.

For the Log Level for Email, select from the drop-down list the level of information to send as email and enter the destination
email address.

40

AXIS Q7404 - System Options

Advanced

Scripting

Scripting is an advanced function that enables you to customize and use scripts. This function is a very powerful tool.

Caution!

Improper use may cause unexpected behavior or even cause loss of contact with the unit. If a script does cause problems,
reset the unit to its factory default settings.

Axis strongly recommends that you do not use this function unless you understand the consequences. Note that Axis
support does not provide assistance for problems with customized scripts.

For more information, please visit the Developer pages at www.axis.com

File Upload

Files (e.g. web pages and images) can be uploaded to the AXIS Q7404 and used as custom settings. Uploaded files are accessed
through http://<ip address>/local/<user>/<file name> where <user> is the selected user access group (viewer, operator or
administrator for the uploaded file.

Plain Config

Plain Config is for the advanced user with experience of Axis video encoder configuration. All parameters can be set and
modified from this page. Help is available from the standard help pages.

About

Here you can find basic information about your video encoder. You can also view third party software licenses.

Resetting to the Factory Default Settings

To reset one video input to the original factory default settings, go to the System Options > Maintenance web page (as
described in Maintenance, on page 40).

To reset all parameters in all four video channels (including all four IP addresses) use the Control button on the side of the
video encoder (see Overview, on page 5) as described below:

Using the Control Button

To reset all four video channels to the factory default settings with the Control Button:

1. Disconnect the power adapter.

2. Press and hold the Control button while reconnecting the power.

3. Keep the Control button pressed until the four Status Indicators change to amber (this may take up to 15
seconds).

4. Release the Control button.

5. When the four Status Indicators change to green (which may take up to 1 minute), the process is complete and
the video encoder has been reset.
The unit now has the default IP addresses 192.168.0.90 for channel 1, 192.168.0.91 for channel 2, 192.168.0.92
for channel 3 and 192.168.0.93 for channel 4.

Note:

For other methods of setting the IP address, please refer to the Installation Guide that accompanies the product, or
download a copy from www.axis.com

41

AXIS Q7404 - Unit connectors

1

2

Unit connectors

Network connector - RJ-45 Ethernet connector. Shielded Cat-5e or Cat-6 cables are recommended.

Power connector - Power input. Use the supplied power adapter or an external power supply 8-20V DC, max.

16.1W.

Function Pin number Description

GND 1 Ground
DC Power 2 Power input 8-20V DC, max 16.1W

Video inputs - AXIS Q7404 supports four video sources (VIDEO 1 - VIDEO 4). Each video input is terminated using a coax/BNC
connector. Use a 75 ohm coaxial video cable; recommended maximum length is 250 meters (800 feet).

Note:

If the video source is to be connected in parallel with other equipment using a BNC T adaptor, disable the input termi­nation by setting the 75 ohm termination switch to OFF. Failure to do so may cause reduced image quality.

Audio connectors - AXIS Q7404 has two audio connectors connected to video channel 1:

• Audio in – 3.5 mm input for a mono microphone, or a line-in mono signal (left channel is used from a stereo signal).

• Audio out – 3.5 mm output (line level) that can be connected to a public address (PA) system or an active speaker
with a built-in amplifier. A pair of headphones can also be attached. A stereo connector must be used for the audio
out.

I/O terminal connector - Used in applications for e.g. motion detection, event triggering, time lapse
recording and alarm notifications. The AXIS Q7404 has 2 configurable inputs/outputs per video channel.
These provide the physical interface to:

• Digital output - For connecting external devices such as relays and LEDs. Connected devices can be
activated by VAPIX®, output buttons on the Live View page or by an Event Type. The output will show
as active (shown under Events > Port Status) if the alarm device is activated.

• Digital input - An alarm input for connecting devices that can toggle between an open and closed circuit, for example:
PIRs, door/window contacts, glass break detectors, etc. When a signal is received the state changes and the input becomes
active (shown under Events > Port Status).

Pin assignments:

Function Pin number Notes Specifications

GND 1 Ground

3.3VDC Power 2 Can be used to power auxiliary equipment.
Note: This pin can only be used as power out.

Configurable
(Input or Out­put)

3 - 4 Digital input - Connect to GND to activate, or leave floating (or uncon-

nected) to deactivate.
Digital output - Uses an open-drain NFET transistor with the source con-

nected to GND. If used with an external relay, a diode must be connected
in parallel with the load, for protection against voltage transients.

Max load = 250mA

Min input = - 40V DC
Max input = + 40V DC

Max load = 100mA
Max voltage = + 40V DC

42

AXIS Q7404 - Unit connectors

E.g. push button

I/O congured as input

I/O congured as output

AXIS Q7404

3.3V

3.3V max 250mA

D

S

G

1

234

RX/TX

TX

The following connection diagram gives an example of how to connect an auxiliary device to the AXIS Q7404.

RS-485/RS-422 connector - For each video channel, AXIS Q7404 has two 2-pin terminal blocks for the RS-485/RS-422
serial interface used to control auxiliary equipment, e.g. PTZ devices.

The RS-485/RS-422 serial port can be configured in the following port modes:

• Bidirectional RS-485 half-duplex port for data transmission using two wires, one combined RX/TX
pair.

• Bidirectional RS-485 full-duplex port for data transmission using four wires, one RX pair and one
TX pair.

• Unidirectional RS-422 port for transmitting or receiving data using two wires, RX- or TX pair.

• Bidirectional RS-422 full-duplex port for data transmission (point-to-point) using four wires, one
RX pair and one TX pair.

Function Pin Notes

RS-485A alt RS-485/422RX(A) 1 RX pair for all modes (combined RX/TX for 2-wire RS-485)

RS-485B alt RS-485/422RX(B) 2

RS 485/422TX(A) 3 TX pair for RS-422 and 4-wire RS-485

RS 485/422TX(B) 4

43

AXIS Q7404 - LED indicators

LED indicators

LED Color Indication

Network Green Steady for connection to a 1000 Mbit/s network. Flashes for network activity.

Amber Steady for connection to 10/100 Mbit/s network. Flashes for network activity.

Unlit No network connection.

Status Green Steady green for normal operation.

Amber Steady during startup, during reset to factory default or when restoring settings.

Red Slow flash for failed upgrade.

Power Green Normal operation.

Amber Flashes green/amber during firmware upgrade.

Note:

AXIS Q7404 has four Status LED indicators, one for each video channel. The indicators are ordered as follows (from
left to right): Power, Status 1, Status 2, Status 3, Status 4, Network.

44

AXIS Q7404 - Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

Checking the firmware

Firmware is software that determines the functionality of the video encoder. One of your first actions when troubleshooting a
problem should be to check the current firmware version. The latest version may contain a correction that fixes your particular
problem. The current firmware version in your encoder can be seen on the page Setup > Basic Setup or under About.

Upgrading the firmware

When you upgrade your encoder with the latest firmware from Axis Web site, your encoder receives the latest functionality
available. Always read the upgrade instructions and Release Notes available with each new release, before upgrading the
firmware.

Note:

Preconfigured and customized settings are saved when the firmware is upgraded (providing the features are available
in the new firmware) although this is not guaranteed by Axis Communications.

1. Save the firmware file to your
computer. The latest version of the
firmware is available free of charge
from the Axis website at

www.axis.com/techsup

2. Go to Setup > System Options >
Maintenance in the encoder’s web

pages.

3. In the Upgrade Server section,
browse to the desired firmware file
on your computer. Click Upgrade.

Notes:

• After starting the upgrade process,

always wait at least 5-10 minutes
before restarting the encoder, even if you suspect the upgrade has failed.

• Your dealer reserves the right to charge for any repair attributable to faulty upgrading by the user.

• The AXIS Camera Management software tool can be used for multiple upgrades. Please see the Axis website at
www.axis.com for more information.

Emergency Recovery Procedure

If power or the network connection to the encoder is lost during the upgrade, the process fails and the unit becomes
unresponsive. A flashing red Status LED indicates a failed upgrade. To recover the unit, follow the steps below. The serial
number is found on the label attached to the bottom of the encoder.

1. UNIX/Linux - From the command line, type the following:
arp -s <IP address of encoder> <serial number> temp
ping -s 408 <IP address of encoder>

Windows - From a command/DOS prompt, type the following:
arp -s <IP address of encoder> <serial number>
ping -l 408 -t <IP address of encoder>

Note:

To use the ARP command on Windows Vista, right-click the command prompt icon and select Run as admin­istrator.

2. If the unit does not reply within a few seconds, restart it and wait for a reply. Press CTRL+C to stop Ping.

3. Open a browser and type in the encoder’s IP address. In the page that appears, use the Browse button to select the
upgrade file to use, for example, axisq7404.bin. Then click the Load button to restart the upgrade process.

45

AXIS Q7404 - Troubleshooting

4. After the upgrade is complete (1-10 minutes), the unit automatically restarts and shows a steady green on the
Power and Status LEDs and flashing green or amber on the Network LED.

5. Reinstall the encoder, referring to the installation guide.

If the emergency recovery procedure does not get the encoder up and running again, please contact Axis support at
www.axis.com/techsup/

Axis Support

If you contact Axis Support, please provide a Server Report and a detailed description of the problem to help us solve your
problem expediently.

The Server Report contains important information about the server and its software, as well as a list of the current
parameters. The Access Log is included in the Server Report. Go to Setup > System Options > Support > Support Overview
to generate a Server Report.

46

AXIS Q7404 - Troubleshooting

Symptoms, possible causes, and remedial action

Problems setting the IP address

When using ARP/Ping Try the installation again. The IP address must be set within two minutes after power has been

applied to the encoder. Ensure the Ping length is set to 408. See the Installation Guide.

The encoder is located on a different
subnet

The IP address is being used by another
device

Possible IP address conflict with
another device on the same subnet

The encoder cannot be accessed from a browser

Cannot log in When HTTPS is enabled, ensure that the correct protocol (HTTP or HTTPS) is used when attempt-

The IP address has been changed by
DHCP

Other networking problems Test the network cable by connecting it to another network device, then Ping that device from

Encoder is accessible locally, but not externally

Broadband router configuration To configure your broadband router to allow incoming data traffic to the encoder, enable the

Firewall protection Check the Internet firewall with your system administrator.
Default routers required Check if you need to configure the default router settings.

Problems with the H.264 format

No H.264 displayed in the
client

No multicast H.264 displayed in the cli­ent

Multicast H.264 only accessible by local
clients

Poor rendering of H.264 images Color depth set incorrectly on clients. Set to 16-bit or 32-bit color.

Color saturation is different in H.264
and Motion JPEG

If the IP address intended for the encoder and the IP address of your computer are located on
different subnets, you will not be able to set the IP address. Contact your network administrator
to obtain an appropriate IP address.

Disconnect the encoder from the network. Run the Ping command. (In a Command/DOS win­dow, type ping and the IP address of the unit).

If you receive: Reply from <IP address>: bytes = 32; time = 10 ms..... - this means that the IP

address may already be in use by another device on your network. You must obtain a new IP
address and reinstall the unit.

If you see: Request timed out - this means that the IP address is available for use with your
encoder. In this case, check all cabling and reinstall the unit.

The static IP address in the encoder is used before the DHCP server sets a dynamic address. This
means that if the same default static IP address is also used by another device, there may be
problems accessing the encoder. To avoid this, set the static IP address to 0.0.0.0.

ing to log in. You may need to manually type http or https in the browser’s address field.
If the encoder and client are on the same network, Run AXIS IP Utility to locate the encoder.

Identify the encoder using its model or serial number.

Alternatively:

1) Move the encoder to an isolated network or to one with no DHCP or BOOTP server. Set the IP
address again, using the AXIS IP Utility (see the Installation Guide) or the ARP/Ping commands.

2) Access the unit and disable DHCP in the TCP/IP settings. Return the unit to the main network.
The unit now has a fixed IP address that will not change.

your workstation. See instructions above.

NAT-traversal feature which will attempt to automatically configure the router to allow access
to the encoder. This is enabled from Setup > System Options > Network > TCP/IP Advanced.
Note that the router must support UPnP

Check that the relevant H.264 connection methods are enabled in the AMC Control Panel (Net­work tab).

In the AMC Control Panel, select the H.264 tab and click the button Set to default H.264
decoder.

Check that the correct network interface is selected in the AMC Control Panel (Network tab).
Check with your network administrator that the multicast addresses used by the

encoder are valid for your network.
Check with your network administrator to see if there is a firewall preventing viewing.
Check if your router supports multicasting, or if the router settings between the client and the

server need to be configured. The TTL (Time To Live) value may need to be increased.

If text overlays are blurred, or if there are other rendering problems, you may need to enable
Advanced Video Rendering from the H.264 tab in the AMC Control Panel.

Ensure that your graphics card is using the latest device driver. The latest drivers can usually be
downloaded from the manufacturer's web site.

Modify the settings for your graphics adapter. Please see the adapter's documentation for more
information.

™.

47

AXIS Q7404 - Troubleshooting

Lower frame rate than expected Reduce number of applications running on the client computer.

Limit the number of simultaneous viewers.
Check with the system administrator that there is enough bandwidth available. See also the

online help.
Check in the AMC Control Panel (H.264 tab) that video processing is set to Decode all frames

possible.

Lower the image resolution.
Why do I not get 30 frames per second? See the section Optimizing your system, on page 52.
Image degeneration Decrease the GOV length, see the online help for more information.

The Power indicator is not constantly lit

Faulty power supply Check that you are using the correct power supply.

The Status and Network indicator LEDs are flashing red rapidly

Hardware failure Contact your Axis dealer.

The Status indicator LED is flashing red and the encoder is inaccessible

A firmware upgrade has been inter­rupted or the firmware has otherwise
been damaged

No images displayed on web page

Problem with AXIS Media Control
(Internet Explorer only)

Installation of additional ActiveX com­ponent restricted or prohibited

Video/Image problems, general

Image too dark or too light Check the video image settings. See the online help on Video Stream and Camera Settings.
Missing images in uploads This can occur when trying to use a larger image buffer than is actually available. Try lowering

Slow image update Configuring pre-buffers, motion detection, high-resolution images, or high frame rates, will

Poor performance Poor performance may be caused by heavy network traffic, multiple users accessing the unit,

Poor quality snapshot images

Screen incorrectly configured on your
workstation

Overlay/Privacy mask is not displayed

Incorrect size or location of overlay or
privacy mask.

Browser freezes

Older browsers Update your browser and Java to latest versions.

Problems uploading files

Limited space There is only limited space available for the upload of your own files. Try deleting one or more

Motion Detection triggers unexpectedly

Changes in luminance Motion detection is based on changes in luminance in the image. This means that if there are

No audio

Incorrect setup Check the sound card in the PC. Ensure that the mute button is not pressed and the volume set-

No audio or
very poor audio quality

Audio volume too low/high

Volume settings incorrect The volume of the microphone is either too high or too low. Change the volume for the micro-

See the Emergency Recovery Procedure above.

To enable the updating of video images in Internet Explorer, set your browser to allow ActiveX

controls. Also, make sure that AXIS Media Control is installed on your workstation.

Configure your encoder to use a Java applet for updating the video images under

Live View Config > Layout > Default Viewer for Internet Explorer. See the online help for more

information.

the frame rate or the upload period.

affect the performance of the encoder.

low performance clients, use of features such as motion detection, event handling, image rota

tion other than 180 degrees.

In Display Properties/Display Settings set the color to at least 16 bit. Using a lower value will

produce dithering artifacts in the image.

The overlay or privacy mask may have been positioned incorrectly or wrong resolution may have

been used while positioning. Refer to the online help for information on the limitations when

using image overlays and privacy masks.

existing files to free up space.

sudden changes in the lighting, motion detection may be triggered mistakenly. Lower the sensi

tivity setting to avoid problems with luminance.

tings are correct.

Check that the correct Audio Input source is selected under Setup > Video & Audio > Audio

Settings. Select Microphone for a connected external microphone. Select Line for a connected

line in source.

phone in the toolbar on the Live View page.

-

-

48

AXIS Q7404 - Troubleshooting

Poor audio quality

CPU overloaded Reduce the number of listeners and viewers and decrease the image resolution and compres-

Unsynchronized audio and video It is recommended that the encoder's time setting is synchronized with an NTP Server. This is

Distorted audio Check that the correct Audio Input source is selected under Setup > Video & Audio > Audio

For further assistance, please contact your reseller or see the support pages on Axis website at www.axis.com/techsup

sion.

enabled under System Options > Date & Time.

Settings. Select Microphone for a connected external microphone. Select Line for a connected

line in source.

49

AXIS Q7404 - Technical Specifications

Technical Specifications

Item Specification
Video compression • H.264

• Motion JPEG

Resolutions NTSC: 720x480 to 176x120

PAL: 720x576 to 176x144

Frame rate H.264 30/25 (NTSC/PAL) fps in all resolutions
Frame rate Motion

JPEG
Video streaming • Multiple, individually configurable streams per channel in H.264 and/or Motion JPEG:

Image settings • Compression, color, brightness, contrast

Pan/Tilt/Zoom • Wide range of analog PTZ cameras supported (drivers available for download at www.axis.com)

Users 20 simultaneous viewers
Audio streaming Two way, full-duplex available on channel 1
Audio compression • AAC-LC 8 kHz 32 kbit/s, 16 kHz 64 kbit/s

Audio input/output • External microphone input or line input

Security Password protection, IP address filtering, HTTPS encryption, IEEE 802.1X network access control,

Supported protocols • IPv4/v6, HTTP, HTTPS*, SSL/TLS*, IEEE 802.1x*, QoS layer 3 DiffServ, FTP, SMTP, Bonjour, UPnP,

Application
Programming
Interface

Intelligent video Video motion detection, active tampering alarm, audio detection
Alarm triggers Intelligent video, external inputs, video loss
Alarm events • File upload via FTP, HTTP and email

Video buffer 64 MB pre- and post-alarm

30/25 (NTSC/PAL) fps in all resolutions

3 simultaneous streams in max resolution at 30/25 fps from each channel; more streams if
identical or limited in frame rate/resolution

• Controllable frame rate and bandwidth

• VBR/CBR H.264

• Rotation: 90°, 180°, 270°

• Aspect ratio correction

• Mirroring of images

• Text and image overlay

• Privacy mask

• Enhanced deinterlace filter

• 100 presets/camera, guard tour, PTZ control queue

• Supports Windows compatible joysticks

• G.711 μ-law PCM 64 kbit/s 8 kHz

• G.726 ADPCM 32 or 24 kbit/s 8 kHz

• Configurable bit rate

• Line level output

digest authentication, user access log

SNMPv1/v2c/v3(MIB-II), DNS, DynDNS, NTP, RTSP, RTP, TCP, UDP, IGMP, RTCP, ICMP, DHCP,

ARP, SOCKS
*This product includes software developed by the Open SSL Project for use in the Open SSL Tool
kit (www.openssl.org)

• Open API for software integration, including VAPIX® from Axis Communications*, AXIS Media
Control SDK*, event trigger data in video stream

• Quality of Service (QoS) layer 3, DiffServ Model

• Embedded Linux operating system

• ONVIF, specifications available at www.onvif.org

• Support for AXIS Video Hosting System (AVHS) with One-Click Camera connection
*Available at www.axis.com

• Notification via email, HTTP and TCP

• PTZ preset

• External output activation

50

AXIS Q7404 - Technical Specifications

Item Specification
Video access from web

browser

Casing Metal casing. Standalone or wall mount
Processor and memory • 4x ARTPEC-3

Power 8-20 V DC, max. 16.1W
Connectors • 4 analog composite video BNC input, NTSC/PAL auto-sensing

Operating conditions • 0-45 °C (32-113 °F)

Approvals • EN 55022 Class B, EN 61000-3-2, EN 61000-3-3, EN 55024,

Dimensions (HxWxD) 35 x151 x 184/194 mm (1.4" x 5.9" x 7.2/7.6") including/excluding connectors
Weight 796 g (1.7 lb) (power supply not included)
Included accessories • Power supply, mounting and connector kits, Installation Guide,

Video management
software (not incl.)

• Camera live view

• Video recording to file (ASF)

• Customizable HTML pages

• Windows 7, Windows Vista, XP, 2000, 2003 server

• DirectX 9c or higher

For other operating systems and browsers see www.axis.com/techsup

• 4x 128 MB RAM,

• 4x 128 MB Flash

• Battery backed-up real-time clock

• RJ-45 10BASE-T/100BASE-TX/1000BASE-T

• DC terminal block: power in 8-20 V DC, max. 16.1W

• I/O terminal block for two configurable inputs/outputs per channel

• 3.5 mm mic/line in, 3.5 mm line out on channel 1

• RS-485/RS-422 on all channels

• Humidity 20-80% RH (non-condensing)

• EN 61000-6-1, EN 61000-6-2, FCC Part 15 Subpart B Class B,

• ICES-003 Class B, VCCI Class B, C-tick AS/NZS CISPR 22,

• EN 60950-1

• Power supply PS-P: EN 60950-1, CSA, C/US

• CD with installation and management tools, software and User's Manual

• 4 Windows decoder user licenses

• AXIS Camera Station - Video management software for viewing, recording and archiving up to
50 cameras

• See www.axis.com/products/video/software/ for software applications via partners

General performance considerations

When setting up your system, it is important to consider how various settings and situations will affect performance. Some
factors affect the amount of bandwidth (the bit rate) required, others can affect the frame rate, and some will affect both. If
the load on the CPU reaches its maximum, this will also affect the frame rate.

The following factors are among the most important to consider:

• High image resolutions and/or lower compression levels result in larger images. Bandwidth affected.

• Access by large numbers of Motion JPEG and/or unicast H.264 clients. Bandwidth affected.

• Simultaneous viewing of different streams (resolution, compression, etc.) by different clients. Bandwidth affected.

• Heavy usage of event settings affects the CPU load. Frame rate affected.

• Heavy network utilization due to poor infrastructure. Bandwidth affected

• Viewing on poorly performing client PC lowers perceived performance. Frame rate affected.

51

AXIS Q7404 - Technical Specifications

Optimizing your system

To see the bandwidth and frame rate currently required by the video stream, the video encoder provides a tool that can be
used to display these values directly in the video image.

To do this, special format strings are added as part of a text
overlay. Simply add #r (average frame rate in fps) and/or #b
(average bandwidth in Kbps) to the overlay.

For detailed instructions, please see the online help for Video &

Image > Text Overlay Settings, and the help for File Naming &
Date/Time Formats.

Important!

• The figures displayed here are the values as delivered by the server. If other restrictions are
currently in force, (e.g. bandwidth limitation) these values might not correspond to those
actually received by the client.

• For Motion JPEG, these values will only be accurate as long as no frame rate limit has been specified.

52

AXIS Q7404 - Glossary

Glossary

Active Speaker - A speaker with a built-in power amplifier.

ActiveX - A control (or set of rules) used by a browser. ActiveX

controls are often downloaded and installed automatically as
required.

Advanced Audio Coding (AAC) - is an audio codec that is at the
core of the MPEG-4, 3GPP and 3GPP2 specifications, and is used
for Internet, wireless and digital broadcast audio. AAC combines
high quality audio encoding with a small file size.

AMC (AXIS Media Control) - The control required for viewing
video images in Internet Explorer. Installs automatically on first
use.

ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) - Used to associate an IP
address to a hardware MAC address. A request is broadcast on the
local network to find out what the MAC address is for the IP
address.

ARTPEC (Axis Real Time Picture Encoder) - Used for image
compression.

Aspect ratio - A ratio of width to height in images. A common
aspect ratio used for television screens and computer monitors is
4:3. High-definition television (HDTV) uses an aspect ratio of 16:9.

BOOTP - A protocol that can automatically configure a network
device (give it an IP address).

Bonjour - Also known as zero-configuration networking, Bonjour
enables automatic discovery of computers, devices, and services
on IP networks. Bonjour allows devices to automatically discover
each other without the need to enter IP addresses or configure
DNS servers. Bonjour is developed by Apple Computer Inc.

CGI (Common Gateway Interface) – A set of rules (or a program)
that allows a Web Server to communicate with other programs.

Client/Server - Describes the network relationship between two
computer programs, in which one, the client, makes a service
request from another - the server.

DC-Iris - This special type of iris is electrically controlled by the
Axis camera, to automatically regulate the amount of light
allowed to enter.

dB (Decibels) - A unit to measure sound level changes. A 3dB
change is the smallest level change we can hear. A 3dB change is
actually twice or half the audio power level. A gain of 0dB will
leave the signal level unchanged.

De-interlacing - De-interlacing is the process taking a stream of
interlaced frames and converting it to a stream of progressive
frames.

DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) – A means of transferring data via
standard phone lines.

Ethernet - A widely used networking standard.

ETRAX - Axis' own microprocessor.

Firewall - A virtual barrier between a LAN (Local Area Network)

and other networks, e.g. the Internet.

FTP (File Transfer Protocol) – Used for the simple transfer of files
to and from an FTP-server.

Full-duplex - Transmission of data, e.g. audio, in two directions
simultaneously.

G.711 - G.711 is the international standard for encoding
telephone audio on 64 kbps channel. It is a pulse code modulation
(PCM) scheme operating at 8 kHz sample rate.

G.726 - Frequently used speech-compression algorithm in
telecommunications due to its high perceived speech quality and
low resource requirements.

H.264 - Also known as MPEG-4 Part 10. This is the new
generation compression standard for digital video. H.264 offers
higher video resolution than Motion JPEG or MPEG-4 at the same
bit rate and bandwidth, or the same quality video at a lower bit
rate.

Half-duplex- A half-duplex link communicates in one direction at
a time only, much like a walkie-talkie. Two way communication is
possible, but not simultaneously.

HTTP (Hypertext Transfer Protocol) - The set of rules for
exchanging files (text, images, sound, video, and other files) on
the World Wide Web.

HTTPS - An extension to the HTTP protocol to support sending
data securely over the World Wide Web.

Intranet - A private network limited to an organization or
corporation. Usually closed to external traffic.

IP (Internet Protocol) – See TCP/IP.

IP address - A unique number used by a computer on the network

to allow it to be identified and found.

ISMA - Internet Streaming Media Alliance.

JPEG – A standard image format, used widely for photographs.

Also known as JPG.

LAN - A local area network (LAN) is a group of computers and
associated devices that typically share common resources within a
limited geographical area.

Linux - A popular operating system that is “open source” and
practically free of charge.

Local storage - If a camera or video encoder supports local
storage, an SD card can be inserted into the SD card slot to locally
record and store a video stream.

Lux – A standard unit for light measurement.

Mbit/s - Megabits per second. A unit for measuring speeds in

networks. A LAN might run at 10 or 100 Mbit/s.

Motion JPEG - Delivers a high quality video stream, from which
individual images can be extracted and saved.

MPEG-4 - A video compression standard that makes good use of
bandwidth, and which can provide DVD-quality video streams at
less than 1 Mbit/s.

Multicast - A bandwidth-conserving technology that reduces
bandwidth usage by simultaneously delivering a single stream of
information to multiple network recipients.

PEM (Privacy Enhanced Mail) - An early standard for securing
electronic mail. The PEM-format is often used for representing an
HTTPS certificate or certificate request.

Ping - A small utility used for sending data packets to network
resources to check that they are working and that the network is
intact.

Pre/post alarm image - The images from immediately before and
after an alarm.

Protocol - A special set of rules governing how two entities will
communicate. Protocols are found at many levels of
communication, and there are hardware protocols and software
protocols.

(QoS) Quality of Service - QoS provides the means to guarantee
a certain level of a specified resource to selected traffic on a

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network. Quality can be defined as e.g. a maintained level of
bandwidth, low latency, no packet losses, etc.

Router - A device that determines the next network point to
which a packet should be forwarded on its way to its final
destination. A router is often included as part of a network switch
(see below).

RTP (Real-Time Transfer Protocol) - A transfer protocol designed
for the delivery of live content, e.g. H.264.

RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) - RTSP is a control
protocol, and a starting point for negotiating transports such as
RTP, multicast and Unicast, and for negotiating codecs. RTSP can
be considered a “remote control” for controlling the media stream
delivered by a media server. RTSP servers typically use RTP as the
protocol for the actual transport of audio/video data.

Simplex - In simplex operation, a network cable or
communications channel can only send information in one
direction; it's a “one-way street”.

SMTP (Simple Mail Transfer Protocol) - The protocol used to
send e-mail across the Internet. SMTP authentication is a way of
allowing people outside of a domain to use an SMTP server when
sending e-mail.

SNMP (Simple Network Management Protocol) - An application
layer protocol that facilitates the exchange of management
information between network devices. It is part of the
Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocol
suite.

Subnet Mask - An IP address consists of two components: the
network address and the host address. “Subnetting’ enables a
network administrator to further divide the host part of the
address into two or more subnets. The subnet mask identifies the
subnet to which an IP address belongs.

Switch - A network switch is a device used to connect multiple
devices to the network. A switch only transmits data to the device
the data is specifically intended for.

TCP/IP (Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol) - A
suite of network protocols that determine how data is
transmitted. TCP/IP is used on many networks, including the
Internet. TCP keeps track of the individual packets of information
and IP contains the rules for how the packets are actually sent
and received.

UDP (User Datagram Protocol) - A communications protocol that
offers a limited amount of service when messages are exchanged
between computers in a network that uses the Internet Protocol
(IP). UDP is an alternative to the Transmission Control Protocol
(TCP) and, together with IP, is also known as UDP/IP.

Unicast - Communication between a single sender and a single
receiver over a network. A new connection is established for each
new user.

URL (Uniform Resource Locator) - An “address" on the network.

Varifocal - A varifocal lens provides a wide range of focal lengths,

as opposed to a lens with a fixed focal length, which only provides
one.

WAN (Wide-Area-Network) - Similar to a LAN, but on a larger
geographical scale.

Web server - A program on a computer that delivers the
resources (usually web pages) requested by the web user (the
client).

AXIS Q7404 - Glossary

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AXIS Q7404 - Index

Index

A

Action 20
Action Buttons 18
Administrator 12, 32
Alarm 20, 23, 41
ARP/Ping 35
Audio 11, 12, 15
Audio input 15
Audio mode 15
Audio output 16
Audio support 34
AXIS Internet Dynamic DNS Service 35
AXIS Media Control (AMC) 8, 11

B

Basic Setup 32
Bit Rate 13
Bonjour 6, 38
Buffer size 22
Buffers 22

C

CGI links 18, 31
Click-in-image 31
COM ports 38
Control button 40

D

Daisy chain 27, 38
Date & Time 34
Default 39
Default Viewer 17
DNS Configuration 35
DNS Server 35
Domain Name 35

FTP 37
FTP Server 20

G

GOV Settings 13
Guard tour 28

H

H.264 6, 10, 13
Host Name 36
HTTP Server 20
HTTPS 7, 32

I

I/O Ports 25, 38
IEEE 802.1X 32
Installing PTZ devices 26
IP Address Filtering 32
IPv4 35
IPv6 35

L

Live View Config 17
Logs & Reports 39

M

Motion detection 23
Motion JPEG 6, 10

N

NAT traversal 7, 36
Network Settings 34
NTP Configuration 36
NTP Server 34

O

OSD Menu 29
Output buttons 8, 19

E

Emergency Recovery 44
Event Servers 20
Events 20

F

Factory default 40
File upload 40
Frame Rate 12

P

Plain config 40
Port Status 25
Ports & Devices 38
Post-trigger buffer 22
Preset positions 27
Pre-trigger buffer 22
PTZ control panel 28, 31
PTZ control queue 29, 31

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PTZ controls 30
PTZ devices, installation 26

Q

Quality of Service 37
QuickTime 11, 17

R

Recovery 44
Relative and absolute PTZ drivers 30
Restart 39
Restore 39
RS-485/RS-422 38, 42
RTP 38
RTSP 37

S

Scheduled Event 20, 22
Scripting 40
Security 32
Server Report 39
Server Time 34
SMTP (email) 37
SNMP 38
SOCKS 37
Specifications 49
Support 39, 45
System Options 32

AXIS Q7404 - Index

T

TCP Server 20
TCP/IP Settings 34
Time Mode 34
Trigger buttons 8
Triggered Event 20
Troubleshooting 44

U

Upgrade Server 39
UPnP 36, 38
Users 32

V

VAPIX 11, 19, 31
Video streams 10, 12

W

Windows Media Player 11

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