Hitch

I ordered an Axis camera in the 6mm version. Received the shipment today and it's the 12mm version. I am not sure if that will work for my application and would appreciate any thoughts/advice you all can provide. I am going to install the camera inside my garage. I would like to install it above the door from the garage into the house. The camera, obviously, will face towards the two garage doors. It is a pretty basic garage with two individual doors. They are not very wide at all. I would guess 9 or 10 feet. I can measure the width tonight, but there is probably 2 or 3 feet between the two doors and a couple feet on each side. I went to Axis' site and ran the following. I think the 12mm is too narrow, but I am not sure how to interpret these. Does the first one tell me that at a viewing distance of 12 meters that I will see 5.1 meters wide and 3.8 high? And the second one tells me that at a viewing distance of 8mm that will see 3.4 meters with and 2.6 meters high? I assume this is an optimal viewing distance, as the lens does have an ability to zoom. Any thoughts/advice on whether 12mm will work for me? If not, back it goes.

Perfect. Thanks!

It's the P3364-VE, so no built in IR. That's built into the P3364-LVE. My theory about light is this. There are two garage doors and they both have motion sensors that turn on the lights contained in the openers themselves. The motion sensors are up close to the door going into the house. The garage doors also have sensors that turn on the lights if you walk in from the driveway. Also, one or both of the garage doors are usually open. If both garage doors are closed, then there will be no light. But in that instance, there wouldn't be anything going on for me to be concerned about. Does that make sense? Think it will work?

Many thanks! I think I am getting this. Here is the difference between the two models re the lenses/range: 6 mm: 2.5-6 mm/F1.2 12 mm: 3.3-12 mm/F1.4 Here is the difference between the lenses as far as minimum illumination/light sensitivity. 6mm: 0.1 (color), 0.02 (B/W) 12mm: 0.15 (color), 0.03 (B/W) From your comments, and looking back at the "Lens Calculator", I tend to think that the 12mm is fine as far as being able to capture the entire garage. The issue, however, is more likely to be that the 12mm model has a greater need for light. Whether that difference matters in real life, well, I really don't know. Thanks again.

For which manufacturer(s)? Are those backdoor codes or the normal/default? For what it's worth, I have (only?) three cameras installed. They are all Axis. I just installed a fourth this weekend, but I haven't run the networking cable back to the PoE switch yet. My parents wanted to add one at their house and they also picked up an Axis. All but one has been bought via Amazon. If you watch, and are patient, you can get some very good deals. I paid less than $450 for the most recent one - a P3364-VE. I can't stay enough good things about their support. It's fantastic! I hope it continues that way under Canon ownership.

As referenced in my other posts on this site, I installed a system at my house. It was, at times, fairly frustrating, but between your help here and calls to Axis I was able to get it done. Fortunately, I was able to grab some Axis cams by waiting for price dips on-line. In the end, I feel like I now have very good quality cameras. I am pretty happy with it. Obviously, fumbling through the install by myself saved a chunk of money. I suspect, however, that if I paid for a professional install that I would have better pictures from the cameras, as I really don't know how to tweak them. With that as background, my parents need to install a system at their place. They really only need to install a camera or two for the front. Probably two cameras. They also want audio (which is something that I have no experience with). Unfortunately, I'll be the tech on this install. I looked at Costco's website and read a number of the threads on here regarding those systems. On the plus side, they are all-in-one systems at a very good price. On the bad side, it appears that there is not much support and some tinkering ensues. I've also been unable to find information about adding audio. To me, the other option is to buy them a couple of Axis cameras and a PoE switch. I was thinking that I needed to buy them some sort of an NVR, but I don't know that is necessary at this point. With the Axis, I could buy a 64GB and not use an NVR. Again, simple. When ever something goes wrong with the system, regardless of whether their tinkering caused it, I'll be the one to fix it. I tried to use the Axis design tool. Unfortunately, the camera that I would like to get for them is not included in the tool. Using what appears to be another 1MP camera, it looks like I can get a solid 7 days out of the 64GB card (using event recording, assuming 30% usage, 18 fps, 1280x800 resolution, H.264 compression type and compression of 30). Actually, the tool shows 40.3GB. Bumping the usage up to 40% still shows 53.8GB after 7 days. Seven days should be plenty of storage for them. For my parents, I really need something that is reliable and hardy. My mom won't mess with it, but my dad thinks that he knows how to do stuff. He tinkers and tends to leave a path of destruction.... As a result, I am kind of leaning towards the Axis. It will very much help that I have some understanding of the product and their software. Also, the on-board storage will (should???) avoid the need for a separate NVR. How much ongoing tinkering do the Costco systems require? With regards to audio, can someone give me some suggestions on something that could be used with the Axis? How well does that work? I think they are hoping to pick up to the end of their driveway, which is only about 30 feet. Can I add audio (just receiving - not a speaker) to the Costco systems? Am I heading in the wrong direction? Any thoughts/comments would be appreciated.

Unless he really doesn't need PTZ. Why would you need 12 PTZ cameras for your back yard? A "yard" may not mean a "backyard". Maybe he is using "yard" as in a "lot".

Voip - Have you ever posted a pic of yours? If not, are you willing to? I would really appreciate seeing how your Axton works with your Axis.

You will find that Buell provides a ton of help/advice on this forum. Take a look at some of StanLee's posts on here, that will give you more information. Take a look at this thread: viewtopic.php?t=33746 That thread goes through my progression of searching, buying and installing. As of now, I have three Axis cameras. Two are the P3364 and one is a P3367. I use a Synology. I had it before I bought the cams. I use it to store my video, but do not use Synology Surveillance Station, which is Synology's video software. I use the free software from Axis. Depending on where I am, I access the cams via (i) a web browser (including Safari); (ii) the Axis camera companion app for iPhone/iPad; or (iii) IP Camera Lite - which is also an app for the iPhone/iPad. Synology is not, however, a dedicated NVR. Also, check out posts by Voip-ninja. He has, I believe, two Axis cam's. I think he also has a couple Samsungs. Last, you can use the ACC application on a Windows PC to manage the camera(s). The other option is to manage the cameras by logging into them through a browser. Personally, I like to manage mine through a browser.

StanLee - Thanks so much for the pictures and info. I appreciate the effort. That's a nice looking install - and a great looking place you have there. You are inspiring me to do some tweaking of my cams. Mine are a bit bleached out. Your colors are much more rich. Buellwinkle - I keep toying with the idea of adding an IR to my system. Just haven't taken the step. I ended up getting some LED's for the front of the house. Hate to admit it, but I haven't put them in yet. I tend to leave the lights by my front door on every night. On weekends, I also leave on the 2 lights by the garage. I wish more of my neighbors would leave lights on - especially after there were a couple break-ins a few months ago. Also, do the ACTi cams do audio? I reviewed the information on the website, but couldn't find any confirmation.

Thanks! Where do you recommend shopping for ACTi cameras? Also, what would you recommend? I tend to think that a 1MP is sufficient. EDIT: After posting this, I remembered that you have mentioned a specific website in some of your posts. I found the website. I have to admit that I'm fairly confused with the whole IR illuminator thing. On the one hand, I read that the internal ones can bleed into the cam view. Or, that they tend to draw in bugs or spiders, which can affect the view of the cam. It seems like more people recommend a separate IR, slightly away from the camera. At that point, you can stay away from the cam. manufacturer's illuminator. I've also read that people recommend just using the regular lights on the front of your house - LED lights in particular. I guess that I am sufficiently confused about IR that it doesn't end up affecting my decisions.

Thanks StanLee! Would very much appreciate hearing what mic you have and seeing a pic or two of the installation.

yes except that price is not right ...... around 200. Is $200 wholesale? The best I can find is $325 from Newegg.

3mp and 15 fps can't be that much more then 2mp and 30 fps. The bandwidth is determined by the bit rate setting on the cams. The resolution and frame rate don't affect it directly, but can affect the image quality at a given bit rate. Can you explain this a bit (no pun intended) more? My parents are looking for a security system. Four cameras would be plenty for them (they may not even need all four). I was thinking about recommending this package to them, but I don't think I understand what you are saying. Also, is it possible to add audio to this system? Thanks!

Cam - Thanks for sharing your experience. My parents had a lot of trouble with their install as well. The guy would show up late, not show up at all, would not respond for several days, etc. It was a real pain in the arse. Fortunately, the system did finally get up and running. Also, the hardware installed was good quality stuff, so it continues to work properly. Hope you get your systems up and running without too much more trouble.

Ugh! Reminds me of the issues that I had setting up my remote connection - although in hindsight my issue was pretty dumb. I hope it's all nailed down for you now.

Is the 16 port Zyxel fan loud? I know loud is in the ears of the beholder, but I've read the fan is loud. I have that same switch. As you note, it is subjective and hard to describe. I installed the PoE switch in my office. I wasn't prepared for how loud the fan is. I don't know that I would say it is loud, but it is certainly not quiet. I find it distracting. If I could do it all over again, I would have set up the PoE in another location - probably the basement.

I've spent many hours over the last several days reading this forum for information and tips on what type of surveillance system to purchase. I would like to thank everyone for sharing your thoughts and experiences. It has been quite helpful. First off, what is my motivation? Well, last week several houses in my immediate area were robbed. They broke into the house across the street from me, tried to get into the next door neighbor's house, along with another house a few doors down (they removed the door handle assembly on the slider but still couldn't get in). At least one house in the next neighborhood was also broken into. The good news as far as cameras is that I am a clean slate, except that I have a Synology DS412+ server. It has a Dual Core 2.13GHz processor (Intel Atom D2700 Dualcore (2C/4T) 2.13GHz x86 Processor 64-bit@DDR3, 1GB of RAM) and 2 LAN with Failover and Link Aggregation Support (Gigabit x 2). Since I own the Synology, I would like to take advantage of it for storage. The Synology website has a list of cameras that are supported for specific versions of either Synology's OS or Synology's own camera surveillance, which is called Surveillance Station. In short, it's two parts confusing and one part intimidating. There are all sorts of cameras approved for specific versions of either the OS or the Surveillance Station. On the other hand, it is a good thing that so many cameras are possible. I have pretty much narrowed it down to Axis or Samsung. I have read really good things about Axis. Besides that, Synology has what they refer to as "Optimized camera brands". It is supposed to help with "advanced camera integration" and "customizing". Even recognizing that this is at least part marketing, I would appreciate the extra ease of use. Although I enjoy some tinkering, I would like to avoid constant tinkering. For a non-IT guy, I'm fairly tech-savy. I've built my own HTPC and also help my parents with their surveillance system (its from Speco). We are mainly a Mac household. As far as other PC's, I have the HTPC which is on all of the time (it has an internal cable card for one TV and runs two additional XBOX's). I throw that out there in case that would help with any suggestions. I am looking at the Axis P3364-VE. It's more than I would like to spend, but I would rather spend a little more now than end up with a camera that I am disappointed with and replace in relatively short order. As I said above, I don't want a camera that I need to constantly tinker with. My main goal is for a camera for the front of my house. It would be mounted under the eve of my two story house. The house is set back about 50 feet from the street. I'm not sure how well I will be able to catch both the driveway (which is to the left of where the camera will be mounted), as well as front door, which is to the right. Can the P3364-VE essentially look straight down from where it will be mounted? The front door is about 18 or 20 feet (horizontally) from the mount position. The front of my house is flat, except that the two-car garage sticks out about 5 or 6 feet from the front of the main part of the house. Obviously, I would like the camera to pick up the driveway in front of the garage - down to the street. I've read that Synology's software has not caught up with Mac's newest software because of a java issue. However, it's something that I'll just deal with. Using the Axis software is another option. I would certainly like to be able to check the cameras from iOS products (iPhone and/or iPad). It looks like there are options, although not great ones), through Axis. I can't recall if there are options through Synology. I would also like to cover the backyard. If I do so, I will need two cameras because of the shape of the house. I am considering two P3363-VE's for the back yard. Again, I am pushing my finances on these. I thought about getting Samsungs for the backyard, but I have concerns about mixing camera manufacturers. Wouldn't I lose the ability to use the Axis software if I mix cameras? My backyard is pretty small. Each of the cameras in the back would only need to cover an area that is about 30 feet by 15 feet. Also, I have motion sensing flood lights back there, so low light cameras is not extremely important. For PoE, I am considering the Zyxel 16 port switch, mainly due to what I have read about it's ability to supply power if I add cameras in the future. Any and all comments and/or suggestions would be much appreciated! Thanks in advance!

I like it. I installed the P3367 in the location where (one of) the P3364 used to be. There's a diagram somewhere in this thread. The P3364 was installed in a new location and is zoomed in much more than it used to be. It now pretty much just shows my front walk/door. With just a couple CFL's, the P3364 stays in color mode all night. I think that the picture quality of the '64 is 16 The P3367 does go to black and white earlier in the evening than the P3364 used to. I think you were one of the ones who commented about the large field of view that I had the P3364 set at. The '67 is currently set to pretty much the same field of view. I can't wait for the digital autotracking software to come out for the '67. I am anxious to see what that will do for the camera. The '67 was roughly $400 more than the '64's that I bought. I certainly happy with what I have. To put it another way, I certainly don't wish that I bought three '67's. One for the wide field of view is fine with me. The other two cover a smaller area and the '64's are great for that. Someday I'll pick up another '64 to cover another section of the backyard. I'm still trying to figure out whether I want one for inside the garage.

To update the above, I was able to switch out the camera portion of the P3364 for the P3367. The initial mount and the bracket which holds the camera were left in place. The dome for the P3367 is slightly larger, so I swapped that and the actual camera.

I figured I should update this thread to pass along what I learned - or what I think I learned. I worked with Axis support and they recommended that I update the firmware on the cameras. Since doing that, I have not had any further issues. Still using the original PoE switch.

Starting last Friday, I have been having intermittent issues connecting to my cameras. I have two Axis cameras connected to a ZyXEL ES1100-16P 16-Port Fast Ethernet POE Unmanaged Switch. I am wondering if the problem is with the ZyXel, but don't really know. The problem has been intermittent between the two cameras. Sometimes I can connect to the both cameras without issue. Sometimes I can only connect to camera 1, but not camera 2. Sometimes it is the other way around. When the issue is ongoing, it continues across different manners of access. In other words, using IP Camara on my iPad or iPhone, I will only be able to see the one working camera. I get the same result trying to access the camera via a PC browser. I can see the working camera but not the other one. Yesterday afternoon, camera two decided to not work. I could get to the log-in/password screen, but then the browser would say that it was waiting for the camera. After a while, it would time out. Again I could access the other camera just fine. Once I got home from work, I tried to Live View camera two - no luck. Camera one still worked fine. When the issue is occurs, I often see the log-in screen. Sometimes I can't even get to that point. The issue always stops when I unplug the networking cable from the ZyXEL and let the camera restart. I tend to think it's not a bandwidth issue since one camera will work fine. I've never had both cameras go out. Logging out of the working camera doesn't help my ability to see the second. I also have a good internet connection at home. Any suggestions on how I can troubleshoot?

Don't forget that's not a requirement. I have three cams using my Synology as a NAS. I haven't even used the first license. So your not using the VMS built in the unit your just using it as a NAS correct? Correct. I have Axis cams and I am using Axis Camera Companion from home and work. On my iPhone and iPad, I use an app to access ACC.

Don't forget that's not a requirement. I have three cams using my Synology as a NAS. I haven't even used the first license.

I am certain that I am not the right guy to be giving you the answers that you need. However, I might be able to help a little. I have a ZyXel switch, based on recommendations on here. You might want to take a look at those. Second, make sure you check the amount of power that those PoE's can provide. IIRC, the manufacturers generally refer to a "Power Budget". This is the total amount of power that the PoE can provide to all ports. The total "Power Budget" is sometimes not enough to provide max power to all ports at the same time.