Axis 213 PTZ

This review is part of a group test

The Axis 213 PTZ is cased in plastic and features a metal base for ceiling attachment. Although it does not feature any specific external housing, the manufacturer claims it can be used in outdoor locations where it is protected from rain and moisture. Alternatively, there are outdoor housing accessories, consisting of a Videotec Dome Housing (£195 + VAT) and a weatherproof junction box (£34 + VAT).

The camera attaches to a network through its 10/100 Fast Ethernet port, and there is also a proprietary I/O connector for attaching Axis-specific external devices.

Installation is simple, with the manual providing step-by-step instructions on how to set up the camera using ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) commands as well as the utility provided on CD. Running the utility revealed that our DHCP server had already assigned an IP address, which we were able to ping straightaway. We could then enter an IP address into the browser to access the root login page.

Panning and tilting the camera is easy using the slider bars on the control screen, while the resolution can be quickly changed using a single click. There is also the option to quickly rotate the camera from one side to the other, plus extensive tools for specifying preset positions and focus, and assigning different URLs to them.

One of the best features of this camera is the zoom facility, which allowed us to focus in on quite small objects such as car registration plates.

Extensive configuration tools change video and image settings, including aspect ratio connection, compression, brightness, overlay, white balance, exposure control and bit rate control for MPEG4.

Administrators can also alter the video stream settings by limiting viewers to so many seconds per session, or putting a cap on the bandwidth they are using (1-3FPS per user) to make sure that all users see acceptable performance. Images can be sent to FTP or HTTP sites, or sent via email, and there is the option to view images over the web using the Axis Active DNS service.

The software on disk includes Axis IP utility software, a user guide and manual, as well as a demo version of Axis Camera Explorer software for Windows and PocketPC.

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