AXIS FA54 Main Unit

When you connect a sensor unit to a main unit, we recommend that you make the connection before you power up the main unit. If you disconnect a sensor unit and connect a different one, you must restart the main unit.

The sensor unit is delivered with a cable. To shorten the cable follow these steps:

1. Cut the cable to the desired length. Measure from the sensor unit.

2. Strip the plastic outer coating from the end of the cable.

3. Peel back the shield.

4. Flatten the colored wires in the order described below.

5. 1	Brown
   2	White/brown
   3	Not used
   4	Not used
   5	White/blue
   6	Blue

6. Insert the wires all the way into a shielded 6P6C RJ12 connector.

7. NOTICE

   Make sure that the wires stay in the correct order and that the cable shield makes good contact with the connector shield.

8. Use a crimping tool to fasten the connector to the cable.

To find Axis devices on the network and assign them IP addresses in Windows®, use AXIS IP Utility or AXIS Device Manager. Both applications are free and can be downloaded from axis.com/support.

For more information about how to find and assign IP addresses, go to How to assign an IP address and access your device.

1. Open a browser and type the IP address or host name of the Axis device.

   If you don’t know the IP address, use AXIS IP Utility or AXIS Device Manager to find the device on the network.

2. Type the username and password. If you access the device for the first time, you must create an administrator account. See Create an administrator account.

For descriptions of all features and settings in the web interface of devices with AXIS OS, see AXIS OS web interface help.

The device password is the primary protection for your data and services. Axis devices do not impose a password policy as they may be used in various types of installations.

To protect your data we strongly recommend that you:

• Use a password with at least 8 characters, preferably created by a password generator.

• Don’t expose the password.

• Change the password at a recurring interval, at least once a year.

The first time you log in to your device, you must create an administrator account.

1. Enter a username.

2. Enter a password. See Secure passwords.

3. Re-enter the password.

4. Accept the license agreement.

5. Click Add account.

Preview mode is ideal for installers when fine tuning the camera view during the installation. No login is required to access the camera view in preview mode. It is available only in factory defaulted state for a limited time from powering up the device.

This video gives you an overview of the device’s web interface.

You can access the built-in help from the device’s webpage. The help provides more detailed information on the device’s features and their settings.

Use corridor format to better utilize the full field of view in a long and narrow area, for example a staircase, hallway, road, or tunnel.

1. Depending on your device, turn the camera or the 3-axis lens in the camera 90° or 270°.

2. If the device doesn’t have automatic rotation of the view, go to Video > Installation.

3. Rotate the view 90° or 270°.

The camera can transmit a live video stream to an HDMI monitor without the need for a network connection. The monitor can be used for surveillance purposes, or for public viewing, e.g. in a store.

1. Connect an external monitor using the HDMI connector.

2. Open the HDMI settings, under Settings > System > HDMI.

3. Select what to view on the HDMI output. To use Single source — select the required camera.

Overlays are superimposed over the video stream. They are used to provide extra information during recordings, such as a timestamp, or during product installation and configuration. You can add either text or an image.

• Make sure to select the capture mode that has the highest resolution.

• Go to Video > Stream > General and set the compression as low as possible.

• Below the live view image, click and in Video format, select MJPEG.

• Go to Video > Stream > Zipstream and select Off.

1. Go to Video > Stream.

2. Click in the live view.

3. Select Video format AV1 if your device supports it. Otherwise select H.264.

4. Go to Video > Stream > General and increase Compression.

5. Go to Video > Stream > Zipstream and do one or more of the following:

6. • Select the Zipstream Strength that you want to use.

   • Turn on Optimize for storage. This can only be used if the video management software supports B-frames.

   • Turn on Dynamic FPS.

   • Turn on Dynamic GOP and set a high Upper limit GOP length value.

Bitrate control helps you to manage the bandwidth consumption of your video stream.

Variable bitrate (VBR)
Variable bitrate allows the bandwidth consumption to vary depending on the level of activity in the scene. The more activity, the more bandwidth you need. With variable bitrate you are guaranteed constant image quality, but you need to make sure you have storage margins.

Maximum bitrate (MBR)
Maximum bitrate lets you set a target bitrate to handle bitrate limitations in your system. You might see a decline in image quality or frame rate as the instantaneous bitrate is kept below the specified target bitrate. You can choose to prioritize either image quality or frame rate. We recommend that you configure the target bitrate to a higher value than the expected bitrate. This gives you a margin in case there is a high level of activity in the scene.

Average bitrate (ABR)
With average bitrate, the bitrate is automatically adjusted over a longer period of time. This is so you can meet the specified target and provide the best video quality based on your available storage. Bitrate is higher in scenes with a lot of activity, compared to static scenes. You are more likely to get better image quality when in scenes with a lot of activity if you use the average bitrate option. You can define the total storage required to store the video stream for a specified amount of time (retention time) when image quality is adjusted to meet the specified target bitrate. Specify the average bitrate settings in one of the following ways:

• To calculate the estimated storage need, set the target bitrate and the retention time.

• To calculate the average bitrate, based on available storage and required retention time, use the target bitrate calculator.

• 1. Target bitrate
  2. Actual average bitrate
• You can also turn on maximum bitrate and specify a target bitrate within the average bitrate option.
• 1. Target bitrate
  2. Actual average bitrate

Dynamic range is the difference in light levels in an image. In some cases the difference between the darkest and the brightest areas can be significant. The result is often an image where either the dark or the bright areas are visible. Wide dynamic range (WDR) makes both dark and bright areas of the image visible.

1. Go to Video > Image > Wide dynamic range.

2. Turn on WDR.

3. Use the Local contrast slider to adjust the amount of WDR.

4. If you still have problems, go to Exposure and adjust the Exposure zone to cover the area of interest.

Find out more about WDR and how to use it at axis.com/web-articles/wdr.

With analytics and apps you can get more out of your Axis device. AXIS Camera Application Platform (ACAP) is an open platform that makes it possible for third parties to develop analytics and other apps for Axis devices. Apps can be preinstalled on the device, available for download for free, or for a license fee.

To find the user manuals for Axis analytics and apps, go to help.axis.com.

AXIS People Counter is an analytic application that you can install on a network camera. You can use the application to count how many people pass through an entrance, in what direction they pass, and if more than one person passes during a predefined interval. You can also use it to estimate how many people are currently occupying an area, and the average visiting time.

The application runs embedded in the camera which means you don’t need a dedicated computer to run the application. AXIS People Counter is suitable for any indoor environment, like stores, libraries, or gyms.

How does estimating occupancy work?

You can use the application to estimate occupancy in areas with one or several entrances and exits. Each entrance and exit needs to be equipped with a network camera with AXIS People Counter installed. If there are several cameras, they communicate with each other over the network in a primary and secondary concept. The primary camera continuously fetches data from the secondary cameras and presents the data in the live view. Every fifteen minutes, the primary camera sends the statistical data to AXIS Store Data Manager. Consequently, the reports generated from AXIS Store Data Manager can present the data in a minimum of 15 minutes time interval.

To read about all the features and settings available in the web interface of devices with AXIS OS, go to AXIS OS web interface help.

This device supports microSD/microSDHC/microSDXC cards.

For SD card recommendations, see axis.com.

microSD, microSDHC, and microSDXC Logos are trademarks of SD-3C LLC. microSD, microSDHC, microSDXC are trademarks or registered trademarks of SD-3C, LLC in the United States, other countries or both.

• The control button is used for:

• Resetting the product to factory default settings. See Reset to factory default settings.

Use the HDMI^TM connector to connect a display or public view monitor.

RJ45 Ethernet connector.

• The Axis product has the following audio connectors:

• 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 for audio (line level) that can be connected to a public address (PA) system or an active speaker with a built-in amplifier. A stereo connector must be used for audio out.

3.5 mm audio connectors (stereo)

Use the I/O connector with external devices in combination with, for example, motion detection, event triggering, and alarm notifications. In addition to the 0 VDC reference point and power (12 V DC output), the I/O connector provides the interface to:

Digital input

For connecting devices that can toggle between an open and closed circuit, for example PIR sensors, door/window contacts, and glass break detectors.

Digital output

For connecting external devices such as relays and LEDs. Connected devices can be activated by the VAPIX® Application Programming Interface, through an event or from the device’s web interface.

Example

1. DC ground
2. DC output 12 V, max 50 mA
3. I/O configured as input
4. I/O configured as output
5. Configurable I/O
6. Configurable I/O

DC connector. Use the supplied adapter.

The RJ12 connector is used for connecting the sensor unit to the main unit.

To reset the product to the factory default settings:

1. Disconnect power from the product.

2. Press and hold the control button while reconnecting power. See Product overview.

3. Keep the control button pressed for 15–30 seconds until the status LED indicator flashes amber.

4. Release the control button. The process is complete when the status LED indicator turns green. If no DHCP server is available on the network, the device IP address will default to one of the following:

5. • Devices with AXIS OS 12.0 and later: Obtained from the link-local address subnet (169.254.0.0/16)

   • Devices with AXIS OS 11.11 and earlier: 192.168.0.90/24

6. Use the installation and management software tools to assign an IP address, set the password, and access the device.

   The installation and management software tools are available from the support pages on axis.com/support.

You can also reset parameters to factory default through the device’s web interface. Go to Maintenance > Factory default and click Default.

AXIS OS determines the functionality of our devices. When you troubleshoot a problem, we recommend that you to start by checking the current AXIS OS version. The latest version might contain a correction that fixes your particular problem.

To check the current AXIS OS version:

1. Go to the device’s web interface > Status.

2. Under Device info, see the AXIS OS version.

1. Download the AXIS OS file to your computer, available free of charge at axis.com/support/device-software.

2. Log in to the device as an administrator.

3. Go to Maintenance > AXIS OS upgrade and click Upgrade.

4. When the upgrade has finished, the product restarts automatically.

You can use AXIS Device Manager to upgrade multiple devices at the same time. Find out more at axis.com/products/axis-device-manager.

Problems upgrading AXIS OS

Problems setting the IP address

Problems accessing the device

Problems with streaming

Problems with MQTT

Problems with operating the device

If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, try the troubleshooting section at axis.com/support.

When you set up your system, it’s important to consider how different settings and situations affect performance. Some factors affect bandwidth (bitrate), others affect frame rate, and some affect both.

The most important factors to consider:

• High image resolution or lower compression levels result in images containing more data which in turn affects the bandwidth.

• Rotating the image in the GUI can increase the product's CPU load.

• Access by large numbers of Motion JPEG clients or unicast H.264/H.265/AV1 clients affects the bandwidth.

• Simultaneous viewing of different streams (resolution, compression) by different clients affects both frame rate and bandwidth.

  Use identical streams wherever possible to maintain a high frame rate. Stream profiles can be used to ensure that streams are identical.

• Accessing video streams with different codecs simultaneously affects both frame rate and bandwidth. For optimal performance, use streams with the same codec.

• Heavy usage of event settings affects the product’s CPU load which in turn affects the frame rate.

• Using HTTPS may reduce frame rate, in particular if streaming Motion JPEG.

• Heavy network utilization due to poor infrastructure affects the bandwidth.

• Viewing on poorly performing client computers lowers perceived performance and affects frame rate.

• Running multiple AXIS Camera Application Platform (ACAP) applications simultaneously may affect the frame rate and the general performance.