AXIS Camera Station User Manual

For more information about the AXIS Camera Station features, go to Feature Guide.

For more information about the AXIS Camera Station tutorial videos, go to AXIS Camera Station tutorial videos.

Here are some links you might be interested in. Enjoy the reading!

• Log in to AXIS Camera Station server

• Configure devices

• Configure storage

• Configure recording and events

• Configure connected services

• Configure server

• Configure licenses

• Configure security

More AXIS Camera Station manuals

• AXIS Camera Station Integrator Guide

• What's new in AXIS Camera Station

• AXIS Camera Station Installation and Migration Guide

• AXIS Camera Station Mobile App

• AXIS Camera Station Feature Guide

• AXIS Camera Station tutorial videos

• AXIS Camera Station Troubleshooting Guide

• AXIS Camera Station System Hardening Guide

Here are some links you might be interested in. Enjoy the reading!

• Log in to AXIS Camera Station server

• Configure client

• Live view

• Playback recordings

• Export recordings

Learn more:

• AXIS Camera Station getting started guide for operators

• AXIS Camera Station cheat sheet - review and export

This tutorial will walk you through the basic steps to make your system up and running.

Before you start, you may need to:

• Configure your network depending on your installation. See Network configuration.

• Configure your server ports if needed. See Server port configuration.

• Consider security issues. See Security considerations.

After necessary configurations, you can start to work with AXIS Camera Station.

For an administrator:

1. Start AXIS Camera Station

2. Add devices

3. Configure recording method

For an operator:

1. Live view cameras

2. Playback recordings

3. Export recordings

4. Play and verify recordings in AXIS File Player

AXIS Camera Station Service Control automatically starts after the installation is complete.

Double-click the AXIS Camera Station client icon to start the AXIS Camera Station client. When starting the client for the first time, it automatically attempts to log in to the AXIS Camera Station server installed on the same computer as the client.

You can connect to multiple AXIS Camera Station servers in different ways. See Log in to AXIS Camera Station server.

The first time you start your AXIS Camera Station, you are navigated to the Add devices page. AXIS Camera Station automatically searches the network for connected devices and displays a list of devices found. See Add devices.

1. Select the cameras to add from the list.
   If your camera is not listed, click Manual search.

2. Click Add.

3. Select Quick configuration or Site Designer configuration. Click Next. See Import Site Designer projects.

4. Use the default settings and ensure the recording method is set to None. Click Install.

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.

2. If you want to enable motion detection recording:

3. 1. Select a camera.

   2. Turn on Motion detection.

   3. Click Apply.

4. If you want to enable continuous recording:

5. 1. Select a camera.

   2. Turn on Continuous.

   3. Click Apply.

1. Click the Live view tab to navigate to the camera live view.

2. Click a camera to navigate to the live view of that camera. A red dot indicates that the camera is recording. indicates that motion is detected, and the camera is recording.

3. Click to navigate from Live view to Recordings. A red line in the timeline shows that motion detection recording has been taken for that period. A blue line in the timeline shows that the recording was triggered by an action rule.

1. Go to the Recording tab.

2. In the timeline of the camera, use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out and drag the timeline to make the marker pointing at your desired position.

3. To start playing the recording from the desired position, click .

1. Go to the Recording tab.

2. In the timeline of the camera, use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out.

3. Click to display the selection markers.

4. Drag the markers to include the recordings that you want to export.

5. Click to open the Export tab.

6. Click Export....

Also see Export recordings for more information.

1. Go to the folder that you have specified for the exported recordings. In this example, the exported files include the recordings in the .asf format, the notes in the .txt format, and AXIS File Player.

2. Double-click AXIS File Player. The exported recordings will be automatically played.

3. Click to show the notes added to the recordings.

4. To verify the digital signature:

5. 1. Go to Tools > Verify digital signature.

   2. Select Validate with password and enter your password.

   3. Click Verify. The verification result page is displayed.

6. Note

   Digital signature is different from Signed video. Signed video allows video to be traced back to the camera it originated from, making it possible to verify that the recording hasn’t been tampered with after it left the camera. See Signed video and the camera’s user manual for more information.

When AXIS Camera Station client, AXIS Camera Station server, and the connected network devices are installed on different networks, you might need to configure proxy or firewall settings before using AXIS Camera Station.

Client proxy settings

When the client and the server are separated by a proxy server, configure the client proxy settings.

1. Double-click the AXIS Camera Station client icon.

2. Click Change client proxy settings.

3. Change the client proxy settings. See Client proxy settings in User Manual.

4. Click OK.

Server proxy settings

When network devices and the server are separated by a proxy server, configure the server proxy settings.

1. Double-click the AXIS Service Control icon in Windows notification area.

2. Select Modify settings.

3. In the Proxy settings section, use the default System account internet option or select Use manual proxy settings. See General in AXIS Camera Station Service Control.

4. Click Save.

NAT and Firewall

When the client and the server are separated by a NAT, firewall or similar, configure the NAT or firewall to ensure that the HTTP port, TCP port, and streaming port specified in AXIS Camera Station Service Control are allowed to pass through the firewall and/or NAT. For instructions how to configure the NAT or firewall, contact the network administrator.

The ports 55752 (HTTP), 55754 (TCP), 55756 (mobile communication), and 55757 (mobile streaming) are used on AXIS Camera Station server for communication between the server and the client. If required, the ports can be changed from AXIS Camera Station Service Control. See General in AXIS Camera Station Service Control.

To prevent unauthorized access to cameras and recordings, keep the following in mind:

• Use strong passwords for all network devices (cameras, video encoders and auxiliary devices).

• Install AXIS Camera Station server, cameras, video encoders, and auxiliary devices on a secure network separated from the office network. AXIS Camera Station client can be installed on a computer on another network, for example a network with Internet access.

• Ensure all users have strong passwords. Using Windows Active Directory a high level of security can be implemented.

AXIS Camera Station is a complete monitoring and recording system for small and midsize installations, such as retail shops, hotels, manufacturing sites and schools.

Optimized to take full advantage of Axis leading network cameras and video encoders, AXIS Camera Station combines easy installation and intuitive operation with powerful features for effective investigation and high definition identification.

AXIS Camera Station is comprised of

• AXIS Camera Station server: handles all communication with cameras, video encoders and auxiliary devices in the system. The number of cameras and encoders that each server can communicate with is limited by the total bandwidth available.

• AXIS Camera Station client: provides access to recordings, live video, logs and configuration. The client can be installed on any computer enabling remote viewing and control from anywhere on the Internet or corporate network.

• AXIS mobile viewing app: provides access to recordings and live video on multiple systems. The app can be installed on Android and iOS devices, and enable remote viewing from other locations. It uses HTTPS to communicate with the AXIS Camera Station server. Configure the mobile communication port and mobile streaming port as described in the Server settings section in General. For more information about how to use the app, see AXIS Camera Station Mobile App user manual.

• Multiple clients can connect to the same server, and each client can connect to multiple servers.

Through the AXIS Camera Station client, you can connect to a single server installed on the local computer or elsewhere on the network, or to multiple servers.

When trying to connect to a server for the first time, the client checks the server certificate ID. To ensure that you are connecting to the correct server, manually verify the certificate ID with the one displayed in AXIS Camera Station Service Control. See General.

When trying to connect to a server, the client will be upgraded automatically if the client version is not the same as the server version.

Double-click the AXIS Camera Station icon to start the AXIS Camera Station client. You can connect to AXIS Camera Station servers in the following ways:

To connect to the servers used in the previous session, select Last used servers.

To connect to the server installed on the same computer as the client, select This computer.

• Select Log in as current user to log in as the current Windows user.

• Clear Log in as current user and click Log in. Select Other user and provide another username and password to log in with a different username and password.

• Select Log in as <username> if you have your username and password remembered.

To connect to a remote server:

1. Select Remote server.

2. Select a server from the Remote server drop-down list or enter the IP or DNS address in the field. If the server is not listed, click to reload all the available remote servers.
   If the server is configured to accept clients on a different port than the default port number 55752, enter the IP address followed by the port number, for example, 192.168.0.5:46001

3. You can:

4. • Select Log in as current user to log in as the current Windows user.

   • Clear Log in as current user and click Log in. Select Other user and provide another username and password to log in with a different username and password.

   • Select Log in as <username> if you have your username and password remembered.

To sign in to AXIS Secure Remote Access:

1. Click the Sign in to AXIS Secure Remote Access link.

2. Enter your MyAxis account credentials. See Axis Secure Remote Access.

3. Click Sign in and Grant to grant access.

To connect to the servers from a server list, select a server list from the drop-down list of the Server list field. Click to create or edit the server lists. See Server lists.

To import a server list file that has been exported from AXIS Camera Station, click Import server list at the bottom right and browse to a .msl file. See Server lists.

To delete the usernames and passwords that have saved for all the connected servers, click Delete saved passwords at the bottom right.

To connect to a server, it may be necessary to change the client proxy settings, click Change client proxy settings at the bottom right. See Client proxy settings.

These settings apply to a proxy server that lies between the AXIS Camera Station client and the AXIS Camera Station server.

Select the appropriate option depending on your setup.

• Direct connection: Select this option if there is no proxy server between the AXIS Camera Station client and the AXIS Camera Station server.

• Use Internet Options settings (default): Select this option to use the Windows settings.

• Use manual proxy settings: Select this option to configure the proxy settings manually. Provide the required information in the Manual settings section.

• • Address: Enter the address or hostname of the proxy server.

  • Port: Enter the port number of the proxy server.

  • Do not use proxy server for addresses beginning with: Enter the servers that you want to exclude from access by the proxy. Use semicolons to separate the entries. Wildcards can be used in the addresses or hostnames, for example:"192.168.*" or "*.mydomain.com"

  • Always bypass proxy server for local addresses: Select this option to bypass the proxy when connecting to a server installed on the local computer. Local addresses are identified by the lack of a period (.) in the URI, as in http://webserver/, or access the local server, including http://localhost, http://loopback, or http://127.0.0.1

When using AXIS Camera Station for the first time, you are navigated to the Add devices page in the Configuration tab automatically. See Add devices.

Tabs

• Live view: Live video from connected cameras. See Live view.

• Recordings: Search, play and export recordings. See Recordings.

• Smart search 1: A motion search used to quickly locate important events in recorded video. See Smart search 1.

• Configuration: Administration and maintenance of connected devices, as well as settings for the client and servers. See Configuration.

• Hotkeys: A list of hotkeys for actions. See Hotkeys.

• Logs: Alarm, event, and audit logs. See Logs.

• Live view alerts: Automatically navigate to the Live view alerts tab of the camera or view when the Live view action is triggered. See Create live view actions.

• Recording alerts: In the Alarms or Logs tab, select one alarm and click Go to recordings to open the Recording alerts tab. See Alarms and Logs.

• Alarms and Tasks: The Alarms and Tasks tabs are displayed at the bottom of the client. See Alarms and Tasks.

Menus

• Click to browse the main menu.

• • Select Servers to connect to a new AXIS Camera Station server, and view the server lists and the connection status for all servers. See Configure server.

  • Select Actions to start or stop a recording manually, and change the status of I/O ports. See Record manuallyand Monitor I/O ports.

  • Select Help to select the help related options.

  • Select Log off to disconnect from the server and log off from the AXIS Camera Station client.

  • Select Exit to exit and close the AXIS Camera Station client.

• Click to enter the full screen mode. To return to normal mode, press ESC or click . You can configure a hotkey to toggle full screen mode. See Hotkeys.

  In full screen mode, the top and bottom navigation panels are hidden during inactivity. Move the cursor to the top to show the tabs. Or move the cursor to the bottom to show the view or camera navigation panel.

• Click or F1 to browse the built-in help.

Status bar

The status bar can include the following information. Click the links for more information.

• An warning icon appears when there is a time mismatch between client and server. You must ensure that the time on the client is synchronized with the time on the server to avoid timeline issues.

• The server connection status shows the number of connected servers. See Connection status.

• The license status shows the number of unlicensed devices. See Configure licenses.

• The secure remote access usage shows how much data left or how much overage that has been used this month for the included amount in your service level. See Axis Secure Remote Access.

• AXIS Camera Station update available appears when there is a new version if you’re logged in as administrator. See AXIS Camera Station update.

Client version

Go to > Help > About to see the installed AXIS Camera Station client version.

The live view shows the views and cameras and live videos from the connected cameras. When connecting to multiple AXIS Camera Station servers, all the views and cameras of connected servers are displayed grouped by the server name.

Views provide access to all the cameras and devices added to AXIS Camera Station. A view can consist of one or several cameras, a sequence of items, a map or a webpage. When cameras and devices are added to or removed from AXIS Camera Station, the views are updated automatically. New cameras and devices are added as new views, and the number of views are optimized for the number of installed devices. Views can be accessed by all users. For information about user access rights, see Configure user permissions.

Find views or cameras

The views and cameras are displayed under Views and Cameras. Use the Type to Search field to find a specific view or camera in the list. Click the camera or view to show it in the live view.

Tree view navigation for a large system

We recommend that you use tree view navigation for a large system. See Client settings. You can also assign a hotkey to toggle tree view navigation. See Hotkeys.

Navigation path

If you enable Show navigation path when navigating in view, the navigation path is displayed on top of the view when navigating in a split view. Click the link in the navigation path to go to a specific view. Click Home to go to the view where you started.

Right-click a view, camera, or sequence and select Show on Screen to show it on the specified monitor.

Select the cameras or views and drag and drop to a new tab in the main screen or monitor screen. A dynamic split view is displayed.

If you have added AXIS T8705 Video Decoder in AXIS Camera Station,

• Right-click a view, camera, or sequence and select Show on AXIS T8705 to show it on the monitor that is connected to AXIS T8705 Video Decoder.

• Select multiple cameras or views, right-click and select Show on AXIS T8705. A symmetric split view with the selected cameras or views will be shown on the monitor that is connected to AXIS T8705 Video Decoder.

Click to add a new split view, sequence, camera view, map, webpage, or folder.

To edit a view, select the view under Views and click .

To edit a camera, select the camera under Cameras and click . You can only edit the camera name. To edit the camera settings, see Edit camera settings.

To remove a view, select the view under Views and click . You need to have permission to edit the view and all secondary views to remove it.

To remove a camera from AXIS Camera Station, see Cameras.

Administrators can select a view under Views and click to lock the view and prevent operators or views from moving or editing the view.

• Right-click an image in a split view and select Navigate to go to the camera view.

• Right-click an image and select Show on to show the image on the specified screen if you have multiple screens.

• Right-click an image and select Take snapshot to take a snapshot. The snapshot is saved to the snapshot folder specified under Configuration > Client > Settings.

• Right-click an image and select Add snapshot to export. The snapshot is added to the export list in the Export tab.

• Right-click an image and select Stream profile to set the stream profile. See Stream profiles.

• Zoom: Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out. Alternatively, press CTRL + (+) to zoom in and CTRL + (-) to zoom out.

• Mechanical PTZ: Mechanical PTZ is available for PTZ cameras and for cameras where digital PTZ has been enabled in the camera's configuration page. To use mechanical PTZ, right-click the image and select Use Mechanical PTZ. Use the mouse to zoom, pan and tilt:

• • Area zoom: To magnify an area in the image, click the desired area and drag to draw a rectangle surrounding the area to be magnified. To zoom out, use the mouse wheel. To magnify an area near the center of the image, use the right mouse button and drag to draw a rectangle.

  • Pan and tilt: Click a desired area in the image to pan or tilt to that area. To pan and tilt continuously in the live view image, move the cursor to the center of the image to show the navigation arrow. Then click and hold to pan in the direction of the navigation arrow. To pan and tilt the image at a higher pace, click and hold to make the navigation arrow longer.

• Go to a preset position: Right-click the image, select Presets and select the preset to go to. To create presets, see PTZ presets.

• Add preset: Drag the image view to the desired position, right-click and select Presets > Add preset.

• Right-click the image and select Set focus to adjust camera focus. Click AF to focus the camera automatically. To adjust focus manually, select the bars on the Near and Far sides. Use Near to focus on objects close to the camera. Use Far to focus on objects far away.

• Right-click the image, select Focus recall zone and then select to add or remove focus recall zone.

• Right-click the image, select Autotracking on/off and then select to turn on or turn off autotracking for an Axis PTZ camera with AXIS PTZ Autotracking configured.

Select a camera or a split view, and click to go to the Recordings tab.

In the live view, an ongoing recording is indicated by a recording indicator in the upper right corner of the image. indicates that motion is detected.

To play an ongoing recording, hover the cursor over the image and click Instant replay. The Recordings tab opens and the last 5 seconds of the recording is played.

To record manually from the live view, hover the cursor over the image and click REC. The button turns blue to indicate that the recording is ongoing. To stop recording, click REC again.

To configure manual recording settings such as resolution, compression and frame rate, See Recording method. For more information about recording and playback, see Playback recordings.

Audio is available if the camera has audio capabilities and audio has been enabled in the profile used for the live view.

Go to Configuration > Devices > Stream profiles and configure audio for the camera. See Stream profiles.

When you hover the mouse pointer over the image,

• The audio control button will be displayed. Use the slider to control audio volume. Click the button to mute audio in this view.

• The Listen to this view only button will be displayed. Click the button to mute other views and listen to this view only.

• The Speak through the speaker button will be displayed for full-duplex mode by default. Click the button to speak through the configured speaker.

• The Push-to-talk button will be displayed for simplex and half-duplex modes by default. Click and hold the button to speak through the configured speaker.

In the live view, click to access the available camera features.

A split view displays multiple views in the same window. You can use camera views, sequences, webpages, maps and other split views in the split view.

One frame can be set as a hotspot that automatically loads the view from another frame when clicking in that frame. Hotspots are particularly useful for asymmetric split views with one large and several small frames. The largest frame is typically defined as the hotspot.

To add a split view:

1. In the Live view tab, click .

2. Select New Split View. A new split view tab opens.

3. Enter a name for the split view.

4. Select a template you want to use from the Template drop-down list.

5. Add views or cameras. Use the Type to search field for find specific views or cameras.

6. • Drag and drop a view or a camera to the desired slot in the grid view. If there is already a camera or view in that slot, the old one will be replaced.

   • Double-click a view or a camera to add it to the first available slot in the grid view.

   • Select multiple views or cameras, and drag and drop to add them to the first available slots in the grid view.

   • Select multiple views or cameras, press Enter to add them to the first available slots in the grid view.

7. Edit or remove views or cameras in the grid view.

8. • Select a view or a camera in the grid view, and move the mouse to the borders or the right corner of the image to resize it.

   • Select a view or a camera in the grid view, and drag and drop it to the desired slot.

   • Select multiple views or cameras, and click Remove view or press Delete to delete them from the grid view.

   • Right-click a camera in the grid view, select Stream profile to set the stream profile for the camera. See Stream profiles.

9. Select a frame in the split view and click Set Hotspot to set the frame as a hotspot. To remove a hotspot, select a hotspot and click Remove Hotspot.

10. Click Save view and the split view is saved on the server you logged on.

To edit a split view, right-click a split view and select Edit.

To remove a split view, right-click a split view and select Delete.

If you have configured a door under Configuration > Access control > Doors and zones, you can assist cardholders and monitor the door status and recent transactions in a split view.

1. Add a door. See Add a door.

2. Add the door dashboard to a view.

3. 1. In the Live view tab, click and select New split view.

   2. Enter a name for the split view.

   3. Select a template you want to use from the Template drop-down list.

   4. Drag and drop a door to the desired slot in the grid view.

   5. Drag and drop a camera or a view to the desired slot in the grid view.

   6. Click Save view.

4. Under Dashboard,

5. • The door details, door status and lock status are displayed.

   • Click Access, Lock, Unlock or Lockdown to perform actions on the door.

   • An access control event is displayed with cardholder details including photo, for example, when the cardholder swipes the card. Other access control events related to the cardholder are also displayed.

     Click to bookmark an event and make it available under Transactions.

   • Alarms are displayed with alarm trigger information, for example, when a door is open too long.

   • The latest transaction is displayed.

6. Under Transactions, the recent transactions and saved transactions are displayed.

A sequence view automatically switches between included views. The dwell time, i.e. the number of seconds to show a view, before switching to the next, can be set individually for each view.

To add a sequence:

1. In the Live view tab, click .

2. Select New sequence. A new sequence view tab opens.

3. Enter a name for the sequence.

4. Add views or cameras. The views or cameras added in the sequence are marked with a number to show its order in the sequence. Use the Type to search field for find specific views or cameras.

5. • Drag and drop a view or a camera to the sequence. If there is already a camera or view in that position, the old one will be replaced.

   • Double-click a view or a camera to add it to the first available position in the sequence.

   • Select multiple views or cameras, and drag and drop to add them to the first available positions in the sequence.

   • Select multiple views or cameras, press Enter to add them to the first available positions in the sequence.

6. Edit or remove views or cameras in the sequence.

7. • Select a view or a camera in the sequence, and drag and drop it to change its order in the sequence.

   • Select multiple views or cameras, select Remove view or press Delete to delete them from the sequence.

   • Right-click a camera in the sequence, select Stream profile to set the stream profile for the camera. See Stream profiles.

8. Select a view or a camera in the sequence, and set the dwell time in the Dwell time field. By default the dwell time is set to 5 seconds when a view or a camera is added.

9. For cameras with PTZ capabilities, select a PTZ preset from the PTZ preset drop-down list. See PTZ presets.

10. Click Save view and the sequence is saved on the server you logged on.

To edit a sequence, right-click a sequence and select Edit.

To delete a sequence, right-click a sequence and select Delete.

A camera view displays live video from one camera. Camera views can be used in split views, sequences and maps.

To add a camera view:

1. In the Live view or Recordings tab, click .

2. Select New Camera View.

3. Select the camera from the drop-down list, and click OK.

To edit a camera view, right-click a camera view and select Edit.

To remove a camera view, right-click a camera view and select Delete.

A map is an imported image on which camera views, split views, sequences, webpages, other maps, and doors can be placed. The map gives a visual overview and makes it easy to quickly locate and access individual devices. You can place cameras on imported floor plans or create several maps and arrange them on an overview map for large installations.

You can open a camera, device, view, or door dashboard from a map. The action buttons are also available from the map view if they are set with a map. See Create action button triggers.

Add a map

1. In the Live view tab, click .

2. Select New map. A new map view tab opens.

3. Enter a name for the map.

4. Click Choose image and navigate to your map file. The maximum size of the file is 20 MB, and BMP, JPG, PNG, GIF are supported.

5. Drag the views, cameras, other devices, and doors to the desired position on the map. You can use the Type to search field to find them. A door icon can be:

6. • : The physical state of the door when the door is configured with a door monitor.

   • : The physical state of the lock when the door is configured without a door monitor.

7. Click an icon on the map to edit the settings:

8. • Icon: Select the icon you want to use. This option is only available for cameras and other devices.

   • Size: Adjust the slider to change the size of the icon.

   • Color: Click to change the color of the icon.

   • Name: Turn on this option to display the icon name. Select Bottom or Top to change the position of the icon name.

   • Coverage area: Turn on this option to show the coverage area of the device on the map. You can edit the range, width, direction, and color of the coverage area. This option is only available for cameras and other devices.

   • Remove: Click to remove the icon from the map.

9. To add a label to the map, click Add label, enter a label name, and set the size, rotation, style, and color of the label. Click and drag the label to the desired position on the map. Click to remove the label.

10. Note

    Some settings can be edit for multiple icons and labels at the same time. To select multiple items on the map, keep CTRL pressed and click the items. To select all items on the map, press CTRL + A.

11. Click Save view. The map view is saved on the server selected in the main window.

To edit a map, right-click a map and select Edit.

To remove a map, right-click a map and select Delete.

Snapshot

When you take a snapshot of a map, the status of the devices on the map is also visible in the snapshot.

• To save a snapshot:

• 1. Right-click a map and select Take snapshot.

  2. The snapshot is automatically saved to the folder that you have configured under Configuration > Client > settings.

• To export a snapshot:

• 1. Right-click a map and select Add snapshot to export.

  2. The snapshot is added to the export list in the Export tab. Follow Export recordings to export your recordings with the snapshot of the map.

Map zooming and navigation

• Mouse: Use the mouse wheel to zoom in and zoom out. When the map is zoomed in, drag the map to navigate to the desired position.

• Keyboard: Press CTRL + (+) to zoom in and CTRL + (-) to zoom out. Press CTRL and arrow keys to navigate to the desired position.

• Joystick: Twist the head of the joystick to zoom in and zoom out. Tilt the joystick to navigate to the desired position.

A webpage view displays a page from the Internet. The webpage can for example be shown in a split view or a sequence together with live video.

To add a webpage:

1. In the Live view tab, click .

2. Select New webpage.

3. Enter a descriptive name for the webpage.

4. Enter the complete Internet address in the Url field. Both http and https protocols can be used. For example: http://example.com/path.html.

5. Click OK.

To edit a webpage, right-click a webpage and select Edit.

To delete a webpage, right-click a webpage and select Delete.

Folders are used to categorize items in a tree view navigation. Folders can contain split views, sequences, camera views, maps, webpages and other folders.

To add a folder:

1. In the Live view or Recordings tab, click .

2. Select New Folder.

3. Enter a name for the folder, and click OK.

To edit a folder, right-click a folder and select Edit.

To remove a folder, right-click a folder and select Delete.

The Recordings tab handles recording search, playback and export. To access the Recordings tab, go to the tabs menu or click in the Live view tab.

The left panel shows the views and cameras of connected servers grouped by the server name. You can find views or cameras, manage views, and use tree view navigation for a large system. See Live view.

The right panel shows the camera images, playback tools and recording timeline.

• Right-click an image:

• • Select Navigate to go to the camera Recordings tab if you start from the Recordings tab of a split view.

  • Select Show on to show it on the specified screen if you have multiple screens.

  • Select Take snapshot to take a snapshot. The snapshot is saved to the snapshot folder specified under Configuration > Client > Settings.

  • Select Add snapshot to export. The snapshot is added to the export list in the Export tab.

  • Select Incident report to create incident reports if you have the incident report enabled.

  • Select Stream profile to set the stream profile. See Stream profiles

• Click and select the date and time to navigate to a specific time in the timeline.

• Click to configure the types of recordings shown in timeline.

• Click Show all body worn metadata to show all metadata of a body worn system. Notes and categories added in AXIS Body Worn Assistant are also displayed.

• • Type keywords in the Type to search field to find recordings.

  • Double-click a recording in the list and navigate to the recording in the timeline.

• Playback recordings

• Bookmarks

• Export recordings

• Export incident reports

To enable or disable recording and to change recording settings such as resolution, compression and frame rate, see Recording method.

Recordings from multiple cameras can be played at the same time if the playback marker is positioned over several timeline recordings. To view recordings in cameras that are listed with timeline but not shown in the view, drag a camera from the timeline to a playback window in the view.

When using multiple monitors, live video can be displayed at the same time as recorded video.

Playback timeline

The playback timeline represents the time period of the playback. You can zoom in, zoom out, and drag the timeline. If the marker points to recordings, when you drag the timeline you can have a quick overview of the recordings (scrubbing) and find a specific event in the recordings. Put the cursor on a recording on the timeline, you can see an image of the recording, and the recording type and time. The playback pauses temporarily when you drag the timeline and resumes when you release the timeline.

Navigate to recordings

• Click and select the date and time to navigate to a specific time in the timeline. In the timeline, use the mouse wheel to zoom in and out and drag the timeline to make the marker pointing at your desired recording.

• Use the Smart search tab to navigate to the desired recording. See Smart search 1.

• Use the bookmarks to navigate to the desired recording with a bookmark. See Bookmarks.

Playback recordings

1. Navigate to the recording that you want to playback.

2. In the Playback control panel:

3. • Click to start playing the recording.

   • Click to pause the recording.

   • Click to jump to the start of the ongoing or previous recording or event. Right-click the button to select whether you want to skip to recordings, or events, or both.

   • Click to jump to the start of the next recording or event. Right-click the button to select whether you want to skip to recordings, or events, or both.

   • Click to step to previous frame in the recording. The option is only available when paused. Right-click the icon the access optional amount of frames to skip (up to 20 frames).

   • Click to step to next frame in the recording. The option is only available when paused. Right-click the icon the access optional amount of frames to skip (up to 20 frames).

   • Click to mute audio. This icon is displayed when audio is included in the recording.

   • Move the audio slider to control the audio volume. This icon is displayed in the playback image when audio is included in the recording.

   • For panoramic cameras, click the image and scroll in and out with the mouse wheel to pan, tilt and zoom during playback. To zoom in on an area, place the cursor in the desired area and use the mouse wheel to zoom. Or use ctrl + (+) to zoom in and CTRL + (-) to zoom out.

In the Recordings tab, click to show all bookmarks to the recordings. indicates that the recording is locked.

Use the Type to search field to find a particular bookmark. Select a bookmark:

• Right-click and select Go to to show the bookmarked recording in the timeline, and click to play a recording from the bookmarked time.

• Click to edit the bookmark name and description, and change whether to lock or unlock the recording:

• • Select Prevent recording deletion to lock the recording.

  • Clear Prevent recording deletion to unlock the recording.

• Click to remove the bookmark. You can remove multiple bookmarks at the same time. To select multiple bookmarks, press SHIFT or Ctrl while selecting the bookmarks.

Add bookmarks

1. Navigate to the recording. See Playback recordings.

2. Select the position in the timeline and click .

3. Enter the bookmark name and description. You can use keywords in the description to make the bookmark easy to find and recognized.

4. Select Prevent recording deletion to lock the recording. The lock interval is 5 minutes. When the system deletes old recordings, the recordings within the lock interval will not be deleted.

5. Note

   A locked recording can't be deleted. To unlock the recording, clear the option or delete the bookmark.

6. Click OK.

Recordings can be exported to a local storage or a network location that is accessible from the AXIS Camera Station client. Multiple recordings can be exported at the same time.

You can export your recordings to the .asf, .mp4, or .mkv format and they can be played by Windows Media Player or AXIS File Player.

AXIS File Player is a free software for video and audio playback. You can select to include it with the exported recordings. No installation is required. To play recordings, open AXIS File Player and select the recordings to play.

Before you start, ensure you have permission for exporting. See User permission for exporting.

Export recordings

1. In the Recordings tab, select a camera or a view.

2. Add the recordings to the export list. The recordings that are added to the export list are highlighted in the timeline. Striped recordings are not included in the export.

3. • Right-click a recording and select Export > Add recordings. The single selected recording is added to the export list. Optionally use Add event recordings to add all recordings that occurred within the time of an event.

   • Right-click outside of a recording and select Export > Add recordings. Recordings that are located under the timeline marker are added to the export list.

   • Click to display the selection markers. Move the selection markers to the desired times.

   • • To add recordings from a specific camera within the selection, right-click a recording and select Export > Add recordings.

     • To add recordings from all cameras within the selection, right-click outside of a recording and select Export > Add recordings.

4. If you want to remove any recordings from the export list:

5. • Right-click a recording and select Export > Remove recordings. The single selected recording is removed from the export list.

   • Right-click outside of a recording and select Export > Remove recordings. Recordings that are located under the timeline marker are added to the export list.

   • When the selection markers are displayed, right-click a recording within the selection markers and select Export > Remove recordings to remove the single recording from the export list. Right-click outside of a recording and select Export > Remove recordings to remove all recordings within the selection markers from the export list.

6. When a recording or a snapshot is added to the export list, the Export tab is displayed. If the Incident report tab is displayed, click Switch to export to navigate to the Export tab.

7. If you want to save the export list to a file, click Save.

8. If you want to include the export list that you have saved before, click Load.

9. In the export list, the information about the recordings is displayed including the start time, end time, duration, event, stream profile, and whether it has been edited or contains notes or audio.

10. • Click one recording in the exported list to preview and play it. You can only preview multiple recordings if they are from one camera.

    • Click one recording and go to the timeline to adjust the recording start and end time. The timeline shows up to thirty minutes of recording around the selected recording.

    • Click one recording and drag the timeline to a specific location. Right-click the image and select Add snapshot to add snapshots.

    • Select the stream profile in the Preferred stream profile field.

    • If the recording contains audio, you can click to mute audio.

    • To edit the recording, click . See Edit recordings (redaction) before exporting.

    • To edit notes for the recording, click .

    • To remove the recording from the export list, click .

11. To include notes of the recordings, select Include notes. The notes are available both as a .txt file in the exported folder and as a bookmark to the recording in AXIS File Player.

12. Under Advanced settings:

13. • To ensure image authenticity and integrity by making image tampering impossible, select Add digital signature. This option is only available for recordings in the .asf format. See Play and verify exported recordings.

    • To include AXIS File Player with the exported recordings, select Include AXIS File Player.

    • To create a playlist in .asx format used by Windows Media Player, select Create playlist(.asx). The recordings will play in the order in which they were recorded.

    • To export to a Zip file, select Export to Zip file and you can set password to the exported Zip file.

    • From the Export format drop-down list, select a format you want to export your recordings to. If you select MP4, audio in G.711 or G.726 format will not be included in the exported recordings.

    • If any recording has been edited, you can set the video encoding format to Automatic, H.264, or M-JPEG under Edited video encoding. Automatic means using M-JPEG for M-JPEG format and H.264 for other formats.

14. Click Export....

15. Select a folder to export the recordings to.

16. Click OK. The export recordings task is shown at the bottom right, and added to the Tasks tab.

The export folder includes:

• The recordings in one of the supported format.

• The notes in the .txt format if you have selected Include notes.

• AXIS File Player if you have selected Include AXIS File Player.

• The playlist in the .asx format if you have selected Create playlist(.asx).

The export permission can be configured in Configure user permissions.

• If you have the export permission disabled and the incident report permission disabled, you do not have permission to export recordings or generate incident reports.

• If you have the export permission disabled and the incident report permission enabled, you only have permission to generate incident reports. When you click in the Recordings tab, the Incident report tab will open.

• If you have the export permission enabled and the incident report permission disabled, you only have permission to export recordings. When you click in the Recordings tab, the Export tab will open.

• If you have the export permission and the incident report permission enabled, you have permission to export recordings and generate incident reports. When you click in the Recordings tab, the Export tab will open by default. During one connection session, the tab that is recently used will open.

Blur a moving object

1. In the Export tab or Incident report tab, select a recording and click .

2. Drag the timeline to the start point of the moving object.

3. Click Add under Bounding boxes to add a new bounding box. Or right-click the object and select Add new bounding box.

4. Go to Bounding box options > Size to adjust the size. Or drag the handles of the bounding box.

5. Drag the bounding box to cover the object.

6. Go to Bounding box options > Fill and set it to Pixelated or Black.

7. When playing the recording, drag and drop the bounding box to add a key frame. Or right-click the object and select Add key frame.

8. To add continuous key frames, keep dragging the bounding box to cover the object when playing the recording.

9. Drag the timeline and check the object is completely covered.

10. • To remove a key frame, right-click the key frame and select Remove key frame.

    • To go to the specific location on timeline, right-click the key frame and select Go to time position.

11. Double-click the last key frame, click Set end under Bounding box options to set an end. Or right-click and select Set end. All the key frames after the end point will be removed.

Show a moving object with blurred background

1. Follow the steps in the previous section to blur the moving object.

2. Go to Bounding box options > Fill and set it to Clear.

3. Go to Video background and set it to Pixelated or Black.

Generate bounding boxes

If you have enabled the camera’s analytic data under Configuration > Devices > Stream profiles, you can generate bounding boxes from the analytic data for the recording.

1. In the Export tab or Incident report tab, click .

2. Click Generate bounding boxes.

3. Check and adjust the bounding boxes to cover the moving object.

4. Fill the bounding boxes or video background.

Improve video editing with AXIS Video Content Stream

For cameras with firmware 5.50 and later, video editing can be improved by installing the application AXIS Video Content Stream 1.0 on the camera.

The application is automatically installed on new cameras added to AXIS Camera Station but can also be installed from the device management page, see Install camera application. The application enables AXIS Video Content Stream in the camera. The use of AXIS Video Content Stream is only permitted through AXIS Camera Station.

To ensure image authenticity and integrity, a digital signature can be added to the exported recordings with or without password. The digital signature can be further verified in AXIS File Player to check whether the recording has been changed.

1. Go to the folder that you have specified for the exported recordings. If you have set password for the exported Zip file, you need to input your password to open the folder.

2. Double-click AXIS File Player. The exported recordings will be automatically played.

3. In AXIS File Player, click to show the notes added to the recordings.

4. In AXIS File Player, verify the digital signature if you have selected Add digital signature.

5. 1. Go to Tools > Verify digital signature.

   2. Select Validate with password and enter your password if you have selected Use password.

   3. Click Verify. The verification result page is displayed.

You can export incident reports with recordings, snapshots, and notes on a storage or a network location that is accessible from the AXIS Camera Station server. In this way, the person who generates the incident reports do not have access to the exported materials.

You can export your recordings to the .asf, .mp4, or .mkv format and they can be played by Windows Media Player or AXIS File Player.

AXIS File Player is a free software for video and audio playback. It is automatically included when you generate the incident reports. No installation is required. To play recordings, open AXIS File Player and select the recordings to play.

Before you start, ensure you have permission for exporting. See User permission for exporting.

Generate incident reports

1. In the Recordings tab, select a camera or a view.

2. Add the recordings to the export list. The recordings that are added to the export list are highlighted and the others are greyed out in the timeline.

3. • Right-click a recording and select Export > Add recordings. The single selected recording is added to the export list.

   • Right-click outside of a recording and select Export > Add recordings. The recordings that include the marker are added to the export list.

   • Click to display the selection markers. Move the selection markers to the desired times. Right-click a recording within the selection markers and select Export > Add recordings to add the single recording to the export list. Right-click outside of a recording and select Export > Add recordings to add all recordings within the selection markers to the export list.

4. If you want to remove any recordings from the export list:

5. • Right-click a recording and select Export > Remove recordings. The single selected recording is removed from the export list.

   • Right-click outside of a recording and select Export > Remove recordings. The recordings that include the marker are removed from the export list.

   • When the selection markers are displayed, right-click a recording within the selection markers and select Export > Remove recordings to remove the single recording from the export list. Right-click outside of a recording and select Export > Remove recordings to remove all recordings within the selection markers from the export list.

6. Add the snapshots to the export list. In the Recordings tab, drag the timeline to a specific location, right-click the image and select Incident report > Add snapshot.

7. When a recording or a snapshot is added to the export list, the Incident report tab is displayed. If the Export tab is displayed, click Switch to incident report to navigate to the Incident report tab.

8. If you want to save the export list to a file, click Save.

9. If you want to include the export list that you have saved before, click Load.

10. In the export list, the information about the recordings is displayed including the start time, end time, duration, event, stream profile, and whether it has been edited or contains notes or audio.

11. • Click one recording in the exported list to preview and play it. You can only preview multiple recordings if they are from one camera.

    • Click one recording and go to the timeline to adjust the recording start and end time. The timeline shows up to thirty minutes of recording around the selected recording.

    • Click one recording and drag the timeline to a specific location. Right-click the image and select Add snapshot to add snapshots.

    • Select the stream profile in the Preferred stream profile field.

    • If the recording contains audio, you can click to mute audio.

    • To edit the recording, click . See Edit recordings (redaction) before exporting.

    • To edit notes for the recording or snapshot, click .

    • To remove the recording or snapshot from the export list, click .

12. In the Incident report tab:

13. • The Description field is prefilled with what you have defined in the Description template. You can add the necessary information you want to include in the incident report.

    • In the Category field, select a category that the report belongs to.

    • In the Reference ID field, a reference id is automatically generated. You can manually change it. The reference id is unique to identify the incident report.

14. To include notes of the recordings and snapshots, select Include notes. The notes are available as a .txt file in the exported folder. The notes of the recordings are also displayed as a bookmark to the recording in AXIS File Player. The notes of the snapshots are included in the incident report.

15. If any recording has been edited, you can set the video encoding format to Automatic, H.264, or M-JPEG under Edited video encoding. Automatic means using M-JPEG for M-JPEG format and H.264 for other formats.

16. Click Create report. The export incident report task is shown at the bottom right, and added to the Tasks tab.

The export folder includes:

• AXIS File Player

• The recordings in the selected export format

• The notes of the recordings and snapshots in the .txt format if applicable

• The incident report: Includes general information about the incident, recording summaries, and snapshot summaries

• The playlist if multiple recordings are exported

To manually start and stop a recording from the main menu:

1. Go to > Actions > Record manually.

2. Select one or more cameras. Use the Type to search field to find cameras.

3. Click Start and the Status of the cameras changes from Stopped to Recording. Or click Stop and the Status of the cameras changes from Recording to Stopped.

To start and stop a manual recording from Live view:

1. Go to Live view.

2. Move the mouse pointer to the camera's live view frame.

3. Click REC at the top right. A yellow indicator appears while the camera is recording.

4. Click STOP to stop the recording.

Smart search 1 is a motion search used to quickly locate important events in recorded video. Instead of going through hours of recorded video manually, smart search 1 finds the points in time when there is movement in a selected area in the recorded video.

Smart search 1 will be faster if you enable analytics by selecting Include analytics data when configuring stream profiles. See Stream profiles.

Use smart search 1

1. Click and select Smart search 1 to display the Smart search 1 tab.

2. Select a camera that contains the recording that you want to search.

3. Adjust the area of interest in which moving objects are detected. The area is a polygon displayed on top of the recorded video. The polygon can have 3 to 20 corners.

4. • Use the mouse to move and resize the area.

   • To add a new corner, click the line between two corners.

   • To remove a corner, right-click the corner.

5. In the Search tab, configure the ignore filters:

6. • Short-lived objects filter: adjust the minimum time in the Time slider that objects must appear in the image.

   • Small objects filter: adjust the size of the ignored objects in the Width and Height sliders.

7. In the Search tab, select a date from the calendar and select the start time and end time from the drop-down lists. To select a range of dates, keep the SHIFT key pressed while selecting the dates.

8. Click Search.

Manage search result

The search results are shown in the Results tab. Select Show detection area to see the area of interest used for the search.

• Double-click a search result to move the playback marker to the time when motion was detected.

• Right-click one or multiple search results and select Export to export the recordings. See Export recordings.

• Right-click one or multiple search results, you can add the recordings to the export list and edit the export list.

• Right-click a search result, you can add a bookmark to the recording and edit the bookmark. See Bookmarks.

• Right-click one or multiple search result and select Remove to remove the recordings from the search result.

Improve smart search 1 with AXIS Video Content Stream

For cameras with firmware 5.50 and later, smart search 1 can be improved by installing the application AXIS Video Content Stream 1.0 on the camera.

The application is automatically installed on new cameras added to AXIS Camera Station but can also be installed from the device management page, see Install camera application. The application enables AXIS Video Content Stream in the camera. The use of AXIS Video Content Stream is only permitted through AXIS Camera Station.

With smart search 2, you can set several filters to easily find persons and vehicles of interest from the recordings that are generated from Axis cameras.

• Smart search 2 supports Axis cameras only.

• AXIS Camera Station records metadata only if the cameras in smart search 2 are enabled. Because of that, historical data is not searchable.

• High or very variable network latency can cause time synchronization issues and affect classification of detections based on analytics metadata.

• Continuous recording is recommended. Using motion detection triggered recordings can result in detections without video recordings.

• The H.264 format is recommended. It’s not possible to preview the recordings in H.265 format.

• Classification of object types and detection accuracy is negatively affected by low image quality due to high compression levels, by weather conditions such as heavy rain or snow and for cameras with low resolution, heavy distortion, large field of view or excessive vibrations.

• Stationary objects are not detected.

• Small and distant objects may not be detected.

• Make sure that the lighting conditions are within the camera specification. Use additional lighting if needed. Color classification doesn’t work in darkness or with IR illumination.

• Body worn cameras are not supported.

• Radar can only detect person and other vehicle. It’s not possible to enable background server classification for radar.

• Object classification has unknown behavior for thermal cameras.

• Each time a PTZ preset position changes and for a short recalibration period after position change, no moving objects are detected.

• Line crossing and area filters don’t follow PTZ position changes.

1. Configure smart search 2

2. Configure time synchronization between the AXIS Camera Station server and cameras. See Time synchronization.

3. Create a filter or load an existing filter. See Create a filter.

4. Manage search results. See Smart search results.

5. • Go to recording

   • Export recording

   • Generate detection report

The cameras selected under Configuration > Smart search 2 > Settings are available and can be used for smart search.

For devices with deep learning capability, you can set the server classification strategy to decide how to use the classification on device and classification on server.

1. Click and select Smart search 2 to display the Smart search 2 tab.

2. Click Cameras and select the cameras used for search.

   For cameras with background server classification, an icon appears in the image indicating the classification status in the last hour when the classification is slow.

3. • appears when less than 95% detections are classified.

   • appears when less than 50% detections are classified.

4. Click Search interval, select a time range or click Custom to set a time range.

5. To detect persons, click Person. Select Person and select the clothing colors. You can select multiple colors.

6. To detect vehicles, click Vehicle. Select the vehicle types and colors. You can select multiple vehicle types and vehicle colors.

7. To filter by area:

8. 1. Click Area, select the camera and turn on Filter by area on this camera.

   2. Adjust the area of interest displayed on top of the recorded video.

   3. • Click and drag to move it.

      • Drag the anchor points to adjust the size and shape. It can have up to 25 anchor points.

      • To add a new anchor point, click the line between two anchor points.

      • To remove an anchor point, right-click it.

   4. Click Reset to reconfigure the area of interest.

9. To filter by line crossing:

10. 1. Click Line crossing, select the camera and turn on Filter by line crossing on this camera.

    2. Adjust the blue line displayed on top of the recorded video. You can add new anchor points and drag and drop the anchor points to adjust the line.

    3. Under Direction, select the line crossing direction to detect. The direction is displayed as red arrow on top of the recorded video.

    4. Click Reset to reconfigure the crossing line and the direction.

11. To filter by size and duration:

12. 1. Click Size and duration, select the camera and turn on Filter by size and duration on this camera.

    2. Adjust the minimum height as a percentage of the total image. Objects that are smaller than the specified height are ignored.

    3. Adjust the minimum width as a percentage of the total image. Objects that are smaller than the specified width are ignored.

    4. Adjust the minimum duration in seconds. Objects that appear a shorter time in the image than the specified duration are ignored.

    5. Click Reset to reconfigure the filters.

13. To filter by speed:

14. 1. Click Speed, select the camera and turn on Filter by speed on this camera.

    2. Specify the speed range that you want to include in the filter.

    3. Note

       The speed filter is available for products like radars and fusion cameras that can detect speed.

15. To include the detections that are classified as unknown, select Unknown object detections.

16. To select server classification strategy, click .

17. • Server classification gives you more detailed search results, including detections the device didn’t classify.

    • Not using server classification gives you faster search results.

18. Click Search.

Manage filters

• To save a filter, click , type a filter name and click Save.

• To replace an existing filter, click , select an existing filter and click Replace.

• To reset a filter, click and click Reset.

• To delete a filter, click and click .

• To load a filter, click and click a filter.

The search results are grouped by date. A search result includes:

• Icon: Show the classification and color of the detection. It can be an icon of person, vehicle or unknown.

• Time: The time when it was detected.

• Image: A snapshot of the detection with a red box showing the detected object.

• To manage a search result:

• By default, the search results are displayed in descending order with the latest detections on top. Click Earliest first to show the oldest detections on top.

• To further filter the search results, click Confidence and set the confidence level. High confidence ignores uncertain classifications.

• To include recordings with no metadata in the search results, click Filter and select Time periods without metadata.

• Click a search result to view more information and more options.

• • General information: The camera name and time of the detection.

  • Recording: The recording is played automatically with prebuffer and postbuffer if applicable. You can mute the recording and view it in full screen.

  • Snapshot: The snapshot of the detected object with the classification and detected color.

  • Go to recording: Click to open the Recordings tab of the camera and navigate to the recording in the timeline. See Recordings.

  • Export recording: Click to open the Export tab with the recording in the export list. To edit the recording before export, right-click and select Edit recording and export. See Export recordings.

  • Classification details: Click to view the classification details.

  • Generate detection report: Expand the classification details and scroll down to the bottom. Click Detection report and choose a location to save the report. The detection report includes the recording, snapshots, tracking details, and logs.

You can search for data that originates from an external source or system and easily go to the recordings in AXIS Camera Station and track what happened at the time of each event. See External data sources.

Examples of possible data:

• Events generated by an access control system. For example: access granted, access denied, door opened, door locked, door open too long, and door forced open.

• License plates captured by AXIS License Plate Verifier.

• Speed captured by AXIS Speed Monitor.

By default, you can search for data in last 90 days. To change the number of days to keep external data, go to Configuration > Server > Settings > External data.

1. Click and select Data search to display the Data search tab.

2. Select a search interval from the drop-down list beside .

3. • Live: Select Live to search real-time data. The maximum amount of live data can be shown is 3000. In live mode, you can't use search operators.

   • Preconfigured time range: Select a time range to search. For example, Last hour, Last 12 hours, Last 30 days.

   • Custom: Select Custom and specify the start time and end time to search.

4. To specify the data source to search, select a data source from the Source drop-down list.

5. To search for data with specific words, type the keywords in the search field. See Optimize your search.

6. Click Search. A list of data is displayed with details including time, source and event specific information. Click a column heading to sort by the content of the column.

7. If a source has been configured with a view:

8. • The data generated from the source is automatically bookmarked in the timeline of the view. Click the data in the list to go to the recording to track the event.

   • In live mode, click to navigate between the recording timeline and live view.

9. Click to export the search results to a .txt file. Only event information is exported. Recordings and images are not exported.

You can use the following search operators to optimize your search and find the best matches:

• Use quotation marks " " to find exact matches for keywords. For example:

• • Search for "door 1" returns results containing “door 1”.

  • Search for door 1 returns results containing both “door” and “1”.

• Use AND to find matches containing all keywords. For example:

• • Search for door AND 1 returns results containing both “door” and “1”.

  • Search for "door 1" AND "door forced open" returns results containing both “door 1” and "door forced open”.

• Use OR or | to find matches containing any keyword. For example:

• • Search for "door 1" OR "door 2" returns results containing “door 1” or "door 2”.

  • Search for door 1 OR door 2 returns results containing “door” or “1” or “2”.

• Use parentheses ( ) together with AND or OR. For example:

• • Search for (door 1 OR door 2) AND "Door forced open" returns results containing one of the following:

    “door 1” and "Door forced open”

    “door 2” and "Door forced open”

  • Search for door 1 AND (door (forced open OR open too long)) returns results containing one of the following:

    “door 1” and “door forced open”

    ”door 1” and “door open too long”

• Use >, > =, <, or < = to filter numbers in a specific column. For example:

• • Search for [Max speed] > 28 returns results containing a number greater than 28 in the Max speed column.

  • Search for [Average speed] < = 28 returns results containing a number less than or equal to 28 in the Average speed column.

The Configuration tab is used to manage and maintain connected devices, as well as settings for the client and servers. Click and select Configuration to display the Configuration tab in the AXIS Camera Station client.

In AXIS Camera Station, a device refers to a network product with its own IP address. A camera refers to a video source which is a network camera or a video port (with a connected analog camera) on a multi-port video encoder. For example: A 4-port video encoder is one device with four cameras.

In AXIS Camera Station, a device can be:

• a network camera

• a video encoder with one or more video ports

• an auxiliary non-camera device, for example an I/O audio device, a network speaker or a door controller

• an intercom

You can perform the following actions for devices:

• Add cameras and devices without video capabilities. See Add devices.

• Edit preferences of connected cameras. See Cameras.

• Edit preferences of non-camera devices. See Other devices.

• Edit stream profiles in regard to resolution, format and more. See Stream profiles.

• Adjust image settings in real time. See Image configuration.

• Add or remove PTZ presets. See PTZ presets.

• Manage and maintain connected devices. See Device management.

• Manage external data sources. See External data sources.

1. Find your devices, video streams or prerecorded videos.

2. • Find your devices

   • Find your video streams

   • Find prerecorded videos

3. Add devices, video streams or prerecorded videos

Device list

The device list includes the following information:

• Name: The name of the device. Click the name to change the name of the device.

• IP address: The IP address of the device. Only used when the hostname of the device is not available.

• Hostname: The hostname of the device. Used as the default communication address when it is available.

• MAC address: The MAC address of the device.

• Status: The status of the device.

• • (empty): Device can be added to AXIS Camera Station.

  • Communicating: AXIS Camera Station server is trying to access the device.

  • HTTPS certificate not trusted: AXIS Camera Station can't verify that the HTTPS certificate on the device is signed by a trusted issuer.

  • Communication error: AXIS Camera Station can't contact the device.

  • Enter password: AXIS Camera Station does not know which credentials to use to access the device. Click the link to enter a username and password for an administrator account on the device. By default, the username and password will be used for all devices on which the user exists.

  • Set password: The root account and password is not set up or the device still uses the default password. Click the link to set the root user password.

  • • Type your password or click Generate to automatically generate a password up to the length allowed by the device. We recommend that you show the automatically generated password and make a copy of it.

    • Select to use this password for all devices with the Set password status.

  • Model not supported: AXIS Camera Station does not support the device model.

  • Obsolete firmware: The camera's firmware is old and must be updated before the camera can be added to AXIS Camera Station.

  • Faulty device: The device parameters retrieved by AXIS Camera Station corrupt.

  • Set tilt orientation: Click the link to set the tilt orientation. Tilt orientation must be set before the camera can be added. Select tilt orientation Ceiling, Wall, or Desk depending on how the camera is mounted. Tilt orientation is a required setting for some camera models. Setting tilt orientation ensures that video from the camera is presented correctly and that pan, tilt and zoom tools work correctly.

  • Unsupported third-party device: AXIS Camera Station does not support this specific third-party device.

  • Can only be used with AXIS Companion: The device is designed to be used with AXIS Companion and can't be used with AXIS Camera Station.

• Manufacturer: The manufacturer of the device.

• Model: The model of the device.

The devices in your network are displayed automatically. To find the devices that are not listed:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Add devices.

2. Click Cancel to stop the ongoing network search.

3. Click Manual search.

4. To find multiple devices in one or more IP ranges:

5. 1. Select Search one or more IP ranges.

   2. Type the IP range. For example: 192.168.10.*, 192.168.20-22.*, 192.168.30.0-50

   3. • Use a wildcard for all addresses in a group.

      • Use a dash for a range of addresses.

      • Use a comma to separate multiple ranges.

   4. To change the default port 80, type the port range. For example: 80, 1080-1090

   5. • Use a dash for a range of ports.

      • Use a comma to separate multiple ranges.

   6. Click Search.

6. To find one or more specific devices:

7. 1. Select Enter one or more hostnames or IP addresses.

   2. Enter the hostnames or IP addresses separated by comma.

   3. Click Search.

8. Click OK.

You can add the video streams that support the following:

• Protocol: RTSP, HTTP, HTTPS

• Video encoding: M-JPEG for HTTP and HTTPS, H.264 for RTSP

• Audio encoding: AAC and G.711 for RTSP

Supported video stream URL schemes:

• rtsp://<address>:<port>/<path>

  For example: rtsp://<address>:554/axis-media/media.amp

• http://<address>:80/<path>

  For example: http://<address>:80/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi?date=1&clock=1&resolution=1920x1080

• https://<address>:443/<path>

  For example: https://<address>:443/axis-cgi/mjpg/video.cgi?date=1&clock=1&resolution=1920x1080

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Add devices.

2. Click Enter stream URLs and enter one or more stream URLs separated by comma.

3. Click Add.

You can add prerecorded videos in the .mkv format to AXIS Camera Station and configure a .dewarp file to dewarp the video stream of the prerecorded video.

The .mkv files need to support the following:

• Video encoding: M-JPEG, H.264, H.265

• Audio encoding: AAC

The following is an example of a .dewarp file. For more information, see Image configuration.

RadialDistortionX=-43.970703
RadialDistortionY=29.148499
RadialDistortionZ=715.732193
TiltOrientation=Desk
OpticalCenterX=1296
OpticalCenterY=972

1. Create a folder PrerecordedVideos under C:\ProgramData\Axis Communications\AXIS Camera Station Server.

2. Add a .mkv file to the folder.

3. To dewarp the video stream, add a .dewarp file with the same name as the .mkv file to the folder.

4. Go to Configuration > Devices > Add devices and turn on Include prerecorded video.

   You can find your prerecorded video and several prerecorded videos provided by the system.

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Add devices.

2. If you want to change the device’s name, click the name in the list and enter a new name.

3. Select the devices, video streams or prerecorded videos. Click Add.

4. Choose whether to use hostnames instead of IP when possible for the devices.

5. Choose how to configure your devices.

6. • Select Quick configuration and click Next. For devices with video capabilities, select the retention time, recording method, and where to store recordings. You can only configure continuous recording for video streams and prerecorded videos.

   • Select Site Designer configuration and click Next. Enter your access code or upload the Site Designer setup file and click Import. See Import Site Designer projects.

7. Click Install. AXIS Camera Station automatically enables HTTPS on the devices that support it.

AXIS Site Designer is an online design tool that helps you to build a site with Axis products and accessories. With site templates you can customize your own surveillance solution.

If you have created a site design project in AXIS Site Designer, you can import the project to AXIS Camera Station. If you have previously used Site Designer to setup your devices, you have the option of accessing the design online by using an access code. Alternatively, you can select a downloaded Site Designer setup file.

You can only import the settings from a Site Designer project when adding an Axis device.

To import a site designer project to AXIS Camera Station:

1. Generate an access code to the site designer project or download a project file.

2. 1. Sign in to http://sitedesigner.axis.com with your MyAxis account.

   2. Select a project and go to the project page.

   3. Click Share.

   4. Click Generate code when your AXIS Camera Station server is connected to the Internet. Or click Download settings file when your AXIS Camera Station is not connected to the Internet.

3. From the AXIS Camera Station client, go to Configuration > Devices > Add devices.

4. Select the cameras, and click Add.

5. Select Site Designer configuration and click Next.

6. Select Access code and enter the access code. Or select Choose file and navigate to the Site Designer setup file you have downloaded.

7. Click Import. The first device that matches the IP address as the one you are adding is selected automatically. If no IP address matches, the first device that matches the device name is selected. Otherwise, select one from the drop-down list.

8. Click Install.

Settings imported from the Site Designer project

When importing a Site Designer project, the following settings are imported into AXIS Camera Station:

• Schedules with name and time slots.

• Maps with name, icon color, icon location, and item name.

• For encoders, video decoders, door controllers, radar detectors, and speakers:

• • Name

  • Description

• For cameras, intercoms, and F/FA series:

• • Name

  • Description

  • Motion triggered recording: schedule and recording profile including frame rate, resolution, video encoding, and compression

  • Continuous recording: schedule and recording profile including frame rate, resolution, video encoding, and compression

  • Note

    • If only one of the recording profiles is defined or two identical recording profiles are defined in the Site Designer project, the profile is set to medium in AXIS Camera Station after importing the Site Designer project.
    • If both recording profiles are defined in the Site Designer project, the continuous recording profile is set to medium and the motion triggered recording is set to high in AXIS Camera Station after importing the Site Designer project.
    • The resolution is set with ideal aspect ratio according to AXIS Camera Station. After importing, the resolution might be different from the one defined in the Site Designer project.

  • Zipstream strength

  • Audio settings for live view and recordings

  • Retention time for recordings

  • Note

    • The audio settings can only be set in AXIS Camera Station if the device has a built-in microphone or speaker. To use an external audio device, manually enable it after installing the device.
    • The audio settings are not applied to intercoms. Intercoms always get audio enabled for Live view only even if the settings in Site Designer is different.

Third-party devices can be added to AXIS Camera Station in the same way as adding Axis products. See Add devices.

For detailed information about support for third-party devices, see the latest technical paper.

AXIS Camera Station is not ONVIF conformant, nevertheless it requires that third-party devices are ONVIF Profile S conformant and verified through AXIS Camera Station Device Compatibility Tool. AXIS Camera Station supports the following functions for third-party devices according to IEC62676-2-31 and IEC62676-2-32:

• Camera discovery

• Video encoding: M-JPEG, H.264

• Audio encodings: G.711 (one-way, from the device to AXIS Camera Station)

• One video profile per camera

• Live view

• Continuous and Manual recordings

• Playback

• Recordings exports

• Device event triggers

• PTZ

View areas are supported by certain camera models. AXIS Camera Station lists view areas as individual cameras on the Add devices page. See Add devices.

All view areas in a network camera are counted as one camera in the total number of cameras allowed by the AXIS Camera Station license. The number of cameras that can be added depends on the installed license. Each AXIS Camera Station license allows a particular number of cameras.

To use view areas with AXIS Camera Station, view areas must first be enabled in the camera:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Cameras.

2. Select the camera and click the link in the Address column.

3. In the camera's configuration page, enter the username and password to sign in.

4. Click Help for instructions on where to find the setting because enabling view areas differ depending on camera model and firmware.

Go to Configuration > Devices > Cameras to view the list of all cameras that have been added to AXIS Camera Station. The information includes the camera's name, address, MAC address, manufacturer, model, video channel and server if connected to multiple AXIS Camera Station servers.

From this page, you can:

• Click the camera’s address link to open the camera’s configuration page.

• Note

  If the AXIS Camera Station client is running externally and the AXIS Camera Station server and cameras are behind a NAT, the configuration page will not open.

• Click Edit to edit the camera settings. See Edit camera settings.

• Click Remove to remove the selected cameras.

• Note

  This will delete all recordings, including recordings that have been locked.

• Use the Type to search field to find specific cameras.

Using view areas

View areas are supported by certain camera models. Axis Camera Station lists view areas as individual cameras on the Add devices page. See Add devices.

All view areas in a network camera are counted as one camera in the total number of cameras allowed by the AXIS Camera Station license. The number of cameras that can be added depends on the installed license. Each AXIS Camera Station license allows a particular number of cameras.

To edit camera settings:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Cameras.

2. Select a camera and click Edit.

3. In the Settings section:

4. • Enabled is selected by default. If you clear Enabled, the video stream can neither be recorded nor viewed in Live view. Recordings and Live view can still be configured.

   • Enter a unique camera name and description.

   • Enter the camera’s hostname or IP address, and port number if different from the default port 80.

   • When the Channel field is available for multiport video encoders, select the port number. When the Channel field is available for view areas, select the number corresponding to the view area.

5. In the Credentials section, enter a username and password for an administrator account on the camera. The password is used by AXIS Camera Station to communicate with the camera.

Go to Configuration > Devices > Other devices, a list of devices without video capabilities is displayed including door controllers, audio devices and IO modules.

For information about supported products, go to www.axis.com See Use audio from other devices.

In this page, you can:

• Select the devices and click Edit to edit device settings such as device name, address and password.

• Select the devices and click Remove to remove the devices from AXIS Camera Station.

• Click the device’s address link to open the device's configuration page.

• Note

  If there is a NAT or firewall between the AXIS Camera Station client and the device, the configuration page will not open.

To edit the settings for non-camera devices:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Other devices.

2. Select a device and click Edit.

3. In the Settings section:

4. • Enter a unique name for the auxiliary device. This name is displayed in AXIS Camera Station.

   • Enter the auxiliary device’s hostname or IP address, and port number if different from the default port 80.

5. In the Credentials section, enter a username and password for an administrator account on the device.

Go to Configuration > Devices > Stream profiles to open the Stream profiles page. A list of all cameras is displayed. Use the Type to search field to find cameras in the list.

The microphone indicates that the camera has an enabled microphone (built-in, line-in, auxiliary device). The microphone transmits audio from the camera to live view and recordings. Any built-in microphones or speakers can't be shared with other cameras.

The speaker indicates that the camera has an enabled speaker (built-in or external auxiliary device). In the live view, use the Speak or Push-to-talk button to transmit spoken messages through the speaker.

The following profiles can be used in Live view and recordings settings:

• Video profiles: Contains profile settings for resolution, video format, frame rate, and compression. Each camera displays settings for its video profiles. To enable profile settings in recordings, see Action rules.

• • High: Optimized for the highest quality and resolution.

  • Medium: Optimized to balance high quality with performance.

  • Low: Optimized for performance.

• Note

  In Live view and recordings, the Stream profile is set to Automatic by default. That means the stream profile will be automatically changed to High, Medium, or Low depending on the available size for the video stream.

• Audio: Contains profile settings for microphone and speaker usage.

Edit stream profiles

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Stream profiles, and select the cameras.

2. Under Video profiles, configure the following for each video profile:

3. • Encoder: Available options depend on the video encoder configurations on the device. This option is only available for third-party devices.

   • • One video encoder configuration can’t be used for more than one video profile.

     • If the device has only one encoder configuration, only Medium profile is shown.

   • Resolution: Available options depend on camera model. A higher resolution gives an image with more details but requires more bandwidth and storage space.

   • Format: Available options depend on camera model. H.264 is supported by most camera models and requires less bandwidth and storage space compared to, for example, M-JPEG.

   • Note

     Cameras can only have one video profile configured for MPEG-4 at a time.

   • Frame rate: The actual frame rate depends on camera model, network conditions and computer configuration.

   • Compression: Lower compression improves image quality, but requires more bandwidth and storage space.

   • Zipstream: Select the level of bitrate reduction to reduce the average bitrate in an H.264 or H.265 stream in real time. This option is only available for Axis devices that support Zipstream. Default means to use the Zipstream setting configured through the device’s configuration page.

     The strength parameter defines the effort level for Zipstream.

   Strength	Effort level	Visible consequences
   Off	Off	None
   10	Low	No visible effect in most scenes
   20	Medium	Visible effect in some scenes: less noise and slightly lower level of detail in regions of lower interest
   30	High	Visible effect in many scenes: less noise and lower level of detail in regions of lower interest
   40	Higher	Visible effect in even more scenes: less noise and lower level of detail in regions of lower interest
   50	Extreme	Visible effect in most scenes: less noise and lower level of detail in regions of lower interest

4. Under Audio, configure the following:

5. • Microphone: To associate a microphone to the camera, select Built-in microphone or line in or other device’s microphone. See Use audio from other devices.

   • Speaker: To associate a speaker to the camera, select Built-in speaker or line out or other device’s speaker. Use a microphone connected to the computer to make spoken announcements. See Use audio from other devices.

   • Use microphone for: Enable microphone audio for one or two streams. Audio can be enabled for Live view and recordings, Live view only or Recordings only.

6. Under Advanced, configure the following settings:

7. • To allow data to be gathered for smart search during video streaming, select Include analytics data. This option is only available for Axis devices that support analytics data.
     Data gathering for Smart search 1 can add latency in live video streaming.

   • To improve compatibility with third-party devices, select Use FFmpeg to enable FFmpeg streaming. This option is only available for third-party devices.

   • To show the object indicators that are detected by a PTZ camera in live view, select Show PTZ autotracking object indicators and set the video stream buffer time up to 2000 milliseconds. This option is only available for an Axis PTZ camera with AXIS PTZ Autotracking configured. For a complete workflow to set up AXIS PTZ Autotracking in AXIS Camera Station, see Set up AXIS PTZ Autotracking.

   • To customize the stream settings for a specific profile:

   • 1. Go to Stream customization.

     2. Enter the settings separated by & for the profile.

        For example: enter overlays=off&color=0 to hide the overlays on that camera.

   • Note

     • The custom settings override any existing settings.
     • Do not include sensitive information in the custom settings.

8. Click Apply.

Customize profile settings

To customize profile settings for resolution, frame rate, compression, video format and audio, select the camera to configure. For cameras of the same model that have the same configuration capabilities, multiple cameras can be configured at the same time. See Configuration settings.

To customize profile settings for recordings, see Recording method.

Optimize profile settings for low bandwidth

The resolution and frame rate used in Live view can be limited to reduce bandwidth consumption, for example if a slow connection is used between the AXIS Camera Station client and AXIS Camera Station server. See Bandwidth usage in Streaming.

Audio from other, non-camera or auxiliary, devices can be used together with video from a network camera or video encoder for live viewing or recording.

1. Add the non-camera device to AXIS Camera Station. See Add devices.

2. Configure the camera to use audio from the device. See Stream profiles.

3. Enable audio for Live view or Recording. See Stream profiles.

Examples

You can configure the image settings for the cameras connected to AXIS Camera Station.

To configure the image settings:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Image configuration, a list of all cameras added to AXIS Camera Station is displayed.

2. Select the camera and the video feed is shown below the list in real time. Use the Type to search field to find a specific camera in the list.

3. Configure the image settings.

Image settings

Brightness: Adjust the image brightness. A higher value gives a brighter image.

Color level: Adjust the color saturation. Select a lower value to reduce color saturation. Color level 0 gives a black and white image. The maximum value gives maximum color saturation.

Sharpness: Adjust the amount of sharpening applied to the image. Increasing sharpness might increase image noise, especially in low light situations. High sharpness might also introduce image artifacts around areas with high contrast, for example sharp edges. Lower sharpness reduces image noise, but makes the image less sharp.

Contrast: Adjust the image contrast.

White balance: Select the white balance option in the drop-down list. White balance is used to make colors in the image look the same regardless of the color temperature of the light source. When selecting Automatic or Auto, the camera identifies the light source and compensates for its color automatically. If the result is not satisfactory, select an option corresponding to the type of light source. Available options depend on camera models.

Rotate image: Set image rotation degrees.

Automatic image rotation: Turn on to adjust the image rotation automatically.

Mirror image: Turn on to mirror the image.

Backlight compensation: Turn on if a bright spot of light, for example a light bulb, causes other areas in the image to appear too dark.

Dynamic contrast (wide dynamic range): Turn on to use wide dynamic range to improve the exposure when there is a considerable contrast between light and dark areas in the image. Use the slider to adjust dynamic contrast. Enable dynamic contrast in intense backlight conditions. Disable dynamic contrast in low light conditions.

Custom dewarp settings: You can import a .dewarp file that contains the lens parameters, optical centers, and tilt orientation of the camera. Click Reset to reset the parameters to their original values.

1. Create a .dewarp file including the following parameters:

2. • Required: RadialDistortionX, RadialDistortionY, RadialDistortionZ, and TiltOrientation. The possible values for TiltOrientation is wall, desk, and ceiling.

   • Optional: OpticalCenterX and OpticalCenterY. If you want to set the optical centers, you must include both of the two parameters.

3. Click Import and navigate to the .dewarp file.

4. The following is an example of a .dewarp file:

RadialDistortionX=-43.970703
RadialDistortionY=29.148499
RadialDistortionZ=715.732193
TiltOrientation=Desk
OpticalCenterX=1296
OpticalCenterY=972

Pan, tilt, zoom (PTZ) is the ability to pan (move left and right), tilt (move up and down) and zoom in and out.

Go to Configuration > Devices > PTZ presets, a list of cameras that can be used with PTZ is displayed. Click a camera to view all presets available for the camera. Click Refresh to update the preset list.

You can use PTZ with:

• PTZ cameras, that is, cameras with built-in mechanical PTZ

• Fixed cameras where digital PTZ has been enabled

Digital PTZ is enabled from the camera's built-in configuration page. For more information, see the camera's User Manual. To open the configuration page, go to the device management page, select the camera and click the link in the Address column.

PTZ presets can be configured in AXIS Camera Station and the camera's configuration page. We recommend that you configure PTZ presets in AXIS Camera Station.

• When a PTZ preset is configured in the camera’s configuration page, you can only view the stream within the preset. The PTZ movements in live view can be seen and are recorded.

• When a PTZ preset is configured in AXIS Camera Station, you can view the complete stream of the camera. The PTZ movements in live view can’t be seen and are not recorded.

To add a preset:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > PTZ presets and select a camera in the list.

2. For cameras with mechanical PTZ, use the PTZ controls to move the camera view to the desired position. For cameras with digital PTZ, use the mouse wheel to zoom in and drag the camera view to the desired position.

3. Click Add and enter a name for the new preset.

4. Click OK.

To remove a preset, select the preset and click Remove. This will remove the preset from AXIS Camera Station and from the camera.

Device management provides tools for administration and maintenance of devices connected to AXIS Camera Station.

Go to Configuration > Devices > Management to open the Manage devices page.

If you have set up automatic check for new firmware versions in Firmware upgrade settings, a link displays when there are new firmware versions available for devices. Click the link to upgrade the firmware versions. See Upgrade firmware.

If you have set up automatic check for new software versions in AXIS Camera Station update, a link displays when there is a new AXIS Camera Station version available. Click the link to install a new version of AXIS Camera Station.

A list of devices added to AXIS Camera Station is displayed. Use the Type to search field to find devices in the list. To hide or show columns, right-click the header row and select which columns to show. Drag and drop the headers to display the columns in different order.

The device list includes the following information:

• Name: The name of the device or a list of all associated camera names when the device is a video encoder with multiple connected cameras, or a network camera with multiple view areas.

• MAC address: The MAC address of the device.

• Status: The status of the device.

• • OK: The standard state for an established device connection.

  • Maintenance: The device is under maintenance and temporarily is not accessible.

  • Not accessible: No connection can be established with the device.

  • Not accessible over set hostname: No connection can be established with the device via its hostname.

  • Server not accessible: No connection can be established with the server that the device is connected to.

  • Enter password: No connection with the device until valid credentials are entered. Click the link to provide valid user credentials. If the device supports encrypted connections, the password is sent encrypted by default.

  • Set password: The root account and password is not set up or the device still uses the default password. Click the link to set the root user password.

  • • Type your password or click Generate to automatically generate a password up to the length allowed by the device. We recommend that you show the automatically generated password and make a copy of it.

    • Select to use this password for all devices with the Set password status.

    • Select Enable HTTPS to enable HTTPS if the device supports it.

  • Password type: unencrypted: No connection is established with the device as the device has previously connected using an encrypted password. For security reasons, AXIS Camera Station does not allow use of unencrypted passwords for devices that have previously used encrypted passwords. For devices supporting encryption, the connection type is configured on the device’s configuration page.

  • Certificate error: There is some error with the certificate on the device.

  • Certificate about to expire: The certificate on the device is about to expire.

  • Certificate has expired: The certificate on the device has expired.

  • HTTPS certificate not trusted: The HTTPS certificate on the device is not trusted by AXIS Camera Station.

  • HTTP failed: No HTTP connection can be established with the device.

  • HTTPS failed: No HTTPS connection can be established with the device.

  • HTTP and HTTPS failed (ping or UDP OK): No HTTP and HTTPS connection can be established with the device. The device responds to ping and User Datagram Protocol (UDP) communication.

• Address: The address of the device. Click the link to go to the device's configuration page. It shows the IP address or hostname depending on which one is used when adding the device. See Device configuration tab.

• Hostname: The hostname of the device if available. Click the link to go to the device's configuration page. The hostname displayed is the fully qualified domain name. See Device configuration tab.

• Manufacturer: The manufacturer of the device.

• Model: The model of the device.

• Firmware: The version of firmware the device is currently using.

• DHCP: If the device is connected to the server using DHCP.

• HTTPS: The HTTPS status of the device. See HTTPS status in Security.

• IEEE 802.1X: The IEEE 802.1X status of the device. See IEEE 802.1X status in Security.

• Server: The AXIS Camera Station server the device is connected to.

• Tags: (Hidden by default) The tags added to the device.

• UPnP Friendly Name: (Hidden by default) The UPnP name. This is a descriptive name used to make it easier to identify the device.

You can perform the following actions on devices:

• Assign IP address to devices. See Assign IP address.

• Set password for devices. See User management.

• Upgrade firmware for devices. See Upgrade firmware.

• Set date and time on devices. See Set date and time.

• Restart devices.

• Restore devices to reset most settings, including the password, to their factory default values. The following settings are not reset: uploaded camera applications, boot protocol (DHCP or static), static IP address, default router, subnet mask, system time.

• Note

  To prevent unauthorized access, we strongly recommend setting the password after restoring a device.

• Install camera application on devices. See Install camera application.

• Reload devices when settings have been changed from the devices' configuration page.

• Configure devices. See Configure devices.

• User management. See User management.

• Manage certificates. See Security.

• Collect device data. See Collect device data.

• Select to use IP address or hostname. See Connection.

• Tag devices. See Tags.

• Enter device credentials. Right-click a device and select Advanced > Enter device credentials to enter password for the device.

• Go to the device’s configuration tab and configure your device. See Device configuration tab.

AXIS Camera Station can Assign IP address to multiple devices. New IP addresses can be obtained automatically from a DHCP server or assigned from an IP address range.

Assigning IP addresses

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management and select the devices to configure.

2. Click , or right-click and select Assign IP address.

3. If some of the devices can't be configured, for example if the devices are inaccessible, the Invalid devices dialog will appear. Click Continue to skip the devices that can't be configured.

4. If you select one device to assign IP address, click Advanced to open the Assign IP address page.

5. Select Obtain IP addresses automatically(DHCP) to obtain the IP addresses automatically from a DHCP server.

6. Select Assign the following IP address range and specify the IP range, subnet mask, and default router.

   To specify the IP range:

7. • Use wildcards. For example: 192.168.0.* or 10.*.1.*

   • Write the first and last IP addresses separated by a dash. For example: 192.168.0.10-192.168.0.20 (this address range can be shortened to 192.168.0.10-20) or 10.10-30.1.101

   • Combine wildcards and range. For example: 10.10-30.1.*

   • Use a comma to separate multiple ranges. For example: 192.168.0.*,192.168.1.10-192.168.1.20

8. Note

   To assign an IP address range, the devices must be connected to the same AXIS Camera Station server.

9. Click Next.

10. Review the current IP addresses and the new IP addresses. To change the IP address for a device, select the device and click Edit IP.

11. • The current IP address, subnet mask and default router are displayed in the Current IP address section.

    • Edit the options in the New IP address section, and click OK.

12. Click Finish when satisfied with the new IP addresses.

You can configure some settings on multiple devices at the same time by copying device settings from one device, or by applying a configuration file.

• For information about how to configure devices, see Configuration methods.

• For information about how to create a configuration file, see Create configuration file.

• For information about which settings can be copied, see Configuration settings.

There are different methods to configure devices. AXIS Device management will attempt to configure all devices according to the settings in the method. See Configure devices.

Use configuration of the selected device

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management.

2. Right-click one device, select Configure Devices > Configure.

3. Select the settings to be applied. See Configuration settings.

4. Click Next to verify the settings to be applied.

5. Click Finish to apply the settings to the device.

Copy configuration from another device

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management.

2. Right-click the devices, select Configure Devices > Configure. Devices of different models and firmware can be selected.

3. Click Device to show devices with reusable configurations.

4. Select a device to copy settings from and click OK.

5. Select the settings to be applied. See Configuration settings.

6. Click Next to verify the settings to be applied.

7. Click Finish to apply the settings to the devices.

Use configuration file

A configuration file contains settings from one device. It can be used to configure multiple devices at the same time and reconfigure a device, for example if the device is reset to its factory default settings. A configuration file created from a device can be applied to devices with different model or firmware even if some settings do not exist on all devices.

If some settings do not exist or can't be applied, the task status will show as Error in the Tasks tab at the bottom of the AXIS Camera Station client. Right-click the task and select Show to display information about the settings that could not be applied.

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management.

2. Right-click the devices, select Configure Devices > Configure.

3. Click Configuration File to go to the configuration file. For how to create a configuration file, see Create configuration file.

4. Browse to the .cfg file and click Open.

5. Click Next to verify the settings to be applied.

6. Click Finish to apply the settings to the devices.

A configuration file contains settings from one device. These settings can then be applied to other devices. For information on how to use the configuration file, see Configuration methods.

The displayed settings are the device settings that can be accessed using AXIS Device management. To find a particular setting, use the Type to search field.

To create a configuration file:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management.

2. Select the device to create the configuration file from.

3. Right-click and select Configure Devices > Create Configuration File.

4. Select the settings to include and change their values as required. See Configuration settings.

5. Click Next to verify the settings.

6. Click Finish to create the configuration file.

7. Click Save to save the settings to a .cfg file.

When you configure devices, you can configure the parameters, action rules, and additional settings of the devices.

Parameters

Parameters are internal device parameters that are used to control device behavior. For general information about parameters, see the product's User Manual available at www.axis.com

You can insert variables in some text fields. The variables will be replaced by text before they are applied to a device. To insert a variable, right-click the text field and select:

• Insert device serial number variable: This variable will be replaced with the serial number of the device that the configuration file is applied to.

• Insert device name variable: This variable will be replaced with the name of the device used when applying the configuration file. The device name can be found in the Name column in the Device management page. To rename a device, go to the Cameras or Other devices page.

• Insert server name variable: This variable will be replaced with the name of the server used when applying the configuration file. The server name can be found in the Server column in the Device management page. To rename a server, go to AXIS Camera Station Service Control.

• Insert server time zone variable: This variable will be replaced with the POSIX time zone of the server used when applying the configuration file. This can be used with the POSIX time zone parameter to set the correct time zone of all devices in a network with servers in different time zones.

Action rules

Action rules can be copied between devices. Action rules should only be modified by experienced users. For general information about action rules, see Action rules.

Additional settings

• Stream Profiles: A stream profile is a pre-programmed Live view configuration profile for video encoding, image and audio settings. Stream profiles can be copied between devices.

• Motion Detection Windows: Motion detection windows are used to define specific areas in the camera's field of view. Typically, alarms are generated whenever movement occurs (or stops) within the specified areas. Motion detection windows can be copied between devices.

Go to Configuration > Devices > Management, the Manage devices page is displayed for you to manage users of the devices.

When you set password or remove users for multiple devices, users that are not present on all devices are indicated with . Each user appears only once when the user is present on different devices with different roles.

Set password

The following characters can be used in passwords:

• letters A-Z, a-z

• numbers 0-9

• space, comma (,), period (.), colon (:), semicolon (;)

• !, ", #, $, %, &, ', (, +, *, -, ), /, <, >, =, ?, [, \, ^, -, `, {, |, ~, @, ], }

To set password for users on devices:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management > Manage devices.

2. Select the devices and click . You can also right-click the devices and select User Management > Set password.

3. Select a user.

4. Type your password or click Generate to generate a strong password.

6. Click OK.

Add user

To add local or Active Directory users to Axis Camera Station:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management > Manage devices.

2. Right-click the devices and select User Management > Add user.

3. Enter a username and password, and confirm the password. For a list of valid characters, see the Set password section above.

4. Select the user access rights from the drop-down list of the Role field:

5. • Administrator: unrestricted access to the device.

   • Operator: access to the video stream, events and all settings except System Options.

   • Viewer: access to the video stream.

6. Select Enable PTZ control to allow the user to pan, tilt, and zoom in Live view.

7. Click OK.

Remove user

To remove users from the devices:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management > Manage devices.

2. Right-click the devices and select User Management > Remove user.

3. Select the user to be removed from the drop-down list of the User field.

4. Click OK.

List users

To list all users on the devices and their access rights:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management > Manage devices.

2. Right-click the devices and select User Management > List users.

3. Use the Type to search field to find the specific users in the list.

Firmware is software that determines the functionality of the Axis product. Using the latest firmware ensures that your device will have the latest functionality and improvements.

New firmware can be downloaded using AXIS Camera Station or imported from a file on a hard drive or memory card. Firmware versions that are available for download are shown with the text (Download) after their version numbers. Firmware versions that are available on the local client are shown with the text (File) after their version numbers.

When you upgrade firmware, you can select the upgrade type:

• Standard: Upgrade to the selected firmware version and keep the existing setting values.

• Factory default: Upgrade to the selected firmware version and reset all settings to the factory default values.

To upgrade firmware:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management and select the devices to configure.

2. Click , or right-click and select Upgrade firmware.

3. If some of the devices can't be configured, for example if the devices are inaccessible, the Invalid devices dialog will appear. Click Continue to skip the devices that can't be configured.

4. The device is not accessible during the process of upgrading firmware, click Yes to continue. If you have acknowledged this and do not want this to show again, select Do not show this dialog again and click Yes.

5. The Upgrade firmware dialogue lists the device model, number of devices of each model, the existing firmware version, available firmware versions to upgrade and the upgrade type. By default, the devices in the list are pre-selected when new firmware versions are available for download, and the latest firmware version is pre-selected for each device.

6. 1. To update the list of firmware versions available for download, click Check for updates. To browse for one or more firmware files stored on the local client, click Browse.

   2. Select the devices, the firmware versions that you want to upgrade and the upgrade type.

   3. Click OK to start upgrading the devices in the list.

The date and time settings for your Axis devices can be synchronized with the server computer time, with an NTP server, or set manually.

To set date and time on devices:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management.

2. Select the device and click or right-click it and select Set date and time.

3. Device time lists the current date and time for your Axis device. When selecting multiple devices, Device time is not available.

4. Select the time zone.

5. • Select the time zone you want to use with your Axis product from the Time zone drop-down list.

   • Select Automatically adjust for daylight saving time changes if your product is located in an area that uses daylight saving time.

6. Note

   Time zone can be set when selecting the Synchronize with NTP server or Set manually time mode.

7. In the Time mode section:

8. • Select Synchronize with server computer time to synchronize the date and time of your product with the clock on the server computer, that is, the computer where the AXIS Camera Station server is installed.

   • Select Synchronize with NTP server to synchronize the date and time of your product with an NTP server. Enter the IP address, DNS or hostname of the NTP server in the provided field.

   • Select Set manually to manually set the date and time.

9. Click OK.

A camera application is software that can be uploaded to and installed on Axis network video products. Applications add functionality to the device, for example detection, recognition, tracking or counting capabilities.

Some applications can be installed directly from AXIS Camera Station. Other applications must first be downloaded from www.axis.com/global/en/products/analytics-and-other-applications or from the application vendor's website.

Applications can be installed on devices with support for AXIS Camera Application Platform. Some applications also require a specific firmware version or camera model.

If the application requires a license, the license key file can be installed at the same time as the application or it can be installed later using the devices' configuration page.

To obtain the license key file, the license code included with the application must be registered at www.axis.com/se/sv/products/camera-applications/license-key-registration#/registration

If an application can't be installed, go to www.axis.com and check if the device model and firmware version support AXIS Camera Application Platform.

Available camera applications:

AXIS Video Motion Detection 4 –

An application that detects moving objects within an area of interest. The application does not require any license and can be installed on cameras with firmware 6.50 and later. You can also check the firmware release notes for your product to verify if it supports video motion detection 4.

AXIS Video Motion Detection 2 –

An application that detects moving objects within an area of interest. The application does not require any license and can be installed on cameras with firmware 5.60 and later.

AXIS Video Content Stream –

An application that enables Axis cameras to send motion object tracking data to AXIS Camera Station. It can be installed on cameras with firmware between 5.50 and 9.59. The use of AXIS Video Content Stream is only permitted when used in combination with AXIS Camera Station.

Other applications –

Any application that you want to install. Download the application to your local computer before you start the installation.

To install camera applications:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management.

2. Select the cameras that you want to install the applications. Click or right-click and select Install camera application.

3. Select the camera application that you want to install on the cameras. If you want to install other applications, click Browse and navigate to the local application file. Click Next.

4. If you have the application installed, you can select Allow application overwrite to reinstall the application, or select Allow application downgrade to install a previous version of the application.

5. Note

   Downgrade or overwrite the application resets the application settings on the devices.

6. If a license is required for the application, the Install licenses dialog appears.

7. 1. Click Yes to start installing a license, and then click Next.

   2. Click Browse and navigate to the license file, and then click Next.

8. Note

   Installing AXIS Video Motion Detection 2, AXIS Video Motion Detection 4, or AXIS Video Content Stream does not require a license.

9. Review the information and click Finish. The status of the camera changes from OK to Maintenance and back to OK when the installation is done.

AXIS Camera Station can automatically handle the client and server certificates by configuring a certificate authority (CA). If a CA is configured, any preinstalled certificates will be ignored when new certificates are installed using the CA. However, we recommend that you uninstall any preinstalled certificates. For more on how to configure certificates, see Certificates.

Manage HTTPS or IEEE 802.1X certificates

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management.

2. Right-click the devices:

3. • Select Security > HTTPS > Enable/Update to enable HTTPS or update the HTTPS settings for the devices.

   • Select Security > IEEE 802.1X > Enable/Update to enable IEEE 802.1X or update the IEEE 802.1X settings for the devices.

   • Select Security > HTTPS > Disable to disable HTTPS for the devices.

   • Select Security > IEEE 802.1X > Disable to diable IEEE 802.1X for the devices.

4. Note

   When the same certificate is installed on several devices, it is only displayed as one item. Deleting the certificate will remove it from all of the devices on which it is installed.

Status of HTTPS and IEEE 802.1X

On the Device management page, the status of HTTPS and IEEE 802.1X is listed.

This option is typically used for troubleshooting purposes. Use this option to generate a .zip file with a data collection report for a specific location on your devices.

To collect device data:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management.

2. Right-click the devices, and select Collect device data.

3. In the Data source on selected devices section:

4. • Click Preset and select one from the drop-down list of commonly used commands.

   • Note

     Some presets do not work on all devices. For example, PTZ status does not work on audio devices.

   • Click Custom and specify the URL path to your data collection source on the selected servers.

5. In the Save as section, specify the file name and folder location for your data collection .zip file.

6. Select Automatically open folder when ready to open the specified folder when the data collection is done.

7. Click OK.

To communicate with devices by using the IP address or hostname:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management.

2. Select the devices, right-click and select Connection.

3. • To connect to the devices by using the IP address, select Use IP.

   • To connect to the devices by using the hostname, select Use hostname.

Tags are used to organize devices in the Device management page. A device can have multiple tags.

Devices can for example be tagged according to model or location. For example, when devices are tagged according to camera model, you can quickly find and upgrade all cameras of that model.

To tag a device:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management.

2. Right-click a device and select Tag devices.

3. Select Use existing tag and select a tag, or select Create a new tag and enter a name for the tag.

4. Click OK.

To remove a tag from a device:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management and click at the top right.

2. In the Tags folder, select a tag. All devices associated with the tag are now displayed.

3. Select the devices. Right-click and select Untag devices.

4. Click OK.

To manage a tag:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management and click at the top right.

2. In the Device tags page:

3. • Right-click Tags and select New tag to create a tag.

   • Right-click a tag, select Rename tag and enter a new name to rename a tag.

   • Right-click a tag, select Delete to delete a tag.

   • Click to pin the Device tags page.

   • Click a tag to display all devices associated with the tag, and click All devices to display all devices connected to AXIS Camera Station.

   • Click Warnings/Errors to display devices that need attention, for example devices that are inaccessible.

To configure all settings on a single device:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Management.

2. Click the device’s address or hostname to go to the device’s configuration tab.

3. Change the settings. For information about how to configure your device, see the device’s User Manual.

4. Close the tab and the device is reloaded to ensure the changes are implemented in AXIS Camera Station.

Limitations

• Auto authentication for third-party devices is not supported.

• General support for third-party devices cannot be guaranteed.

• The device configuration tab with active video streams increases the load and might impact the performance on the server machine.

An external data source is a system or source that generates data that can be used to track what happened at the time of each event. See Data search.

Go to Configuration > Devices > External data sources and a list of all external data sources is displayed. Click a column heading to sort by the content of the column.

An external data source is added automatically when

• A door is created under Configuration > Access control > Doors and zones.

  For a complete workflow to set up AXIS A1601 Network Door Controller in AXIS Camera Station, see Set up AXIS A1601 Network Door Controller.

• The first event is received by the device that is configured with AXIS License Plate Verifier.

  For a complete workflow to set up AXIS License Plate Verifier in AXIS Camera Station, see Set up AXIS License Plate Verifier.

If an external data source is configured with a view, the data generated from the data source is automatically bookmarked in the timeline of the view in the Data search tab. To connect a data source to a view:

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > External data sources.

2. Select an external data source and click Edit.

3. Select a view from the View drop-down list.

4. Click OK.

Go to Configuration > Devices > Time synchronization to open the Time synchronization page.

A list of devices added to AXIS Camera Station is displayed. Right-click the header row and select which columns to show. Drag and drop the headers to display the columns in different order.

The device list includes the following information:

• Name: The name of the device or a list of all associated camera names when the device is a video encoder with multiple connected cameras, or a network camera with multiple view areas.

• Address: The address of the device. Click the link to go to the device's configuration page. It shows the IP address or hostname depending on which one is used when adding the device. See Device configuration tab.

• MAC address: The MAC address of the device.

• Model: The model of the device.

• Enabled: Shows if the time synchronization is enabled.

• NTP source: The NTP source configured for the device.

• • Static: The NTP servers on the device are specified manually under Primary NTP server and Secondary NTP server.

  • DHCP: The device receives the NTP server dynamically from the network. Primary NTP server and Secondary NTP server are not available when DHCP is selected.

• Primary NTP server: The primary NTP server configured for the device. Only available when Static is selected.

• Secondary NTP server: The secondary NTP server configured for the device. Only available for Axis devices that support secondary NTP and when Static is selected.

• Server time offset: The time difference between the device and the server.

• UTC time: The coordinated universal time on the device.

• Synced: Shows if the time synchronization settings are actually applied. This is only available for device with firmware 9.1 or later.

• Time to next sync: The remaining time to next synchronization.

The Windows Time service (W32Time) uses the Network Time Protocol (NTP) to synchronize the date and time for AXIS Camera Station server. The following information is displayed:

• Server: The AXIS Camera Station server on which the Windows Time service is running.

• Status: The status of the Windows Time service. Either Running or Stopped.

• NTP server: The NTP server configured for the Windows Time service.

1. Go to Configuration > Devices > Time synchronization.

2. Select your devices and select Enable time synchronization.

3. Select the NTP source Static or DHCP.

4. If you have selected Static, configure the primary and secondary NTP server.

5. To receive alarm for time difference larger than 2 seconds, select Send alarm when the time difference between server and device is larger than 2 seconds.

6. Click Apply.

Go to Configuration > Storage > Management to open the Manage storage page. A list of the local storage and network storage that have been added to AXIS Camera Station is displayed. This page contains the following information:

Go to Configuration > Storage > Management to open the Manage storage page. In this page, you can specify the folder to store recordings. To prevent the storage from becoming full, a maximum percentage of total capacity to be used by AXIS Camera Station should be set. Additional local storage and network drives can be added for security and more space.

Add a local storage or shared network drive

1. Go to Configuration > Storage > Management and click Add.

2. To add a local storage, select Local storage and select a storage from the drop-down list.

3. To add a shared network drive, select Shared network drive and enter the path to a shared network drive. For example: \\ip_address\share. Click OK and enter the username and password for the shared network drive.

4. Click OK.

Remove a local storage or shared network drive

To remove a local storage or shared network drive, select a local storage or shared network drive from the storage list and click Remove.

Add a folder for new recordings

1. Go to Configuration > Storage > Management and select a local storage or shared network drive from the storage list.

2. Enter a folder name in the Folder for new recordings field to change the location where recordings will be stored.

3. Click Apply.

Adjust storage capacity

1. Go to Configuration > Storage > Management and select a local storage or shared network drive from the storage list.

2. Move the slide bar to set the maximum space to be used by AXIS Camera Station in the Overview section.

3. Click Apply.

Collect non-indexed files

Non-indexed files can make up a substantial part of the Other data on the storage. The non-indexed file is any data in the recording folder that is not part of the current database. The file could contain recordings from previous installations or data lost when a restore point is used.

The collected files are not deleted, but collected and placed in the Non-indexed files folder on the recording storage. The storage can be located on the same computer as the client, or on a remote server depending on your configuration. To access the Non-indexed files folder, you need access to that server.

The data in the folder is placed in the order of where it was found. That means the content is divided first by server and then devices connected to that particular server.

You can choose to either look for a particular recording or log you have lost, or simply delete the contents to free up space.

To collect non-indexed files for review or removal:

1. Go to Configuration > Storage > Management and select a local storage or shared network drive from the storage list.

2. In the Collect non-indexed files section, click Collect to initiate a task.

3. When the task is done, go to the Tasks tab and double-click the task to view the result.

Go to Configuration > Storage > Selection to open the Select storage page. This page features a list of all cameras that have been added to AXIS Camera Station and you can specify the number of days to keep recordings for specific cameras. When selected, the storage information can be seen under Recording Storage. Multiple cameras can be configured at the same time.

This page contains the following information:

The storage solution for every camera is configured when cameras are added to AXIS Camera Station. To edit storage settings for a camera:

1. Go to Configuration > Storage > Selection and select the camera to edit the storage settings. Use the Type to search field to find specific cameras.

2. In the Recording storage section:

3. • In the Store to field, select the storage to save recordings to from the drop-down list. Available options are the local storage and network storage that were created.

   • Select Failover recording to store the recordings to the camera's SD card when the connection between AXIS Camera Station and the camera is lost. Once the connection is restored, the failover recordings are transferred to AXIS Camera Station.

   • Note

     This feature can only be used for cameras that have an SD card and firmware 5.20 or later.

   • Select Unlimited retention time to keep recordings until the storage becomes full. Otherwise, select Limited to set the maximum number of days to keep recordings.

   • Note

     If the amount of storage space reserved for AXIS Camera Station becomes full, recordings may be deleted before the designated number of days.

   • Specify the number of days to keep your recordings.

4. Click Apply.

Motion recording or continuous recording is configured automatically when cameras are added to AXIS Camera Station.

To adjust recording settings, or to disable recording for some cameras, go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.

AXIS Camera Station supports:

• Motion recording

• Continuous and scheduled recording

• Manual recording

• Rule triggered recording

• Failover recording

• Fallback recording

Motion detection can be used with all Axis network cameras and video encoders. Recording only when motion is detected saves considerably on storage space compared to continuous recording.

To enable or disable motion recording, or to change settings:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.

2. Select a camera in the list.

3. Turn on Motion detection to enable motion recording. To disable, turn it off. If the settings are greyed out, the feature is unavailable on that model.

4. Under Video settings:

5. • The High profile is selected by default. To change it, select another profile from the Profile drop-down list. To edit profile settings, see Stream profiles.

   • Select the number of seconds to include in a recording before the motion is detected under Prebuffer.

   • Select the number of seconds to include in a recording when the motion is no longer detected under Postbuffer.

   • Select Raise alarm to raise an alarm when motion is detected.

6. Under Schedule, select a schedule or click New to create a new schedule.

7. Under Advanced, set an interval time between two successive triggers in the Trigger period field. This setting is used to reduce the number of successive recordings. The recording will continue if an additional trigger occurs within this interval. If an additional trigger occurs, the trigger period starts over from that point in time.

8. Click Motion settings to configure motion detection settings. Available settings are different for different cameras, see Edit built-in motion detection and Edit AXIS Video Motion Detection 2 and 4.

9. Click Apply.

Tips:

• If too many or too few moving objects are detected, see Adjust motion settings.

• If the size of the recorded files is too large for the available storage space, try the following:

• • Select a profile with lower resolution, lower frame rate or increased compression. Video format H.264 results in smaller files than the other formats.

  • Use a schedule to only record during specific time periods.

  • Change Motion Settings to reduce the number of detected objects.

A continuous recording saves images continuously. This requires more storage space than the other recording options.

To enable or disable continuous recording, or to change settings:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.

2. Select a camera in the list.

3. Turn on Continuous to enable continuous recording.

4. Under Video settings:

5. • The Medium profile is selected by default. To change it, select another profile from the Profile drop-down list. To edit profile settings, see Stream profiles.

6. Under Schedule, select a schedule or click New to create a new schedule.

7. Under Advanced, turn on Average bitrate and set Max storage. The estimated average bitrate is displayed based on the specified max storage and the retention time. The maximum average bitrate is 50000 Kbit/s. See Configure average bitrate.

8. Click Apply to save settings.

Tips: If the size of the recorded files is too large for the available storage space, try the following:

• Select a profile with lower resolution, lower frame rate or higher compression. Video format H.264 results in smaller files than the other formats.

• Use a schedule to only record during specific time periods.

• Consider using motion recording.

For how to record manually, see Record manually.

To configure manual recording settings:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.

2. Select a camera in the list.

3. Under Manual, configure Video settings:

4. • The High profile is selected by default. To change it, select another profile from the Profile drop-down list. To edit profile settings, see Stream profiles.

   • Select the number of seconds to include in a recording before the motion is detected under Prebuffer.

   • Select the number of seconds to include in a recording when the motion is no longer detected under Postbuffer.

5. Click Apply.

A rule triggered recording is started and stopped according to a rule created in Action rules.

Rules can, for example, be used to generate recordings triggered by signals from I/O ports, tampering attempts or AXIS Cross Line Detection. A rule can have several triggers.

To create rule triggered recording, go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules. See Action rules.

Failover recording can be enabled on a camera with an SD card and firmware 5.20 or later. Failover recording will only affect H.264 recordings.

To enable failover recording:

1. Go to Configuration > Storage > Selection.

2. Select a camera and then select Failover recording.

3. Click Apply to save settings.

Once you have enabled failover recording, the camera automatically starts recording onto the SD card when the connection with AXIS Camera Station is lost and can't be reestablished within 10 seconds.

When connection is restored, the failover recording is imported to AXIS Camera Station and marked with a dark grey color in the timeline. The camera will try to compensate for the 10 seconds delay before the failover recording is triggered by storing the last 10 seconds of a stream in its internal memory. Short gaps about 1 - 4 seconds might still appear.

When the recording method is set as:

• Motion detection with prebuffer

  AXIS Camera Station continuously requests recording stream from the camera and processes it on the server side. In case of disconnection for more than 10 seconds, failover recording will be triggered and the camera will continuously record to the SD card until connection is restored or the SD card becomes full.

• Motion detection without prebuffer

• • AXIS Camera Station requests recording stream from the camera only when motion is detected. In case of disconnection for more than 10 seconds when motion recording is not ongoing, failover recording will not be realized even if motion is detected afterwards when the camera is still disconnected.

  • AXIS Camera Station requests recording stream from the camera only when motion is detected. In case of disconnection for more than 10 seconds when motion recording is ongoing, failover recording will be triggered and the camera will continuously record to the SD card until connection is restored or the SD card becomes full.

• Continuous recording

  AXIS Camera Station continuously requests recording stream from the camera and processes it on the server side. In case of disconnection for more than 10 seconds, failover recording will be triggered and the camera will continuously record to the SD card until connection is restored or the SD card becomes full.

You can turn on fallback recording on a device with AXIS S3008 Recorder as recording storage.

Once you have turned on fallback recording, the device automatically starts a continuous recording with medium stream profile on the recorder when the connection between AXIS Camera Station and the recorder is lost.

To turn on fallback recording, make sure that AXIS S3008 Recorder and the devices have been added and the recorder has been configured as recording storage for the device. See Set up AXIS S3008 Recorder.

1. Go to Configuration > Storage > Selection.

2. Select the device and select Fallback recording.

3. Click Apply.

Motion recording or continuous recording is configured automatically when devices are added to AXIS Camera Station.

Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method to open the Recording method page. A list of all devices is displayed. Use the Type to search field to find devices in the list. The check marks indicate the enabled recording method for the devices. For devices of the same model, multiple devices can be configured at the same time. To customize profile settings for video and audio, see Stream profiles.

Configure settings for motion recording

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.

2. Select a camera in the list.

3. Turn on Motion detection to enable motion recording. To disable, turn it off. (If the settings are greyed out, the feature is unavailable on that model).

4. Under Video settings:

5. • The High profile is selected by default. To change it, select another profile from the Profile drop-down list. To edit profile settings, see Stream profiles.

   • Select the number of seconds to include in a recording before the motion is detected under Prebuffer.

   • Select the number of seconds to include in a recording when the motion is no longer detected under Postbuffer.

   • Select Raise alarm to raise an alarm when motion is detected.

6. Under Schedule, select a schedule or click New to create a new schedule.

7. Under Advanced, set an interval time between two successive triggers in the Trigger period field. This setting is used to reduce the number of successive recordings. The recording will continue if an additional trigger occurs within this interval. If an additional trigger occurs, the trigger period starts over from that point in time.

8. Click Motion settings to configure motion detection settings. Available settings are different for different cameras, see Edit built-in motion detection and Edit AXIS Video Motion Detection 2 and 4.

9. Click Apply.

Configure settings for continuous recording

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.

2. Select a camera in the list.

3. Turn on Continuous to enable continuous recording.

4. Under Video settings:

5. • The Medium profile is selected by default. To change it, select another profile from the Profile drop-down list. To edit profile settings, see Stream profiles.

6. Under Schedule, select a schedule or click New to create a new schedule.

7. Under Advanced, turn on Average bitrate and set Max storage. The estimated average bitrate is displayed based on the specified max storage and the retention time. The maximum average bitrate is 50000 Kbit/s. See Configure average bitrate.

8. Click Apply to save settings.

Configure settings for manual recording

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.

2. Select a camera in the list.

3. Under Manual, configure Video settings:

4. • The High profile is selected by default. To change it, select another profile from the Profile drop-down list. To edit profile settings, see Stream profiles.

   • Select the number of seconds to include in a recording before the motion is detected under Prebuffer.

   • Select the number of seconds to include in a recording when the motion is no longer detected under Postbuffer.

5. Click Apply.

With average bitrate, the bitrate is automatically adjusted over a longer timescale. So you can meet the target bitrate and provide good video quality based on the specified storage.

1. Go to Configuration > Storage > Selection and make sure you have set a limited retention time for the camera.

2. Go to Configuration > Devices > Stream profiles and make sure you have set H.264 or H.265 as the format for the video profile to be used for the continuous recording.

3. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method, select the camera and turn on Continuous.

4. Under Video settings, select the video profile that you have configured.

5. Under Advanced, turn on Average bitrate and set Max storage. The estimated average bitrate is displayed based on the specified max storage and the retention time. The maximum average bitrate is 50000 Kbit/s.

6. Note

   The max storage means the maximum space for the recordings over the retention time. It only guarantees that the recordings will not exceed the specified space. It doesn’t guarantee that there will be enough space for the recordings.

7. Click Apply.

AXIS Video Motion Detection 2 and 4 are camera applications that can be installed on products with support for AXIS Camera Application Platform. Motion detection 2 requires firmware 5.60 or later. AXIS Video Motion Detection 4 requires firmware 6.50 or later. You can also check the firmware release notes for you product to verify if it supports video motion detection 4.

If motion recording is selected when cameras are added to AXIS Camera Station, AXIS Video Motion Detection 2 and 4 will only be installed on cameras with the required firmware. Other cameras will use the built-in motion detection. You can install the application from the device management page. See Install camera application.

When AXIS Video Motion Detection 2 or 4 is installed on the camera, motion detection detects moving objects within an area of interest.

With AXIS Video Motion Detection 2 and 4, you can create:

• Area of interest: An area in which moving objects are detected. Objects outside the area of interest are always ignored. The area is the polygon displayed on top of the video image. The polygon can have 3 to 20 points (corners).

• Area to exclude: An area within the area of interest in which moving objects will be ignored.

• Ignore filters: Filters that are created to ignore the moving objects detected by the application. Use as few filters as possible and configure the filters with care to ensure that no important objects are ignored. Enable and configure one filter at a time.

• • Short-lived objects: This filter ignores objects that only appear a short time in the image. For example: light beams from a passing car and quickly moving shadows. Set the minimum time objects must appear in the image to trigger an alarm. The time is counted from the moment the application detects the object. Alarms are not triggered until the specified time has passed, that is, all alarms are delayed by the specified time. If the object disappears from the image within the specified time, no alarm is generated.

  • Small objects: This filter ignores objects that are small, for example small animals. Set the width and height as a percentage of the total image. Objects that are smaller than the specified width and height are ignored and do not trigger alarms. To be ignored, objects must be smaller than both width and height values.

  • Swaying objects: This filter ignores objects that only move a short distance, for example swaying foliage, flags and their shadows. Set distance as a percentage of the total image. Objects moving a distance that is shorter than the distance from the center of the ellipse to one of the arrowheads are ignored. The ellipse is a measure of movement and will be applied to all movement in the image.

To configure motion settings:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.

2. Select a camera with AXIS Video Motion Detection 2 or 4, and click Motion Settings.

3. Edit the area of interest.

4. • To add a new point, click the line between two points.

   • To remove a point, right-click the point, or click the point and click Remove Point.

5. Edit the exclude area.

6. • To create an exclude area, click Add Exclude Area and configure in the same way as the area of interest.

   • To remove an exclude area, click Remove Exclude Area.

7. Create ignore filters.

8. • To enable an ignore filter for short-lived objects, select Short lived objects filter and adjust the minimum time in the Time slider that objects must appear in the image to trigger an alarm.

   • To enable an ignore filter for small objects, select Small objects filter and adjust the size of the ignored objects in the Width and Height sliders.

   • To enable an ignore filter for swaying objects, select Swaying objects filter and adjust the size of the ellipse in the Distance slider.

9. Click Apply.

When the camera uses built-in motion detection, motion is detected within one or more include windows. An Include window is an area in which motion should be detected. An Exclude window is an area within an Include window in which motion should be ignored. Motion in areas outside Include windows is automatically ignored. You can use multiple Include and Exclude windows. In the preview window, Exclude windows are shaded.

To add and edit an Include window:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.

2. Select a camera with built-in motion detection, and click Motion Settings. The Edit Motion Detection page is displayed.

3. Click Add in the Window section, and select Include in the Settings section.

4. The window is displayed on top of the video image. Use the mouse to move and resize the window.

5. Show all windows is selected by default. To only see this window, select Show selected window.

6. In the Settings section:

7. • Object size: Object size relative to the region size. At a high level only very large objects are detected. At a low level even very small objects are detected.

   • History: Object memory length defines how long an object needs to be in a region before it is considered to be non-moving. At a high level an object will trigger motion detection for a long period of time. At a low level an object will trigger motion detection for a short period of time.

   • Note

     If no objects should appear in the region, a very high history level can be selected. This will cause motion detection to trigger as long as the object is present in the region.

   • Sensitivity: Difference in luminance between the background and the object. At a high level ordinary colored object on ordinary backgrounds will be detected. At a low level only very bright objects on a dark background will be detected.

   • Note

     To only detect flashing light, select a low sensitivity. In other cases, we recommend a high sensitivity level.

8. To use the predefined settings. In the predefined settings section, select Low, Moderate, High, or Very High. Low detects larger objects with a shorter history. Very High detects smaller objects with a longer history.

9. In the Activity section, review the detected motion in the Include window. Motion is indicated by red peaks. Use the Activity window when adjusting Object size, History and Sensitivity.

10. Click OK.

To add and edit an Exclude window:

1. In the Edit Motion Detection page, click Add in the Window section, and select Exclude in the Settings section.

2. The window is displayed on top of the video image. Use the mouse to move and resize the window.

3. Click OK.

To remove an Include or Exclude window:

1. In the Edit Motion Detection page, select the window to remove.

2. Click Remove in the Window section.

3. Click OK.

Many cameras and video encoders have I/O ports for connection of external devices. Auxiliary devices can also have I/O ports.

There are two types of I/O ports:

• Input port: Used to connect to devices that can toggle between an open and closed circuit. For example: door and window contacts, smoke detectors, glass break detectors and PIRs (Passive Infrared Detector).

• Output port: Used to connect to devices such as relays, doors, locks and alarms. Devices connected to output ports can be controlled from AXIS Camera Station.

Go to Configuration > Recording and events > I/O ports to view a list of all available I/O ports that are added to AXIS Camera Station.

Use the Type to search field to find ports and devices.

To edit a port, select the port and click Edit. In the pop-up dialog, update the port information and click OK.

To remove a port, select the port and click Remove.

I/O ports are used in Action rules. Input ports are used as triggers, for example, when AXIS Camera Station receives a signal from a device connected to an input port, specified actions will be performed. Output ports are used as actions, for example, when a rule is activated, AXIS Camera Station can activate or deactivate a device connected to an output port. See Action rules.

For information about how to connect devices and how to configure I/O ports, see the Axis product's User Manual or Installation Guide. Some products have ports that can be configured to act as input or output.

You can control output ports manually. See Monitor I/O ports.

To add I/O ports:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > I/O ports.

2. Click Add to view a list of I/O ports that can be added.

3. If I/O ports have been configured using the device's configuration page, click Reload I/O Ports to update the list.

4. Select the ports and click OK.

5. In the Port info section, review the port type and the device’s IP address or hostname.

6. In the Names section, enter a name for the port, active and inactive state. These names are displayed in Action rules, in Logs and in I/O Monitoring.

7. When adding an output port, you can set the initial state of the output port when AXIS Camera Station establishes connection with the device. In the Initial State section, select On startup set to and select the initial state from the State drop-down list.

To control output ports manually:

1. Go to > Actions > I/O Monitoring.

2. Select an output port, and click Change state.

AXIS Camera Station uses rules to configure actions. A rule is a set of conditions that define how and when actions should be performed. Action rules is powerful to reduce the number of recordings, to interact with devices connected to I/O ports and to alert operators about important events.

Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules and a list of rules that have been added to AXIS Camera Station is displayed. Use the Type to search field to find a rule.

To edit an existing rule, select the rule and click Edit.

To copy an existing rule, select the rule and click Copy.

To remove an existing rule, select the rule and click Remove.

Create a new rule

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules and click New.

2. Create triggers to define when a rule should be activated. When all triggers are added, click Next. See Add triggers.

3. Create actions to define the actions to perform when the rule is activated. When all actions are added, click Next. See Add actions.

4. Create schedules to reduce the number of alarms and recordings. When satisfied, click Next.

5. • Select Always to enable the rule at all times.

   • Select Custom schedule and select a schedule from the drop-down list. You can create a new schedule or edit an existing schedule. See Schedules.

6. Review the information in the Details page. Enter a name for the rule in the Name field, and click Finish to enable the rule.

Triggers define when a rule should be activated. A rule can have multiple triggers. The rule will be active as long as any of the specified triggers are active.

The following triggers are available:

• Motion detection: The motion detection trigger is activated when the camera detects motion within a defined area. Detection is performed by the camera which means that no processing load is added to the AXIS Camera Station server. To find out if motion recording is enabled, go to Configuration > Action rules. See Create motion detection triggers.

• Note

  Avoid using the motion detection trigger to start recordings if motion recording is enabled in the camera.

• Active tampering alarm: The tampering trigger is activated when the device is repositioned or when the lens is covered, sprayed or severely defocused. Tampering detection is performed by the device which means that no processing load is added to the AXIS Camera Station server. Active tampering alarm is available for devices with tampering support and with firmware 5.11 or later. See Create active tampering alarm triggers.

• AXIS Cross Line Detection: AXIS Cross Line Detection is an application that can be installed on cameras and video encoders. The application detects moving objects that cross a virtual line and can, for example, be used to monitor entrance and exit points. Before using AXIS Cross Line Detection as a trigger, the application must be installed on the camera. Download the application from www.axis.com . Then go to the Device management page, select the camera, right-click and select Install camera application. See Install camera application. The trigger is activated when an application detects a moving object. Since detection is performed by the application on the camera, no processing load is added to the AXIS Camera Station server. AXIS Cross Line Detection can be installed on products with support for AXIS Camera Application platform. See Create AXIS Cross Line Detection triggers.

• System event and error: A system event and error trigger is activated when recording errors occur, a storage becomes full, a network storage can't be contacted, or connection to one or more devices is lost. See Create system event and error triggers.

• Input/Output: The Input/Output (I/O) trigger is activated when a device's I/O port receives a signal from, for example, a connected door, smoke detector or switch. Before using an I/O trigger, the I/O port must be added to AXIS Camera Station. Go to Configuration > I/O ports. See Create input/output triggers.

• Device event: This trigger uses events directly from the camera or auxiliary device and can be used if no suitable trigger is available in AXIS Camera Station. Available events depend on the device. Many of these events can require additional configuration in the device. See Create device event triggers.

• Action button: Action buttons are used to start and stop actions in Live view. Action buttons are displayed on top of the live view or in a map. When clicking the button, the action will be performed. The same button can be used in different rules, but each rule can only have one action button trigger. See Create action button triggers.

• AXIS Entry Manager event: This trigger is activated when signals are received from doors configured in AXIS Entry Manager, for example if doors are forced open, doors are open too long or access is denied. See Create AXIS Entry Manager event triggers.

• External HTTPS: The external HTTPS trigger makes it possible for external applications to trigger events in AXIS Camera Station through HTTPS communication. This trigger can be used to integrate AXIS Camera Station with external applications. See Create external HTTPS triggers.

The motion detection trigger is activated when the camera detects motion within a defined area. Detection is performed by the camera which means that no processing load is added to AXIS Camera Station server.

To create an motion detection trigger:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and select Motion detection. Click OK.

3. In the pop-up page:

4. • In the Trigger on field, select the camera that will detect motion.

   • In the Trigger period field, set an interval time between two successive triggers to reduce the number of successive recordings. If an additional trigger occurs within this interval, the recording will continue and the trigger period starts over from that point in time.

   • Click Motion settings to configure motion detection settings. Available settings are different for different cameras. See Edit built-in motion detection and Edit AXIS Video Motion Detection 2 and 4.

5. Click OK.

The active tampering alarm trigger is activated when the camera is repositioned or when the lens is covered, sprayed or severely defocused. Tampering detection is performed by the camera which means that no processing load is added to AXIS Camera Station server.

Active Tampering Alarm is available for cameras with support for camera tampering and with firmware 5.11 or later.

To create an active tampering alarm trigger:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and select Activate tampering alarm. Click OK.

3. In the pop-up page:

4. • In the Trigger on field, select the camera to use.

   • Click the Tampering settings link to open the camera tampering page in a web browser to configure tampering settings.

5. Click OK.

AXIS Cross Line Detection is an application that can be installed on cameras and video encoders with support for AXIS Camera Application Platform. The application detects moving objects that cross a virtual line and can, for example, be used to monitor entrance and exit points. The trigger is activated when an application detects a moving object that crosses a virtual line. Since detection is performed by the application on the camera, no processing load is added to AXIS Camera Station server.

To use AXIS Cross Line Detection as a trigger, you need to download the application from www.axis.com and install it on the cameras and video encoders. See Install camera application.

To create an AXIS Cross Line Detection trigger:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and select AXIS Cross Line Detection. Click OK.

3. Click Refresh to update the list if AXIS Cross Line Detection has been installed on a new camera.

4. Select the camera to use from the Trigger on drop-down list. Only cameras with AXIS Cross Line Detection installed can be selected.

5. In Trigger period, set an interval time between two successive triggers. This setting is used to reduce the number of successive recordings. The recording will continue if an additional trigger occurs within this interval. If an additional trigger occurs, the trigger period starts over from that point in time.

6. Click the AXIS Cross Line Detection settings link to open the Applications page of the camera in a web browser. For information on available settings, see the documentation provided with AXIS Cross Line Detection.

7. Note

   To configure AXIS Cross Line Detection, use Internet Explorer and set the browser to allow ActiveX controls. If prompted, click Yes to install AXIS Media Control.

Select one or more system events and errors to use as triggers.

To create a system event and error trigger:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and select System event and error. Click OK.

3. Select On recording error to activate the trigger when errors occur during recording, for example if a camera stops streaming.

4. Select On full storage to activate the trigger when a storage for recordings is full.

5. Select On no contact with network storage to activate the trigger when there is a problem accessing a network storage.

6. Select On lost connection to camera to activate the trigger when there is a problem contacting one or more cameras.

7. • Select All to include all the cameras added to AXIS Camera Station.

   • Choose Selected and click Cameras. A list of all cameras added to AXIS Camera Station is displayed. You can use the Type to search field to find a specific camera, Select all to select all cameras or Deselect all to deselect all cameras.

8. Click OK.

The input/output (I/O) trigger is activated when a device's I/O port receives a signal from, for example, a connected door, smoke detector or switch.

To create an input/output trigger:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and select Input/Output. Click OK.

3. In the Trigger port and state section:

4. • In the I/O port field, select the input or output port.

   • In the Trigger state field, select the I/O port state that will activate the trigger. Available states depend on how the port is configured.

   • In the Trigger period field, set an interval time between two successive triggers to reduce the number of successive recordings. If an additional trigger occurs within this interval, the recording will continue and the trigger period starts over from that point in time.

5. Click OK.

The device event trigger provides access to all events in the camera or auxiliary device. It can be used if no suitable trigger is available in AXIS Camera Station.

Most events have one or more filters that should be set. Filters are conditions that must be fulfilled for the device event trigger to be activated. For information about events and filters for Axis products, see the VAPIX® documentation available on www.axis.com/partners and www.axis.com/vapix

To create a device event trigger:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and select Device event. Click OK.

3. In the Configure device event trigger section:

4. • In the Device field, select the camera or auxiliary device.

   • In the Event field, select the event to use as trigger.

   • Note

     Available events depend on the selected device. For third-party devices, many of these events require additional configuration in the device.

   • In the Trigger period field, set an interval time between two successive triggers to reduce the number of successive recordings. If an additional trigger occurs within this interval, the recording will continue and the trigger period starts over from that point in time.

5. In the Filters section, select the filters. Available filters depend on the selected event.

6. In the Activity section, review the current state of the device event trigger as a function of time. An event can be stateful or stateless. The activity of a stateful event is represented by a step function. The activity of a stateless event is represented by a straight line which is interrupted by pulses when the event is triggered.

7. Click OK.

Action buttons are used to start and stop actions in Live view. Action buttons are displayed on the bottom of the live view or in a map. When clicking the button, the action will be performed. The same button can be used for multiple cameras and maps. There can be multiple action buttons used for a camera or a map. You can arrange the multiple buttons for a camera when you add or edit the action button. To arrange the multiple action buttons for a map, go to Live View and edit the map.

There are two types of action buttons:

• Command buttons: A command button is used to manually start an action. Use command buttons for actions that do not require a stop button.
  A command button has a button label and a tooltip. The button label is the text displayed on the button. The tooltip is displayed when hovering the mouse pointer over the button.
  For example: Activate an output for a predefined time (use output action with pulse set to the number of seconds the output should be active), raise an alarm, and send email.

• Toggle buttons: A toggle button is used to manually start and stop an action. The button has two states: toggle and untoggle. Clicking the button switches between the two states. By default, toggle buttons start the action when in the toggle state. To start the action in the untoggle state, select Trigger on untoggle when creating the button.
  A toggle button has a toggle label, an untoggle label and a tooltip. The toggle and untoggle labels are the texts displayed on the buttons in the toggle and untoggle states. The tooltip is displayed when hovering the mouse pointer over the button.
  For example: Open and Close Door (use output action with pulse set to "as long as any trigger is active").

To create an action button trigger:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and select Action Button. Click OK.

3. Select Create new button or Use existing button. Click Next.

4. If you have selected Create new button:

5. 1. Select Command button or Toggle button. If you want to use the toggle button to start the action in the untoggle state, select Trigger on untoggle.

   2. Click Next.

   3. Provide labels and tooltip for the button.

6. If you have selected Use existing button:

7. 1. Search and navigate to the button or directly click the button that you want to use.

   2. If you have selected to use an existing toggle button, you need to select Trigger on toggle or Trigger on untoggle.

   3. Click Next.

   4. Edit the labels and tooltip of the button.

8. Select the camera or map from the drop-down list. To add the button to multiple cameras or maps, click Add to multiple cameras or Add to multiple maps.

9. If a camera has multiple action buttons, click Arrange to change the order of the buttons. Click OK.

10. Click Next.

The AXIS Entry Manager event trigger is activated when signals are received from doors configured in AXIS Entry Manager, for example if doors are forced open, doors are open too long or access is denied.

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and select AXIS Entry Manager event. Click OK.

3. Select an event and door to activate the trigger.

   Possible events are: Door accessed, Door forced open, Door open too long, and Access denied.

4. Click OK.

This trigger only supports HTTPS communication, and requires that you provide the valid AXIS Camera Station username including domain name and password in the HTTPS requests.

The following requests are supported with HTTP method GET*. You can also use POST with JSON data stated in the body of the request.

• Activate the trigger with ID "trigger1": https://[address]:55756/Acs/Api/TriggerFacade/ActivateTrigger?{"triggerName":"trigger1"}

• Deactivate the trigger with ID "trigger1": https://[address]:55756/Acs/Api/TriggerFacade/DeactivateTrigger?{"triggerName":"trigger1"}

• Activate the trigger with ID "trigger1" and then automatically deactivate the trigger after 30 seconds: https://[address]:55756/Acs/Api/TriggerFacade/ActivateDeactivateTrigger?{"triggerName":"trigger1","deactivateAfterSeconds":"30"}

• Note

  The timer for automatic deactivation is canceled if any other command is issued to the same trigger.

• Pulse the trigger with ID "trigger1" (trigger activation followed by immediate deactivation): https://[address]:55756/Acs/Api/TriggerFacade/PulseTrigger?{"triggerName​":"trigger1"}

To create an external HTTPS trigger:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and select External HTTPS. Click OK.

3. Enter the trigger name in the Trigger name field.

4. Review the sample URL that uses the same server address as the client used when logging on. The URLs only work after the action rule is complete.

5. Click OK.

Suitable actions for external HTTPS triggers

• Requests to activate and deactivate the trigger are suitable for actions that start and stop recordings.

• Requests to pulse the trigger are suitable for actions such as Raise Alarm or Send Email.

One rule can have multiple actions. When the rule is activated, all actions are performed.

The following actions are available:

• Record: This action starts a recording from the camera. The recording can be accessed and played from the Recordings tab. The recording is saved to the location specified in Recording storage via Configuration > Storage > Selection. See Create record actions.

• Raise alarm: This action sends an alarm to all connected AXIS Camera Station clients. The alarm appears in the Alarms tab and as a taskbar notification. Instructions in form of a file with alarm procedures can be included with the alarm. See Create raise alarm actions.

• Set output: This action sets the state of an output port to control the device connected to the output port, for example to turn on a light or lock a door. Before using the output action, an output port must be added to AXIS Camera Station via Configuration > Recording and events > I/O ports. See Create output actions.

• Send email: This action sends an email to one or multiple recipients. Snapshots from cameras can be sent as email attachments. To send emails, an SMTP server must first be configured. See Create send email actions.

• Live view: This action opens the live view of a specific camera, view or preset position in all connected AXIS Camera Station clients. If the live view shows a split view with a hotspot, the camera in the live view action is loaded in the hotspot. The live view action can also be used to restore open AXIS Camera Station clients from the taskbar or bring the clients to the front of other open applications. See Create live view actions.

• Send HTTP notification: This action sends an HTTP request to a camera, a door controller or an external web server. For example, HTTP notifications can be used to enable or disable a feature in the camera, or to open, close, lock or unlock a door connected to a door controller. See Create HTTP notification actions.

• AXIS Entry Manager: This action can grant access, unlock or lock a door connected to a door controller configured by AXIS Entry Manager. See Create AXIS Entry Manager actions.

• Send mobile app notification: The action sends a custom message to the AXIS Camera Station mobile app. You can click the notification received on the mobile app and go to a specific camera view. See Create send mobile app notification actions.

• Access control: This action includes door actions and zone actions in AXIS Camera Station Secure Entry. See Create access control actions.

The record action starts a recording from the camera. The recording can be accessed and played from the Recordings tab. The recording is saved to the location specified via Configuration > Storage > Selection.

To create a record action:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and create a trigger. Click Next. See Add triggers.

3. Click Add and select Record. Click OK.

4. In the Camera field, select the camera to record from.

5. In the Video setting section:

6. • Select a profile from the Profile drop-down list. To create a new profile, go to Configuration > Stream profiles. A profile contains settings such as video format, resolution, compression, frame rate and if audio should be included.

   • Select the number of seconds to record before the action is triggered in the Prebuffer field.

   • Select the number of seconds to include in the recording when the action is no longer triggered in the Prebuffer field.

7. Click OK.

The raise alarm action sends an alarm to all connected AXIS Camera Station clients. The alarm will be displayed in the Alarms tab and as a taskbar notification. Instructions in form of a file with alarm procedures can be included with the alarm.

To create a raise alarm action:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and create a trigger. Click Next. See Add triggers.

3. Click Add and select Raise alarm. Click OK.

4. Under Alarm message:

5. • Enter a title for the alarm. The title will be displayed in the Alarm field in the Alarms tab and in the taskbar notification.

   • Enter a description of the alarm. The description will be displayed in the Description field in the Alarms tab and in the taskbar notification.

   • Set the duration time between 1 and 600 seconds for the pop-up alarms.

6. Set alarm procedure under Alarm procedure. An alarm procedure is a file with instructions, for example for an operator. The alarm procedure is available from the Alarms and Logs tabs.

7. 1. Select On alarm show alarm procedure.

   2. Click Upload and browse to the desired file.

   3. Click Preview to open the uploaded file in a preview window.

   4. Click OK.

The output action sets the state of an output port. This is used to control the device connected to the output port, for example to switch on a light or lock a door.

To create an output action:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and create a trigger. Click Next. See Add triggers.

3. Click Add and select Set output. Click OK.

4. In the Output port field, select the output port.

5. In the State on action field, select the state to set the port to. Available options depend on how the port was configured.

6. Select Pulse to define how long the output port should remain in the new state.

7. • To keep the port in the new state as long as all triggers in the rule are active, select For as long as any trigger is active.

   • To keep the port in the new state for a fixed time, select the other option and specify the number of seconds.

8. Note

   To keep the port in the new state after the action, clear Pulse.

9. Click OK.

The email action sends an email to one or multiple recipients. Snapshots from cameras can be sent as email attachments.

To create a send email action:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and create a trigger. Click Next. See Add triggers.

3. Click Add and select Send email. Click OK.

4. In the Recipients section:

5. 1. Enter the email address in the New Recipient field and select To, Cc or Bcc.

   2. Click Add to add the email address to the Recipients field.

6. In the Contents section, enter the email subject and message.

7. In the Advanced section:

8. • To attach snapshots in the form of jpg images from the cameras in the email notification as attachments, select Attach snapshots and click Cameras. A list of all cameras added to AXIS Camera Station is displayed. You can use the Type to search field to find a specific camera, Select all to select all cameras or Deselect all to deselect all cameras.

   • To prevent sending multiple emails for the same event, select Send one email for each event.

   • To prevent sending emails too close in time. Select Don't send another email for and set the minimum time between emails from the drop-down list.

9. Click OK.

The live view action opens the Live view tab with a specific camera, view or preset position. The Live view tab will open in all connected AXIS Camera Station clients. If the Live view tab shows a split view with a hotspot, the camera selected in the live view action will be loaded in the hotspot. For more information about hotspots, see Split view.

The live view action can also be used to restore open AXIS Camera Station clients from the taskbar or bring the clients to the front of other open applications.

To create a live view action:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and create a trigger. Click Next. See Add triggers.

3. Click Add and select Live view. Click OK.

4. Under Live view actions, select the view to open in the Live view tab:

5. • To open a view, select View and select the view from the drop-down list.

   • To open a camera view, select Camera and select the camera from the drop-down list. If a camera has PTZ preset, select Go to preset and select one area from the drop-down list to open a preset position.

   • Select No action and do not open any view.

6. Under Shown in:

7. • Select Live alert tab to open the selected view or camera view in the live alert tab.

   • Select Hotspot in view and select a view with hotspot from the drop-down list. If the hotspot is visible in live view when the action is triggered, it will show the camera view in the hotspot.

8. In the Bring to front section, select On trigger bring application to front to restore open AXIS Camera Station clients from the taskbar or bring the clients to the front of other open applications when the live view action starts.

9. Click OK.

Example

To open a live view tab, navigate to the hotspot view and show a camera view in the hotspot, configure two live view actions in the same action rule:

1. Create a live view action to navigate to the view with hotspot in the live alert tab.

2. 1. Under Live view actions, select View and select the view with hotspot.

   2. Under Show in, select Live alert tab.

   3. Select On trigger bring application to front.

3. Create another live view action to navigate to the hotspot view and show the camera view in the hotspot.

4. 1. Under Live view actions, select Camera and select a camera view.

   2. Under Show in, select Hotspot in view and select the view with hotspot.

The HTTP notification action sends an HTTP request to a recipient. The recipient can be a camera, a door controller, an external web server or any server that can receive HTTP requests. HTTP notifications can for example be used to enable or disable a feature in the camera, or to open, close, lock or unlock a door connected to a door controller.

GET, POST, and PUT methods are supported.

To create an HTTP notification action:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and create a trigger. Click Next. See Add triggers.

3. Click Add and select Send HTTP Notification. Click OK.

4. In the URL field, enter the address to the recipient and the script that will handle the request. For example: http://192.168.254.10/cgi-bin/notify.cgi

5. Select Authentication required if the recipient requires authentication. Enter the username and password.

6. Click Advanced to display the advanced settings.

7. • Select HTTP method GET, POST, or PUT from the Method drop-down list.

   • For POST and PUT methods, select the content type from the Content type drop-down list.

   • For POST and PUT methods, enter the request body in the Body field.

8. Click OK.

The siren and light action triggers a siren and light pattern on AXIS D4100-E Network Strobe Siren according to a configured profile.

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and create a trigger. Click Next. See Add triggers.

3. Click Add and select Siren and light. Click OK.

4. Select a device from the Device drop-down list.

5. Select a profile from the Profile drop-down list.

6. Click OK.

The AXIS Entry Manager action can grant access, unlock or lock a door connected to a door controller configured by AXIS Entry Manager.

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and create a trigger. Click Next. See Add triggers.

3. Click Add and select AXIS Entry Manager. Click OK.

4. Select an action and door to perform the action.

   Possible actions are: Grant access, Unlock door, and Lock door.

5. Click OK.

The send mobile app notification action sends a custom message to the AXIS Camera Station mobile app. You can click the notification received on the mobile app and go to a specific camera view. See AXIS Camera Station Mobile App user manual.

To create a send mobile app notification action:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and create a trigger. Click Next. See Add triggers.

3. Click Add and select Send mobile app notification. Click OK.

4. In the Message field, enter your message that will be displayed on the mobile app.

5. Under Click notification and go to,

6. • Select a camera view from the Camera drop-down list to go to the specific camera view when the notification is clicked on the mobile app.

   • Select Default to go to the mobile app start page when the notification is clicked on the mobile app.

7. Click OK.

The access control action can perform the following actions on AXIS Camera Station Secure Entry system:

• Door actions: grant access, lock, unlock or lockdown the selected doors.

• Zone actions: lock, unlock or lockdown the selected doors in the selected zones.

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules, and click New.

2. Click Add and create a trigger. Click Next. See Add triggers.

3. Click Add and select Access control. Click OK.

4. To perform door actions:

5. 1. Under Access control, select Door actions.

   2. Under Configure action, select the doors and action.

6. To perform zone actions:

7. 1. Under Access control, select Zone actions.

   2. Under Configure action, select the zones, door types and action.

8. Click OK.

Schedules can be used in Action rules. Once a schedule is created, it can be used as many times as needed.

Schedules can be overridden on specified days, for example during public holidays.

Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Schedules, a list of all schedules that have been created is displayed. The Used column indicates if the schedule is used.

Click a schedule, the details of the schedule is displayed.

To remove a schedule, select the schedule and click Remove. Schedules that are used can't be removed.

To add a schedule:

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Schedules and click New.

2. Enter a name for the schedule.

3. In the timeline, select the time slots that the schedule should be on.

4. • Click an empty time slot to set the schedule on.

   • Click a time slot with schedule on to set schedule off.

   • Click an empty time slot and drag to set the schedule on for selected time slots.

   • Click a time slot with schedule on and drag to set the schedule off for selected time slots.

   • Press CTRL to select five minute intervals.

5. To use the same schedule on another day, right-click a day and select Copy schedule and right-click another day and select Paste schedule.

6. To add exceptions to the schedule:

7. 1. Click Add under Override schedule and select the days.

   2. In the timeline, select the time slots that the schedule should be on.

   3. To remove an override, click . To remove all overrides, click Clear all.

8. Click Apply.

Example

This example shows how to set up an action rule in AXIS Camera Station to trigger a recording and an alarm when the entrance door is forced open.

Before you start, you need to:

• Install AXIS A1601 Network Door Controller. See Add devices.

• Configure the door controller. See Configure access control.

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules and click New.

2. Add the Door forced event trigger.

3. 1. Click Add and select Device event. Click OK.

   2. Under Configure device event trigger:

   3. • Select the AXIS A1601 Network Door Controller from the Device drop-down list.

      • Select Door > Door forced from the Event drop-down list.

      • Set 10 seconds as Trigger period.

   4. Under Filters:

   5. • Select the door from the Door name drop-down list.

      • Select Forced from the Door status drop-down list.

   6. Under Activity, check that the trigger is showing activity on the signal line.

   7. Click OK.

4. Click Next.

5. Add a record action.

6. 1. Click Add and select Record. Click OK.

   2. Select a camera from the Camera drop-down list.

   3. Under Video setting:

   4. • Select High from the Profile drop-down list. 

      • Set 3 seconds as Prebuffer.

      • Set 5 seconds as Postbuffer.

   5. Click OK.

7. Add a raise alarm action.

8. 1. Click Add and select Raise alarm. Click OK.

   2. Under Alarm message, enter a title and description for the alarm. For example, The main entrance is forced open.

   3. Click OK.

9. Click Next and select Always as the schedule.

10. Click Finish.

Example

This example shows how to set up an action rule in AXIS Camera Station to play a welcome message and call the elevator when an important person enters.

Before you start, you need to:

• Install and configure AXIS A1601 Network Door Controller and add cardholders. See Configure access control and Access management.

• Install an Axis network audio device and associate the audio device with a camera. See Stream profiles.

• Install AXIS A9188 Network I/O Relay Module, connect the I/O to the elevator, and add the I/O ports of the network I/O relay module to AXIS Camera Station. See I/O ports.

1. Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules and click New.

2. Add the device event trigger.

3. 1. Click Add and select Device event. Click OK.

   2. Under Configure device event trigger:

   3. • Select the AXIS A1601 Network Door Controller from the Device drop-down list.

      • Select Authorization > Access request granted from the Event drop-down list.

      • Set 10 seconds as Trigger period.

   4. Under Filters:

   5. • Select the door from the Door name drop-down list.

      • Select the door side from the Door side drop-down list.

      • Select Card number and type the card number of the important person.

   6. Under Activity, check that the trigger is showing activity on the signal line.

   7. Click OK.

4. Click Next.

5. Add a Send HTTP notification action to trigger a welcome message.

6. 1. Click Add and select Send HTTP notification. Click OK.

   2. In the URL field, enter the URL of the welcome message audio clip.

   3. Select Authentication required and enter the username and password of the audio device.

   4. Click OK.

7. Add a Set output action.

8. 1. Click Add and select Set output. Click OK.

   2. From the Output port drop-down list, select the output port of the I/O module which is connected to the elevator.

   3. From the State on action drop-down list, select the state of the I/O module to call the elevator.

   4. Select Pulse and set 60 seconds to keep the port in the state.

   5. Click OK.

9. Click Next and select Always as the schedule.

10. Click Finish.

Go to Configuration > Client to:

• Edit client specific settings, like theme and language. See Client settings.

• Edit user specific settings, like notifications and startup options. See User settings.

• Edit client specific streaming performance settings like video scaling and hardware decoding. See Streaming.

These settings apply to all AXIS Camera Station users on the computer. Go to Configuration > Client > Client settings to configure the AXIS Camera Station client settings.

Theme

Select the theme for the client. The changes are effective after you restart the application. Available themes are System, Light, Classic, and Dark. System is the default theme for new installations.

If you select System, the theme will be either Dark or Light depending on the Windows setting under Settings > Personalization > Colors > Choose your default app mode.

General

Turn on Run application when Windows starts if you would like to run Axis Camera Station automatically every time when Windows starts.

Show What’s new after each update is turned on by default to show the What’s new tab after you start the client after each AXIS Camera Station update. See What's new tab.

Live view

• Show camera names in live views

• To indicate any type of recording, turn on Show recording indicators in live views and maps. The recording indicator appears in live views and maps.

• To indicate motion detection recording, or recordings started by an action rule, turn on Show event indicators in live views and maps. The motion detection indicator appears in live views and maps.

Language

Change the language of AXIS Camera Station client. The change is effective after you restart the client.

Feedback

Select to share anonymous client usage data with Axis Communications to help improve the application and user experience. To change the option for the server, go to Configuration > Server > Settings.

These settings apply to the current AXIS Camera Station user on the computer. Go to Configuration > Client > User settings to configure the AXIS Camera Station client user settings.

Navigation system

Tree view navigation system is turned on by default to enable tree view navigation pane with the views and cameras.

Select to show views or cameras or both in the Show in navigation drop-down list.

Turn on Show navigation path when navigating in view to display the navigation path on top of the view when navigating in a split view.

Notifications

• Turn on Show taskbar notification on alarms to display a notification in Windows taskbar when an alarm occurs.

• Turn on Show taskbar notification for tasks to display a notification in Windows taskbar when a task is added or finished.

• Turn on Show notifications in Device management to display notifications when new firmware is available for download.

• Turn on Show intercom notification window to display a notification window when the call button is pushed on the intercom system that has been installed in AXIS Camera Station.

Snapshot

• Turn on When a snapshot is taken show a message to show a message when a snapshot is taken.

• Turn on When a snapshot is taken open the snapshot folder to open the snapshot folder when a snapshot is taken. Click Browse to specify the folder to save snapshots.

Startup

• Turn on Start in full screen to start AXIS Camera Station in full screen mode.

• Turn on Remember last used tabs to start AXIS Camera Station with the tabs, views and camera views that were open when AXIS Camera Station was closed last time.

• Turn on Remember last used monitors to start AXIS Camera Station on the monitor when AXIS Camera Station was closed last time.

• Note

  • The views and camera views are saved per tab. They are remembered only when the client reconnects to the same server.
  • Monitors, views and camera views are remembered only when tabs are remembered.
  • Dynamic views that you drag and drop in the live view will never be remembered.
  • When connecting to multiple servers, Remember last used tabs is not supported if different users are used for different servers.
  • When connecting to multiple servers with the same user:

  • • The last used tabs of the user who logs on to the first server will be remembered.

    • When a new server is connected, the last used tabs of the user who logs on to the new server will be remembered.

Sound on alarm

• Select No sound if you do not want any sound with an alarm.

• Select Beep if you want typical beep sound with an alarm. Click Play to test the sound.

• Select Sound file and click Browse to navigate to your sound file if you want a customized sound with an alarm. You can use a sound file with any format that is supported by Windows Media Player. Click Play to test the sound.

Sound on incoming call

• Select No sound if you do not want any sound with an incoming call.

• Select Beep if you want typical beep sound with an incoming call. Click Play to test the sound.

• Select Sound file and click Browse to navigate to your sound file if you want a customized sound with an incoming call. You can use a sound file with any format that is supported by Windows Media Player. Click Play to test the sound.

Features

By default smart search 1 is shown. Turn off Show smart search 1 to hide this feature.

Go to Configuration > Client > Streaming to configure the AXIS Camera Station client streaming options.

Video scaling

• Select Scale to best fit to show video in the whole available space, without losing the aspect ratio or cropping the image.

• Select Fill video area (may crop parts of the video) to resize video to fit the available space. Aspect ratio will be preserved. If the available space has a different aspect ratio than the video, the video will be cropped.

Hardware decoding

Select the mode and graphic card from the drop-down list of the Mode and Graphics card fields. Hardware decoding makes use of your graphics card to decode video. If you have a high performance graphics card, hardware decoding is a good way to improve performance and reduce CPU usage, especially when streaming high-resolution video.

Mode

• Automatic: Streams with a resolution above 3840x2160p@25fps (also known as 4K or UHD) are decoded with hardware if the graphics card supports it.

• On: Streams with a resolution above 1920x1080p@25fps (also known as 1080p or HD) are decoded with hardware if the graphics card supports it.

• Off: Hardware decoding is turned off and AXIS Camera Station uses the CPU to decode video.

Graphics card: Lists your available graphics cards. If your system has multiple graphics card, AXIS Camera Station lists all the available graphics cards.

Bandwidth usage

The resolution and frame rate used in Live view can be limited to reduce bandwidth consumption, for example if a slow connection is used between the AXIS Camera Station client and the AXIS Camera Station server.

• Turn on Always use the stream profile Low on this client, and AXIS Camera Station will always use the Low stream profile for Live view. See Stream profiles.

• Note

  This setting affects H.264 and M-JPEG video. MPEG-4 is not affected.

• Turn on Suspend video streams for inactive tabs, and video streams in the inactive tabs are suspended.

• Turn on Suspend video streams in intercom notification window, and video streams in the intercom notification window are suspended.

PTZ (Pan, Tilt, Zoom)

Turn on Select view with first click instead of starting PTZ to enable view selection with the first click that you make in the view. All the following clicks in the view control PTZ.

Audio

• Push-to-talk release delay (ms): use the slider to adjust how many milliseconds you want to keep audio transmitted from the microphone after you release the Push-to-talk button.

• Turn on Use push-to-talk for all duplex modes to use push-to-talk for simplex, half-duplex, and full-duplex modes.

• Turn on Always allow audio for intercoms to be able to listen and speak to intercoms even if there are no ongoing calls from intercoms.

• Instant replay
• Set the playback duration time between 1 and 600 seconds to jump back in the timeline and replay the recording.

1. Go to Configuration > Connected services > Firmware upgrade settings.

2. In the Automatic check for updates section:

3. • Select Every start-up from the Check for updates drop-down list to check for available firmware versions on the server on each startup. By default, AXIS Camera Station is set to never check for any firmware updates.

   • Click Check now to check for available firmware versions on the server.

   • Select Check axis.com for new available firmware to automatically check for firmware updates published at www.axis.com. By default, this option is pre-selected. To manually update firmware, see Upgrade firmware.

4. In the Upgrade order section:

5. • Select Parallel to upgrade all devices at the same time. This option is quicker than Sequential but all devices will be offline at the same time.

   • Select Sequential to upgrade devices one after the other. This option will take longer but the devices will not be offline at the same time. Select Cancel remaining upgrades if one device fails to abort a sequential upgrade when a problem occurs.

Axis Secure Remote Access allows you to connect to your AXIS Camera Station server through a secure and encrypted internet connection using a smart phone, tablet or computer. Axis Secure Remote Access does not rely on port forwarding in your router for camera access.

Enable Axis Secure Remote Access

Axis Secure Remote Access is available if you are signed in to your MyAxis account. Axis Secure Remote Access must be enabled manually.

1. Go to Configuration > Connected services > Axis Secure Remote Access.

2. In the MyAxis account section, enter your MyAxis account email address and password, and click Apply. We recommend using a strong password for your MyAxis account.

3. In the Axis Secure Remote Access section, click Enable to enable remote access.

When Axis Secure Remote Access is enabled you can log in to your server remotely. See Log in to AXIS Camera Station server.

Axis Secure Remote Access on mobile devices

For mobile devices (iOS and Android), download the Axis Mobile viewing app. In the Axis mobile viewing app, remote access needs to be activated first by signing in with the same MyAxis account as the one used to enable Axis Secure Remote Access on the remote server. When signed in, the total amount of relayed data used by the MyAxis account during the month will be shown.

Axis Secure Remote Access usage

The Axis Secure Remote Access usage is displayed on the status bar at the bottom of the AXIS Camera Station client. Click the link to get an overview of how the secure remote connection is used.

• Service level: Shows the service level of your Axis Secure Remote Access subscription.

• Data used this month: Shows how much data you have used this month. The counter will be reset on the first every month by midnight.

• Overage: Shows how much additional data you have used this month that surpasses the included amount in your service level. This is only available if you have Overage enabled in your subscription.

• Connections: Shows the servers you are connected to using Secure Remote Access.

AXIS Camera Station automatically checks for new versions of the client and server. When a new version is available, you will be prompted with a request to download the new software. Use the latest version of AXIS Camera Station to ensure the latest features and improvements to your Axis experience.

1. Go to Configuration > Connected services > AXIS Camera Station update.

2. Check for updates automatically or manually.

3. • Under Automatic check for updates, select Every start-up to check for new software versions on each startup.

   • Under Automatic check for updates, select Never. Click Check for updates to manually check for new software version.

4. When there is a new software version, it is listed under Update status. Click View details to see the release notes. Click Download software to download the new version of the software.

AXIS System Health Monitoring Cloud Service allows you to monitor health data from systems located on different networks. Since it’s a cloud-based service it also provides added reliability, less maintenance, and the ability to monitor systems in different organizations. See Organizations for more information.

We recommend creating a My Axis account before you start setting up AXIS System Health Monitoring Cloud Service.

1. Go to Connected services > AXIS System Health Monitoring Cloud Service.

2. Click Connect.

3. Sign in using your My Axis account.

4. Select the organization that you want to connect the system to. See Organizations for more information.

5. Click Next.

6. Optionally, create Folders in the organization. Creating this structure can be useful for example if you have systems in your organization that are located on different sites.

7. Select the Folder that you want to connect the system to. You can also choose to connect the system directly to the organization.

8. Click Next.

9. Click Save and exit.

10. Wait until the connection is done.

The organization is at the center of your cloud services.

• It connects your AXIS Camera Station system to the users of the different cloud services.

• In particular it enables the cloud based system health monitoring. See Setup AXIS System Health Monitoring Cloud Service for more information.

• It defines the different user roles, for example, service administrator, or operator.

An organization can be structured into folders that, for example, represent systems located on different sites. To create an organization, you need a My Axis account.

To edit an organization:

1. Go to System Health Monitoring > Settings.

2. Click Open AXIS System Health Monitoring Cloud Service.

3. Open user settings and select the organization you want to edit.

4. Open user settings and click Manage organizations.

In this view you can add or delete folders and sub-folders in an existing organization, as well as creating new organizations.

You may want to, for example, move a system from one organization to another. To do that you first need to disconnect the system from its current organization.

1. Go to Connected services > AXIS System Health Monitoring Cloud Service.

2. Click Disconnect.

1. Go to System Health Monitoring > Settings.

2. Click Open AXIS System Health Monitoring Cloud Service.

3. Open user settings and select the organization you want to invite the user to.

4. Open user settings and click Manage organizations.

5. Open the Users tab.

6. Click Generate.

7. Copy the invitation code and send it to the user you want to invite.

When someone wants you to join an organization you will receive an invitation code. To join the organization:

1. Go to System Health Monitoring > Settings.

2. Click Open AXIS System Health Monitoring Cloud Service.

3. Open user settings and select the organization you want to join.

4. Open user settings and click Manage organizations.

5. Open the Users tab.

6. Paste the invitation code.

7. Click Join.

Go to Configuration > Server > Scheduled export to export recordings from cameras on certain weekdays.

At the selected time, all recordings since the previous export will be exported. If the previous export is more than one week old (for example if scheduled export has been disabled for a while) or if there is no previous export, only recordings that are less than one week old will be exported. To export older recordings, go to the Recordings tab and export them manually. See Export recordings.

Export scheduled recordings

1. Go to Configuration > Server > Scheduled export.

2. Under Scheduled export, select Enable scheduled export to enable scheduled export.

3. Under Cameras, select the cameras to export recordings from. By default, all listed cameras are selected. Clear Use all cameras and use the Type to search field to find and select the specific cameras in the list.

4. Under Export,

5. • To save recordings to a folder on the computer, select Server directory path and enter the directory path.

   • To save recordings to a folder on a network storage, select Network directory path and enter the directory path. You can select to use credentials for the network storage. The share must be reachable from the AXIS Camera Station server. See Manage storage for how to add storage to use for recordings.

   • To create a playlist in the .asx format used by Windows Media Player, select Create playlist. The recordings will play in the order in which they were recorded.

   • From the Export format drop-down list, select a format you want to export your recordings to.

     If you select ASF, you can select Add digital signature to use a digital signature to ensure image authenticity and integrity by making image tampering impossible. The digital signature can be verified in AXIS File Player. See the Digital signature section in Export recordings. You can also select Use password to use a password for the digital signature.

     If you select MP4, audio in G.711 or G.726 format will not be included in the exported recordings.

6. Under Weekly schedule, select the time and the days on which recordings should be exported.

7. Click Apply.

Using Microsoft Windows 2008 Server

To be able to export recordings from a server running on Microsoft Windows 2008 Server, Desktop Experience must be installed:

1. Click Start > Administrative Tools > Server Manager to open Server Manager.

2. In the Features Summary section, click Add features.

3. Select Desktop Experience, click Next and then click Install.

Using Microsoft Windows 2012 Server

To be able to export recordings from a server running on Microsoft Windows 2012 Server, Desktop Experience must be installed:

1. Click Start > Administrative Tools > Server Manager to open Server Manager.

2. Select Manage > Add Rules and Features to start the Add Roles and Features Wizard.

3. In the Features Summary section, select User Interfaces and Infrastructure.

4. Select Desktop Experience, click Next and then click Install.

If you have incident report permission enabled, you can generate the incident reports including recordings, snapshots, and notes about the incidents. See Export incident reports.

To configure the settings for incident reports:

1. Go to Configuration > Server > Incident report.

2. Under Location, select where to store the incident reports.

3. • To save the incident reports to a folder on the computer, select Server directory path. Enter the directory path or right-click to insert the variables in the path field. You can define the server name, category, or the user name as variables. For example: C:\Reports\$(Server Name)\$(Category)\$(User Name)\

   • To save the incident reports to a folder on a network storage, select Network directory path and enter the directory path. You can select to use credentials for the network storage. The share must be reachable from the AXIS Camera Station server. See Manage storage for how to add storage to use for recordings.

4. From the Export format drop-down list, select a format you want to export your recordings to.

5. • If you select ASF, you can select Add digital signature to use a digital signature to ensure image authenticity and integrity by making image tampering impossible. The digital signature can be verified in AXIS File Player. See the Digital signature section in Export recordings. You can also select Use password to use a password for the digital signature.

   • If you select MP4, audio in G.711 or G.726 format will not be included in the exported recordings.

6. Under Categories, add or remove the categories to group the incident reports. The categories can be the folder name in the export location if you configure the category as a variable in the server directory path.

7. 1. Enter the category name in the box, for example, Accident or Theft. Click Add.

   2. To remove a category, select it and click Remove.

8. Under Description template, define information to show in the Description field when generating your incident reports and click Apply. For example: Reported by: <Insert your name, mail, and phone number>

Go to Configuration > Server > Settings to configure the AXIS Camera Station server settings.

Export

To include audio when adding recording to the export list, select Include audio when adding recordings to export.

Logs

Specify the number of days to keep alarms, events and audits. Any value between 1 and 1000 days can be used.

External data

Specify the number of days to keep the external data. Any value between 1 and 1000 days can be used.

SMTP servers

SMTP servers must be added for AXIS Camera Station to send emails on system alarms or when an event configuration rule is activated.

This section lists added SMTP servers. Use the arrows to change the order of the servers in the list. The servers are used in the same order they’re listed.

To add an SMTP server:

1. Go to Configuration > Server > Settings.

2. In the SMTP servers section, click Add.

3. In the Server section:

4. • Enter the address of the SMTP server and port to use. 587 is the default port for SMTP TLS connections.

   • Select Use authentication if a username and password are required for this server. Enter the username and password to access the server.

   • Select Use TLS if the SMTP server uses TLS. TLS is the default protocol as it provides secure communications.

5. In the Sender section, enter the name that you want to display in the sender email and email address.

To edit an SMTP server, select the server and click Edit.

To remove an SMTP server, select the server and click Remove. In the pop-up dialog, click Yes to remove the server.

To test an SMTP server, select the server and click Test all. In the pop-up dialog, enter an email address in the Recipient field and click OK to send a test email.

SMTP server tests for a list of results and possible actions to take.

OK –

Connection with the SMTP server was successful. Make sure that the recipients have received the test email.

Unknown error –

An unexpected error occurred when attempting to send the email. Check that the SMTP server is operating correctly.

No contact –

AXIS Camera Station can't access the SMTP server. Make sure the SMTP server is working correctly and that all routers and proxy servers between AXIS Camera Station and the SMTP server are configured to allow traffic.

Configuration error –

TLS was requested but server doesn’t support StartTLS, server doesn’t support authentication, or no compatible authentication mechanism.

TLS/SSL handshake error –

Error during TLS/SSL negotiations, such as invalid server certificate.

Authentication required –

Server requires authentication to send email.

Authentication error –

Credentials are wrong.

Connection dropped –

Connection was established, but then lost.

System alarm

A system alarm occurs if connection to a camera is lost, access to a recording storage is denied, an unexpected server shutdown is detected or if recording errors occur. email notifications can be sent on system alarms.

To send email on system alarms:

1. Select Send email on system alarm to the following recipients to activate system alarm email.

2. In the Recipients section:

3. 1. Select if the address should be in the To, Cc or Bcc field of the email and enter the email address.

   2. Click Add to add the email address to the Recipients box.

Device connection

For devices that are connected by using the hostname, when the hostnames are unreachable:

• To keep connecting by using the hostname, select Keep using the hostnames even if they become unreachable.

• To automatically switch to connect by using the IP address, clear the checkbox.

You can manually select to use the hostname or IP address to connect to devices. See Connection.

Language

Change the language of

• AXIS Camera Station Service Control. The change is effective after you restart the Service Control.

• Data sent from AXIS Camera Station Secure Entry. For example: system alarms, audit log messages, external data in the Data search tab.

Feedback

Select to share anonymous server usage data with Axis Communications to help improve the application and user experience. To change the option for the client, go to Configuration > Client > Settings.

Advanced settings

You should change the settings only when you are instructed by Axis support.

1. Go to Configuration > Server > Settings.

2. To change a setting, type the setting and its value. Click Add.

To enable debug logging for troubleshooting purpose, select Enable server side debug logging. Enabling this setting will take up more space on your disk. This setting will be overridden by the log4net.config file in the ProgramData directory.

Go to > Servers > New connection to connect to a new AXIS Camera Station server. See Log in to AXIS Camera Station server.

Go to > Servers > Connection status, a list of the connection status for all servers is displayed.

Use the Type to search field to find a specific server.

Select the checkbox in front of the server name to connect to the server, or clear the checkbox to disconnect from the server.

AXIS Camera Station servers can be organized in server lists. A server can belong to multiple server lists. Server lists can be imported and exported and used in other AXIS Camera Station clients.

Go to > Servers > Server lists to open the Server lists page.

The default Recent connections list is displayed and contains the servers used in the previous session. Recent connections can't be removed.

Use the Type to search field to find the specific servers in a server list.

• To add a new server list, click + New server list and enter a name for the list.

• To rename a server list, double-click the list and enter a new name for the list.

• To delete a server list, select the server list and click Delete.

• Click Export lists to export all server lists in a .msl file. You can import the server list to log in to the servers. See Log in to AXIS Camera Station server.

• To add servers to a server list:

• • Select a server list from the left panel. Click Add and enter the required information.

  • Select a server list and drag the servers in the server list to the appropriate server list.

• To edit a server in a server list, select a server in a server list and click Edit. You can only edit one server at a time.

• To remove servers in a server list, select the servers in a server list and click Remove.

If you have one Axis S22 series device, this option is available for you to configure your S22 series device from AXIS Camera Station. Go to Configuration > Switch > Management and enter your username and password to open the Switch management page in the AXIS Camera Station client. For how to configure the switch, see S22 series User Manual on axis.com.

You can view the license keys and license status, and manage the licenses of the connected devices.

Device status

Go to Configuration > Licenses > Device status to view a list of all connected devices and their respective license status. This allows you to quickly see if the trial period for any device has expired and when to renew them. Use the Type to search field to find a specific device if you have a great number of connected devices.

Keys

Go to Configuration > Licenses > Keys to view a list of the keys necessary for each license of all connected devices. Use the Type to search field to find a specific key.

License management

Go to Configuration > Licenses > Management to get an overview of the number of unlicensed devices connected to the server. Manage licenses online as well as offline. Remember to add licenses for all your devices before they are disabled after a 30-day trial period. See how to purchase licenses. You can also see the overview of your device licenses by clicking the license status link in the status bar.

You can add multiple MyAxis accounts as license administrator to your AXIS Camera Station system.

1. Add a MyAxis account to a system online

2. In the AXIS Camera Station client,

3. 1. Go to Configuration > Licenses > Management.

   2. Manage licenses online is turned on by default.

   3. Click Go to AXIS License Portal.

4. In the AXIS License Portal,

5. 1. Sign in with the new MyAxis account that you want to add.

   2. Go to Edit license admins and check that the account is added as license administrator.

1. Add a MyAxis account to a system offline

2. In the AXIS Camera Station client,

3. 1. Go to Configuration > Licenses > Management.

   2. If AXIS Camera Station is online, turn off Manage licenses online and click Export system file.

   3. If AXIS Camera Station is offline, click Export system file.

   4. Save your system file on a USB flash drive.

4. In the AXIS License Portal www.axis.com/licenses,

5. 1. Sign in with the new MyAxis account that you want to add and upload your system file.

   2. Go to Edit license admins and check that the account is added as license administrator.

There are different ways to license your system, depending on how it is connected to the Internet.

• License a system online

• License a system offline

• Move licenses between systems