AXIS Q6318-LE PTZ Camera

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

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

You can use the device with the following browsers:

*To use AXIS OS web interface with iOS 15 or iPadOS 15, go to Settings > Safari > Advanced > Experimental Features and disable NSURLSession Websocket.

If you need more information about recommended browsers, go to AXIS OS Portal.

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

   If you do not know the IP address, use AXIS IP Utility or AXIS Device Manager to find the device on the network.

2. Enter the username and password. If you access the device for the first time, you must set the root password. See Set a new password for the root account.

3. The live view page opens in your browser.

1. To make sure that the device has its original Axis firmware, or to take full control of the device after a security attack:

2. Reset to factory default settings. See Reset to factory default settings.

   After the reset, secure boot guarantees the state of the device.

3. Configure and install the device.

1. Type a password. Follow the instructions about secure passwords. See Secure passwords.

2. Retype the password to confirm the spelling.

3. Click Create login. The password has now been configured.

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

To protect your data we strongly recommend that you:

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

• Don’t expose the password.

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

This section includes instructions about configuring your device. If you want to learn more about how certain features work, go to Learn more.

Your camera uses visible light to deliver color images during the day. As the available light diminishes, you can set the camera to automatically shift to night mode, in which the camera uses both visible light and near-infrared light to deliver black-and-white images. Since the camera uses more of the available light it can deliver brighter, more detailed, images.

1. Go to Settings > Image > Day and night, and make sure that the IR cut filter is set to Auto.

2. To determine at what light level you want the camera to shift to night mode, move the Threshold slider toward Bright or Dark.

3. Enable Allow IR illumination and Synchronize IR illumination to use the camera’s IR light when night mode is activated.

4. Note

   If you set the shift to night mode to occur when it’s brighter, the image remains sharper as there will be less low-light noise. If you set the shift to occur when it’s darker, the image colors are maintained for longer, but there will be more image blur due to low-light noise.

To reduce noise in low-light conditions, you can adjust one or more of the following settings:

• Adjust the trade-off between noise and motion blur. Go to Settings > Image > Exposure and move the Blur-noise trade-off slider toward Low noise.

• Note

  A high max shutter value can result in motion blur.

• To slow down the shutter speed, set max shutter to the highest possible value.

• Open the aperture.

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

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

2. Turn on WDR.

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

4. Use the Tone mapping slider to adjust the amount of WDR.

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

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

To verify that a defined part of the image contains enough pixels to, for example, recognize license plates, you can use the pixel counter.

1. Go to Settings > System > Orientation.

2. Click .

3. In the camera’s live view, adjust the size and position of the rectangle around the area of interest, for example where you expect license plates to appear.

   You can see the number of pixels for each of the rectangle’s sides (X and Y), and decide if the values are enough for your needs.

You can create one or several privacy masks to hide parts of the image.

1. Go to Settings > Privacy mask.

2. Click New.

3. Adjust the size, color, and name of the privacy mask according to your needs.

You can add an image as an overlay in the video stream.

1. Go to Settings > Overlay.

2. Click Create overlay.

3. Select Image and click Ok.

4. Select Import and upload an image.

5. Select the image from the drop-down list.

6. To position the image overlay, choose Custom or one of the presets.

This example explains how to display the text “Motion detected” when the device detects motion.

Make sure that AXIS Video Motion Detection is running:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > AXIS Video Motion Detection.

2. Start the application if it is not already running.

3. Make sure you have set up the application according to your needs.

4. Add the overlay text:

5. Go to Settings > Overlay.

6. Enter #D in the text field.

7. Choose text size and appearance.

8. Create a rule:

9. Go to System > Events > Rules and add a rule.

10. Type a name for the rule.

11. In the list of conditions, select AXIS Video Motion Detection.

12. In the list of actions, select Use overlay text.

13. Select Camera 1.

14. Type “Motion detected”.

15. Set the duration.

16. Click Save.

You can show the pan or tilt position as an overlay in the image.

1. Go to Settings > Overlay and click Create overlay.

2. Select Text and click Create.

3. In the text field, type #x to show the pan position.

   Type #y to show the tilt position.

4. Choose appearance, text size, and alignment.

5. The current pan and tilt positions show up in the live view image and in the recording.

1. Activate the compass

2. Go to Settings > Apps.

3. Select Orientation Aid PTZ.

4. Start the application and click Open.

5. Position the camera view at north with the crosshair. Click Set north.

1. Add a preset position

2. Go to Settings > PTZ.

3. Use the crosshair to position the view where you want to add a preset position.

4. Click the + to create a new preset position.

5. 

To learn more about different pan, tilt, and zoom settings, see Pan, tilt, and zoom (PTZ).

A guard tour displays the video stream from different preset positions either in a predetermined or random order, and for configurable periods of time.

1. Go to Settings > PTZ > Guard tours.

2. Click .

3. To edit the guard tour’s properties, click .

4. Type a name for the guard tour and specify the pause length in minutes between each tour.

5. If you want the guard tour to go to the preset positions in a random order, turn on Shuffle.

6. Click Done.

7. Click Add to add the preset positions that you want in your guard tour.

8. Click Done to exit the guard tour settings.

9. To schedule the guard tour, go to System > Events.

This section includes instructions about configuring your device. To learn more about how streaming and storage works, go to Streaming and storage.

1. Go to live view and select H.264.

2. Go to Settings > Stream.

3. Do one or more of the following:

4. • Note

     The zipstream settings are used for both H.264 and H.265.

   • Turn on dynamic GOP and set a high GOP length value.

   • Increase the compression.

   • Turn on dynamic FPS.

1. To store recordings on the network, you need to set up your network storage.

2. Go to Settings > System > Storage.

3. Click Setup under Network storage.

4. Enter the IP address of the host server.

5. Enter the name of the shared location on the host server.

6. Move the switch if the share requires a login, and enter username and password.

7. Click Connect.

To record video you must first set up network storage, see Set up network storage, or have an SD card installed.

1. Record video

2. Go to the live view.

3. To start a recording, click Record. Click again to stop the recording.

1. Watch video

2. Click Storage > Go to recordings.

3. Select your recording in the list and it will play automatically.

You can create rules to make your device perform an action when certain events occur. A rule consists of conditions and actions. The conditions can be used to trigger the actions. For example, the device can start a recording or send an email when it detects motion, or show an overlay text while the device is recording.

To learn more, check out our guide Get started with rules for events.

1. Go to Settings > System > Events to set up a rule. The rule defines when the device will perform certain actions. Rules can be setup as scheduled, recurring, or for example, triggered by motion detection.

2. Select the Condition that must be met to trigger the action. If you specify more than one condition for the rule, all of the conditions must be met to trigger the action.

3. Select which Action the device should perform when the conditions are met.

This example explains how to set up the camera to start recording to the SD card five seconds before it detects motion and to stop one minute after.

1. Make sure that AXIS Video Motion Detection is running:

2. Go to Settings > Apps > AXIS Video Motion Detection.

3. Start the application if it is not already running.

4. Make sure you have set up the application according to your needs. If you need help, see the user manual for AXIS Video Motion Detection 4.

1. Create a rule:

2. Go to Settings > System > Events and add a rule.

3. Type a name for the rule.

4. In the list of conditions, under Application, select AXIS Video Motion Detection (VMD).

5. In the list of actions, under Recordings, select Record video while the rule is active.

6. Select an existing stream profile or create a new one.

7. Set the prebuffer time to 5 seconds.

8. Set the postbuffer time to 60 seconds.

9. In the list of storage options, select SD card.

10. Click Save.

This example explains how to set up the camera to go to a preset position when it detects motion in the image.

1. Make sure that AXIS Video Motion Detection is running:

2. Go to Settings > Apps > AXIS Video Motion Detection.

3. Start the application if it is not already running.

4. Make sure you have set up the application according to your needs. If you need help, see the user manual for AXIS Video Motion Detection 4.

Add a preset position:

Go to Settings > PTZ and set where you want the camera to be directed by creating a preset position.

1. Create a rule:

2. Go to Settings > System > Events > Rules and add a rule.

3. Type a name for the rule.

4. In the list of conditions, select a video motion detection condition under Application.

5. From the list of actions, select Go to preset position.

6. Select the preset position you want the camera to go to.

7. Click Save.

This example explains how to use the gatekeeper functionality to make the camera zoom in automatically on the license plate of a car that passes through a gate. When the car has passed, the camera zooms out to the home position.

1. Create the preset positions:

2. Go to Settings > PTZ > Preset positions.

3. Create the home position that includes the entrance of the gate.

4. Create the zoomed-in preset position so that it covers the area in the image where you assume that the license plate will appear.

1. Create a motion detection profile:

2. Go to Settings > Apps and open AXIS Video Motion Detection.

3. Create a profile that covers the entrance of the gate and then save the profile.

1. Create a rule:

2. Go to Settings > System > Events and add a rule.

3. Name the rule “Gatekeeper”.

4. In the list of conditions, under Application, select the motion detection profile.

5. In the list of actions, under Preset positions, select Go to preset position.

6. Select a Video channel.

7. Select the Preset position.

8. To make the camera wait a while before it returns to the home position, select Home timeout, and set a time.

9. Click Save.

Shock detection allows the camera to detect tampering caused by vibrations or shock. Vibrations due to the environment or to an object can trigger an action depending on the shock sensitivity range, which can be set from 0 to 100. In this scenario, someone is throwing rocks at the camera after hours and you would like to get a video clip of the event.

1. Turn on shock detection:

2. Go to Settings > System > Detectors.

3. Turn on shock detection, and set a value for the shock sensitivity.

1. Create a rule:

2. Go to Settings > System > Events and add a rule.

3. Type a name for the rule.

4. In the list of conditions, under Device status, select Shock detected.

5. Click + to add a second condition.

6. In the list of conditions, under Scheduled and recurring, select Scheduled event.

7. In the list of schedules, select After hours .

8. In the list of actions, under Recordings, select Record video while the rule is active.

9. Select a Camera.

10. Set the prebuffer time to 5 seconds.

11. Set the postbuffer time to 60 seconds.

12. Select where to save the recordings.

13. Click Save.

If the device gets grease stains or becomes heavily soiled, you can clean it with mild, solvent-free soap or detergent.

1. Use a can of compressed air to remove any dust or loose dirt from the device.

2. Clean the device with a soft cloth dampened with mild detergent and lukewarm water.

3. Wipe carefully with a dry cloth.

• This product supports fiber-optic cable installations through a media converter. Fiber-optic cable installations offer a number of benefits such as:

• Long-distance connection

• High speed

• Long lifetime

• Large capacity of data transmission

• Electromagnetic interference immunity

Find out more about fiber-optic cable installations on axis.com/technologies/fiber-optics.

For information about how to install the media converter see the Installation Guide for this product.

A privacy mask is a user-defined area that prevents users from viewing a part of the monitored area. In the video stream, privacy masks appear as blocks of solid color.

The privacy mask is relative to the pan, tilt, and zoom coordinates, so regardless of where you point the camera, the privacy mask covers the same place or object.

You’ll see the privacy mask on all snapshots, recorded video, and live streams.

You can use the VAPIX® application programming interface (API) to hide the privacy masks.

You can create several privacy masks. The maximum number of masks depends on the complexity of all the masks combined. The more anchor points in each mask, the fewer masks you can create. Each mask can have 3 to 10 anchor points.

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

A guard tour displays the video stream from different preset positions either in a predetermined or random order, and for configurable periods of time. Once started, a guard tour continues to run until stopped, even when there are no clients (web browsers) viewing the images.

The guard tour function includes tour recording. This allows recording a custom tour using an input device, such as a joystick, a mouse, or a keyboard, or through using the VAPIX® Application Programming Interface (API). A recorded tour is a replay of a recorded sequence of pan/tilt/zoom movements, including their variable speeds and lengths.

Decide which compression method to use based on your viewing requirements, and on the properties of your network. The available options are:

H.264 or MPEG-4 Part 10/AVC

H.264 can, without compromising image quality, reduce the size of a digital video file by more than 80% compared to the Motion JPEG format and by as much as 50% compared to older MPEG formats. This means that less network bandwidth and storage space are required for a video file. Or seen another way, higher video quality can be achieved for a given bitrate.

H.265 or MPEG-H Part 2/HEVC

H.265 can, without compromising image quality, reduce the size of a digital video file by more than 25% compared to H.264.

The Image tab contains camera settings that affect all video streams from the product. If you change something in this tab, it immediately affects all video streams and recordings.

The Stream tab contains settings for video streams. You get these settings if you request a video stream from the product and don’t specify for example resolution, or frame rate. When you change the settings in the Stream tab, it doesn’t affect ongoing streams, but it will take effect when you start a new stream.

The Stream profiles settings override the settings from the Stream tab. If you request a stream with a specific stream profile, the stream contains the settings of that profile. If you request a stream without specifying a stream profile, or request a stream profile that doesn't exist in the product, the stream contains the settings from the Stream tab.

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

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

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

With applications you can get more out of your Axis device. AXIS Camera Application Platform (ACAP) is an open platform that makes it possible for third parties to develop analytics and other applications for Axis devices. Applications can be preinstalled on the device, available for download for free, or for a license fee. To find out more about available applications, downloads, trials and licenses, go to axis.com/products/acap/application-gallery.

To find the user manuals for Axis applications, go to help.axis.com.

With autotracking, the camera automatically zooms in on and tracks moving objects, for example a vehicle or a person. You can manually select an object to track, or set up trigger areas and let the camera detect moving objects. The application is best suited for open areas with no obscuring objects and where movement is unusual. When the camera doesn't track an object, it returns to its connected preset position.

This example explains how to set up the camera to track moving objects in an area of interest.

In the device’s webpage:

1. Go to Settings > PTZ.

2. Direct the camera view to the area you want to track.

3. Click and create a preset position.

4. Go to Apps > AXIS PTZ Autotracking.

5. Start and open the application.

In the application:

1. Go to Settings > Profiles.

2. Click and create a profile.

3. Select the preset position you created in the device’s webpage.

4. Click Done.

5. Select a Trigger area.

6. Go to Settings > Filters:

7. • To exclude small objects, set width and height.

   • To exclude short-lived objects, set a time between 1 and 5 seconds.

8. Click Autotracking to start tracking.

The TPM (Trusted Platform Module) is a component that provides cryptographic features to protect information from unauthorized access. It is always activated and there are no settings you can change.

To reset the product to the factory default settings:

1. Press and hold the control button and the power button. See Product overview.

2. Release the power button but continue to hold down the control button for 30 seconds.

3. Release the control button.

4. The process is now complete. The product has been reset to the factory default settings. If no DHCP server is available on the network, the default IP address is 192.168.0.90.

5. Using the installation and management software tools, assign an IP address, set the password and access the video stream.

It is also possible to reset parameters to factory default through the web interface. Go to Settings > System > Maintenance and click Default.

Axis offers product firmware management according to either the active track or the long-term support (LTS) tracks. Being on the active track means continuously getting access to all the latest product features, while the LTS tracks provide a fixed platform with periodic releases focused mainly on bug fixes and security updates.

Using firmware from the active track is recommended if you want to access the newest features, or if you use Axis end-to-end system offerings. The LTS tracks are recommended if you use third-party integrations, which are not continuously validated against the latest active track. With LTS, the products can maintain cybersecurity without introducing any significant functional changes or affecting any existing integrations. For more detailed information about Axis product firmware strategy, go to axis.com/support/firmware.

Firmware is the software that determines the functionality of network devices. One of your first actions when troubleshooting a problem should be to check the current firmware version. The latest version may contain a correction that fixes your particular problem.

To check the current firmware:

1. Go to the product’s webpage.

2. Click the help menu .

3. Click About.

AXIS Device Manager can be used for multiple upgrades. Find out more at axis.com/products/axis-device-manager.

1. Download the firmware file to your computer, available free of charge at axis.com/support/firmware.

2. Log in to the product as an administrator.

3. Go to Settings > System > Maintenance. Follow the instructions on the page. When the upgrade has finished, the product restarts automatically.

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

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

The following factors are the most important to consider:

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

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

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

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

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

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

• Accessing Motion JPEG and H.264 video streams simultaneously affects both frame rate and bandwidth.

• Accessing Motion JPEG and H.265 video streams simultaneously affects both frame rate and bandwidth.

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

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

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

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

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

Contact support at axis.com/support.

This product supports SD/SDHC/SDXC cards.

For SD card recommendations, see axis.com.

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

• The control button is used for:

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

• Connecting to a one-click cloud connection (O3C) service over the internet. To connect, press and hold the button for about 3 seconds until the status LED flashes green.

The power button is used with the control button to reset the camera to factory default settings. See Reset to factory default settings.

RJ45 Push-pull Connector (IP66) with High Power over Ethernet (High PoE).