AXIS M3204 Network Camera User Manual
About this Document This manual is intended for administrators and users of the AXIS M3204 Network Camera, and is applicable to firmware 5.5 and later. It includes instructions for using and managing the product on your network. Previous experience of networking will be of use when using this product. Some knowledge of UNIX or Linux-based systems may also be beneficial, for developing shell scripts and applications. Later versions of this document will be posted to the Axis website, as required.
responsible for waste disposal. In accordance with local legislation, penalties may be applicable for incorrect disposal of this waste. Europe This symbol means that the product shall not be disposed of together with household or commercial waste. Directive 2012/19/EU on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) is applicable in the European Union member states.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Table of Contents Hardware Overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .............................................................. Connectors and Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . LED Indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Accessing the Product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Hardware Overview Hardware Overview 1 2 3 4 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 5 6 7 Status indicator LED Cover plates Control button Power indicator LED Network indicator LED Network connector Product ID and Serial number (S/N) Connectors and Buttons For technical specifications, see page 51. Network Connector RJ45 Ethernet connector with Power over Ethernet (PoE). NOTICE TICE NO The product shall be connected using a shielded network cable (STP).
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Hardware Overview Control Button The control button is used for: • Resetting the product to factory default settings. See page 46. • Connecting to an AXIS Video Hosting System service. See page 40. To connect, press and hold the button for about 3 seconds until the Status LED flashes green. • Connecting to AXIS Internet Dynamic DNS Service. See page 40. To connect, press and hold the button for about 3 seconds.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Accessing the Product Accessing the Product To install the Axis product, refer to the Installation Guide supplied with the product. The product can be used with most operating systems and browsers. The recommended browsers are Internet Explorer with Windows, Safari with Macintosh and Firefox with other operating systems. See Technical Specifications on page 51. To view streaming video in Internet Explorer, allow installation of AXIS Media Control (AMC) when prompted.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Accessing the Product The default administrator user name root is permanent and cannot be deleted. If the password for root is lost, the product must be reset to the factory default settings. See Reset to Factory Default Settings on page 46. To set the password via a standard HTTP connection, enter it directly in the dialog. To set the password via an encrypted HTTPS connection, follow these steps: 1. Click Create self-signed certificate. 2.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Accessing the Product Controls on the Live View Page Click View size to scale the image down to 800 pixels wide or to full scale. Only available in MJPEG. Select a stream profile for the Live View page from the Stream Profile drop-down list. For information about how to configure stream profiles, see page 16. The Manual Trigger button is used to trigger an action rule from the Live View page.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Accessing the Product Click the View Full Screen button and the video image will fill the entire screen. Press ESC (Escape) on the computer keyboard to cancel full screen view. The Record button is used to record the current video stream. The location where the recording is saved can be specified in the AMC Control Panel. Enable this button from Live View Config > Viewer Settings. PTZ Controls The Live View page also displays Pan/Tilt/Zoom (PTZ) controls.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Media Streams Media Streams The Axis product provides several video stream formats. Your requirements and the properties of your network will determine the type you use. The Live View page in the product provides access to H.264 and Motion JPEG video streams, and to the list of available stream profiles. Other applications and clients can access video streams directly, without going via the Live View page. How to Stream H.264 H.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Media Streams The AMC Control Panel can be used to configure various video settings. Please see the AXIS Media Control User’s Manual for more information. The AMC Control Panel is automatically installed on first use, after which it can be configured. Open the AMC Control Panel from: • Windows Control Panel (from the Start screen or Start menu) • Alternatively, right-click the video image in Internet Explorer and click Settings.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Media Streams Note • = IP addess • The Axis product supports QuickTime 6.5.1 and later. • QuickTime adds latency to the video stream. • It may be possible to use other players to view the H.264 stream using the paths above, although Axis does not guarantee this.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Setting Up the Product Setting Up the Product The Axis product can be configured by users with administrator or operator rights. To open the product’s Setup pages, click Setup in the top right-hand corner of the Live View page. • Administrators have unrestricted access to all settings. • Operators have access to all settings except System Options See also the online help .
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Video Video It is possible to configure the following video features in your Axis product: • Video stream. See page 15. • Stream profiles. See page 16. • Camera settings. See page 16. • View area. See page 17. • Overlay image. See page 18. • Privacy mask. See page 19. Video Stream You can define the following video stream settings from Video > Video Stream: • Image. See page 15. • H.264. See page 16. • MJPEG. See page 16.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Video Click Save to apply the new settings. H.264 H.264, also known as MPEG-4 Part 10/AVC, is a video compression standard that provides high quality video streams at low bit rates. An H.264 video stream consists of different types of frames such as I-frames and P-frames. An I-frame is a complete image whereas P-frames only contain the differences from previous frames. The GOV length is the number of frames between two consecutive I-frames.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Video Image Appearance Increasing the Color level increases the color saturation. The value 100 gives maximum color saturation. The value 0 gives a black and white image. The image Brightness can be adjusted in the range 0–100, where a higher value produces a brighter image. Increasing the Sharpness can increase bandwidth usage. A sharper image might increase image noise especially in low light conditions.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Video Note The PTZ functionality is useful during installation of the Axis product. Use a view area to crop out a specific part of the full view. Overlay Overlays are used to provide extra information, for example for forensic video analysis or during product installation and configuration. Overlays are superimposed over the video stream. An overlay text can display the current date and time, or a text string.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Video - To scale the image automatically, select Scale with resolution. The image will be scaled down to fit the resolution used by the Axis product. 5. Click Save. To select the image to use as overlay: 1. Go to Video > Overlay Image. 2. Select the image to use from the Use overlay image list and click Save. To display the overlay image: 1. Go to Video > Video Stream and select the Image tab. 2. Under Overlay Settings, select Include overlay image at the coordinates. 3.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Video The Privacy Mask List (Video > Privacy Mask) shows all the masks that are currently configured in the Axis product and indicates if they are enabled. You can add a new mask, re-size the mask with the mouse, choose a color for the mask, and give the mask a name. For more information, see the online help Important Adding many privacy masks may affect the product’s performance.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Live View Config Live View Config You can customize the Live View page and alter it to suit your requirements. It is possible to define the following features of the Live View page. • Stream Profile. See page 16. • Default Viewer for Browser. See page 21. • Viewer Settings. See page 21. • Action Buttons. These are the buttons described in Controls on the Live View Page on page 9 . • User Defined Links. See page 22.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Live View Config • Select Enable recording button to enable recording from the Live View page. This button is available when using the AMC viewer. The recordings are saved to the location specified in the AMC Control Panel. See AXIS Media Control (AMC) on page 11 . User Defined Links To display user-defined links in the Live View page, select the Show custom link option, give the link a name and then enter the URL to link to.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) The PTZ menu is available if digital PTZ (pan, tilt and zoom) is enabled in the selected view area. For more information on view areas, see View Area on page 17. Preset Positions A preset position is a predefined view that can be used to quickly steer the camera to a specific location. Preset positions can be accessed in several ways: • By selecting the preset from the Source drop-down list in the Live View Page.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera PTZ (Pan Tilt Zoom) Note This Axis product supports limited guard tours. The pause between successive guard tours must be set to at least 10 minutes. Advanced Controls Panel Shortcut Command Buttons can be configured to provide direct access to commands issued via the VAPIX® Application Programming Interface. The buttons will be displayed in the PTZ control panel, which is available in the Live View page through the Ctrl panel button, see page 10.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Detectors Detectors Camera Tampering Camera Tampering can generate an alarm whenever the camera is repositioned, or when the lens is covered, sprayed or severely defocused. To send an alarm, for example an email, an action rule must be set up. To configure tampering: 1. Go to Detectors > Camera Tampering. 2. Set the Minimum duration, that is, the time that must elapse before an alarm is generated. Increase time to prevent false alarms for known conditions that affect the image. 3.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Detectors Note • Using the motion detection feature may decrease the product’s overall performance. • The position of the Motion Detection Window is relative to the orientation of the Camera. Changing the orientation of the camera will also change the position of the Motion Detection Window. Set Up Motion Detection Windows To set up a motion detection Include Window, follow these instructions: 1. Go to Detectors > Motion Detection. 2.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Detectors A large difference in luminance is required to trigger motion detection. Medium level (50%) Low level (0%) Even very small objects trigger motion detection. An object that appears in the window triggers motion detection only for a very short time before it is considered as non-moving. Only very bright objects on a dark background trigger motion detection.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Applications Applications Third party applications can be uploaded to and installed on the Axis product. Applications add functionality to the product, for example video analytics and intelligent video capabilities such as recognition, tracking, detection and counting. For information about available applications, downloads, trials and licenses, go to www.axis.com/applications Note • It is recommended to run one application at a time.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Applications If the Axis product is reset to factory default, installed applications and their settings are removed. For information about factory default, see Reset to Factory Default Settings.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Events Events The Axis product can be configured to perform actions when different events occur, for example, start a recording when motion is detected. The set of conditions that defines how and when the action is triggered is called an Action Rule. Available action rule triggers and conditions include: • Applications – Use installed applications to trigger the rule. See Applications on page 28.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Events - Preset Position – Go to a preset position. - Guard Tour – Start a guard tour. See Guard Tour on page 23. • Record Video – Record video to a selected storage. • Send Images – Send images to a recipient. • Send Notifications – Send a notification message to a recipient. • Send Video Clip – Send a video clip to a recipient. • Status LED – Flash the LED indicator.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Events Recipient Use with action Email1 Send Images Send Notification Send Video Clip FTP Send Images Send Video Clip HTTP Send Images Send Notification Send Video Clip HTTPS Send Images Send Notification Send Video Clip Network Share2 Send Images Send Video Clip TCP 1. 2. Send Notification An email recipient can contain multiple email addresses. For more information about email recipients, see Setting Up an Email Recipient on page 32.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Events 4. Select the email provider from the Provider list. 5. Enter the user ID and password for the email account. 6. Click Test to send a test email. To set up an email recipient using for example a corporate email server, follow the instructions above but select User defined as Provider. Enter the email address to appear as sender in the From field. Select Advanced settings and specify the SMTP server address, port and authentication method.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Recordings Recordings The Axis product can be configured to record video continuously or according to an action rule: • To start a continuous recording, see page 34. • To set up action rules, see page 31. • To access recordings, see Recording List on page 34. • To configure camera controlled storage, see Storage on page 44. Recording List Recorded videos are listed on the Recordings > List page.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Languages Languages Multiple languages can be installed in the Axis product. All web pages including the online help will be displayed in the selected language. To switch languages, go to Setup > Languages and first upload the new language file. Browse and locate the file and click the Upload Language button. Select the new language from the list and click Save.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera System Options System Options Security Users User access control is enabled by default and can be configured under System Options > Security > Users. An administrator can set up other users by giving them user names and passwords. It is also possible to allow anonymous viewer login, which means that anybody may access the Live View page.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera System Options 2. Select an HTTPS certificate from the list of installed certificates. 3. Optionally, click Ciphers and select the encryption algorithms to use for SSL. 4. Set the HTTPS Connection Policy for the different user groups. 5. Click Save to enable the settings. To access the Axis product via the desired protocol, enter https:// or http:// in the address field in a browser. The HTTPS port can be changed on the System Options > Network > TCP/IP > Advanced page. IEEE 802.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera System Options To install a self-signed certificate: 1. Go to Setup > System Options > Security > Certificates. 2. Click Create self-signed certificate and provide the requested information. To create and install a CA-signed certificate: 1. Create a self-signed certificate as described above. 2. Go to Setup > System Options > Security > Certificates. 3. Click Create certificate signing request and provide the requested information. 4.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera System Options IPv4 Address Configuration By default, the Axis product is set to use IPv4 (IP version 4) and to obtain the IP address automatically via DHCP. The IPv4 settings are configured under System Options > Network > TCP/IP > Basic. DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol) allows network administrators to centrally manage and automate the assignment of IP addresses.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera System Options 5. Close the command prompt when the product responds with Reply from 192.168.0.125:... or similar. 6. Open a browser and type http:// in the Location/Address field. For other methods of assigning the IP address, see the Installation and Management Software CD or the document Assign an IP Address and Access the Video Stream on Axis Support web at www.axis.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera System Options NTP Configuration NTP (Network Time Protocol) is used to synchronize the clock times of devices in a network. The NTP settings are configured under System Options > Network > TCP/IP > Advanced. Select Obtain NTP server address via DHCP to use the NTP settings provided by the DHCP server. To make manual settings, select Use the following NTP server address and enter the host name or IP address of the NTP server.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera System Options Use manually selected NAT router - Select this option to manually select a NAT router and enter the IP address for the router in the field. If no router is specified, the product automatically searches for NAT routers on your network. If more than one router is found, the default router is selected. Alternative HTTP port - Select this option to manually define an external HTTP port. Enter the port number in the field.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera System Options The Axis product can be configured to support SNMP on the System Options > Network > SNMP page. Depending on the level of security required, select the version on SNMP to use. SNMP v1/v2 provides the lowest level of security. The community name can be specified as a password for read or read/write access to all supported SNMP devices. The default password for the Read community is public and the default password for the Write community is write.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera System Options Storage Network Share Network share allows you to add network storage such as a NAS (network-attached storage). The NAS shall be dedicated for recordings and data from the Axis products connected to the network. For information about reference NAS devices, go to www.axis.com/products/cam_companion_software/supported.htm To add a network share: 1. Go to System Options > Storage. 2. Click Network Share. 3.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera System Options Support Support Overview The System Options > Support > Support Overview page provides information on troubleshooting and contact information, should you require technical assistance. See also Troubleshooting on page 47. System Overview To get an overview of the Axis product’s status and settings, go to System Options > Support > System Overview.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera System Options File Upload Files, for example web pages and images, can be uploaded to the Axis product and used as custom settings. To upload a file, go to System Options > Advanced > File Upload. Uploaded files are accessed through http:///local// where is the selected user group (viewer, operator or administrator) for the uploaded file. Plain Config Plain Config is for advanced users with experience of Axis product configuration.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Troubleshooting Troubleshooting Checking the Firmware Firmware is 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. The current firmware version in the Axis product is displayed in the page Setup > Basic Setup and in Setup > About.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Troubleshooting 5. Reinstall the product, referring to the Installation Guide. If the emergency recovery procedure does not get the product up and running again, contact Axis support at www.axis.com/techsup/ Symptoms, Possible Causes and Remedial Actions Problems setting the IP address When using ARP/Ping Try the installation again. The IP address must be set within two minutes after power has been applied to the product. Ensure the Ping length is set to 408.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Troubleshooting Problems with streaming H.264 Problems with AXIS Media Control (Internet Explorer only) To enable the updating of video images in Internet Explorer, set the browser to allow ActiveX controls. Also, make sure that AXIS Media Control is installed on your computer. No H.264 displayed in the client Check that the relevant H.264 connection methods and correct interface are enabled in the AMC Control Panel (streaming tab). See AXIS Media Control (AMC) on page 11 .
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Troubleshooting Storage and disk management problems Storage disruption A storage disruption alarm is sent if a storage device is unavailable, removed, full, locked or if other read or write problems occur. To identify the source of the problem, check the System Log under System Options > Support > Logs & Reports. Depending on the problem, it might be necessary to re-mount the storage device. For information on how to set up a storage disruption alarm, see Events on page 30.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Technical Specifications Technical Specifications Function/group Item Specifications Camera Model AXIS M3204 Image sensor Progressive scan RGB CMOS 1/4” Lens Varifocal 2.8 - 10 mm, F1.7, fixed iris Horizontal angle of view: 80° to 22° Vertical angle of view: 48° to 14° Minimum illumination 0.9 lux F1.7 Shutter time 1/24 500 s to 1/6 s Camera angle adjustment Pan 360°, tilt 170°, rotation 340° Video compression H.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Technical Specifications Function/group Item Specifications System Integration Application Programming Interface Open API for software integration, including VAPIX® and AXIS Camera Application Platform; specifications at www.axis.com AXIS Video Hosting System (AVHS) with One-Click Camera Connection. ONVIF Profile S; specification at www.onvif.org AXIS Media Control SDK (available at www.axis.
AXIS M3204 Network Camera Technical Specifications Function/group Item Specifications Video management software (not included) AXIS Camera Companion (included), AXIS Camera Station and video management software from Axis’ Application Development Partners (not included). See www.axis.
User Manual AXIS M3204 Network Camera © Axis Communications AB, 2014 Ver. M2.11 Date: May 2014 Part No.
