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Network Webcams blog
Archive for the ‘Tips & Tricks’ Category
HOWTO add your network camera to Internet Explorer’s Compatibility View
Recent changes to Microsoft’s browsers have made viewing and configuring IP cameras that use ActiveX more difficult. Whilst adding a camera into a video recording and management system gets around these issues in some situations (though it’s rare to do this before a camera is even installed in its final location), many prefer and some are required to use a browser to pre-configure cameras for, at the very least, checking the live view and adding IP address settings, but similarly for many other settings as and when necessary.
Let’s take a look at how to set up Internet Explorer to allow ActiveX controls again. This should work for all IP cameras of any brand. If you are logged into your camera in IE and see nothing, this will most likely work for you. [Updated below for Windows 10]
Useful frame rate comparison tool
To make it easier to understand the visual differences between frame rate options, we thought we’d share this handy video frame rate comparison tool with you, and make it available as a free download.
The tool allows you to easily visualise different frame rates ranging from 1 fps to 30 fps, and how this appears as video footage, and is ideal for helping you decide which frame rate best suits your requirements.
How to use the Focus Assistant on Axis IP Cameras
A useful, but often overlooked feature on Axis model network cameras P1311/P1343/P1344/P1346/P1347 is the Focus Assistant. Focusing security cameras via the lens levers can be a tricky business and any installer welcomes a neat trick or device that makes this vital step of the installation process easier and more accurate.
Using this tool it is possible to focus the camera accurately without looking at the video image output from the camera, but to adjust the focus and get visual feedback from the camera itself when the view is nearing and has hit that focus sweet spot.
HOWTO set azimuth on a Sony SNC-EP550
A useful and unique feature on Sony’s keenly priced HD PTZ dome the SNC-EP550 is its azimuth, or ‘compass point’ setting. This howto also applies to other PTZ cameras in Sony’s latest range.
Calibrating the camera’s azimuth allows you to display the camera’s compass point orientation on the on-screen display (OSD) via the camera’s ‘superimpose’ setting. This can be especially handy for anyone orienting the view against a map or a set of site drawings.
The process to set azimuth is very simple:
What’s IPv6 and Why Should I Care?
IPv6 (Internet Protocol version 6) is the latest version of the Internet Protocol – the method by which devices (including those which are available publicly as websites) link together and communicate with each other. It also enables Smartphones, laptops, tablets and other mobile devices to connect to Wi-Fi hotspots and use mobile data. That little router blinking in the corner of your living room supplied by your Internet Service Provider (ISP) wouldn’t connect to the ISP exchange circuits without using the Internet Protocol.
2013 is likely to be the biggest year yet in the switch to IPv6 for homes, business and internet providers alike.
Top 5 most frequently asked technical questions about network cameras
Our technical team get asked the same questions a lot and so we’ve let one of them loose on this blog to tell us which ones. Over to Raymond…
We receive many queries on the technical support line here at NW, and of course they do vary widely, from customers looking for advice or technical help, right through to providing support for full security systems installations and integrations.
We do, however, answer certain questions more often than others. In fact, I would say that the majority of technical support questions would fall into a handful of issues.
In this blog I will outline five of the issues we most commonly see and provide a link or a brief guide on each so we here on technical support can spend more time discussing Star Trek!
How to install Axis Media Control / ActiveX in Internet Explorer
As development in IP camera technology progresses most camera manufacturers look to support both a wide range of integration and recording platforms and, in most cases, a wide range of web browsers in order that their cameras can be set up, configured and viewed over the network.
In the case of browsers, inherent limitations still mean that certain functions must be accessible or controlled through a browser add-on – a small plugin, usually downloaded from the camera itself, which extends the capabilities of the browser. Some manufacturers have done away with this in order that their products are supported similarly in all browsers. Some have no full cross-browser support of any kind (products from Taiwanese manufacturer ACTi for instance) and require the use of Internet Explorer and an ActiveX plugin.
How to license cameras offline in Milestone XProtect
In another of our Milestone XProtect series of how to blogs, I’ll take you through how to license new cameras whilst not connected to the Internet.
Why might you want to licence a camera offline?
Any manager of a security system needs to make decisions about how that system is connected to the network. We encounter XProtect-based security systems of all sizes and configurations. Some are connected to the Internet and some are not. XProtect’s mobile server capability would require an online connection, but if you have no need for this feature or tie your network down tightly your XProtect server may be operating offline, and in this case you’ll be licensing cameras offline.
How to install Milestone XProtect Essential
In this HOWTO, I’ll walk you through each step when installing Milestone XProtect Essential; from the initial email provided by our sales team which contains your Software Licence Code (SLC) and .lic license files, applying the license file, through to the point where you have your first camera installed, licensed, online and ready to go.
The process of installation is a bit long-winded (which I’m guessing is the reason you’re reading this in the first place), but you end up with a robust and feature-packed software installation. Put aside half an hour, grab a cuppa, settle in and let’s get started.
Day/night IP cameras: What is an infrared-cut filter and why do I need one?
When specifying cameras for an IP-based security installation, it’s important to know what each camera is capable of seeing in both light (daytime) and dark (nightime) conditions. Terms such as true day/night and infrared-cut filter can be confusing. Let’s look at the terminology to help you specify the right camera for the job.
What is an infrared-cut filter?
