Axis M3105-LVE
A discreet external IP camera that delivers superb video quality and works with almost any web browser
SCORE
PRICE £329 exc VAT from networkwebcams.co.uk
Some IP cameras will only work with certain browsers – but with Axis that’s a non-issue. The company’s software is fully HTML5 compliant, and doesn’t require any browser plugins for high-efficiency H.264 video streams. We found it worked perfectly with Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox and Internet Explorer.
The camera itself is a mini-dome design, with a maximum resolution of 1080p at 25fps, and it’s suitable for outdoor as well as indoor surveillance. An IP66 rating means the casing is dust-tight and can shrug off powerful water jets, and the plastic exterior can be repainted or exchanged for an optional black shell to help it blend in with its surroundings. It’s fairly tough too, with an IK08 external mechanical impact rating; that means it’s robust enough to handle an accidental blow, although it probably wouldn’t survive a determined vandal.
Physical deployment couldn’t be simpler. There’s a single RJ-45 Ethernet port in the base – the camera needs to be powered by an 802.3af PoE source – and the wall-mounting kit comes with a waterproof rubber grommet to feed the cable through.
Once the camera’s in place, you can twist and tilt the spherical lens housing to your desired direction, then just tighten the screws to lock it in place. Whichever way you point it, you get a good wide field of view, stretching 115° horizontally and 64° vertically, and the lens is mounted behind a flat cover that keeps reflections to a minimum. A built-in IR illuminator gives the camera an impressive degree of night vision, too: we found night-time footage was surprisingly detailed, right up to the maximum quoted distance of 15m.
The Axis software, meanwhile, is a pleasure to use. During installation, the browser-based setup wizard insists you set a strong password for root access. It then runs through setting the resolution, and matches the frame rate to your mains frequency to ensure video footage isn’t marred by flickering lights.
With this done, you can check out the camera’s live view – and this is very good indeed. Video is pin-sharp,
“If you’ve mounted the camera on its side to watch a tall, narrow area, you can easily rotate the live image to match”
with excellent contrast and colour balance, and the camera responds quickly to changing lighting conditions. No matter which browser we used, everything was beautifully smooth, with no jerkiness and a latency of less than one second. The view can be easily customised by tweaking the various settings at the bottom of the screen. You can experiment with different resolutions and aspect ratios, switch to a different frame rate and enable Axis’ Zipstream technology to reduce video storage demands. It’s also possible to set up custom viewing areas, and use the digital PTZ function to scroll around the screen and zoom in – although quality does visibly deteriorate once you get up to high zoom ratios. If you’ve mounted the camera on its side to watch a tall, narrow area, you can easily rotate the live image to match. For convenience and efficiency, you can also enable adaptive resolution, which automatically resizes the live view to fit the browser window. Video capture functions are equally smart. The camera comes with Axis’ Motion Detection 4 app, which lets you set up multiple areas of view to monitor or ignore, with options to ignore small, brief movements. You can then set up actions that will be triggered whenever movement is detected – options include recording to the camera’s internal microSD card, sending video to a network share, uploading images to HTTP and FTP servers or emailing them to selected recipients. The M3105-LVE is relatively pricey for a 1080p camera, but image quality is excellent, and all the important surveillance features are present and easy to use. Since it works seamlessly with all popular browsers, it’s a great choice for small businesses who want security with minimal upheaval.
SPECIFICATIONS 1/2.8in RGB CMOS 2.8mm f/2.0 lens 1080p (max res) 25fps MJPEG/H.264 10/100 Ethernet PoE IR illuminator microSD card slot IP66 IK08 Axis Companion software 101 x 101 x 93mm (WDH) 380g wall-mount bracket 3yr RTB warranty