End user demands for advanced surveillance solutions are growing, and will an ever evolving range of options available, Axis Communications has launched a new concept in the form of its Integrator Suite. This adds a range of benefits for installers and integrators using the company’s AXIS Camera Station VMS, allowing a more holisticapproach to system design and management to be created. By bringing together all processes it enables engineers to provide a superior level of service to their customer base without compromising on the quality of the surveillance system.
The VMS is a core component in bespoke video surveillance systems. With AXIS Camera Station as a base, Axis now presents AXIS Camera Station Integrator Suite, delivering new options for installers and integrators by enabling them to effectively manage installations through the complete lifecycle.
The Integrator Suite includes AXIS Site Designer for selection and core configuration of cameras and recording solutions, and allows automatic transfer of the design to configuration files. AXIS Installation Verifier is an integrated part of AXIS Camera Station for post installation test of performance, and the suite also delivers system health monitoring.
Using a tablet or laptop, the installer or integrator can establish the system design on site with the customer. This makes the project more tangible and many benefits become more apparent, improving the customer’s understanding of the system.
Furthermore, it is possible to configure the entire system with specific camera names, resolutions, recording retention times, etc., at this early stage.
When the design is completed, installation instructions and a bill of materials are automatically generated.
Integrator Suite improves communication between customer, integrator and installer, eliminating mistakes and misunderstandings. By automatically importing all configurations for cameras, recorders and other devices directly from the design tool into the VMS, errors are kept to a minimum while the installation time is reduced. If necessary, configurations can be changed manually.
Once the installation is complete the verifying tool can be used to perform an on-site system verification. The test program simulates bandwidth consumption and storage needs during different conditions.
The first run is in normal ‘current day-light’ operation mode to verify that the installation is working as intended. Thereafter the system is tested with all cameras in simulated ‘night mode’. The latter simulation test will verify that there is sufficient bandwidth during low-light operation when noise levels are higher and more bandwidth is needed.
Finally, the verifier performs a stress test by increasing the data volume until the first bottleneck is found. This identifies spare capacity and indicates if improvements are needed. The information is summarised in a report.