Bangalore, May 10, 2012: Global leader in network video, Axis Communications, has made a significant shift in market approach, with its latest offering, the AXIS Camera Companion (ACC). The Swedish player has for the first time looked beyond its core enterprise market to address the wider world of small businesses and – eventually lay consumers. The dummies approach to easy installation; the user-friendly software; the ability to story data on the camera fixtures, on SD-cards and the option of integrating older analogue cameras with video encoding – all go to make the ACC a cost effective solution for those looking for anything between 2 and 16-camera security systems.
Said Sudhindra Holla, India – Country Manager, Axis Communications at the Bangalore launch on Thursday: “While network video is increasingly replacing analogue technology in larger installations, smaller video systems still rely heavily on analogue cameras and DVRs. India has the largest SMB base in the world, so we are thrilled to offer a solution that addresses the needs of this important segment. Since AXIS Camera Companion records all video in the cameras or encoders, the solution becomes very simple, reliable and cost-effective. With this small business owners can enjoy the benefits of network video, such as excellent HDTV image quality, remote access to video and scalability”.
Added Philip Siow of Axis Communication’s South Asia and Pacific office in Singapore: The proprietary LightFinder and Wide Dynamic Range technology, allows Axis cameras to work in very low or no-light conditions and also record fast moving vehicular information.
A 24 GB SD card could typically record for 7 days – more if the recording was triggered by motion detection.
The new solution allows small business owners to use HDTV network cameras to help them clearly identify intruders, shoplifters and other incidents. Video can be viewed live and recordings played back from anywhere – on-site or remotely over the Internet. The system supports motion detection and pan/tilt/zoom control. Video clips and snapshots can be easily exported to colleagues and authorities, and the system supports third-party apps for viewing live and recorded video on leading smartphones and tablets, such as iPhone, iPad and Android. Unlike analogue surveillance installations, AXIS Camera Companion does not require a central recording device – a digital video recorder (DVR), network video recorder (NVR), or even a computer. The cameras are powered over the network, eliminating the need for separate power cables. All images are recorded onto a standard SD memory card in each camera, and even if a network fails, the cameras keep recording. This reduces cost, simplifies installation, and makes the system more robust as there is no single point of failure.
The AXIS Camera Companion solution consists of three parts: Standard Axis network cameras or video encoders with edge storage support for recording onto SD-cards; a free software client and third-party mobile apps used for viewing live and recorded video; and standard third-party network equipment such as routers, switches, SD cards and NAS devices. Existing analog cameras can be integrated via video encoders.
Entry level systems can be expected to cost around Rs 40 - 50K in India, though Axis leaves pricing to its system integrators and marketing partners.
The AXIS Camera Companion software is available for free download from http://www.axis.com/products/cam_companion_software/