Axis 2420 Color Network Camera with 290B Outdoor Housing

by Axis

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 13 pounds
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B00022F0BK
• Item model number: 8015-004-01
• Date first available at Amazon.com: April 14, 2004

Product Description

Amazon.com Product Review

For complete and easy-to-use remote monitoring of an outside area, you need look no further than the Axis 2420 Color Network Camera with 290B Outdoor Housing. This camera is ideal for intruder detection, process control, industrial or public surveillance, visual security, image archiving, or any other application that requires remote monitoring. Constructed of durable aluminum with an integral tamper-proof wall-mounting bracket, the Axis 290B Outdoor Housing unit not only makes your camera tamper proof, it also protects it against dust and spray. A temperature-controlled heating feature keeps your camera operating in cold-weather conditions.

The Axis 2420 Color Network Camera is a digital network camera that distributes live images or video over an intranet or the Internet. With a built-in Web Server and a direct network connection, the Axis 2420 allows high-quality remote surveillance from any browser on the network, and provides full Web-based control of its various management and configuration functions. Connecting directly to Ethernet networks, or to your local ISP using an external modem, the easy-to-use Axis 2420 is completely independent of any other file server and requires no special hardware or software for installation or use. A perfect way to digitally modernize an existing system, the Axis 2420 also works simultaneously with existing analog CCTV-cameras, allowing you to use either the analog or the digital signal, or both signals simultaneously.

This 24-bit color camera utilizes a high-end 0.33-inch Sony super HAD interlaced CCD (charge-coupled device) sensor, with a resolution of 704-by-576 pixels and a minimum illumination down to one Lux. The Axis 2420 comes with a standard CS-mount and DC-iris varifocal (zoom) lens with a range of 2.8 to 12 millimeters. A 50 dB S/N (signal to noise) ratio, AGC (Automatic Gain Control), automatic and fixed white balance, and exposure times ranging from 1/10,000 to 1/50 of a second, ensuring a high picture quality. With five user-controlled compression levels generating high-quality JPEG still images and motion-JPEG video, this camera can provide a frame rate of up to 30 frames per second (frames per second).. The Axis 2420 has 16 MB of DRAM, eight megabytes of which are available for pre/post alarm image storage, and four megabytes of internal flash memory that allows for simple firmware upgrades. Powered via a 12-volt external power cord (included), the 2420 camera requires a minimum of eight watts and a nine to 15-volt AC or DC power supply. This camera unit with its housing can operate in temperatures from -20 to 42-degrees Celsius.

Supporting TCP/IP, SMTP, HTTP and other protocols, the Axis 2420 can be configured and managed via its own simple Web-based administration tools through the use of a regular browser, and can be used in mixed environments such as Windows, Macintosh, Unix and others. This camera features an in-image motion detection system, and applications for event-triggered alarm messaging and remote storage of images. The 2420's DC-iris lens automatically regulates the amount of light entering the camera, so each unit provides a wide-angle zoom with minimum distortion making it ideal for outdoor use when installed in the 290B outdoor housing. The Axis 2420 also has built-in support for the Axis 2191 Audio Module (sold separately), which allows live audio on your camera. Also included is a general input/output connector that can be used with Infrared sensors, door sensors, and other external devices.

PPP (Point to Point Protocol) support allows you to use your Axis 2420 remotely over a serial link, just as if it were located on your local network. The camera can be easily configured for remote use via your PC and the supplied null modem cable. Because of the Axis 2420's self-contained Web server, your digital images can be secured like any other Internet host. Using the unit's security settings, which includes support for username and password protection, an administrator can assign whether individuals, groups, a whole company or the whole world can access the camera. In order to ensure maximum reliability and ease of use, the Axis 2420 is based on the Linux operating system, giving users access to free, open-source functionality.

Technical Features:

• Sensitivity: 1 to 200,000 Lux with DC-iris varifocal lens, 1 to 5,000 Lux with fixed lens
• Resolution: 704 by 576 pixels
• S/N ratio: 50 dB with AGC off
• Zoom: 4.3x
• Frame rate: video up to 30 frames per second
• Dimensions: approximately 9 x 14 x 6 centimeters (W x D x H)

In short, the Axis 2420 camera and 290B housing combo is a reliable, economical and high-quality monitoring system ideally suited for outdoor applications and designed to be used over the Internet or internal networks. Though suitable for both indoor and outdoor applications, the 2420 should not be installed within the housing in areas that receive many hours of direct sunlight, as this may cause the camera to overheat. Also, even with the varifocal DC-iris lens, the CCD sensor may become permanently damaged if exposed to long hours of direct sunlight or halogen light. This camera is optimized for use with Netscape, although Axis provides an ActiveX component for use with Internet Explorer.

About Surveillance Camera Technical Features
Lux rating is the measurement used to indicate how sensitive a camera is to light, and stands for the level of light reflected off a piece of paper by a candle from one meter away. Thus a sensitivity of three Lux would mean a camera could generate an acceptable picture of a piece-of-paper-sized object that was illuminated by the equivalent of three candles from one meter away. The lower the Lux level, the better the camera's ability to work in low-light conditions. The camera's resolution should be greater than or equal to the resolution supported by the system's recorder or monitor. The S/N, or signal to noise ratio, is an important measure of a camera's quality. A poor camera, low-light conditions or poor wiring causes "noise" which consumes processing power and disk space. A camera with a wide dynamic range is ideal, especially for recording areas in which both indoor and outdoor light are present. CCD (charge-coupled device) sensors provide high-quality images that are less susceptible to noise. CMOS (complimentary metal-oxide semiconductor) sensors offer less image quality, but are usually more cost-effective and energy efficient.

About IP Cameras
An IP camera can be used to project images and video directly through a computer's Web browser for remote monitoring. An IP camera, unlike a web cam, contains the IP and Web page within it and can often be added to a network without additional configuration or software. Combined with a network video recorder, an IP camera can be used to construct a reliable video surveillance system.

About Surveillance Camera Housings
Most video surveillance systems can be deployed for outside use when a proper camera housing is used. Key features for housings are a blower/fan to keep the camera cool in the summer, and a heater for the cold-weather months and to keep the glass from fogging up. Most housings can accept many types of security cameras. An outdoor dome housing is used for external mounting when tamper resistance or pan/tilt functionality is desired.

What's in the Box
2420 camera, DC Iris lens connector, null modem cable, power supply, I/O connectors, and 290B housing (with sunshield, power supply, mounting fixings).