Axis Q1755

IP camera technology has recently come on in leaps and bounds, but Axis' new Q1755 takes this to a higher plane.

The Q1755 is a two-megapixel, HDTV-compliant IP camera, capable of delivering HDTV 720p and 1080i resolutions and up to 16:9 aspect ratios. You do pay a premium for this high quality, but Axis has targeted environments where for general surveillance you use lower cost IP cameras and only locate the Q1755 where you want specific functions, such as clear facial or car number plate identification.

The Q1755 is encased in a solid steel shell that weighs just under a kilogram, and Axis supplies a sturdy mounting stand. The camera delivers 30fps at 1,920 x 1,080 pixels and as with all Axis' latest cameras, it supports simultaneous H.264 and MJPEG streams.

PoE is supported and we had no problems with it linked to HP's ProCurve 2626-PWR switch. A socket is provided for external power and a supply is available for around £30. The camera has a 96MB buffer for storing images, which can be increased with the SD/SDHC memory card slot at the rear.

Direct connection to an HDTV monitor is supported, as the camera offers component HD Y/Pb/Pr outputs as well. The motorised 10x optical zoom is teamed with a 12x digital zoom and Axis offers an optional pan/tilt mount that can be controlled from the camera's web interface. Along with an internal mic, the camera also has sockets for an external mic along with a speaker.

After installing the camera to monitor a nearby car park and associated access roads, we can safely say the Q1755 delivers the best image quality we've ever seen. Focus is sharp, colour balance is very good and detail at maximum optical zoom is impressive. On full zoom, car number plates could be clearly read at 60 yards and, dependent on weather conditions, could generally be made out at more than 120 yards away.

With full zoom, facial details at 50 yards were unmistakable. Using the H.264 stream, we found motion was conveyed smoothly with little or no jerkiness. In our review of the Axis P3301, we found H.264 has other advantages, as it significantly reduces network bandwidth usage over MJPEG.

The Q1755 delivers Axis' superior motion detection that supports up to ten include and exclude windows, and introduces the new Gatekeeper feature. When motion is detected, this zooms in to a preset position and after a selected number of seconds will zoom back out to the home position. The Gatekeeper event can also be set to save the video stream to an FTP/HTTP server or local SD storage, send an email and enable one of the I/O outputs.

If you want surveillance functions such as clear facial identification or the ability to read car number plates at a distance then the Q1755 is the IP camera of choice. It's pricey, but its image quality is superb and the range of monitoring and recording features won't be beaten.

Author: Dave Mitchell