Axis M1054 review

The M1054 from Axis Communications is one of the smallest IP cameras in the world but it's packed to the gills with features. This 1-megapixel camera delivers an HDTV 720p resolution with a 16:10 aspect ratio, provides simultaneous H.264 and M-JPEG video streams and runs at the full 30fps for all resolutions.

It has an integral PIR (passive infrared) sensor, a high-intensity LED light, plus built-in speaker and microphone, and is even PoE compliant. The camera comes with a wall-mount bracket and extender arm, and even squeezes in a four-pin terminal block for adding alarms and controlling external devices such as security lights.

Installation won't take long as the bundled IP Utility searches for the camera on the network and offers quick access to its web interface, which opens with a live view. The wide-angle lens introduces a slight fish-eye effect, but the camera's image quality is very good.

Focus was slightly on the soft side and not as sharp as Axis' higher-end IP cameras. Even so, the level of detail on offer is still remarkable for a camera of these miniscule dimensions and at the top resolution you're going to need a big monitor to see the full picture.

You can swap between M-JPEG and H.264 directly from the live view, and in our review of the Axis P3301 we found H.264 has a significantly lower network bandwidth usage than M-JPEG. Stream profiles are used to group settings such as resolution, encoding and audio together, and these are accessed from the live view.

The camera had no problems delivering the top 30fps at all resolutions and we found movement to be conveyed well with few signs of jerkiness. A delay of less than half a second meant audio was only slightly out of sync with the video feed, and although we found the microphone too sensitive on its default setting we could fine-tune the input gain to suit.

The M1054 is a versatile little fellow as it can respond to a huge range of events and tie these in with instruction sets that determine what actions it should take. Motion detection, camera tampering, the PIR sensor and sound levels can be monitored, and when triggered can cause the camera to fire off images to FTP and HTTP servers, email them to multiple recipients, turn its light on and broadcast an audible warning.

The LED may be tiny but it's bright enough to sear your retinas and can be turned on and off manually from the live view. The internal loudspeaker is also good enough to be heard clearly. The camera has four pre-recorded audio clips stored in its memory including a dog barking, but you can use the internal microphone to record and store your own.

Image quality may not be quite up to the high standard we've come to expect from Axis' IP cameras, but we still feel it's easily good enough for a wide range of indoor surveillance duties. Considering its extensive capabilities, the M1054 is very competitively priced - the only thing it can't do is make the tea.

Author: Dave Mitchell