Axis M3114-VE Review

[paarlberg]

I want to put together a review of the Axis M3114-VE. If you have anything you want me to include, please let me know.

Day time



Night time



Bandwidth usage



Bandwidth was measured via SNMP using Cacti and measured on the camera directly, not the switch port it is connected to. I have a system running BlueIris that is monitoring 24x7 and is set to 720P using h.264. Some of the spikes are when I was using both BlueIris and the web interface of the camera at the same time with multiple h.264 feeds.

Performance
During the day, I am getting 28-36fps. At night, it drops to about 4fps. All measurements are with h.264 at 720P.

Recording with BlueIris, I am averaging 3-4MB per second of recording time. I have done several tests of setting it off and walking around for 5-20 seconds.

Installation
Installation was about as easy as it gets, 4 screws to hold the 4" diameter camera base. There are 2 captive screws that hold the cover onto the camera base. They also include another base/extender that will allow you to run the ethernet cable out the side versus through the back.

The install pics are not that great, they were taken with a crappy cellphone camera. Will use a real camera and replace these.









Cons
The focus tool that is sent with the camera is not well designed, it is a rubber insert in a plastic tube. The rubber seems to wear out fairly fast with minor adjustments. You can buy a 4 pack for about $20, but I think they should have a better tool that will last longer than a single install.

The low light performance could be better, I knew this going in.

Overall
The camera is very compact at about 4" diameter and only sticks out about 2" at the dome area, 1" on the rest of it. There is another model without the weather shield (m3114-ve nocap) that will allow a larger range for adjusting the angle of the lens without the shield blocking it. Mine is mounted on the overhang of a second floor and that has not been an issue with the shield being in the way.

The colors are great, very clear and accurate. The horizontal viewing angle is what I wanted at just under 90 degrees.

The construction of the camera is very durable and seems like it would hold up to some abuse. It is IP66 rated.

I picked mine up for $499 and it seems to be a good option. I looked at the P3344-VE and P3346-VE as another option, but couldn't justify double the price at the moment.

I ordered a second one on Monday (just arrived ) for another location where I have a Foscam F8905W installed. I expect to replace 3-4 of the failed Foscams with 2 of these.

[buellwinkle]

What's the maximum shutter speed set to? Also, compared to the M1114, the low light shots are pretty noisy.
_________________
For network camera articles and reviews, visit my blog at http://ipcamnetwork.wordpress.com

[paarlberg]

I still had the default settings. If I change the option to Motion or Low Noise, I have the option to change it. Both of the options are set to 1/6 at the moment.

[JohnnyC]

Your soffits need painting.

John
New jersey

[paarlberg]

You should see the inside, still building it.

[paarlberg]

I adjusted the exposure to 25 (default was 50) and the picture had less noise, but looks a bit softer.



Will have to see how that looks during the day and make some adjustments as needed.

[JohnnyC]

Looks like the house will be very nice once finished. Back to the camera.... I have many M1114's outside in all weather housings. They all perform very well in very low light. In my opinion, better than the Panasonics that are set to night enabled.

Here is the 1 million dollar question: Looking at the night pictures you posted and the same view at night by human eye, how much darker is it does the area appear by the human eye? If it is significantly darker as seen by human eye, then the noise you see in the camera's images may be justified in my opinion. Maybe a motion activated flood light or two may help if needed.

John
New Jersey

[paarlberg]

The adjusted picture from last night is about what it looks like, the picture is a little darker than what is visible by human eye. Mainly the pic is darker between the big tree and the light line to the left. The original picture I posted was much brighter than by the human eye, so you theory would fit.

You can see the light line across the back of the dumpster, that is from 2x CF flood lights (120W equivalent), 1 is facing the back yard, and 1 the side (where the dumpster is). I have the same light config in the front.

I may try to adjust the lighting. It is temporary lighting just for security around the house at night. Once I move in, it will be motion activated and LED accent lighting. I will probably move up to a better night camera for the larger areas like this, and move these to entry ways.

The M1114 low light is to .6 lux, this camera is to 1 lux. I knew there would be some low light issues. Even the noise is not that bad though, wouldn't be happy if it was on my TV, but for this application I can easily see someone. The local police have an average response time of 3-4 minutes, so plenty of time to catch a thief.

1 thing to keep in mind. The light in the top right corner in the distance is 300'+ away from the camera, the front porch lights shine about 150-200' down the driveway. This is covering a large area and BlueIris will pick up movement except at the light fringe areas farthest from the camera.

[JohnnyC]

You are right about the lux rating of the M1114 that i stated in my last response. For some reason I mistaken your Axis M3114-VE for the Axis M1114-E. Sorry, my mistake

[paarlberg]

I wanted something less obvious.. didn't want to look like Ft. Knox.. that is why I went this way vs the M1114-E.

The P3344-VE and P3346-VE are better suited for night. I will probably move up to them for the wider coverage areas where there will be less light.

AXIS P3343/-V/-VE 6 mm: Color: 0.2 lux, F1.2, B/W: 0.04 lux, F1.2
AXIS P3343/-V/-VE 12 mm: Color: 0.3 lux, F1.4, B/W: 0.05 lux, F1.4
AXIS P3344/-V/-VE 6 mm: Color: 0.3 lux, F1.4, B/W: 0.05 lux, F1.4
AXIS P3344/-V/-VE 12 mm: Color: 0.4 lux, F1.6, B/W: 0.06 lux, F1.6
AXIS P3346/-V/-VE: Color: 0.5 lux, F1.2, B/W: 0.08 lux, F1.2

[paarlberg]

I selected an exposure zone near the base of the tree and slightly to the right of it.



There is still some noise, but it is better than before. I also noticed that I am getting about 7fps vs 4fps before.

[40th Floor]

STOP. LOOK.

Now forget all that, since it's meaningless without the true frame rate. I can set a camera to open shutter for four seconds and get a fine shot at night. So long as nothing moves, that is. If you want to see what you really get on video, walk by the scene. Post a snapshot of that. (No one does.) You cannot go by 'fps' showing on the camera. You have to show the shot.

Even still, the resolution you have there, for that large area, is too low to identify anyone you don't already know, or can't otherwise ID, like a car in the driveway.

Being up high does not help. I'd go for something much lower. Hide it. I'm sure you can figure out something better.

[buellwinkle]

Just don't ask 40thfloor about his covert camera inside an abs drain pipe, haha...
_________________
For network camera articles and reviews, visit my blog at http://ipcamnetwork.wordpress.com

[paarlberg]

I will do a walk by tonight to get a picture.

I only record on motion, so not that much. In previous walk by testing, I only have a few hundred megs. If someone is there after 6PM, I will either know they are there, or they shouldn't be there. I will see if they look familiar, if not the local PD will be there in <4 minutes.

I want to mount it lower eventually and put some lighting at the camera location. I just need to have another camera pointing at this one so someone can't trash it since it would be in a blind spot.

During the construction of the house, I have found 20+ potential camera locations, I will run CAT6 to each. My computer room will look like a datacenter with about 100 drops

Since we have 250'+ in all directions of this camera that is either our property, or empty lots, I need to keep them out of reach for now.

A camera in an abs drain pipe? Now I like that

[JohnnyC]