AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

AXIS P5514–E

AXIS P5515-E

User Manual
AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

Table of Contents

Product overview . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
How to access the product . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
How to access the product from a browser . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
About secure passwords . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Setup . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
About the product's built-in help . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Image quality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
About overlays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Streaming and storage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
About events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
About applications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Troubleshooting . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
How to reset to factory default settings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
How to check the current firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
How to upgrade the firmware . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Technical issues, clues and solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Performance considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Specifications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
LED indicators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
SD card slot . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
Connectors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

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AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

Product overview

Product overview

NOTICE
NO TICE
Make sure the dome is attached in operation mode, otherwise focus may be affected.

Do not point the camera lens toward the sun or other high-intensity radiation sources as this could cause damage to
the camera.

1. Control button
2. SD card slot
3. Status indicator LED
4. Restart button
5. Part number (P/N) & serial number (S/N). Serial number may be required during installation.
6. Screws (3)
7. Sunshield
8. Hook for safety wire
9. Top cover screws (4)
10. Unit holders (3)
11. Network connector PoE
12. Sealing ring
13. Top cover
14. Dome cover
15. Dome ring
16. Dome ring screws (8)
17. Grounding screw

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AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

How to access the product

How to access the product

AXIS IP Utility and AXIS Camera Management are recommended methods for finding Axis products on the network and assigning
them IP addresses in Windows®. Both applications are free and can be downloaded from axis.com/support

The product can be used with the following browsers:

• ChromeTM (recommended), Firefox®, Edge®, or Opera® with Windows®

• ChromeTM (recommended) or Safari® with OS X®

• ChromeTM or Firefox® with other operating systems.

How to access the product from a browser

1. Start a web browser.

2. Enter the IP address or host name of the Axis product in the browser’s address field.

To access the product from a Mac computer (OS X), go to Safari, click on Bonjour and select the product from the
drop-down list.

If you do not know the IP address, use AXIS IP Utility to locate the product on the network. For information about
how to discover and assign an IP address, see the document Assign an IP Address and Access the Video Stream on Axis
Support web at axis.com/support

Note
To show Bonjour as a browser bookmark, go to Safari > Preferences.

3. Enter your username and password. If this is the first time the product is accessed, the root password must first be
configured.

4. The product’s live view page opens in your browser.

About secure passwords

Important
When setting the initial password, the password is sent in clear text over the network. If there is a risk of network sniffing,
first set up a secure and encrypted HTTPS connection before resetting the passwords.

The device password is the primary protection for the data and services. Axis’ products do not impose a password policy as products
may be used in various types of installations, but to protect your data do the following:

• Don’t use the default password that comes with the products.

• Use a password with at least 8 characters, preferably using a password generator.

• Don’t expose the password.

• Change password at a recurring interval, at least once a year.

Set a password for the root account

Important
The default administrator user name root cannot be deleted. If the password for root is lost, the product must be reset to
the factory default settings.

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AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

How to access the product

The default root account has full privileges and should be reserved for administrative tasks. Always create a user account with limited
privileges for daily use. This reduces the exposure of the administrative account.

1. Make sure to follow the instructions about secure passwords, see About secure passwords on page 4 .

2. Type a password and then retype it to confirm the spelling.

3. Click Create login. The password has now been configured.

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AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

Setup

Setup

About the product's built-in help

You can access the built-in help through your product’s web page. The help provides more detailed information on the product’s
features and their settings.

Image quality
How to reduce noise in low-light conditions
To reduce noise in low-light conditions, you can adjust one or more of the following settings:

Note
Increasing the max shutter value can result in motion blur.

• The shutter speed should be as slow as possible, which means you should set max shutter to the highest possible value.

• Reduce sharpness in the image.

• Try lowering the max gain value.

How to handle scenes with strong backlight

Use WDR to make both dark and bright areas of the image visible.

1. Go to Settings > Image.

2. Turn on WDR under Wide dynamic range.

Image without WDR.

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AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

Setup

Image with WDR.

Note
If you use WDR, you may experience some WDR artifacts in the image.

Find out more about WDR and how to use it at axis.com/web-articles/wdr

About overlays
Overlays are superimposed over the video stream. They are used to provide extra information during recordings, such as a timestamp,
or during product installation and configuration.

How to show a text overlay when the camera detects motion

This example explains how to display the text “Motion detected” when the camera detects motion:

1. Go to Settings > Overlay.

2. Enter #D in the text field.

3. Choose alignment, text size and appearance.

4. Include the text overlay.

5. Go to System > Events > Action rules.

6. Create an action rule with AXIS Video Motion Detection as trigger.

7. From the list of actions, select Overlay text.

8. Type “Motion detected”.

9. Set the duration.

Streaming and storage

How to choose video compression format
Deciding which compression method to choose depends on your viewing requirements, and on the properties of your network. The
available options are:

Motion JPEG

Motion JPEG or MJPEG is a digital video sequence that is made up of a series of individual JPEG images. These images are then
displayed and updated at a rate sufficient to create a stream that shows constantly updated motion. For the viewer to perceive motion
video the rate must be at least 16 image frames per second. Full motion video is perceived at 30 (NTSC) or 25 (PAL) frames per second.

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AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

Setup

The Motion JPEG stream uses considerable amounts of bandwidth, but provides excellent image quality and access to every image
contained in the stream.

H.264 or MPEG-4 Part 10/AVC

Note
H.264 is a licensed technology. The Axis product includes one H.264 viewing client license. Installing additional unlicensed
copies of the client is prohibited. To purchase additional licenses, contact your Axis reseller.

H.264 can, without compromising image quality, reduce the size of a digital video file by more than 80% compared to the Motion
JPEG format and by as much as 50% compared to the MPEG-4 standard. This means that less network bandwidth and storage space
are required for a video file. Or seen another way, higher video quality can be achieved for a given bitrate.

Find out more at axis.com/compression-formats

How to reduce bandwidth and storage

Important
If you reduce the bandwidth it can result in less details in the picture.

1. Go to live view and select H.264.

2. Go to the Stream tab.

3. Do one or more of the following:

- Turn on the Zipstream functionality and select the desired level.

- Turn on the GOP and set a high GOP length value.

- Increase the compression.

- Turn on the dynamic FPS.

How to set up network storage

To store recordings on the network, you need to set up network storage:

1. Go to Settings > System > Storage.

2. Click Setup under Network storage.

3. Enter the IP address of the host server.

4. Enter the name of the shared location on the host server.

5. Move the switch if the share requires a login, and enter username and password.

6. Click Connect.

About events
The event pages allow you to configure your product to perform actions when different events occur. For example, the product
can start a recording or send an email notification when motion is detected. The set of conditions that defines how and when
the action is triggered is called an action rule.

How to record video when the camera detects motion

This example explains how to set up the camera to start recording to the SD card five seconds before it detects motion and to
stop one minute after.

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AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

Setup

Make sure the AXIS Video Motion Detection application is running:

1. Go to Settings > Apps > AXIS Video Motion Detection.

2. Start the application if it is not already running.

3. Make sure you have set up the application according to your needs.

Create an action rule:

4. Go to Settings > System > Events and add an action rule.

5. Type a name for the action rule.

6. From the list of triggers, select Applications and then select AXIS Video Motion Detection (VMD).

7. From the list of actions, select Record video.

8. Select an existing stream profile or create a new one.

9. Set the pre-trigger time to 5 seconds.

10. Set the post-trigger time to 60 seconds.

11. Select SD card from the list of storage options.

12. Click Ok.

How to automatically zoom in on a specific area with gatekeeper

This example explains how to use the gatekeeper functionality to make the camera zoom in automatically on the license plate of a
car that passes through a gate. When the car has passed, the camera zooms out to the home position.

Create a motion detection profile:

1. Go to Settings > Apps and open AXIS Video Motion Detection.

2. Create a profile that covers the entrance of the gate and then save the profile.

Create the preset positions:

3. Go to Settings > PTZ > Preset positions.

4. Create the home position that includes the entrance of the gate.

5. Create the zoomed-in preset position so that it covers the area in the image where you assume that the license plate
will appear.

Create an action rule:

6. Go to Settings > System > Events and add an action rule.

7. Name the action rule Gatekeeper.

8. From the trigger list, select Applications and then select the previously created motion detection profile.

9. From the action list, select the previously created preset position.

10. Click OK.

About applications
AXIS Camera Application Platform (ACAP) is an open platform that enables third parties to develop analytics and other applications
for Axis products. To find out more about available applications, downloads, trials and licenses, go to axis.com/applications

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AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

Setup

To find the user manuals for Axis applications, go to axis.com

Note
• Several applications can run at the same time but some applications might not be compatible with each other. Certain
combinations of applications might require too much processing power or memory resources when run in parallel. Verify
that the applications work together before deployment.

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AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting

How to reset to factory default settings

Important
Reset to factory default should be used with caution. A reset to factory default resets all settings, including the IP address, to
the factory default values.

To reset the product to the factory default settings:

1. Press and hold the control button and the restart button at the same time.

2. Release the restart button but continue to hold down the control button for 15–30 seconds until the status LED indicator
flashes amber.

3. Release the control button. The process is complete when the status LED indicator turns green. The product has been reset
to the factory default settings. If no DHCP server is available on the network, the default IP address is 192.168.0.90

4. Use the installation and management software tools to assign an IP address, set the password and access the video stream.

How to check the current firmware

Firmware is the software that determines the functionality of network devices. One of your first actions when troubleshooting a
problem should be to check the current firmware version. The latest version may contain a correction that fixes your particular
problem.

To check the current firmware:

1. Go to the product’s webpage.

2. Click on the help menu.

3. Click About.

How to upgrade the firmware

Important
Preconfigured and customized settings are saved when the firmware is upgraded (provided that the features are available in
the new firmware) although this is not guaranteed by Axis Communications AB.

Note
When you upgrade the product with the latest firmware, the product receives the latest functionality available. Always read
the upgrade instructions and release notes available with each new release before upgrading the firmware. To find the latest
firmware and the release notes, go to axis.com/support/firmware

1. Download the latest firmware file to your computer, available free of charge at axis.com/support/firmware

2. Log in to the product as an administrator.

3. Go to Settings > System > Maintenance in the product’s webpage and follow the instructions.

4. The upgrade takes a while, don't break the power to the product. When the upgrade is finished, the product restarts
automatically.

AXIS Camera Management can be used for multiple upgrades. Find out more at axis.com/products/axis-camera-management

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AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

Troubleshooting

Technical issues, clues and solutions

If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, try the troubleshooting section at axis.com/support

Problems upgrading the firmware

Firmware upgrade failure If the firmware upgrade fails, the product reloads the previous firmware. The most common reason
is that the wrong firmware file has been uploaded. Check that the name of the firmware file
corresponds to your product and try again.

Problems setting the IP address

The product is located on a If the IP address intended for the product and the IP address of the computer used to access the
different subnet product are located on different subnets, you cannot set the IP address. Contact your network
administrator to obtain an IP address.
The IP address is being used Disconnect the Axis product from the network. Run the ping command (in a Command/DOS
by another device window, type ping and the IP address of the product):

• If you receive: Reply from <IP address>: bytes=32; time=10...

this means that the IP address may already be in use by another device on the network.
Obtain a new IP address from the network administrator and reinstall the product.
• If you receive: Request timed out, this means that the IP address is available
for use with the Axis product. Check all cabling and reinstall the product.
Possible IP address conflict The static IP address in the Axis product is used before the DHCP server sets a dynamic address.
with another device on the This means that if the same default static IP address is also used by another device, there may
same subnet be problems accessing the product.

The product cannot be accessed from a browser

Cannot log in When HTTPS is enabled, ensure that the correct protocol (HTTP or HTTPS) is used when attempting
to log in. You may need to manually type http or https in the browser’s address field.

If the password for the user root is lost, the product must be reset to the factory default settings.
See How to reset to factory default settings.
The IP address has been IP addresses obtained from a DHCP server are dynamic and may change. If the IP address has
changed by DHCP been changed, use AXIS IP Utility or AXIS Camera Management to locate the product on the
network. Identify the product using its model or serial number, or by the DNS name (if the name
has been configured).

If required, a static IP address can be assigned manually. For instructions, go to axis.com/support.

Certificate error when using For authentication to work properly, the date and time settings in the Axis product must be
IEEE 802.1X synchronized with an NTP server. Go to Settings > System > Date and time

The product is accessible locally but not externally

Router configuration Check that your router allows incoming data traffic to the Axis product. The router must support
UPnP®.
Firewall protection Check the Internet firewall with your network administrator.

Problems with streaming

Multicast H.264 only Check if your router supports multicasting, or if the router settings between the client and the
accessible by local clients product need to be configured. The TTL (Time To Live) value may need to be increased.
No multicast H.264 Check with your network administrator that the multicast addresses used by the Axis product
displayed in the client are valid for your network.

Check with your network administrator to see if there is a firewall preventing viewing.

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AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

Troubleshooting

Poor rendering of H.264 Ensure that your graphics card is using the latest driver. The latest drivers can usually be
images downloaded from the manufacturer’s website.
Color saturation is different Modify the settings for your graphics adapter. Go to the adapter’s documentation for more
in H.264 and Motion JPEG information.
Lower frame rate than • See Performance considerations on page 13.
expected • Reduce the number of applications running on the client computer.
• Limit the number of simultaneous viewers.
• Check with the network administrator that there is enough bandwidth available.
• Lower the image resolution.
• In the product’s webpage, set a capture mode that prioritizes frame rate. Changing the
capture mode to prioritize frame rate might lower the maximum resolution depending
on the product used and capture modes available.

Performance considerations
When setting up your system, it is important to consider how various settings and situations affect the performance. Some factors
affect the amount of bandwidth (the bitrate) required, others can affect the frame rate, and some affect both. If the load on the
CPU reaches its maximum, this also affects the frame rate.

The following factors are the most important to consider:

• High image resolution or lower compression levels result in images containing more data which in turn affects the
bandwidth.

• Access by large numbers of Motion JPEG or unicast H.264 clients affects the bandwidth.

• Simultaneous viewing of different streams (resolution, compression) by different clients affects both frame rate and
bandwidth.

Use identical streams wherever possible to maintain a high frame rate. Stream profiles can be used to ensure that
streams are identical.

• Accessing Motion JPEG and H.264 video streams simultaneously affects both frame rate and bandwidth.

• Heavy usage of event settings affects the product’s CPU load which in turn affects the frame rate.

• Using HTTPS may reduce frame rate, in particular if streaming Motion JPEG.

• Heavy network utilization due to poor infrastructure affects the bandwidth.

• Viewing on poorly performing client computers lowers perceived performance and affects frame rate.

• Running multiple AXIS Camera Application Platform (ACAP) applications simultaneously may affect the frame rate and
the general performance.

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AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series

Specifications

Specifications

To find the latest version of the product’s datasheet, go to axis.com > [product] > Support & Documentation.

LED indicators
Status LED Indication
Unlit Connection and normal operation.
Green Shows steady green for 10 seconds for normal operation after startup completed.
Amber Steady during startup. Flashes during firmware upgrade or reset to factory default.
Amber/Red Flashes amber/red if network connection is unavailable or lost.

SD card slot
NOTICE
NO TICE
• Risk of damage to SD card. Do not use sharp tools, metal objects, or excessive force when inserting or removing the
SD card. Use your fingers to insert and remove the card.
• Risk of data loss and corrupted recordings. Do not remove the SD card while the product is running. Unmount the SD card
from the product’s webpage before removal.

This product supports SD/SDHC/SDXC cards (not included).

For SD card recommendations, see axis.com

Buttons
Control button
The control button is used for:

• Resetting the product to factory default settings. See How to reset to factory default settings on page 11 .

• Connecting to an AXIS Video Hosting System service. To connect, press and hold the button for about 3 seconds until the
status LED flashes green.

Restart button
Press the restart button to restart the product.

Connectors
Network connector
RJ45 Ethernet connector with Power over Ethernet (PoE).

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User Manual Ver. M1.9
AXIS P55 PTZ Network Camera Series Date: July 2017
© Axis Communications AB, 2017 Part No. 1754145