MOBOTIX Camera Overview

This page is also accessible from the online help index. To open the help index, click on the symbol.

Available options depend on the camera model. For additional information on the different MOBOTIX camera models, see www.mobotix.com.

Functional Overview

This version of the camera software has the following main features:

Image Processing

Live Images at 1280x960 pixels resolution via network, ISDN, GSM, WLAN with up to 25 fps (at 320x240), also adapted for PDAs.
New VGA2 image format with 640×240 pixels resolution for fast image transfer if only low network bandwidths are available (e.g. GSM, GPRS, ...).
Automatic switching from day lens (color) to the eight times more light-sensitive night lens (B/W, Secure models only).
Digital zoom with three stages (1x, 2x, 4x) and integrated panning (from 2x: clicking in the browser image will move the visible image section in that direction).
Multi View screen for displaying several cameras or events on one camera.
Obscure Image Area (OA) feature for privacy protection at the workplace or other areas (only Secure models).
Object Tracing for analyzing the paths of objects that are moving in the image.
Exposure control using pre-set or freely definable exposure measurement windows and the possibility to exclude certain areas within these windows (e.g. street lamps).

Event Control and Detection

Use the Event Logic dialog to create a logic event only if other events occur in a certain sequence and within the specified time frame. This allows detecting direction of motion when using the video motion detectors VM and VM2 ()Event Settings, for example.

Video motion detector with freely definable detection windows recognizes movements depending on various settings (sensitivity, changed area, maximum changed area). Reference windows, which must not change, for avoiding false alarms.
Event sensors recognize and process the following events: PIR sensor, video motion detector, microphone, Signal Input, three additional signal inputs, periodic event, time tasks, user click, recording start, recording end, history image recording, recording terminate, camera buttons, IR remote control, network message, RS232 message, temperature, illumination, random event.
Event filtering using the Event Counter, which will only process an alarm, if e.g. more than five events are detected within 10 seconds.
Time Tables with handling of custom days for holidays and vacations. The time tables are used to control the camera's arming, messaging, logo, obscure image and other features.

Messaging and Actions

Full-fledged VoIP integration using the SIP protocol for all features that were only available with ISDN: Manage Voice Messages, Phone Profiles, Phone Call-In and Camera Phone as well as Messaging and Messaging 2 for phone calls by the camera upon recognizing the specified events.
Event Notification by e-mail, SMS (using a provider), phone calls (voice), sounds and by visual means using two separate messaging paths (Messaging and Messaging 2).
Actions, Messaging and Messaging 2 now have their own activation switches and can be controlled using different Time Table profiles.
Enhanced network (IP) messages with transmission of text, image data (MxPEG clip of JPEG files), image information or system messages, as raw TCP/IP data or with HTTP header.
When sending an alarm using Phone Profiles, the camera can call several numbers using VoIP or ISDN until the alarm has been acknowledged.

Recording Features

Player for playing back the recorded images/event stories (up to 50 pre- and post-alarm images for Secure models) of the integrated video management system.
Event-controlled Recording in the camera (up to 64 MB for Secure models) or on file servers up to the Terabyte range. Efficient storage of image data as MxPEG clips with audio or JPEG files.
Continuous Recording with reduced frame (down to one image every five seconds), automatically increasing frame rate on events and permanent sound recording.
Recording history images allows creating time-lapse images at chosen intervals.
File server tests can monitor a file server and use one or more of the defined messaging options for error notification.
When using Event Storage on an external file server, the camera can periodically copy the logfile for event storage, the web server logfile and the system messages to the file server.

Image and Sound Transmission

Transfer profiles for improved handling of FTP, E-Mail and IP Notify transfers.
MxPEG video compression using the free MxViewer for Windows. The ActiveX plug-in for Internet Explorer users brings all advantages of MxPEG (including the camera's audio stream) to the browser-based user interface.
Lip-synchronous transmission of the camera microphone's sound using MxViewer or the integrated ActiveX plug-in for Internet Explorer on Windows computers.

Enhanced Audio Features

Speaker Phone with speak, listen and intercom modes using the microphone and loudspeaker, now also possible using VoIP and SIP telephony.
Phone Call-In to remotely control the camera using a touchtone telephone (retrieve camera information, establish Internet connection, announcement of retrieved IP address, intercom feature, etc.), now also possible using VoIP and SIP telephony..

Security

User management with predefined groups admins, users and guests; other groups can be created in the Group Access Control Lists dialog.

Access to screens and functions can be permitted to groups of users in the Group Access Control Lists dialog.

The Web Server Logfile logs all accesses to the camera and thus allows detecting unauthorized access attempts.

Enhanced Network Features

Test Current Network Configuration for testing the interfaces, all defined messaging, network and selection profiles.
Routing allows using other connections besides the default connection. This feature provides ways and means to use different gateways and ISDN data connections for different tasks.
DynDNS client for accessing the camera using a symbolic name (e.g. mymobotixcam.dyndns.org) although the provider is assigning a new IP address every time the camera connects to the Internet.
Enhanced startup options for the camera (obtain IP address via DHCP, announcement of IP address and other network data, reset to factory default settings) using the blue R and L keys on the camera's front.

Web Features

Logo generator for displaying logos in the camera's image with the following dialogs: Manage Image Files, Image Profiles and Logo Profiles for controlling logo display.
Logos can have transparent areas and can be displayed partially transparent (watermark effect), banner rotation and animations are also possible.

Other Features

Freely selectable background image for the browser-based user interface by selecting any image file stored in the camera.
Connection of supported weather stations to the serial interface will allow the camera to display the weather data in the image using weather variables. Also, the camera can record and upload the weather data to an FTP server.
Inerasable backup operating system that automatically jumps in when rebooting the camera after Updating the System Software has failed, allowing you to restart the update process.

Screens of the Camera

Guest screen: Live images without the possibility of influencing camera features.
Live screen: Live images with access to certain control features and pre-defined softbuttons.
PDA screen: Live images on a screen that has been adapted for PDAs, smart phones and similar devices.
Player screen: Video management system with access to stored images and event stories recorded by this and by other cameras.
Multi View screen Multiple display of live/event images from this and from other cameras with softbuttons for accessing pre-defined and custom settings.

Additional Information

The Online Help system (also available by clicking on the button on the individual dialogs).
Camera Status Pages (also available by clicking on the button of the individual pages)
The MOBOTIX Camera News provide an overview of new and modified camera features.
Online Reference Manual as PDF file on www.mobotix.com
Software downloads, documentation and support information on www.mobotix.com