Axis Camera In Elevator - Good Or Bad Job?

JH
John Honovich
Apr 17, 2016
IPVM

Take a look:

Another view from a different elevator / same mall:

What do you think? Any recommendations or alternatives?

U
Undisclosed #1
Apr 17, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Looks to me like someone could get on that elevator and get off with little or no shot being recorded.

Besides that it would probably be nice to have the current floor# and the destination floor# burned in the video for forensics. Also, you don't see anything outside the elevator.

Maybe move it the opposite wall from where it is now?

(Could make the lighting situation trickier when the door opens to any sunlit floor, real WDR would be helpful.)

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Avatar
Brian Rhodes
Apr 17, 2016
IPVMU Certified

Looks pretty clean to me. I like it.

IMO, a corner mount camera is not necessary a good thing here, because the cab height is so tall. I can't really see where the imager is pointing, but if telling a blindspot is a concern, maybe using a smoked or mirrored dome would help.

I really don't know what the white disk is the camera is mounted on, but it might cut down reflection or glare off the stainless panel?

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #2
Apr 18, 2016

As U1 stated, Mounting the camera on the front wall like that as opposed to the rear wall is bad practice.

Brian, I agress with what you said, Ceiling/corner mount cams don't always give you the shot that you need.

Though that white filler disk has got to to go!

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #3
Apr 18, 2016

Someone might have 'had a bit slip' that's why that gross filler plate is there otherwise it makes the whole thing look terrible!

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #2
Apr 18, 2016

Taking another look at OP's Image, I see that the door is actually closed and the reflection is showing another door on the opposite side open to a sun lit mezzanine. I'll bet that there's another cam facing the opposite way.

Well placed, it just sucks that the eyesore plate had to be installed behind it...

Avatar
Jon Dillabaugh
Apr 18, 2016
Pro Focus LLC

That is a window in the door....

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #2
Apr 18, 2016

I'm going to have to disagree with you. That looks like a full doorway to me.

Avatar
Jon Dillabaugh
Apr 18, 2016
Pro Focus LLC

Clearly one door with a window. The reflection in the adjacent stainless door shows the photographer's elbow, with a clear image of a solid stainless wall behind him with horizontal seams, just like the wall to the photographer's right, which is in view directly.

Avatar
Joseph Parker
Apr 18, 2016

It's really impossible to determine with the level of detail provided. Perhaps the elevator has 2 doors? A glass back? What was the client trying to see? It looks clean, so there's that...

SR
Samuel Rodgers
Apr 18, 2016

That looks like the j-box adapter plate for the m30 series.

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MI
Matt Ion
Apr 21, 2016

I was thinking something similar - the large plate is likely to cover an existing larger hole... either a JB, or a hole left by a previous camera or fixture.

Avatar
Jon Dillabaugh
Apr 18, 2016
Pro Focus LLC

The install appears clean from the image given. Without knowing any limitations regarding placement, it's hard to be overly critical about the placement. Maybe that is the only option, due to many factors.

But, like others have mentioned, there are far better positions for a single camera in that cab. At least getting a clean facial shot of everyone entering the door would be nice. If it takes WDR to get it, so be it.

Also, wall mounting without a bracket isn't ideal either, at least without a sun shield. We've found that domes have issues with sun/light flares when mounted this way. The cab ceiling can't be that much higher. That would be a better surface IMO, but again, limitations may have prevented it from being mounted there.

My final comment is this; you never know if the installer even CARES what the camera sees. His job may be "put this where the j-box is". He may not even have a say if he even did care.

UI
Undisclosed Integrator #4
Apr 18, 2016

That is either a M3004-V with a 80 degree FoV, or M3005-V with 118. This cab should be well covered with either model. What neither model has is any kind of WDR.

You can see in the image that with the doors open, WDR is a must. The door side of the cab will ensure a solid opportunity to capture facial details. Although you miss the floor numbers, you should get a clean shot of all faces for at least 5-10 seconds. If this cam was positioned on the opposite wall, the few available seconds to capture the subject entering could be compromised by the major back light. You would have floor numbers, but only the backs of heads and some pretty sweet pony tails, mullets, neck tattos, ect, to identify your subject.

If the M300x was your only option, be it budget related or something else, this would be the ideal spot considering most if not all riders will be within a foot or two from the cam to push thier floor button. Now if there was budget for an Axis WDR dome (P3224-LV), or, a 3rd party VMS and possibly a Samsung Hanwha SNV-6013 as an option, this is indeed poor camera selection by the integrator, or by an uneducated Mall Security Dept/End User. As Jon pointed out, everything mentioned above could be useless if the J-Box location was the determining factor.

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JH
John Honovich
Apr 18, 2016
IPVM

Here is another photo / angle:

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Avatar
Jon Dillabaugh
Apr 18, 2016
Pro Focus LLC

Can you confirm that there was only one set of doors with windows, the ones clearly in view?

JH
John Honovich
Apr 19, 2016
IPVM

Yes, just the doors in view.

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #5
Apr 19, 2016

If I am a security director do I really want to have full identification of every person in an elevator? Typically the cameras in most cases are mounted at the rear corner of the elevator, hence gathering people as they walk in. That's been the case with the many elevator cameras i have installed. Now that camera is a "retail" camera, that does not mount to a standard junction box. It has a 6 foot pig tail whip and is not that "Construction Friendly". A M class or a P class would have been better suited for this application to handle the WDR and mount at the back top corner.

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UD
Undisclosed Distributor #6
Apr 25, 2016

Normally I use a lot of Axis, but in elevators i use this: Panasonic WV-SF135.

Ideal for elevators with it's 104º there is nowhere to hide, and with good WDR.

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UI
Undisclosed Integrator #7
Apr 25, 2016

It would be better to install the camera as Undisclosed 6 has shown so that it should monitor the door.

The recordings of elevator cameras that we had to export for our customers were always about construction workers accidentally damaging the elevator mechanics or elevator door by forcing it open or taking too big tools/material to the elevator.

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