Axis Launches Z-Wave IP Camera

By Ethan Ace, Published Jan 31, 2018, 09:33am EST (Info+)

Z-Wave is big in home automation but not in video surveillance.

Now, Axis is announcing their first camera with Z-Wave built in, the M5065, a "palm-sized" PTZ which may be integrated with four wireless devices to trigger events and control connected devices.

But is Z-Wave a good idea for IP cameras? Is Axis early or just making a mistake?

In this note, we look at the features of this new model, its potential applications, competitive options, and future outlook.

[[Note: We have tested this camera and its Z-Wave accessories. See our full test report.]]

M5065 ********

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Z-Wave ***********

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Z-Wave **

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Potential ************

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Axis ******* ***** ***********

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Few *********** ****** *******

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Outlook/Future *********

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****** ****** *** ** ********, **** notes, ********* ** ******** ******** *** uptake ** *** *****.

Vote / ****

 

 

Comments (22)

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John Bazyk

Command Corporation
IPVMU Certified | 01/31/18 02:41pm

This is amazing. Why didn't I think of this? Bringing something as simple as z-wave to video surveillance will be huge. #1 reason? You can increase the range of your z-wave network for commercial use. 

We use z-wave a lot in homes, not so much in commercial buildings. The biggest reason has always been z-waves limited range. Z-wave plus changed this a little and made things a little better. However, being able to have z-wave built into a camera is a very cool idea. Hopefully, VMS providers will jump on this and start integration z-wave options in with their VMS. 

Integrating inputs/outputs with cameras has always been a little annoying especially in smaller applications where the customer doesn't want to pay too much. Z-wave will make all of that easier and less expensive. 

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James Black

IPVMU Certified | 01/31/18 02:52pm

Isn't Z-Wave 900 Mhz according to IPVM article dated April 10, 2012? Bandwidth might be a problem for IP cameras.

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John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to James Black | 01/31/18 02:55pm

James, Z-Wave is for control / data transmission, not video streaming.

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Brian Rhodes

IPVMU Certified | In reply to James Black | 01/31/18 02:59pm

That particular article needs a significant update.  Six years ago, Z-Wave was a different spec than the 'S2' version Ethan mentions here.

With that said, Z-Wave still uses ~900 MHz (908.42 MHz, not 900 kHz), but it isn't widely used for streaming video, including this camera.  The data involves the sensors, not the camera, so bandwidth isn't a practical issue.

 

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Frank Farmilette

A2 Systems | In reply to Brian Rhodes | 02/05/18 01:10pm

Isn't 900MHz in the cellular band range? I'm assuming they have dedicated receivers, so that should provide enough bandwidth for a couple of devices per access point.

Brian, I think you are correct - a sensor designed for that kind of bandwidth would make the camera viable for environments that use (or want to use) the standard.

Didn't see it was for control only, please delete this comment :) 

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Michael Miller

01/31/18 02:54pm

I think this is a great idea.  I always wants to have a IP camera with a built-in Inovonics wireless receiver could use wireless sensors.  Like John said Z-wave range is always an issue which this should help address if it catches on.

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John Tran

01/31/18 03:00pm

I think this a great idea.  It will give added value for dealers to up-sell accessories.  This is not just a DIY play, but providing more security eco-system that can potentially turn in to automation for small business.  We have to wait and see their UI interface and if they are on par with some of the professional monitoring services.

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Ethan Ace

IPVM | In reply to John Tran | 01/31/18 04:04pm

The Z-Wave accessories are essentially extensions of Axis I/O and are going to appear as I/O do now on the camera. This means that there should be control buttons on the Live view of the camera, like what is shown for outputs now:

But there is no quick visual indication of input status unless you set up events to trigger overlays, so you wouldn't be able to see the current state of motions, door/window sensors, or buttons.

Keep in mind only six devices may be added to the camera. It's not intended for a full blown control system

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John Bazyk

Command Corporation
IPVMU Certified | 01/31/18 03:00pm

What would be really cool is if we could put soft triggers in NX for the z-wave. Touch the soft trigger right in the camera window to turn the light on/off, unlock the door, set off a siren...etc. DMP has something similar for their intrusion app.

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Sergey Bystrov

NetworkOptix
In reply to John Bazyk | 02/03/18 02:31am

noted 

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John Bazyk

Command Corporation
IPVMU Certified | In reply to Sergey Bystrov | 02/03/18 02:53am

You’re the man Sergey. You’re the reason I sell as much of your product as I do. We put in 5 systems just this month and have a few more lined up for next month. EVERYONE we install for loves what you guys do. 

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Sergey Bystrov

NetworkOptix
In reply to John Bazyk | 02/03/18 03:01am

John, thanks. We love you too. 
But no commitments:-) 

And Patrick Kelly form DW pointed me to your comment...

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Undisclosed End User #1

01/31/18 03:51pm

This would have been nice to have when I was working for an air and space museum. 1 camera to cover 2-3 "do not touch" exhibits using wireless motion detectors.  

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Sean Nelson

Nelly's Security
01/31/18 04:04pm

This is great and glad to see the video surveillance industry finally incorporating this into their products. We need to see alot more of this. 

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Midwest Surveillance

01/31/18 04:25pm

More INNOVATION from Axis. We saw this with Zipstream when H.265 was struggling for mainstream adoption, and with Lightfinder that pushed the envelope further along in low light. I appreciate the efforts of other manufacturers going after AI and Big Brother tech, but its refreshing to see practical improvements that excite systems designers like myself. 

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Bob McCarvill

01/31/18 04:28pm

This seems like a cheap version of the Radar that Axis recently released. The Radar is cool because it records the path of travel. We have been moving away from PTZs when possible and using fewer, higher resolution cameras.

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Brian Tally

02/01/18 02:05am

Are there any details as to the IOs being integrated into VMSs like Genetec? Does the VMS see the inputs as normal camera inputs?

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Rick Gallant

02/02/18 01:20pm

Isn't Axis great for being on the cutting edge? With that being said, it would be cool to see this integrate with their Companion NVR (especially for retail entrances/spaces).  I've seen a lot of requests from end users where they would like a door contact/sensor or another device to make the camera respond (record, zoom, pan, etc). I guess only time will tell and I'm sure they are going to incorporate this function somehow.

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Midwest Surveillance

In reply to Rick Gallant | 02/02/18 02:24pm

I wouldn't doubt that this will be compatible with Companion out of the gate. The Cameras ability to respond to a Digital I/O should be configured in the camera itself, and wont need a VMS to facilitate these tasks. The entire, current line of Axis cameras are compatible on Companion. The restriction comes with only Companion branded Cameras will work on the Companion software, and not other VMS platforms, even Camera Station. There's no issue with Non-Companion Axis cams working on Companion. 

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John Honovich

IPVM | In reply to Midwest Surveillance | 02/05/18 01:11pm

Mark, thanks for your feedback. We shared it with Axis and they confirmed that this is correct:

AXIS Companion does offer PTZ support, both for the PC client and, recently, in the mobile clients for iOS and Android. When it comes to the new M5065, its Z-wave capabilities can be easily integrated into an AXIS Companion system. By configuring the event configuration in the camera directly any sensor can be configured to, for example, start recording on the camera. Any such recording will show up in the AXIS Companion recording timeline using a special color coding to highlight it from normal VMD recordings. It is also possible to trigger any action in the camera directly from the AXIS Companion PC client. Once properly configured in the camera these actions will show up in the context menu if you right-click on a camera in live view. This way you can control for example the T8344 Power On/Off plug.

We plan to provide a more detailed integration guide showing the flexibility of AXIS Companion and Z-wave, a powerful combination for many small business installations.

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Rick Gallant

02/02/18 05:37pm

Thank you, Mark and John for the explanations. This is very helpful and good to keep in mind for future applications where a client may require something like this to work for them.  Sounds like something to test out in the future!

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Ethan Ace

IPVM | 03/20/18 08:57pm

Update: Our test report on the M5065 has been released.

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