This Indoor HD PTZ dome is from the Tyco Illustra Flex range and has a 30 times optical and 12 times digital zoom range with IR illumination up to 25 metres. An external variant has IR support to 150 metres.
As the unit does not require an outer bowl the image is distortion free at all tilt angles. Audio in and out channels are available along with two alarm inputs and two alarm outputs.
Getting started
Power can be supplied as 24v AC or by a suitable PoE+ source. For testing a PoE+ adaptor was used to link the camera to the test network.
Out of the box the camera is set for DHCP by default or if not available a static IP address of 192.168.1.168. An “Illustra Connect” software tool is available for downloading that allows the address to be changed, multiple cameras to be identified, firmware updating, and bulk configuration changes. However, the Connect software can only discover and communicate with cameras on the same subnet as its host PC.
The camera can be accessed by a variety of modern browsers; Edge, IE11, Firefox, Chrome and Safari all gave similar results with live images being sourced from stream 3, the MJPEG stream.
At first connection or after a factory reset, you are first prompted to enter a 6 digit host ID “for technical support” and then to enter a new password, but this is not mandatory. The new password can be either a standard or enhanced security mode level. While the standard level will accept simple password entry, the enhanced level requires a more secure complex password and limits access to certain communication protocols until specifically enabled by the administrator.
Camera time & date is initially in manual mode and does not retain data for long if power removed. An NTP time reference option is available but this did appear to return to manual operation following power-cycling.
Hardware
The camera is built into a very robust IP66 enclosure with an IK10 impact rating. A 12-way connector is used for connecting Audio in and output, two Alarm Inputs and two Alarm outputs. Each function has an individual ground connection.
A bayonet style collar with a 1.5” NPT thread fixes to a separately supplied mounting bracket. A 50cm safety cable is pre-attached to the camera body with a loop for fixing to a suitable building or mount securing point.
The Micro SD card for on-board event storage is accessed by a cover on the rotating section of the dome. A test Micro SD card mounted immediately on insertion with no need to power-down the camera though a re-boot is recommended. Recordings are stored as “mp4” files with a corresponding JPEG snapshot. Pre and post event periods can be set in the Edge Recording menu.
Read the full review in the March 2019 edition of PSI magazine
