AXIS Camera Station troubleshooting guide

Live view

Live view and playback performance

This section describes possible solutions if you experience either frame loss or graphical issues within your AXIS Camera Station .

Client hardware

Verify that the graphic card’s or network adapter’s driver is up to date

 Open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool (search for dxdiag on the computer)
 Check on the manufacturer’s website if the driver is the latest for this OS.
 Check that the client and server are running on the same machine.
 Try to run the client on a dedicated computer.

Verify the number of monitors

With an internal graphic card, no more than two monitors per graphic card is recommended.

 Open the DirectX Diagnostic Tool (search for dxdiag on the computer)
 Check if the dedicated graphic card is , see axis.com/products/axis-camera-station/hardware-guidelines.
 It is not supported for the client to use a virtual machine.

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Connected

Many clients connected at the same time

 Ask the customer for their typical use case.
 Make sure the system meets the user’s requirements and are according to the hardware guidelines. See axis.com/products/axis-camera-station/hardware-guidelines.

The camera is connected to another VMS than AXIS Camera Station

Disconnect the camera from the other client and restart it (sometimes defaulting off the camera is necessary).

Many different streams being used from the same camera, especially high resolution

 Could be a problem especially for some M-Line cameras.
 Stream with same streaming profile or lower resolution. See Streaming profiles in the AXIS Camera Station user manual.

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Server overload

Abnormal CPU/RAM usage corresponding to the same time as the issue

Make sure no other CPU/RAM consuming application is running at the same time.

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Network issue

Abnormal bandwidth usage corresponding to the same time as the issue

Make sure no other bandwidth consuming application is running at the same time.

Enough bandwidth / Remote or local network

 Check network topology.
 Health check on any network device (switch/router/network adapter/cable) in use between cameras, server and client.

No video in live view

Live view does not display video from a known, good camera.

 Try to turn off hardware decoding. Hardware decoding is enabled by default, go to Hardware decoding in Streaming in the AXIS Camera Station user manual.

Other possible solutions:

 Is it possible to see a live view stream through web interface of the camera? Is the camera’s homepage working fine?
 
 If not, troubleshoot the camera, go to axis.com/support/troubleshooting.
 Create a camera server report, go to axis.com/support/troubleshooting.
 Check if any antivirus is installed, it might be blocking live streams.
 Allow AXIS Camera Station folders and processes, see FAQ.
 Make sure the firewall is not blocking connections on certain ports, see FAQ.
 Make sure the desktop experience is installed for supported OS versions. See Scheduled export in the AXIS Camera Station user manual.
 Check if the lower resolution stream works.

If none of the above helps

 Escalate the issue to AXIS support, go to Escalation process.

Storage

Network storage is not accessible

If the local system account is used to log in to AXIS Camera Station Service, you can’t add network storage linking to shared folders on other computers.

To change the service logon account:

1.Open Windows Control Panel.
2.From the System & Security category, select Administrative Tools > Services.
3.Right-click AXIS Camera Station and select Properties.
4.Click the Log on tab.
5.Change from Local System account to This account.
6.Select a user with access to Windows Active Directory.

Network storage is unavailable

The computer that the AXIS Camera Station server is installed on should be part of the same domain as the network storage.

Can’t reconnect to a network storage with new username and

If your network storage requires authentication, it is important to disconnect the network storage from all ongoing connections before you change your username and password.

To change the username and password for a network storage and reconnect:

1.Disconnect your network storage from all ongoing connections.
2.When your network storage is disconnected, change the username and password.
3.Go to Configuration > Storage > Management and reconnect your network storage with your new username and password.

Motion detection

Common issues

Fail to install the AXIS Video Motion Detection application

AXIS Video Motion Detection 2 or 4 can’t be installed. The built-in motion detection will be used for motion .

To install the application manually, go to Install camera application in the AXIS Camera Station user manual.

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Fail to retrieve current Motion Detection

AXIS Camera Station can’t retrieve motion detection parameters from the camera. The built-in motion detection will be used for motion recording.

To install the application manually, go to Install camera application in the AXIS Camera Station user manual.

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Motion detection not configured

Motion detection can’t be configured in the listed cameras.

 To configure motion detection manually, go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.
 Select the camera and click Motion  to configure motion detection.

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Motion detection is not enabled

Motion recording is not enabled for the listed cameras.

 To enable, go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.
 Select the camera and turn on Motion detection to enable motion detection recording.

The motion detection detects too many or too few moving objects

This section describes possible solutions if you expected more or fewer detections in your Video Motion Detection related recordings.

Adjust motion settings

The area where moving objects are detected can be adjusted by selecting motion settings.

1.Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.
2.Select the camera and click Motion Settings.
3.Choose settings according to the camera firmware.
4.
 AXIS Video Motion Detection 2 and 4: The area of interest can be adjusted. See Edit AXIS Video Motion Detection 2 and 4 in the AXIS Camera Station user manual.
 Built-in motion detection: Included and excluded windows can be configured. See Edit built-in motion detection in the AXIS Camera Station user manual.

Adjust trigger period

The trigger period is an interval time between two successive triggers, this setting is used to reduce the number of successive recordings. The recording will continue if an additional trigger occurs within this interval. If an additional trigger occurs, the trigger period starts over from that point in time.

To change the trigger period:

1.Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.
2.Select the camera and use the slider to adjust Trigger period.

Audio

No audio in live view

If there is no audio in live view, check the following:

 Check that the camera has audio capabilities.
 Check that the computer has an audio card and that the card is enabled.
 Check that the profile in use is configured for audio (see below).
 Make sure the user has access rights to audio (see below).

Configure profiles for audio

1.Go to Configuration > Devices > Stream profiles.
2.Select the camera.
3.Select MPEG-4 or H.264 under Format in the video profile settings.
4.Select a microphone under Microphone in the audio settings.
5.Select when to enable audio under Use microphone for in the audio settings. Audio can be applied for Live view and recordingLive view only, or Recording only.
6.If applicable, select a speaker under Speaker in the audio settings.
7.Click OK.

Check and change user access rights

Note

To follow these steps you must have administrator rights to AXIS Camera Station.

1.Go to Configuration > Security > User permissions.
2.Select the User or Group and click Edit.
3.Click Advanced.
4.Select Audio.
5.Click OK.

No audio in sequences

Audio can be disabled in streaming profiles. For more , see Stream profiles in the AXIS Camera Station user manual.

1.Go to Configuration > Devices > Stream profiles.
2.Select the camera.
3.Make sure that audio is enabled in the profile used for the first view in the sequence. This profile is used for all views in the sequence.

No audio in playback

Audio is available in playback if audio was enabled in the profile used for the recording.

Note

Audio can’t be used with M-JPEG video. Select another video format.

To enable audio in recordings:

1.Ensure the video profile you want to use has been set with MPEG-4 or H.264 format.
2.
1.Go to Configuration > Devices > Stream profiles.
2.Select the camera.
3.For the video profile that you want to use, select MPEG-4 or H.264 from the Format drop-down list.
4.Click Apply.
3.Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Recording method.
4.Select the camera.
5.Select the profile with MPEG-4 or H.264 from the Profile drop-down list.
6.Click Apply.

Rule-triggered recordings

To enable audio in an existing rule:

1.Go to Configuration > Recording and events > Action rules.
2.Select the rule and click Edit.
3.In step Actions, select the action and click Edit.
4.Select a profile where audio is enabled.
5.Click Finish to save.

Login

Unable to log in or connect to server

This section describes login and connection problems that occur when connecting to a single server. When logging in to multiple servers the client will start and the connection status will be shown in the status bar. For more information about the connection status, see Connection status in the AXIS Camera Station user manual.

The username or password is incorrect

The username and password combination is not valid to log in to the specified server.

 Check the spelling or use a different account.
 Check that the user has access rights to the AXIS Camera Station server.
 Check that the clocks in the AXIS Camera Station server and client are synchronized. For domain users, also check that the domain server clock is synchronized with the server and client.
 A user who has not been added to the server, but is a member of the local administrators group on the server, must run the client as administrator.
 For information about user access rights, see Configure user permissions in the AXIS Camera Station user manual.

User is not authorized to log in to the server

The username is not authorized to use AXIS Camera Station on the specified server.

Add the user in the user permission dialog.

Unable to verify message security

An error occurred when setting up the secure connection to the server, most likely caused by the client or server time being out of sync.

Make sure server and client UTC times are reasonably synchronized. Adjust the client and server time to be within 3 hours from each other.

No contact with the server

The client is unable to establish any kind of connection to the server.

 Make sure that the server computer is connected to the network.
 Make sure the server computer is running.
 Make sure the firewall is properly configured.
 Check the spelling of the server address.
 Check the client proxy settings.

No response from the server

The client is able to contact the server computer but no AXIS Camera Station server is running.

Make sure that you are connecting to the right computer and that the AXIS Camera Station server is running.

Client can’t connect to the server

The client is not able to connect to the server and an error message is displayed.

Make sure that your network is properly configured:

 Verify that the OS is supported.
 
 Check the AXIS Camera Station release note for a full list of supported OS.
 Verify that AXIS Camera Station server is running.
 
 Start the server from Service Control.
 Verify that the client and the server are connected to the same network.
 
 If not, the client should use the server’s external IP address.
 Check if there is a proxy server between the server and the client.
 
 Configure the server proxy in Service Control.
 Check if there is a proxy server between the server and the client.

Configure the client proxy settings.

 
 At the log in page, in the left lower corner, select Change proxy settings.
 Or configure it in the Windows Internet Options and select to use the default option in Change Proxy settings.

Unable to connect to the server

An unknown error was encountered when connecting to the server.

 Check that the address and port of the AXIS Camera Station server are correct.
 Check that there is no NAT, firewall or antivirus software blocking the connection to the server.
 Use AXIS Camera Station Service Control to check that the server is running.
 
 Open the Service Control by double-clicking the icon in Windows notification area. See AXIS Camera Station Service Control in the AXIS Camera Station user manual.
 The server status is displayed in the General tab. If status is “Stopped”, click Start to start the server.

Unable to find the server

The client is not able to resolve the address entered to an IP address.

 Check that the server computer is connected to the network.
 Check that the address and port of the AXIS Camera Station server are correct.
 Check that there is no NAT, firewall, or antivirus software blocking the connection to the server.

The server and client version differs

The client is running a newer version of AXIS Camera Station than the server.

Upgrade the server to run the same version as the client.

The server and client version differs

The server is running a newer version of AXIS Camera Station than the client.

Upgrade the client to run the same version as the server.

Unable to connect to server. Server is too busy.

The server is not able to respond because of performance issues.

Make sure that the server computer and the network is not overloaded.

The local AXIS Camera Station server is not started

You tried to connect using This computer but the installed AXIS Camera Station server is not running.

Start AXIS Camera Station using the Service Control in the system tray or select a remote server to log in to.

AXIS Camera Station server is not installed on this computer

You tried to connect using This computer but there is no server installed on this computer.

Install the AXIS Camera Station server or choose a different server.

The selected server list is empty

The server list selected for login was empty.

Add servers to the server list by clicking the Edit link next to the server list selection.

Licenses

License registration issues

If automatic registration fails, try the following:

 Check that the license key has been entered correctly.
 Change the client proxy settings to allow AXIS Camera Station to access the internet.
 Select the option The server is not connected to the internet.
 Make a note of the Server ID and activate AXIS Camera Station from axis.com/licenses/systems.
 Make sure that the server’s time is up to date.

For more information, see axis.com/products/axis-camera-station/license.

Users

Can’t find domain users

If the domain user search fails, change the Service logon account:

1.Open Windows Control Panel.
2.From the System & Security category, select Administrative Tools and then Services.
3.Right-click AXIS Camera Station and select Properties.
4.Click the Log on tab.
5.Change from Local System account to This account.
6.Select a user with access to Windows Active Directory.

Certificate errors

AXIS Camera Station can’t communicate with the device until the certificate error is solved.

The certificate errors can be:

Certificate Not Found –

if the device certificate has been removed. If you know why the certificate was removed, click Repair to repair the certificate. If you suspect unauthorized access, investigate the issue before clicking the button. Click Advanced to display certificate details. The certificate could have been removed because:

 The device was reset to factory default.
 Secure HTTPS communication has been disabled.
 An unauthorized person has accessed and modified the device.

Untrusted Certificate –

if the device certificate has been modified outside of AXIS Camera Station. This can indicate that an unauthorized person has accessed and modified the device. If you know why the certificate was modified, click Trust This Device. If not, investigate the issue before clicking the button. Click Advanced to display certificate details.

Missing passphrase for certificate authority

If you have a certificate authority in AXIS Camera Station and no passphrase is stored with it, you will get an alarm:

You need to provide a passphrase for the Certificate Authority certificate. Read the AXIS Camera Station User Manual for more information.

You can resolve this issue in three different ways:

 Enable HTTPS on a device
 Import an existing certificate authority
 Let AXIS Camera Station generate a new certificate authority

To enable HTTPS on a device:

1.Open a Configuration tab.
2.Go to Devices > Management.
3.In the list, right-click and device and go to Security > HTTPS > Enable/Update.
4.Click Yes to confirm.
5.Enter the certificate authority passphrase. And click OK.

To import an existing certificate authority:

1.Open a Configuration tab.
2.Go to Security > Certificates.
3.Click Import….
4.Click OK to confirm that you want to replace your existing certificate authority.
5.Note

AXIS Camera Station loses its connection to the devices, and some system components restart.

6.Locate and open your existing certificate authority.
7.Enter the certificate authority passphrase. And click OK.

To let AXIS Camera Station generate a new certificate authority:

1.Open a Configuration tab.
2.Go to Security > Certificates.
3.Click Generate….
4.Click OK to confirm that you want to replace your existing certificate authority.
5.Note

AXIS Camera Station loses its connection to the devices, and some system components restart.

6.Create a new certificate authority passphrase. And click OK.

Time synchronization

Windows time service isn’t running

The Windows Time service is not synchronized with the NTP server. This can be because it can’t reach the NTP server. Make sure that:

 The NTP server is online.
 The firewall settings are correct.
 The device is on a network that can reach the NTP server.

For assistance, contact your system administrator.

Detected a time difference of {time} on {device}

The device is out of synchronization with the server time.

1.Go to Configuration > Devices > Time synchronization and check the server time offset of the device.
2.If the server time offset is more than 2 seconds:
3.
1.Make sure that Enable time synchronization is selected.
2.Make sure that the device can reach the specified NTP server.
3.Reload the device under Configuration > Devices > Management.
4.If the server time offset is smaller than 2 seconds, the device might not send sufficient data for time synchronization.
5.
1.Clear Send alarm when the time difference between server and device is larger than 2 seconds to disable alarms.
2.The device is not properly synchronized with the server. The recording is time stamped with the time when the server received it instead of the time of when the device recorded it.

For assistance, contact Axis support.

Technical support

Technical support is available for customers with a licensed version of AXIS Camera Station. To contact technical support, go to https://help.axis.com/image/t10130155.png > Help > Online Support or axis.com/support

We recommend that you attach the system report and screenshots to the support case.

Go to https://help.axis.com/image/t10130155.png > Help > System report to create a system report.

Escalation process

When you have issues that can’t be solved using this guide, escalate the issue to Axis online helpdesk. In order for our support team to understand your issue and be able to solve it, you must include the following information:

 A clear description on how to reproduce the issue or under what circumstances does the issue happen.
 The time and the concerned camera’s name or IP address where the issue happens.
 An AXIS Camera Station system report generated directly after the issue happens. The system report must be generated from the client or server where the issue has been reproduced.
 Optional screenshots or recordings from showing the. Enable the debug overlay function when taking the screenshots or making the recording. See below for more information.
 Only include the database files if needed, excluding these makes uploading the case go faster.

Sometimes additional information is required and will be requested by the support team.
Supply the following information if requested:

Note

If the file is larger than 100 MB, for example, network trace or database file, send the file using a secure file sharing service that you trust.

Debug level logs –

Sometimes we must turn on debug level logging to collect more information. This is only done by request from an Axis support engineer. You can find Instructions on Axis online helpdesk.

Live view debug overlay –

Sometimes it is beneficial to provide screenshots of the overlay information or a video showing the change of values in the time that is of interest. To add overlay information do as follows:

 Press CTRL + I one time to display overlay information in the live view.
 Press CTRL + I two times to add debug information.
 Press CTRL + I three times to hide the overlay.

Network trace –

If requested by the support engineer, the following information should be generated at the same time as when the AXIS Camera Station system report is taken.

 Network traces taken over the time the issue happens if it’s reproducible. This includes:
 
 A 60 sec Network trace taken on the camera (only applicable to camera firmware 5.20 and above)

Use the following VAPIX command: Change the login, IP address and duration (in seconds) if needed:

http://root:pass@192.168.0.90/axis-cgi/debug/debug.tgz?cmd=pcapdump&duration=60

 A 10-30 sec Network trace taken on the server showing communication between the server and the camera.

Database files –

In cases where we need to examine or manually repair the database. Select Include database in the report before the system report is generated.

Screenshots –

Use screenshots when it’s a live view issue, related to UI. For example when you want to show a timeline for recordings or when it is difficult to describe.

Screen recordings –

Use screen recordings when it’s difficult to describe the problem in words, for example when lots of UI interactions are involved to reproduce the issue.

 

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