Technology

The Technology Behind the MOBOTIX Cameras

Safe Investment

The MOBOTIX IP-camera is the first and only weatherproof network camera to date with an integrated recorder function, video management system, video sensors and audio. The free scalability of the number of cameras, storage capacity and data connections (IDSN, DSL, Ethernet, WLAN, GSM, copper, fiber optics) ensures system flexibility, low cost of system expansion and safe investment protection.

Performance Through Versatility

The MOBOTIX IP cameras feature internal as well as external recording. Any standard file server (Linux, Windows) can be used for external storage. The camera manages the entire database without requiring any additional software. All the recording, FTP and e-mail functions can be either time or event-controlled.

Exposure Zones instead of Backlight

Most cameras more or less shut down when they are confronted with backlight. Unfortunately, the areas of interest usually remain dark. A backlight function is often used to try to remedy the situation - but even then, the results are disappointing. MOBOTIX has taken a whole new approach to solving this problem by using freelydefinable exposure zones. This is possible due to the cameras' not requiring an auto iris lens. And what's more, freely-definable exposure zones make more sense because the camera's automatic features then always know exactly which areas of the picture you want to have exposed perfectly.

Individually Professional

The exposure zones in the MOBOTIX camera can be configured freely in terms of number and position in the picture - this can also be done remotely via the network. The example shows the differences between a shot without using exposure areas (on the right) and one using the exposure zones on the outside of the doorway.

When It Is Really Important...

The original photograph of the scene at the bank makes it clear how important this function is. Conventional cameras would darken the faces in the foreground - and in the event of a holdup, it would be very difficult to identify the perpetrator. In contrast, the MOBOTIX camera was configured with an exposure zone in the lower half of the image to prevent the light coming through the window from affecting the exposure time so that the relevant parts of the picture are illuminated correctly.

Unique Storage Concept

The MOBOTIX storage concept is so simple, yet so unique, that it never ceases to amaze. The fact that the camera stores images or videos internally in a 64-MB ring buffer is still quite understandable to most, but that it stores the ring buffer on a PC hard disk via the network and manages it on its own is almost unbelievable. After all, it is the MOBOTIX camera that organizes all the data itself and not the PC. It is not necessary to have an FTP or any other software on the PC; a standard Windows or Linux operating system is all you need. In combination with large server systems and RAID disks, the storage capacity and reliability have virtually no limits - and it all operates using inexpensive standard and readily available IT components.

Low Network Load

The MOBOTIX storage concept reinforces the advantage of low network load against the centralized PC solutions with video management software. After all, why continuously send camera images to the centralized PC for processing when the data processing can take place in the camera and the camera manages storage itself. In addition, due to the temporary storing of images in the camera, short network failures or shutdowns (e.g. changing of a switch) can be bridged.

Add to the System Any Time

Each MOBOTIX camera simply gets configured with the IP address of the recording PC via menu entry along with the maximum directory size allocated for recording. This process has no limits with respect to the number of recording PCs and cameras connected. In an airport, for example, there might be 400 MOBOTIX cameras distributed over 10 recording servers and this system can be expanded at any time, even after installation.

In addition to recording, the MOBOTIX camera is equipped with a complete management system via the web browser:
- Search by events
- Playback events
- Signal alarms
- Display alarm list
- Management of multiple cameras
- Quad and multiview display

Whether by e-mail, SMS or telephone call - the MOBOTIX cameras can signal events to anywhere in the world. With the integrated sound channel, it is also possible to set up an audio connection in both directions - and the audio is lip-synchronized with the video images, regardless of whether the camera transmits 1 or 25 frames/s. This means that the sound recorded by the camera can also be delivered to the web browser via DSL and the Internet.

Whether in broad daylight or at night, security cameras have to be capable of working around the clock and of delivering high-resolution images, which is exactly what the M10-DN has been designed to do. The daynight network camera is equipped with two image sensors and two lenses, and automatically selects the ideal mode based on the prevailing lighting conditions: either the color sensor with the daylight lens or the black-and-white sensor with the infrared lens. Thanks to this dual sensor system, the camera produces good true colors during the day, but is also extremely sensitive in dark environments.

In Moonlight or with Infrared Lighting

Thus, the MOBOTIX sensors allow exposure times of up to four seconds so that true-color images are possible even in moonlight. While such high exposure time tends to blur moving objects, it is unparalleled when it comes to recognizing static objects, such as parked cars and graffiti. When it really gets dark, the ten times more sensitive black-and-white sensors in combination with IR lighting, make it possible to produce incredibly sharp images even in the dead of night.