For professional organizations that want to incorporate some kind of video surveillance into their operations, the Axis 2400 Video Server is a fairly user-friendly networking device. Connecting directly to an Ethernet network or modem, the Axis 2400 can work with up to four separate video streams, so you can keep your eyes on several things at once. And it converts the standard analog video feeds to high quality digital images suitable for network delivery.

The 2400 is one of two devices in this category from Axis, the other is the Axis 2401; it accepts one video input stream instead of four, but otherwise, they are both "Plug and Watch" devices, allowing you to send 30/25 frames/second over any TCP/IP network. Besides TCP/IP, the 2400 supports HTTP, FTP, SMTP, NTP, ARP, DHCP, BOOTP, PPP, and modem protocols.

Users are able to configure and check the status of the Axis 2400 remotely using Web-based tools. The compression of the motion-JPEG or single snapshot-JPEG images can be controlled through this interface, as well. If timing is critical, you can add a time stamp and text overlay to the images for accurate recording. Should you only request event triggered video captures, the 2400 also has the ability to capture event-triggered actions and store them remotely via FTP or email. With the 2400, you can even remotely control pan/tilt/zoom functions on cameras with supported units and protocols.

The 2400 operates on an ETRAX 100, 32 bit RISC, 100 MIPS CPU. Memory consists of 16 MB RAM, and 2 MB flash PROM. The box measures 1.7 x 5.7 x 8.7 inches, and weighs 1.7 lbs.

Pricing and Availability

The Axis 2400 Video Server is currently available for around $1360, and the Axis 2401 is available for around $800.

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