AXIS Camera Station Edge

Overall, the app works fairly well. However, as an integrator and systems engineer, there are definitely some things missing that I would consider to be very basic features and should be rather easy to implement. There should be a way to toggle analytic events to be recorded/tagged, but without having to send a mobile notification. Especially in a multi-analytic scenario application. Sure, you may want to be able to search and reference events from scenario 1 on a camera, but not necessarily have a mobile notification sent every single time. However, you may want to be notified about scenario 2. As it is now’s it’s all of none per camera. The capability should be there to toggle alerts on/off as desired without effecting ANY functionality of the actual system. In that it will keep flagging events as analytic events for archive purposes.

For years now, axis companion has constant connectivity issues when using over internet. Unreliable WAN connection, period. Constant connection time outs. Sad that even my Foscams do better now. It’s to the point that I’m beginning to think it’s intentional. The whole point of us using Companion is to do the nat transversal to connect to the remote cam with ease, but either it’s glitching on purpose or all ISP’s make direct data streams time out 80% of the time. Well Axis, if zerotier and other products have no issue keeping a connection alive for months and years on end with any isp, why can’t you let me connect? I’ll take a slower connection but let me see what is going on at home if I’m being burglarized or not without having to try to connect a million times. And my ISP is great everything works and is fast, don’t give me excuses about my connection. It’s Axis! NAT does not work reliably to this day. Pathetic when even the Chinese Foscam now fixed this and connects twice as fast and five times more consistently.

I downloaded the app, but the three sites that I have in the Classic app, don’t show up in this app. Now I see the problem. I don’t believe it is mentioned here on the App Store....certainly not prominently. The mobile apps are paired with the Windows desktop apps. The Classic mobile app is pared with V3.x and the new app is paired with V4.x. To enable your cameras to move to V4.x of the desktop app and therefore be usable with this app, you have to rebuild your sites and restore all of your cameras (and possibly Companion Recorders?) to factory settings...then set them up again. Also this only works for cameras with firmware version 8.40 or later, so cameras that are deemed obsolete and no longer receiving firmware updates will not be able to play in the new world. I installed a bunch of Axis cameras starting in 2017 and at least one of those is now ineligible for this migration even though the camera will supposedly be supported until 2023. Also the new software is not compatible with 3rd party NAS devices and requires connection to the Internet in order to do setup and maintenance. So there is definitely a downside for people who use NAS or intentionally (and wisely) keep an air gap between their security systems and the Internet. I have three sites and a total of 19 cameras. So this would take a lot of time and effort to migrate over. Fortunately Axis says V3.x will continue to be supported for some period of time (TBD). Moving may not be optional some day. Unless they maintain the parallel system for “air gap” installations. Also there is no AppleTV app! I use that to watch my cameras at home on occasion. Great driveway monitor.