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Troubleshooting

On this page you will find some general guidelines and tips that can help you solve your development challenge.

For product related troubleshooting, see our step-by-step guides. And if you haven't already, we recommend you search the FAQ.

Using the right product​

Make sure that you are using the correct Axis product for your purposes.

  • You can use the product selector to find product specifications, including System On Chip and memory resources, and to compare different Axis products.
  • You can use AXIS Virtual Loan Tool to try out different products to make sure that a product fulfills your requirements before you order a physical unit.

Using the latest firmware​

Check that you are using the latest AXIS OS/firmware version, or the latest LTS, including service releases that might contain the fix of your problem.

  • You'll find the firmware version used in your product in the product’s web interface, under Help > About.
  • See official firmware releases for all Axis products
  • Check the firmware release notes for the product you are using to make sure that the problem you experience is not a known problem.
  • You can check if recent updates in the firmware can be the source of your problem. Check the AXIS OS Portal, under "Release notes", "Release archive", and especially under "Developer information".

Checking the server report​

Check the server report of your Axis product to see if there is something that indicates the cause of your problem.

  • The server report can be downloaded from the product’s web interface under Settings > Maintenance > Download the server report. The report will then be downloaded to your PC’s Download folder.
  • You can use the AXIS Server Report Viewer for easier reading. AXIS Server Report Viewer is a graphical user interface tool for analyzing the information provided in server reports from Axis devices.

Using the latest SDK version​

If applicable, make sure that you are using the latest SDK version. Check the release notes of the SDK to see if the problem you experience is a known problem.

Troubleshooting tools and commands​

See the Troubleshooting & maintenance section in the AXIS OS Portal to learn about supported troubleshooting tools and commands in the AXIS OS that may help you identify and solve your problem.

Using Syslog​

You can use Syslog to send log messages from your Axis product to a syslog server. Instructions on how to use it are available in the AXIS OS Portal.

Network trace​

Make a network trace to check what data is sent between your software and your Axis product-

  • Use this VAPIX® command in a web browser: http://< ip-adress>/axis-cgi/debug/debug.tgz?cmd=pcapdump\&duration=30
  • Or download it via the web interface in newer AXIS OS versions under System -> Logs -> Network trace
  • The network trace will be downloaded locally on your PC in standard *.pcap format. The preferred application for opening the network trace is Wireshark. It can be downloaded for free from wireshark.org.

Visualize the metadata stream​

You can use AXIS Metadata Monitor to visualize the metadata stream produced by your Axis product.

  • To make sure your product is generating the events you expect it to do
  • To see what the event data looks like to make sure you receive it correctly in your software
  • Use modifiers to display the framerate (FPS: #R) and bitrate (Bitrate: #B) in the text overlay. Instructions and more modifiers can be found in VAPIX®. Note that each stream with different overlays requires extra encoding capacity so you may want to restart all video streams and use the same overlay for all. Models with a video source buffer configuration do not support this feature.
  • Check how video is displayed in different receivers, e.g. in VLC, or in a receiver based on the AXIS Media Control SDK, or in the web browser (for products with firmware 7 and higher).
  • Check the number of streams generated, in the section Caching Streams using the AXIS Server Report Viewer. Multiple streams with high resolution may be an indication that the camera faces too high encoding load.
  • Sometimes video doesn’t play well due to network problems, even though the bitrate seems okay. It may be the case that a node on the network hits a capacity limit during the bursts the camera is emitting. This might be solved by using the network traffic shaping function in the camera.
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