MOBOTIX Archives - IP Camera Supply

The VoIP Supply President, Paula Griffo, and I just got back from the MOBOTIX East Coast Partner Conference on Friday and are we excited where this security company is going!

VOIP Supply and MOBOTIX have had a beautiful relationship for years. When the MOBOTIX Partner Program went into effect last year, VoIP Supply was immediately an Advanced Partner. We’ve been trained on the products and we can get directly on the phone with MOBOTIX, which is a huge benefit to you, our customers.

If you’re not familiar with MOBOTIX, they are a full solution surveillance company. Dr. Ralf Hinkle founded the company back in 1999 in Germany by building a DVR directly into an IP camera. This decentralized system was revolutionary, and since then MOBOTIX has grown to a worldwide presence. MOBOTIX IP cameras are incredibly robust with an average 9 year life span (IP65/IP66 rated housing and no moving parts are to thank for that), include on-board storage, on-board video processing, feature remote access and control, and include free software and upgrades for life. There’s no licensing required, often times no extra mounting is required (sometimes there is, but not often), and remote controller apps for your mobile devices are free.

MOBOTIX Cameras are both sophisticated and simple. Much like Apple vs a PC, MOBOTIX IP cameras are different from other IP cameras you may be accustomed to. MOBOTIX cameras look different, they install different, they run different, and the software is different. However, once you take the time to learn the product, familiarize yourself with the features, and hold a device for the first time, you’ll be hooked for life. These are quality products and if you’re building to last, MOBOTIX is exactly what you want.

MOBOTIX is a unique blend of the security department and the IT department, and if you’re techy, you’ll love it as much as we do. These cameras run over a SIP network. MOBOTIX advertises that their cameras specifically work with Grandstream IP Phones, who just so happens to be one of VoIP Supply’s Top 5 VoIP Phone companies. That these two vendors are compatible with one another makes us very happy, because that means we can build a better solution for you.

The MOBOTIX East Coast Conference itself was a great event. As you can see, there were plenty of MOBOTIX products for us to snap pictures of and get our hands on. The image clarity from the new lineup of cameras and lenses were incredible. The best display was undoubtedly the MOBOTIX MX-M15D-Thermal, which was aimed at everyone with both a color sensor image module and thermal sensor image module so we could see ourselves normally as well as our body heat signature. Even when the lighting (lux) was low in the evenings, the color image was still fantastic. The most recent 5 MP lens sensor modules for the x15 series have really stepped up in the game with image clarity, motion capture, and low lighting situations; Paula and I were very impressed with what we saw.

While it’s still too soon to announce a few upcoming releases, it’s certainly safe to claim that MOBOTIX is future-proof. Paula and I got a chance to see what new products and software are yet to come and we couldn’t be more satisfied. MOBOTIX’s eyes are set solely on the future, and they’re building security products that will be ready to mingle as the technological world consumes our everyday lives. Even at the conference, everyone was tied to their laptops and phones as emergencies popped up that needed to be addressed immediately, which proves just how much technology is now involved in practically every waking moment. MOBOTIX has been seeing this for years. Instead of fighting it, they’ve embraced it, and once everything is official, I think you’re going to be really excited about what solutions they have to offer.

Frankly, it’s exciting to see a company so focused on blending a security solution into an existing network, as well as having it ready to integrate with whatever else may come our way. MOBOTIX isn’t just trying to keep up, they’re blazing a trail in their own industry that is right on par with all other technologies. It’s brilliant, it’s usable, and VoIP Supply is proud to be a part of their team!

If you’ve been interested in MOBOTIX cameras but never took the chance to check them out, take some time to look at our MOBOTIX IP Camera category to see what’s new. Of course, if you have any questions, please call us at VoIP Supply at 1.800.398.8647 and we’d be happy to talk to you about MOBOTIX and how it can work for you.

If you’ve been looking at a MOBOTIX solution, chances are you’ve noticed MOBOTIX cameras record in all the expected compression’s, and then in an extra compression: MxPEG. You may be asking yourself ‘What is this MxPEG? How does it compare to H.264?’ Let me help you out with that.

Video recorded in HDTV (1920 x 1080) is compressed in H.264. It was created for broadcasting high definition video, which is why nowadays it’s the most common video compression out there. While it’s ideal for bandwidth conservation, when paused on a frame, there is a fuzziness to the image. A minor inconvenience really. It’s usually acceptable, which is why most surveillance companies allow H.264 as one of their compression options, but MOBOTIX wasn’t satisfied.

As a surveillance company, MOBOTIX created their own video compression, MxPEG. Upon a vendor/company visit, MOBOTIX had MxPEG compressed video footage they demonstrated for us here at VoIP Supply, and when the footage was paused, the frame was crisp, clean, and clear. This screenshot conveys it perfectly: bees can flap their wings 250 times per second, and this shot was taken from a MOBOTIX camera using the video compression MxPEG.

As you can see, it’s crystal clear. You can even see the wings perfectly. The reason for this is MxPEG uses what’s called an I-Frame for each frame. H.264 delivers I-Frames, but there are also P-Frames, which are slightly lower quality but more of them. That’s why when watching an HD video, H.264 is ideal because the human eye is only picking up the I-Frames, but when paused, those low quality P-Frames create that fuzziness. Try it out when you get home.

So because each frame is an I-Frame and high quality, MxPEG would take up a lot of bandwidth, right? Not at all. MxPEG was created to only record the changing pixels. The static pixels are recorded in the first frames, but after that, the technology in the IP camera is smart enough to recognize the live image isn’t changing, so it conserves bandwidth. The MOBOTIX technology then recognizes when pixels change, such as a moving person or car, and it records only those pixels (tiles, as they’re referred to in the image below) and stores them away under MxPEG compression.

The nice thing about MxPEG is you can run the frame rate as low as 5 fps or even 1 fps and get exceptional images every time, rather than running the H.264 compression at 15 fps or 30 fps and gamble for a crisp image.

Should the situation call for an NVR, Qnap supports MxPEG, but all MOBOTIX IP cameras work as a decentralized system, meaning they can view, process, analyze and record footage all within the camera itself. Depending on exactly what you need to record, everything might be entirely manageable within a MOBOTIX camera itself.

*Images courtesy of MOBOTIX

Known for their long lasting, robust, and unique IP cameras, MOBOTIX has been one of the leaders in the IP surveillance market for years. Recently MOBOTIX standardized all their models to 5 MP from 3 MP and their latest leading update has been to their AllroundDual M15, which they utilized one of the dual lens modules with a thermal lens.

What is it?

The new MOBOTIX MX-M15D-Thermal is an AllroundDual IP Camera perfect for situations that require a decentralized system in an environment that usually has poor visibility. A thermal camera is preferable when you need to know what is around the perimeter but visibility conditions make it hard to capture clear images on camera. The M15D-Thermal was created to detect hotter than average body parts or technical devices/overheated machines in complete darkness, through smoke, smog, or even thin plastic screens (not glass; thermal images cannot be detected through glass, so do plan accordingly).

MOBOTIX MX-M15D-Thermal

There are three models to choose from differing in lens ranges:

MX-M15D-Thermal-L43: 43° thermal sensor
MX-M15D-Thermal-L65: 25° thermal sensor
MX-M15D-Thermal-L135: 17° thermal sensor

All three models feature:

Microphone and speaker integrated, lip-synchronous audio, two-way speaker, audio recording
Continuous digital 8x Zoom + Pan/Tilt
Thermal image size 336×252 pixel
Weatherproof IP66
PoE (IEEE 802.3af/t) Class 3
VideoMotion, MxActivitySensor, external signals, temperature sensor, PIR, microphone, shock detector, notification via eMail, FTP, telephony (VoIP, SIP), visual/acoustics alarm, pre- and post-alarm images

Who is it for?

The MX-M15D-Thermal is an ideal solution for docks, dispatches, and high-security or restricted areas where there may be limited visibility. The M15D-Thermal works when you need to know whether or not someone is moving in the dark, monitor for machinery over-heating, or detect ships on the horizon through hazy conditions. Trees, bushes, waves, and other natural barriers that disrupt visibility don’t trouble the M15D-thermal: you can block out “cold” objects whose movement causes disruption.

Unlike other thermal cameras, MOBOTIX has created the AllroundDual M15 thermal to also allow dual lenses pairing a thermal lens with a 5MP day or night sensor module lens. This ability for both thermal imaging and traditional imaging allows you to identify and monitor activities. If no traditional lens is used, the extra module space has a dummy lens in it to keep the M15D-Thermal watertight up to IP66-rated standards. For a no-nonsense approach to surveillance, a thermal IP opens all new options to choose from.

Pricing

MX-M15D-Thermal-L43: $6648.00 MSRP
MX-M15D-Thermal-L65: $6248.00 MSRP
MX-M15D-Thermal-L135: $6248.00 MSRP

Availability

The MX-M15D-Thermal IP Camera is expect to begin shipping in late Q1. To secure your MX-M15D-Thermal, call the VoIP experts at VoIP Supply to pre-order now: 1.800.398.8647

IP Camera Supply

IP Camera Supply

Tag Archives: MOBOTIX

VoIP Supply at the MOBOTIX 2014 East Coast National Partner Conference

The Difference Between H.264 and MxPEG

First Look: MOBOTIX AllroundDual M15 Thermal

What is it?

Who is it for?

Pricing

Availability