Axis enters the body camera market with its W100 model

The manufacturer is committed to the development of such devices as "a logical step in its growth strategy" and in response to the needs detected by law enforcement and private security.

The W100 Body Worn body camera is the first model developed by Axis to enter this market segment; a rugged device, lightweight and easy to use that allows you to store and manage videos according to customer need.

Like other manufacturer's products, W100 builds on open standards to provide flexibility and scalability, connecting directly to either the Axis system that the customer has or third-party.

This is explained by Fredrik Andersson, Axis Global Product Manager: "one of its strengths is open architecture, that allows customers to integrate body cameras into video management systems (Vms) or test management (Ems) who already use third-party, on-premises or in the cloud, making it easy to integrate with other video surveillance data, as well as on our VMS and Camera Station".

Axis' entry into the body camera business "represents a logical step in the growth strategy. This solution, based on the needs identified by law enforcement and customers in the private security sector, offers new opportunities to make the world a safer and smarter place", signals the company's statement.

The possibility of placing a mini camera on a police officer's torso, a security watchdog or train reviewer "increases their safety while they work, improves test-picking options and can provide interesting information to optimize your working methods or training. The possibilities and applications are endless".

The system consists of three hardware components: the cameras, the connection bases, that can be placed in offices, and the controller, sending the recordings to the chosen destination for analysis and storage.

Although cameras save video when used on site, the system driver automatically deletes the files so that the device can be reused immediately.

As they emphasize from the company, "we wanted to create the 'Swiss knife' of the cameras: a small, lightweight device, with good battery life, without sacrificing image quality or optimal resistance, and at the same time with intuitive operation".

It is a format with a completely new design developed by Axis, as product specialist Lina He points out, explaining the strategy followed.

"As we knew law enforcement officers and security guards were going to be walking (or running) when they were wearing the camera, from Axis' development team, we made sure devices could deliver clear images in changing situations".

The camera captures video at a maximum of 1080p @30fps and includes features such as wide dynamic range technology (Wdr), "which ensures that the image will remain visible and have high quality, even if the person wearing the camera is exposed to very difficult lighting conditions", Adds.

Software has also been used for its development to reduce noise and improve signal, "because in the end the recordings will serve as evidence in a court of law", punctualized from the company.

As for the audio, W100 incorporates two microphones to optimize the quality of recorded conversations and minimize noise. And because agents or vigilantes can't interrupt what they're doing to charge the device, the camera can record on average for twelve hours in full HD resolution, although there is the option to set them up to reach seventeen hours.

The device integrates Axis Zipstream compression technology to reduce storage and bandwidth demand, with an internal capacity to 64 Gb, enough to cover a shift with full HD resolution.

"We are aware that, in some cases, body camera recordings will be presented in court as objective evidence of what happened. All data is encrypted, both at rest and in transfer, using AES256 and TLS. In addition, video data can be fully encrypted end-to-end with specific integrations", Andersson points out.