Basic Operation And Configuration; Nexus Ip Camera; Nexus Server Configuration; Serial And/Or Ip Communications - FLIR F-Series Installation Manual

2

Basic Operation and Configuration

This chapter provides basic information on how to operate a new camera that has not yet been
configured. A bench test can be used to verify camera operation before the camera is configured for the
local network. This chapter also provides basic configuration information.
2.1
TheF-Series camera is an IP camera with Nexus capabilities, which means there is a microprocessor
inside that runs the Nexus Server software. The Nexus Server provides a number of services, including
camera control, video streaming, and geo-referencing capabilities. The Nexus communications protocol
is an open, standards-based protocol that allows the server to communicate with a video management
client, such as FLIR Sensors Manager or with a third-party ONVIF-compatible VMS client.
There are two main components to the Nexus Server software. One is a web server known as the web
tool or web interface that listens on the network for web browser requests, and is used for the initial (and
perhaps ongoing or occasional) configuration changes to the server. The latest release of the web tool
also allows the user to view video and to operate the camera.
The other process, known as the Nexus Server, listens on the network for connections from clients such
as FSM or other VMS clients. These clients are used to control the camera and stream video during day-
to-day operations of the camera.
2.1.1
In general, it may be necessary for the installer to make a limited number of configuration changes for
each server, such as setting the serial and/or IP communication parameters. For example, each camera
comes from the factory with the same default IP address, so adding more than one camera to an IP
network requires each camera to be configured with a different IP address, at a minimum. On the other
hand, many of the configuration parameters will remain unchanged from the factory default settings.
In order to control the camera, it is necessary to communicate with it either using serial communications
(RS-232 or RS-422), or over Ethernet using Internet Protocol (IP). In either case, it is likely there are
some communication parameters that are specific to each installation.
2.1.2
For a camera that is installed in a legacy-type CCTV network using analog video, the camera may
commonly be controlled with serial communications. The serial cable from the camera will be connected
to a keyboard/joystick device, or to a video switch, encoder, or DVR that has a serial communication
port. In this case the installer may want to configure parameters such as the address of the camera, the
baud rate, and so on. On Nexus IP cameras that support serial communications, these parameters can
be set through software using a web browser.
For a camera installed in an IP network, the camera will commonly be controlled over Ethernet by a PC
or laptop running FLIR Sensors Manager (FSM) or a third-party Video Management System (VMS)
software. FSM is an integral part of the Nexus architecture—it is a client program that communicates
with the Nexus Server on the camera. It allows control of the camera and video streaming and many
other sophisticated functions.
In many cases, a camera will be installed with both serial and Ethernet communications. As such, the
camera can be controlled by means of a serial device or through software. When someone tries to
control the camera with a serial device at the same time as someone does through the software IP
interface, the serial device takes priority.
427-0030-00-12, Version 170

Nexus IP Camera

Nexus Server Configuration

Serial and/or IP Communications

Mar 2014 2-1