Axis Configuration

  • Last updated on May 12, 2025 at 8:01 PM

Before you start:

  • Plug in the camera to power and ethernet
  • The camera must have a working internet connection
  • If your AXIS camera does not support AVHS ensure that the device has been port forwarded.

AXIS cameras can be added using two methods, either via AVHS (plug and play) or standard port forwarding. Port forwarding is only recommended for older models that do not support AVHS.

Adding an AXIS Camera Using AVHS

Before you start:

  • It is highly suggested that AVHS is set to “Always On”. There are two ways to activate the AVHS feature on AXIS cameras.  This can be done from the following menu: Basic Setup > TCP/IP > Services. In the Services section locate the “Enable AVHS” setting and select the “Always” radio button.
  • If the “Always On” option is not selected the one-click option will remain enabled. This method of activating AVHS will require the installer to first click and hold the #1 button on the backside of the camera until the green LED next to it flashes three times. 
  1. Log in to your desired portal and click the Add Camera button. (See our article How to Add a Camera for more info)
  2. Choose AXIS as the type of camera.
  3. Give the camera a name.
  4. Choose O3C as the Connection Method.
  5. Click Next.
  6. Input the Serial Number (MAC address) and OAK number. Password is almost never needed and only for very old firmware.
    • The OAK number will be printed on a piece of paper inside the AXIS camera box.
    • The root password can be configured via the local camera interface.  
  7. Choose your desired configuration or leave the default settings and click Finish.
  8. Your AXIS camera will now appear in the list of cameras. 

Adding an AXIS Camera Using Port Forwarding

If you don't have AVHS available then you can still setup your camera. This procedure requires port forwarding certain ports to make it externally accessible.

Note: Axis firmware 5.0+ only supported but 5.5+ recommended. Axis cameras with firmware 5.0-5.4 are only capable of image snapshots.

  1. Log in to your desired portal and click the Add Camera button. (See our article How to Add a Camera for more info)
  2. Choose AXIS as the type of camera.
  3. Give the camera a name.
  4. Select Port Forward as the Connection Method.
  5. Click Next.
  6. On the Network page, add in your camera's username, password, IP address, HTTP(S) and RTSP ports. This means both your RTSP and HTTP(S) ports need be forwarded on your router. Once you have an Axis camera on your network, you can find the IP address. Note (optional): To enable HTTPS on an Axis camera, go to Advanced TCP/IP settings and ensure the HTTPS port is set to whatever you like (default 443). To enable HTTPS go to System Options -> Security -> HTTPS. Use "client: for the certificate". Change administrator to use HTTPS only or HTTP & HTTPS. Now it can be added using HTTPS.
  7. Click on Next. Settings to change quality and other features are here. You can leave the defaults for now as you can easily change that later. Click on Finish.

Troubleshooting

“I sent in OAK and S/N but it says my camera is not connected and to check my connection”:

Make sure the camera has internet access and has been one click activated properly or has AVHS set to always on.

Make sure the camera is running the latest firmware. You can only add a camera with AVHS if it has firmware 5.5 or greater.

Check your DNS. Often Axis cameras have problems with the defaults. Try using Google DNS instead: 8.8.8.8 and 8.8.4.4.

Factory restore the camera. This will clear everything other than the network settings.

If all else fails, factory reset the camera. You'll have to setup the camera network settings again.

Still having issues? It could be the firewall blocking outgoing ports. Type in this: <local camera ip>/admin/connection_list.shtml. If you only see local IPs then the camera is not able to connect to anything outside the network. Alternatively you can look at the server report under "network connections" to see the connection list: <local camera ip>/axis-cgi/serverreport.cgi

“It says my OAK and S/N are wrong”: Make sure you input the S/N and OAK exactly as shown on the Axis card supplied with your camera.

“It says my password is wrong”: You shouldn't be using a password but if you must make sure you input the root user’s password. Also, the default “pass” will not work to register a camera under any circumstance.

Setting up a different view: If you have a fisheye or multi-sensor camera you may not want the default view. There is a way to change this especially when you want a dual or quad view. These instructions should help*: https://www.axis.com/support/faq/FAQ115871

Keep note that the process involves adding &camera=quad to the end of the url (or camera=4). Don't put this at the end of the url due to a known Axis bug. Instead put it in just before the last string: ...&camera=4&resolution=2560x1440 (for example).

*Note that this FAQ from Axis may no longer be accurate depending on the firmware version you are using, it may be camera=5 instead of camera=quad for example if you are trying to set up a 4 multi-sensor camera.

Keep in mind the resolution has to match the quad view. Take a look at this P3719-PLE camera example. It only allows 1440p and 720p. So make sure you match the resolution when you setup the camera. In other words don't setup the camera to be on 1080p and expect to get a quad view.

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