For over four decades, Axis Communications has been at the forefront of intelligent network solutions. Five years ago, we embarked on a new journey with the release of our first body worn solutions, bringing our expertise in network technology to a new, rapidly evolving market.
As we celebrate this milestone, we reflect on our industry-first open platform approach to body worn, detailing the evolution of our technology, and looking at the usage of our products in a variety of environments.
An industry-first open platform approach
Axis entered the body worn market with a clear vision: leverage our leadership in the network technology space, apply our expertise to a new, dynamic market, and develop innovative solutions that help build a smarter, safer world. As part of that vision, it was critical that our body worn products – like other Axis offerings – give users the flexibility to build and manage their systems in a manner that meets their exact requirements. It was equally critical that users have full control over how their body worn data is managed and stored.
To achieve all this, we designed our body worn solutions with an open API, which allows them to be integrated with the video management software (VMS) or evidence management software (EMS) of the user’s choosing, whether that be a popular third-party offering or AXIS Camera Station Pro. This open platform approach – a first in the space – allows users to incorporate Axis body worn products into their existing video surveillance ecosystem without changes to functionality or architecture.
This makes it easy for users to adjust and scale their body worn systems as needed, and it ensures simple integration with new technologies and solutions as they’re added in the future. Just as importantly, it keeps total cost of ownership low and puts users in complete control of their system and their data.
The evolution of Axis body worn: A true end-to-end system
With a clear vision in place, and following years of research and development, we released our first body worn camera and hardware. Since then, we have continued to advance our body worn technology to meet the evolving needs of the market. Our commitment to innovation in the body worn space can be seen in the evolution and advancement of our technology.
These include new camera models as well as hardware and software that, together, create a complete end-to-end body worn system. These solutions, and the rest of our body worn portfolio, have been purposely designed to maximize flexibility, scalability, and ease-of-use. Here's a look at where our line of body worn solutions stands today.
Body worn cameras
AXIS W102 Body Worn Camera: The third generation of our foundational AXIS W100 Body Worn Camera. Our flagship body worn camera has received feature refinements based on customer feedback and internal testing to enhance performance, durability, and user experience.
AXIS W110 Body Worn Camera: Lightweight, compact, and discrete, AXIS W110 expands the use and benefits of body worn cameras beyond law enforcement into sectors such as education, healthcare, retail, transportation, and more.
AXIS W120 Body Worn Camera: Our most advanced body worn camera to date, featuring superior video quality, up to 15 hours of battery life, and built-in LTE™ connectivity that enables always-on live streaming capability for enhanced user safety.
Solution hardware
AXIS W800 System Controller: A standalone system controller that seamlessly and securely offloads Axis body worn cameras footage to the user’s content destination of choice. It can be placed in a central location and connect with docking stations at multiple locations. Linking multiple AXIS W800s together allows users to scale their system from one to thousands of cameras.
AXIS W401 Body Worn Activation Kit: Automatically activates recording by all body worn cameras in a designated area when certain triggers are engaged, such as a vehicle siren or panic button activation. It can be easily installed in vehicles and buildings, and be used to notify camera wearers of ongoing recording when entering sensitive areas.
AXIS In-Vehicle Solution: A packaged offering of various Axis video and audio surveillance devices for interior and exterior vehicle monitoring. Recorded video is automatically offloaded via Wi-Fi when the vehicle returns to its base of operations.
Solution software
AXIS Camera Station Pro: Video management software from Axis that supports body worn solutions and more. Includes features for video categorization and retention time, computer-aided dispatch integration, and centralized management of all video materials (body worn, in-vehicle, facility, and more).
AXIS Body Worn Live: The industry’s first on-premises solution for real-time streaming of footage from Axis body worn cameras, providing enhanced situational awareness and immediate response capabilities. Also available as cloud-hosted.
AXIS Body Worn Manager Pro: Manage, configure, and maintain body worn systems in large deployments, from one central location. Easily control and change camera profiles and user administration through Active Directory integration, and quickly and efficiently perform system updates.
AXIS Body Worn Assistant: A mobile app that provides users instant access to their body worn camera recordings. Users can review, categorize, and add notes to recorded videos, and also stream video from other Axis body worn cameras in real time. Also includes access to AXIS Body Worn Live.
Serving law enforcement and public safety personnel
Body worn cameras and related technology have become an essential tool in modern law enforcement, providing numerous benefits that enhance transparency, accountability, efficiency, and, of course, safety.
The Auburn, New Hampshire Police Department, chose Axis body worn solutions because of their ease of operation, high-quality video and audio, extended battery life, and secure data storage. “The Axis body worn cameras provide great support for our officers,” said Lt. Chip Chabot from Auburn PD. “They not only improve their safety on the street but also back up their incident reports with indisputable forensic evidence.”
The New Windsor, New York Police Department also turned to Axis for its body worn needs. The department chose Axis body worn solutions because of their ruggedness, ease of activation, sharp images and sound, and the ability to manage data on-premises using AXIS Camera Station. “The cameras are well-built, and the video quality is outstanding,” said Chief Robert Doss from New Windsor PD. “Plus, the Axis solution lets us store the video on our existing security-compliant servers instead of paying for expensive cloud storage.”
Body worn for everyone
Body worn cameras are widely associated with law enforcement and public safety. However, their versatility and usefulness extend into a variety of other industries, and we’re increasingly seeing it adopted by organizations in education, healthcare, retail, and more to deter, de-escalate, and document incidents.
Educational institutions can benefit from the use of body worn cameras to ensure the safety of students and staff. Teachers, admins, and campus security can wear body worn cameras to document incidents of bullying, vandalism, or unauthorized entry, and use captured footage for staff training.
In healthcare environments, body worn cameras can improve patient care and staff safety by providing unbiased records of interactions, aiding in dispute resolution, de-escalation, and documentation. They can also be used for training purposes, allowing staff to review and learn from real-life scenarios.
In retail and hospitality settings, body worn cameras can enhance customer service and security. Staff can document interactions with customers for more transparent and accountable service. In the event of disputes, complaints, or incidents, captured footage can be reviewed to resolve issues objectively.
The future of Axis body worn solutions
Over the past five years, Axis body worn solutions have evolved from a promising new product offering to a mature lineup of industry-altering solutions, making the use of body worn cameras accessible to new industries and users. This commitment to innovation, flexibility, and user-centric design helps organizations realize their evolving body worn needs...and we’re just getting started.