INTERVIEW
Axis cameras: 20 years with Finn Humborstad By: Oystein Hjell, Key Account Manager Norway, Axis Communications Øystein Hjell: https://no.linkedin.com/in/øystein-hjell-88597b22 Over 20 years on from the introduction of the AXIS NetEye 200, Öystein Hjell, Key Account Manager for Norway at Axis Communications, speaks with Finn Humborstad – one of the first adopters of the original networked camera and Axis Partner of almost 20 years. Finn works with Triangel Consulting as a Senior IT Consultant, and has worked on projects ranging from a camera installation in a scout camp, to satellite images at the push of a button from the historic voyage of the ‘Saga Siglar’ replica, ‘Kvitserk’.
The project provided me with lessons and skills I shall never forget.
We also supplied the AXIS NetEye 200 to a scout group camp in July 1997. This involved over 12,000 individuals, with live video sent from a barn to the camp website over a 2Mbit internet line.
Can you tell us about your first installation with an Axis network camera? With my background as a hobby photographer, programmer and system developer, sending images over the internet has always been an obsession of mine. When I first discovered the AXIS NetEye 200 Network Camera in 1996, I was naturally thrilled. As early adopters of all technology, we had already started to develop dynamic websites with weather data*, featuring regularly updated photos - a novelty that also helped to increase web traffic. I bought my first AXIS NetEye 200 Network Camera in the summer of 1996, the very beginning of a now 20-year long relationship with Axis. I designed and built an entire mobile solution with a network camera, a modem, a wind generator and solar cells, installing the solution at the Atlantic Road in Norway.
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Compared to a modern installation using Axis cameras, what was the first installation like? When we set up the first AXIS NetEye 200 there was very little in the way of IP expertise on the web. This was in a time before Google - the majority of our support came from one of the developers at Axis, who helped us move the process along. The image resolution and functionality was also limited. There was no auto-iris and no remote zoom/focus. Even with these limitations, the camera was still far ahead of other manufacturers. Once we got the camera to work, it was, and in fact still is, very stable in operation. Today, there are cameras with far better image quality and features than the NetEye 200, making use of modern applications and technologies. The modern camera housing, which is designed for outdoor use, for example, contributes to less assembly work before installation. In my view, this is a key advantage outside of image quality
and stability. The biggest challenge we face today as an Axis partner is staying abreast of the ever-increasing number of camera models and technology variants. Far from the days of the single original camera, there are now over 200 models. The positive aspect is that with a growing number of applications, we can deliver more value for the customer than ever before. You’ve been an Axis partner for many years. Could you share any particularly fun events that you remember? After the first three cameras were delivered I was contacted by Ragnar Thorseth**, a well-known adventurer with many expeditions under his belt. Ragnar and his wife Kari were building a website, www.haholmen.no, as a conference centre. Ragnar wanted hourly updates on the weather, with pictures directly streamed to guests. A fun feature, guests could, and in fact still can today, take a selfie on the dock. With the simple press of a button, a lamp was lit, an image was taken and then sent to the website. Twenty years later, the solution is still in use, but of course using a far more advanced Axis camera. What came next would prove to be one of our greatest challenges. Ragnar was planning to sail the Viking ship ‘Kvitserk’, a replica of the ‘Saga Siglar’, to the Shetland Islands at the turn of the millennium with an Axis camera on board. At the push of a button from the ship’s wheelhouse, Ragnar wanted to send pictures from the camera via satellite directly to a web page (www.haholmen.no). Transferring satellite communications and FTP (2.500bps) from the camera to a landbased server was a significant challenge, especially without losing the connection. As no-one had ever tried this before, it was a totally unique installation that we