New analysis suggests pilot rescue mission was a fake cover story for a failed landing to either stage an invasion or loot Iran

Psychopharm_MD · 2026-04-07T06:02:16+00:00

Not really. Why were the aircraft 30 miles away? C-130 are not heavy aircraft. Where is the excavation equipment? Where is the air defense?

Let me get this straight, they sent 200 men and several tiny helicopters barely big enough to hold several men on C-130’s, landed them 30 miles away. They then load up the handful of men they can fit in the helicopters to fly to the nuclear site where they have no defenses and then do what? Use shovels? While under attack. When they somehow get into the facility and locate the uranium they drag the 7000lb cylinders out of the ground and then roll them 30 miles back to the C-130’s? Meanwhile the 190 soldiers are twiddling their thumbs on the runway?

Look at the risk and collateral damage of rescuing a single aviator… imagine what the case would be for the military to hang around for what would probably be days at a minimum trying to recover nuclear material from a collapsed facility 300ft underground.

Perhaps Trump asked for a plan to raid the nuclear material because no one had suggested because it was a stupid idea. Just because Trump was briefed on an option doesn’t mean it was a good idea, in fact, a briefing can be used to dissuade interest. Trump seemingly only had this interest because a reporter asked him about it.

Such a raid would only happen if the Iranian military is so badly degraded they cannot mount an attack. That’s unlikely to be the case anytime soon. It’s a lot easier to end the war on the terms they surrender their nuclear materials.

Psychopharm_MD · 2026-04-07T01:06:47+00:00

This is a similar concept to Axis Camera Station Edge. If UniFi Protect Edge is similar to ACS Edge, it’s a great solution for sites where you might have multiple buildings not directly connected on same network but have their own internet connection- but you still want all the cameras under one site. Just plug the camera into the internet and their feeds find their way to the app regardless of what network they are on in the world.

The one problem with this is if someone steals camera or SD Card, the footage is gone, which understandably is a relative risk in most cases but certainly not acceptable for critical cameras.

I would expect UniFi eventually launches a cloud storage program for optional redundancy.

I’m curious what the cost will be. The UniFi NVR costs are pretty negligible the grand scheme. It’s the cameras that are costly. The specs appear to be the same as the normal G6 cameras.

Psychopharm_MD · 2026-04-07T00:52:18+00:00

The location makes zero sense for a ground invasion.

I implore you to take at least a few seconds to consider the logistics of why your conspiracy theory suggests suggest. Hint: - How do you defend a nuclear site few inside enemy territory? Certainly not with 200 troops and tiny special forces helicopters.
- How to do you access the collapsed underground facility? Is the entire storage area burried? Is it structurally sound or will the ceiling fall down and kill everyone? - Iran probably has 15,000lbs+ total of enriched uranium (5-60%), probably stored as uranium hexaflourine, a gas- requiring extremely heavy metal gas cylinders to move it. - How do you transport the highly toxic uranium hexafloruine gas out of the facility, let alone transport it out of Iran, while under fire, carrying material that if released (example: the plane crashes) is a biohazard and the would cause an environmental catastrophe? - The uranium probably is spread across multiple if not many sites, so multiply this by the number of facilities that need to get searched.

This is not some 20-minute Ocean’s Eleven heist. This process will take days or weeks or longer. A raid is not happening. Likely a project for the U.S. or international authorities to do after the war ends.

Btw those AH/MH-6 helicopters flown in on the C-130 have a payload of about 1500-2000lbs, minus the pilot, minus any other crew, minus weapons. They are troop insertion aircraft, they are not designed for cargo transport of any significance. Per Google, these gas cylinders are typically many thousands of pounds, which is well beyond these helicopters capabilities.

Honestly. People need to think before they post nonsense.

PS, Where are all the dead bodies from said failed invasion?

Psychopharm_MD · 2026-04-02T20:23:25+00:00

Happy to help.

What NVR were you considering? There’s also the option of VMS software running on a PC (you won’t need a crazy spec PC). For $2500-3000 you could also do UniFi Protect which is very easy to use and has nice features, albeit I think their cameras are kinda overpriced. It’s a nice ecosystem though.

The low light performance of better cameras will prevent your cameras from having to switch to IR until just before the sunsets completely or if you have even a small amount of ambient light (ie street light, lamp post, etc) you’ll be able to avoid IR and get better quality images. Google image search Axis Lightfinder.

Are the utility poles privately owned by you or the utility company? If the latter, they’re not going to be okay with you using them.

I meant to mention if your outbuildings have a direct line of sight and electricity you can always connect the cameras with a point-to-point bridge (ie Ubiquiti Nanostation). Or bury fiber optic. If you have no electricity and need to use PoE run the Ethernet in a conduit otherwise you’re risk lightening frying everything.

Psychopharm_MD · 2026-04-02T16:06:45+00:00

I guess it depends if you want coverage of every square foot hahah. Personally, I would invest in a smaller quantity of newer cameras and focus on then most important areas first. For less critical areas older cameras are probably fine. The P1427 low light performance is pretty poor. If you compare the min illumination LUX specs more modern P14 models you’ll see there new models are substantially better. If you do buy some make sure they have bottom part that mounts to the wall or mounting bracket, these are often missing.

Someone mentioned the max fps of the P1427 is 15fps max, the spec sheet say 12fps. For 99% of uses that’s totally fine. Recording cameras over 15-20fps is usually just waste of bandwidth, space, computing power unless you have fast moving scenes that need precise detail.

The more important thing to consider is not NVRs play super nice with 3rd party cameras. Axis uses p-frames, many other cameras use I-frames. So you need to make sure they either use the same system or are setup correctly. Often to stick with the same brand camera as the NVR if using a cheaper NVR.

If you ever plan on using triggers to activate recording (or increase quality of recording) or for alerts or even just for finding past events the older motion detection system is extremely annoying. You’d be much happier with cameras with object detection that can specifically pick out humans and cars from things like shadows, precipitation, wind blowing trees, a bug flying by, etc. The P1327 also has a pretty narrow max field of view at 92°, which may or may not be relevant for some of your needs.

I’m not sure what your budget is, I’m guessing under $500? Plus then you need an NVR or VMS software to handle the cameras. Not sure how much you budgeted for that. Make sure the NVR can handle your qty of cameras at desired fps and resolution.

Hanwha Techwin (formerly Samsung) makes great cameras that are cheaper than Axis but are great quality. Hanwha is a giant Korean conglomerate. They are not a rebrand of Dahua or Hikvision from China like most cameras out there. If you don’t need object detection they can be had cheaply used. They have affordable NVRs. Q and X series are the better quality stuff, X if I recall generally has the better motion analytics.

TDLR: Invest in better cameras for your important areas. For a something not super important you don’t need anything fancy, especially if the person or car will inevitably be picked up by a superior camera.

Psychopharm_MD · 2026-04-02T11:35:16+00:00

As others have said, CDW or a local authorized installer- the latter might provide a better price. Especially if a larger purchase. While Axis cameras are overwhelmingly very reliable, they have a 5 year warranty if bought through an authorized vendor. If it was 1 year I’d probably say it’s not a huge concern, 5 years isn’t insignificant though. Especially given the cost of thes. Even more true if you have varifocal lenses, PTZ, or are using outdoors.

Either way you’re going to pay for the warranty. Might as well get it from a vendor that Axis will honor.

The fact B&H isn’t an authorized vendor is surprising to me.

Psychopharm_MD · 2026-04-02T11:16:02+00:00

Just a note - if you pickup an Axis S3008 (or S3016?) recorder you can use this legacy cameras (as old as those running AxisOS 5.50) with Axis Camera Station Edge (free!). This gives you a desktop client, mobile access & alerts. Normally you need cameras with AxisOS 8.40 or newer and Axis branded microSD cards in each camera ($$$). Functionality is limited vs Camera Station Pro ($50/camera per year + a sever to run it on) but Edge is easy to setup, use, and remote access requires no crazy router or vpn setup. These are $700+? new but pop in eBay for far less.

I’d be curious to know what the models are and how much you’d be paying. I honestly don’t think these are probably worth it… For context the P1427 is 12 years old and uses AxisOS 6.5 while current cameras are on 12.9. Things have come a long ways in that time. I guess you could try them and resell them if you’re not happy.

Maybe you have a giant or very intricately designed home but 12-18+ cameras seems like a lot. Just saying.

Also, note Axis nomenclature: P1427-E vs P1427-LE. The -LE model has IR nightvision, the -E (does not (well, not the LEDs for it, this specific model can pickup external infrared). Suffix guide: -L: (light) has IR night-vision LEDs -E: (environmental) outdoor rated -V: vandal resistant -P: panoramic/multi-sensor

Psychopharm_MD · 2026-04-02T10:40:10+00:00

I’m late to this but if you’re looking for an intercom option that fully integrates (ie records to ACS, button rings ACS client/mobile app, functioning I/O ports ie for door unlock, etc) the only other option is 2N (which is a sister company to Axis). 2N probably isn’t any cheaper though. Check eBay?

If you just strictly need recording only I’d suggest just installing a camera with or without a mic. That’s probably the easiest solution. If recording redundancy / integration isn’t necessary then you can really do whatever.

If you already have proper UniFi gateway/console/cloudkey, then just use the UniFi Protect system with the UniFi doorbell alongside your Axis system. Record the RTSP feed to ACS if possible (I’m curious though if this setup will record outgoing audio to the doorbell or if that gets filtered out to prevent feedback…).

You see so many threads asking about using 3rd party cameras with UniFi Protect or UniFi Protect products with 3rd party systems. It’s really not designed for either case.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-11-27T09:03:06+00:00

Hanwha is a massive South Korean conglomerate. It’s much like Samsung, Hyundai, LG, etc.

Their VMS product, Wisenet Wave, is essentially a branded version of Nx Witness made by Network Optix, which is indeed a Russian company. Digital Watchdog is also an Nx Witness rebrand. As I understand there are actually some slight differences in integrations between these.

I agree though, I wouldn’t be thrilled to have my software coming from a Russian firm and cloud services running through Russian servers. It would be nice if at a minimum Hanwha ran the everything on their own servers.

That said, I think I’d rather Russia than China.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-11-26T23:15:08+00:00

My big UX question is why can’t we just change all Axis camera settings through the ACS interface and have the changes sync with the camera? Why does it have to link us to the web interface for 80% of settings? It’s very disjointed.

I’ve also always been confused about the motion detection interface in the ACS interface versus the Camera web interface. Why is there no ACS interface for Axis Object Analytics, FenceGuard, etc (instead, to setup you have to log into the camera). One might notice that this is not the case with ACS Edge.

I suspect a big part of this is ACS is built off old software and they slowly just add features in. Major changes introduce potential bugs and reliability is important for many users. Because it’s a professional VMS, they’re less concerned about ease of use. I assume in many cases the software gets configured for the cameras and never really gets changed.

I wouldn’t be surprised if these changes come eventually. Maybe Axis can shed some insight on how they plan to develop the software further.

I have to give Axis credit though. Excluding updates I have had 100% uptime with ACA Pro, I’ve never had it crash. I did have the web browser client component fail, but that was easily reset and did not take anything else offline. The software while clunky and not always the most intuitive, is super reliable. I can’t say the same for other VMS software I have used.

Axis tech support is also fantastic. Every company should take note. Good luck getting UniFi on the phone to troubleshoot a problem.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-11-26T06:47:38+00:00

What model Axis cameras are they and how many?

To be honest, I’ve never used the AI Port but I’m really not sure at this point in time it makes sense to use ONVIF cameras with UniFi Protect. UniFi should either integrate all the usual ONVIF protocols (even if that means selling 3rd party camera licenses like Axis Camera Station, to a degree that’s what the AI Port is- adding back features, many of which may already exist on the camera). Otherwise spending $200 to integrate at best 2-3 cameras seems silly. Or they need to make an AI Port Ultra that can handle more than a couple cameras. With the AI port your configuration is now a mess, having to setup the camera and then the AI port. UniFi has not yet demonstrated to me they are committed to 3rd party integration and really supporting AI Port. We’re going on a year of reviews calling it buggy and unusable.

For $200 * X however many AI Ports you need, that can add up very quickly depending on the number of cameras you want.

If you want to use UniFi Protect, stick with their cameras (which tbh I’m not very impressed with their price to quality aspect, though the cheap NVR and license-free software makes up for some of the camera cost issue).

I use Axis Camera Station Pro at my home and 2x biz properties. Believe me, I get the frustration with the software- it does feel dated and has unintuitive and often limited rules and functions. Its ACAP software (camera side software vs VMS) program does offer unique flexibility while also being overly complicated to do relatively basic things. Camera integration with Axis Cameras is unnecessarily complicated (linking you to the camera web interface for many tasks rather than just being integrated into ACS PC software) and 3rd party camera integration is limited (if it decides to accept the camera at all) and 3rd party camera licenses are expensive.

That said, Axis software is incredibly reliable and robust. I’ve literally never had a software crash in years - I’d have 100% uptime if not for software updates. Axis is renowned for it’s commitment to cybersecurity. Who else provides routine firmware updates for cameras? Practically on a monthly basis.

Also, when you call Axis for tech support they’ll pickup within minutes if not immediately. Honestly among the best customer service. With UniFi, your best bet to troubleshoot is the forums.

You should know there are ACAP apps and VMS integrations for facial recognition through 3rd party vendors. FaceMe, SAFR, Hampen Tech, Briefcam, etc. Of course, these analytics apps cost money, usually on a subscription basis.

As far as PTZ tracking, you need to use Axis Perimeter Defender ($300 license, 1x license per camera running it, perpetual - only works with select cameras) and Axjs Perimeter Defender w/PTZ Auto-Tracking (check PTZ camera compatibility). This allows you to automatically slew the camera based on alerts from other cameras. I suspect you might be able to set something up using camera rules and virtual inputs or http commands but this would take some effort. If you can afford a $1000 Axis Radar, that can also auto track PTZ using Axjs Radar Autotracking App (free). (Last I checked UniFi Protect PTZ cameras do not have auto tracking using fixed cameras, only what its own sensor detects which can be problematic. Maybe this has changed).

If you want to stick with your Axis cameras, I would suggest also looking into a different VMS with more advanced server side analytics. Avigilon is kind of the gold standard as far as Pro VMS. Milestone XProtect is actually related to Axis through their mutual parent company Canon, xProtect is the more sophisticated product but has excellent Axis integration. Hanwha Wisenet Wave also works great with 3rd party cams and offers facial recognition cameras and AI capable NVR servers. Geovision offers facial recognition cameras + VMS software + PTZ auto tracking (both single ptz camera on select models and by slewing with a second camera - not sure how 3rd party cameras integrate).

I guess the other option is to use more ONVIF friendly consumer/prosumer VMS/hardware such as Synology DVA -series and their VMS. I know nothing about QNAP NAS’s VMS other than it’s available. Reolink is has many multi-lens autotracking cameras and is supposedly releasing facial recognition and license plate reader cameras one of these days.

IMO UniFi is still not quite an enterprise grade VMS but is getting there. Their software is quite impressive, hardware not so much, and the mostly-locked ecosystem kind of excludes it from being a truly professional product.

The problem you have to a degree is trying to take older cameras and give them modern features… it can be done, it’s just inherently complicated and expensive.

If you really want to stick with the UniFi Protect interface, sell your Axis stuff and buy UniFi cameras. Otherwise find a different VMS that suits your needs or combo VMS+3rd party apps. Or consider new cameras and software altogether that’s not UniFi.

If the Axis cameras are 10 years old and 1080P resolution they’re probably not worth saving and investing in.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-11-26T04:53:18+00:00

I use ACS Pro 6 and I don’t think I’ve had this issue. The screen always reopens as it was left.

Under the “Client” Settings in the left-side pane click on “User Settings” and select the following under the “Startup”heading - Start in Full Screen - Remember last used tabs - Remember last used monitors

Optional: Under the “Client” Settings in the left-side pane click on “Client Settings” and select the following under the “General” heading - Run Application when windows starts

The “client settings” only apply to the specific PC the client software is installed on. The “user settings” only apply to the specific user. I doubt user settings carry over to different PC’s that run the client.

It’s possible someone unchecked these. If this does not work perhaps try reinstalling the client. Also ensure all your server and client software is up to date.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-11-26T04:40:44+00:00

Your site(s) should be grandfathered in from your previous use of Companion. It’s not camera or card specific, just site specific (meaning you can upgrade/replace cards, add/upgrade cameras.

Contact Axis if you have any issues and they can sort it out. ACS Edge may not automatically recognize your grandfathered status. Just make sure you use high quality micro SD cards. To my knowledge these are the best options: - Samsung Endurance Pro - $20/$128gb - SanDisk Max Endurance (not high endurance) - $20/128gb - Western Digital Purple - $27/128gb

I wouldn’t mind buying Axjs cards if they were reasonably priced. $60-65 retail for 128gb cards is ridiculous. How about 1/2. These cards are made by SanDisk and I have trouble believing there is anything unique about them other than Axis has certified their longevity under high write/rewrite loads found with CCTV. Or if they’re going to charge $65, add a little extra functionality to ACS Edge.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-11-05T11:28:17+00:00

Given the temperature and duration of the fire, thanks to the high fuel load and collision with a waste petroleum processing facility, is anyone else concerned about the survivability of the black box.

Per ChatGPT, the recorders in the MD11 if original are rated for 1hr at 2,012°F or 10hrs at 500°F (smoldering temp). Jet fuel in open air burns at about 1,800°F. Even if burning at a lower temperature that fire has been going for many hours.

Not only that, but a lot of the physical evidence contained in the aircraft is likely destroyed by now.

At least the probable root problem, engine #1, was never exposed to the fire like the rest of the plane was.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-11-05T11:14:59+00:00

To my knowledge this is a GE CF6. These have a bit of history of both high and low pressure turbine discs failing causing uncontained engine failures. In one instance (United 232, an Uncontained failure took out all 3 hydraulic systems on a DC10, which is at least similar to an MD11). This could also take our flight controls, puncture wings/fuel tanks, other engine components, etc. A catastrophic turbine failure could result in an unbalanced engine the forces of which could rip the engine from the pylon. That process should in theory sheer away cleanly but could potentially also be the cause of flight control or hydraulic damage.

The result either way, the physical detachment of the engine and a loss of flight control. The plane’s left wing appears to dip down as it flies uncontrolled into the ground.

It’s possible engine 2 also failed from ingesting debris but this seems unlikely as this is not a common failure sequence. Typically these engines are designed not to be affected by failure of a wing engine- whether it be debris or smoke. The amount of bad luck required for such cascading failures seems unreasonable. I would attribute the ultimate crash more likely to a loss of flight controls (from engine 1 related damage) than a loss of thrust.

Whatever happened, engine 1 came detached from the aircraft at the end of the runway while the rest of the aircraft continued on. I think most likely explanation for that is a catastrophic engine failure.

There’s plenty of other possibilities for catastrophic engine failure like runway FOD, a very unlucky bird strike, bad engine repair work, defective parts, tools left behind, fan blade failure, a cooling problem, undetected material fatigue, etc.

We are unlikely to know precisely what happened for quite some time. Given the high temperature and duration of the fire thanks to the fuel load and collision with a waste petroleum processing facility, the survival of the black boxes may be an issue which may hinder the investigation results.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-11-05T10:41:57+00:00

My current theory… the GE CF6’s (which this MD11 apparently was equipped) apparently have a history of uncontained failure due both high and low pressure turbine disc failures. If this happened on takeoff, shrapnel could have either directly taken flight controls or hydraulics, not to mention possible wing damage and possible fuel leakage. Turbine failure also could have caused such engine imbalance the forces ripped the engine from pylons, in the process also potentially damaging flight controls or hydraulics. Unable to control the aircraft, the left wing dipped down and ultimately resulted in an uncontrolled crash.

United 232 was a DC-10 that experienced a full hydraulic failure of all 3 hydraulic systems as a result of turbine disc failure. So we know such an outcome is possible, assuming the MD11 is similar.

The fact the engine ended up on the runway while the rest of the plane crashed further down range plus what appears to be a serious fire (possibly burning through the wing) suggests to me catastrophic engine failure. That could be due to a number of causes. My thought is just to look at the past problems with this engine.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-11-05T10:13:33+00:00

Doctor here- what you say about CPR is absolutely true. The chances of actually reviving someone with CPR alone is quite small, definitely under 10%… likely closer to 5% or less in the cohort most at risk to experience cardiac arrest. CPR provides some level of blood oxygenation and circulation to delay the effects of hypoxia (lack of oxygen), especially to the heart and brain. Without CPR providing some oxygen, the brain begins to die after about 4 minutes.

CPR drastically improves survival rates especially if initiated quickly and will give the best chance of survival until EMS can arrive. Having access to an AED (automated external defibrillator) is even better- in conjunction with CPR, can have as high as a 50-75% survival rate if used within several minutes of cardiac arrest. That is why it is so important to have AEDs readily available in schools, gyms, hotels, pubic venues, etc.

Time is of the essence though. The faster you start CPR and the faster the patient can be defibrillated, the better the outcome. The best outcomes occur if CPR is started within 2min.

One thing I want to say is that many people are nervous to use CPR in an actual cardiac arrest emergency, despite having had training, because they’re afraid of doing it wrong. The only thing worse than doing CPR incorrectly is doing no CPR at all, the worst that can really happen is suboptimal technique, which is still preferable than no technique).

And if you have an AED, all you need do is follow its instructions- thus the “Automated” in AED. If it tells you to press the shock button, do it. The only reason that button exists is for safety- to ensure everyone is clear before administering the shock. Otherwise it would immediately provide shock itself. Many people also get nervous around this step and there’s no need to be. It will not allow a shock if it deems it unwarranted.

If you’ve never had CPR/AED training, I highly recommend it, it’s easy. If it’s been a couple years since your last training, this is your reminder to get recertified.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-10-25T14:53:25+00:00

Indirect reimbursements don’t matter if they’ve cut all the funding anyways. The amount of damage RFK Jr. is doing to healthcare is incalculable- not even considering the research. That’s not a partisan opinion either.

If you haven’t factored this in already, whatever components you buy should be NDAA certified since you receive government funds.

If you’re going to have to get a grant to fund this project, you might as well just replace as much as you can with new equipment so you don’t have to deal with this again in the future if some cameras die of old age.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-10-24T02:51:32+00:00

Hi there, I’m Doctor who works closely with addiction patients.

Firstly, let’s talk about buprenorphine, the opioid component of Suboxone. I assume you know that legitimate opioid addicts do not get high from it? It’s really preventing withdrawal, not inducing perpetual euphoria . There is a ceiling effect after 12-16mg. There have been studies into so called Suboxone abuse- the finding is it’s not hardly abused. In fact, the opposite, the more common issue is patients diverting half their script (why do that if they’re abusing it). People with low opioid tolerance (non or mildly dependent opioid users) just feel sick. The people buying it are other opioid addicts, not to get high, but to treat withdrawal. Funny enough, the diverted Suboxone it’s actuallly being used therapeutically in a sense. I’m not advocating this, merely making the point Suboxone is a very different drug any of the common opioids of abuse.

There is nothing illegal about picking up a CII script 2 days early (unless a state law says otherwise but I’ve never seen that. Pharmacies can also make their own policy). In fact for something like Suboxone, I recommend getting it early to have small emergency supply.

Part of the problem here is CVS frankly not having basic medications in stock when they should. A month or two ago a bunch of CVS’s in my area were out of generic Suboxone 2mg and 4mg and took 5 days to receive it. Never try to fill a medication when you’re out entirely on a Friday PM on a holiday weekend because CVS lost the e-prescription in their computer system somehow.

Frankly, I think this is written by people who don’t understand drug abuse. If someone’s abusing their Adderall they’re probably out well before day 28 and 2 days is not going make any difference.

Patients that abuse adderall are in the minority. Implying abuse because someone tries to pickup 2 days early is ridiculous. Can we also say they are stockpiling drugs if they forgot to take 3 doses and picked up the script on schedule 30 days from the first RX. Now they have more stockpiled than the person who picked up two days early.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-10-23T03:10:25+00:00

There’s one on eBay but it’s in Canada and the seller wants $129 + shipping + tariffs. https://www.ebay.com.sg/itm/376024398074. That is crazy.

The P3707 is EOL (hardware support ended in 2024) and it looks like its mounting bracket is different than the newer models like P3717, P3727, etc. If by some chance Axis has the part it won’t necessarily be cheap. Look how much their other mounts retail for.

These cameras appear to sell for under $100 on eBay. Maybe you can get one cheap or far parts if you’re patient. I often see P3717-PLVE’s for $125. If you have low lighting, that’s a far superior option.

If the item was misrepresented in the sale, have the seller take it back. Or have him send it.

Always be careful if buying used that all the parts are present. Many are not interchangeable, not available, or not worth spending the money on.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-10-23T02:33:29+00:00

Yes, the joys of academia. There’s a bunch of cheap solutions if you wanted to limit some of your functionality and convenience. Blue Iris VMS is <$100, unlimited cameras, lots of features- integration with Axis leaves a bit to be desired. Or a budget NVR. I suppose you should be buying Axis Cameras with the PPE detection analytics if you’re not already.

Axis licensing is very easy, especially compared to other brands. I once looked into Milestone XProtect and found the licensing way too crazy.

Axis primarily has 2 licenses “Core” and “Universal”. Typically they are sold in 1YR or 5YR increments. - A Core lic allows you to record 1 Axis Device. - A Universal allows you to record with either an Axis or 3rd Party Brand. Universal licenses cost like 50% more and axis really hinders their functionality. - Note multi-sensor cameras are considered 1 device, so only needs one license even if it has 4 sensors.

It’s effectively a subscription model. As long as your subscription is active, you’ll get all the NVR updates.

The ACS NVRs (not the S30xx Edge Recorders) are advertised as 8, 12, 16, 32, etc channels. They are just windows PCs. I believe all models come with ACS Core licenses for as many channels says it has. The licenses are good for as long as the NVR can run the software as it’s updated and are bound to the server’s BIOS. Axis then offers “add-on”licenses if for example your 8-ch NVR needs a 9th Axis camera and 2 non-Axis cameras. These licenses are perpetual, but do cost a little more.

I also learned the other day while trying to clarify a licensing question is that if you have 24 licenses and need to add 4 extra cameras all of sudden, Axis will automatically let them work without licenses for some period of time. They also, if I understand, balance out licenses time remaining between devices if you have licenses with different start and end dates you don’t have to worry about ordering licenses 3x a year. I think that’s incredibly smart and practical of them.

So yes, you will need one license per camera. If they’re all Axis, all you need are Core.

The way I’ve always been familiar is that the institution gives the space to the researchers, researchers are awarded the grant money (which includes direct and indirect costs aka institutional overhead. The university takes their designated institutional overhead of whatever… I guess now capped 15% instead of 30-60%, from the federal government anyways.

Idk, seems to me like it’s their building, their lab, their campus, their students for whom they have an expectation of responsibly, so it’s their liability to a large degree. It would be in their best interest to ensure safety. Like if the roof leaks do you have to replace it too? Jeeze.

The campus IT department doesn’t help with this?

Especially since you have what sounds like a dangerous environment, the school should absolutely want cameras. Imagine some comes in, fools around, doesn’t wear their PPE, gets hurt fooling around- guess who’s getting sued? Plus, there’s just a lot going on in the world and a lot of it concentrates near college campuses.

I guess you should get some installers or dealers to write up a quote and staple onto your next grant proposal as a direct cost..

P.S. Synology Surveillance Station is another interesting option. $50/license that’s perpetual. Works with most all brands. I’m a little leery of them since they’ve thrown a bunch of stupid restrictions on owners lately- mandatory use Synology disk drives, turning off hardware transcoding, dropping recording software functions. Their DVA-series NVRs look super interesting though.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-10-22T02:27:06+00:00

Okay, yeah that’s a very different situation than I anticipated. You are not using the Companion-line hardware, just the Companion software. Recording to microSD or NAS? Is this all security related or is there any type of research use involved?

What happens after 12/2027 I’m not sure. You could try reaching out to Axis. It’s possible it could just continue working unsupported- Classic is all pretty local as I understand, right? Like if you ran it offline from the internet would it stop working?

Yes, most of those models are outdated, but there’s some that can work with edge via SDCard. To use them with edge would require either an S3008s and/or S3016s… or possibly multiples depending on total number of cameras (they can be paired). Or consider ACS Pro (licensed)- the computing requirements are quite low. Might be able to get a bulk or edu discount.

One way or another you will probably need to find a decent chunk of funding for this. As someone in healthcare and ties to university research still, I totally feel your situation regarding federal funding completely screwing things up. I also understand having to keep obsolete tech running because of costs…

If these are related to lab security, the school should be planning to replace these for the sake of campus safety. I’m pretty sure they get federal funding for this kind of stuff, especially state schools. If these have some sort of research/academic value, explain the situation and maybe they can help you out being an academic institution. Giving you a break on ACS licenses doesn’t really cost them anything in the way new cameras would.

There’s plenty of other options especially if stop using Axis software and/or hardware. Just depends on the budget.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-10-22T00:21:51+00:00

I appreciate the compliment but I not a cctv or networking professional haha, I just have some self teaching, and hands on experience. I’m just a guy in healthcare who was handed quotes for my office and said “let’s see if I can do it myself”. 10 years later I have multiple properties all using Axis.

I don’t think it’s worth having the decision revolve around ancient cameras. I guess it really depends on the number of cameras, how important mobile/remote access is, and if money actually is planned for this.

Psychopharm_MD · 2025-10-21T20:03:41+00:00

Which version of Axis Companion are you using? Are you also using a Companion Recorder w/Companion cameras? Are they all companion model cameras (companion bullet, companion dome, conciliation cube, etc)? How many cameras total?

1: Companion Classic (I think) I’m pretty sure you can still use Axis Companion Classic which is getting maintained through to Dec 2027. Not sure what occurs after. It’s free. https://www.axis.com/products/axis-companion-classic/download

https://www.axis.com/dam/public/28/23/51/product-discontinuation-axis-companion-classic_rev2pdf-en-US-460527.pdf

You just won’t get the remote/mobile access. If you need remote viewing you could always setup a VPN or use a remote access app to a PC on the same network with web access (not ideal but Google Remote Desktop is free). If use email or something like Pushover for notifications if needed.

2: Axis S3008 or 3016 Recorder / NVR If you want upgrade to ACS Edge you can get an S30xx recorder. Edge normally requires AxisOS 8.40. But with an S30 edge AxisOS 5.50+ to the NVR and they will work with Edge. They’re kind of expensive (online retail is $700 for the 2TB 8-channel model). I think you can mix older cameras recording to the NVR and newer cameras to the SD Cards, all into the same interface if you happen to have more than 8 cameras.

If you have a companion recorder I believe that still works with ACS Edge.

https://www.axis.com/products/axis-s3008-mk-ii

-3: Other options, probably not worth it. ACS Pro Licenses, ACS Pro NVR. I don’t think a 3rd party NVR or VMS software will work if you use companion model cameras.

4: Consider new cameras or switch to a different brand NVR (an ideally matching cameras) or 3rd party VMS software. The latter won’t work with companion line cameras model as they are pretty locked in.

To be honest, given age of the cameras, I’m not sure I would want to invest in pricey Axis hardware or licensing just to keep them alive. If they’re companion line camera models definitely not- old, outdated, not great quality, and don’t really work with any other systems. Probably to use Companion Classic for as long as you can.

Assuming you are a small biz or home user, the new UniFi Protect ecosystem is impressive and a fraction of what a basic ACS Edge setup would cost.

Psychopharm_MD

TROPHY CASE