ThermovisionFLIR FCSeries Installation Manual

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The camera has an Ethernet connection that allows streaming video over an IP network as well as 
configuration and control of the camera1. It is possible to stream video and control the camera as it is 
from the factory, without making any configuration changes. However in most cases the camera will have 
at least some configuration changes to allow it to connect with other devices on the existing network. 
Once the camera is connected to a network and powered on, the user can choose to use either the FLIR 
Sensors Manager (FSM) software or a web browser2 to view the video and control the camera. The FSM 
software is included with the camera. Refer to the FSM User Manual for details about using the software; 
the manual is available from the Windows Start menu once the software is installed.
Getting the camera IP interface set up and working may require a level of familiarity with managing IP 
networks that is new to many security professionals. Prior to configuring the IP interface and streaming 
video parameters, make sure you know how to manage and configure the other equipment in the 
network (for example, any PC or device that will connect to the camera, any router or firewall that will 
carry the IP traffic, and so on). FLIR technical support can only provide limited support in this regard.
2.1 Basic Test and Configuration Steps
Assuming the existing network uses IP addresses that are unique and different than the default address 
on the camera, configuring the camera for IP communications generally involves the following steps:
Step 1 Connect the Ethernet port to an IP network that is isolated from the existing camera network 
(for example, a standalone switch)
Step 2 Connect a PC or laptop to the same network 
Step 3 Temporarily set the IP address of the PC or laptop to be compatible with the factory network 
address of the camera (for example, 192.168.250.1)
Step 4 Perform a bench test of the camera using a web browser or FSM, prior to making any 
parameter changes (this step is optional but recommended)
Step 5 Configure the camera settings, such as IP address, camera date/time, security settings, and 
video stream parameters, so the camera is compatible with the existing network equipment
Step 6 Save the configuration changes and restart the server
Step 7 Connect the camera to the existing network and test the camera
Step 8 Make a backup of the new configuration
2.2 Camera Bench Test 
The camera offers both analog video and IP video, and since the camera can be powered by PoE+ or by 
a conventional power supply, there are several ways to bench test the camera. It is recommended that 
the installer test the camera using the same type of connections as in the final installation. 
Even if using analog video and conventional power in the final installation, it is a good idea to test the IP 
communications when performing the bench test. If any image adjustments are necessary, they can be 
done using a web browser over the IP connection, and saved as power-on default settings. 
1. For this chapter, it is assumed the camera will be connected to a network via Ethernet. For 
installations that use only analog video output, it is not possible to make configuration 
changes unless an Ethernet connection is also used.
2. The web interface is supported on Microsoft Internet Explorer version 9, as well as the latest 
versions of Google Chrome and Mozilla Firefox. 
						

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With the camera powered up, analog video can be tested at either the BNC connector or the RCA 
connector. Connect the camera to a video monitor and confirm the live video is displayed on the 
monitor. 
If using a conventional power supply, connect the camera to a network switch with an Ethernet cable, 
and connect a PC or laptop to the switch also. Use a web browser to access and test the camera as 
described below, and if necessary make configuration changes prior to installation. 
2.3 Web Browser Interface
The FC-Series camera is shipped with an IP address set to 192.168.250.116. Set the PC or laptop 
network adapter to a compatible IP address, for example: 192.168.250.1 with a netmask of 
255.255.255.0. If you are unsure how to set the IP address on the PC or laptop, refer to 
Setting the IP 
address on a Windows PC, pg. 2-19.
Use a web browser to connect to the camera as described below, and confirm it is streaming video. 
Once the bench test is complete, use the web browser to make configuration changes as needed (for 
example, set the IP address to an address that is compatible with the existing network). It is also a 
good idea to run the FSM software and confirm it is working with the camera as expected.
It is possible to log in to the camera using one of three User Names: user, expert, and admin.  
By default, the passwords are: user, exper t, and fliradmin, respectively. The user login can be used 
to do the initial bench test of the camera. The expert login may be used to make configuration 
changes such as setting the IP address. The login passwords should be changed to prevent 
unauthorized log ins. To change the passwords, refer to 
Basic Camera Configuration, pg. 2-6.
Note
Log in to the Camera Web Page
Step 1 Open a web browser and enter: http:\\
.168.250.116. The login screen with a picture of 
the camera will appear.
Step 2 Enter user for the User Name and user for the Password, and click Log in.
Two web sessions can be active at once. An inactive session will be stopped after 20 minutes.
Figure 2-1: Camera Web Page Login Screen 
						

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2.3.1 Live Video Page
The Live Video page will be displayed, with a live image from the camera on the left part of the 
screen. Next to the FLIR logo along the top of the screen are some menu choices, including Live 
Video (the red text indicates it is selected), Help, and Log out. The expert and admin logins will see 
additional menu choices. 
If the live video is not displayed, refer to Troubleshooting Tips, pg. 2-14. In the lower right of the web 
page there is a frame rate selector. This selector allows the user to change the rate at which the 
frames are displayed in the browser. This rate controls the user’s own web browser only, and does not 
affect the video streams to other users or to an NVR.
Help
At the top of the page, the Help menu displays software version information. This page has 
information about the camera including hardware and software revision numbers, part numbers, and 
serial numbers. If it is necessary to contact FLIR Technical Support for assistance, it will be helpful to 
have the information from this page (such as Software Version) on hand. 
Log out
Use this button to disconnect from the camera and stop the display of the video stream. If a web 
session is inactive for 20 minutes, it will be stopped and you will have to log in again.
Toggle Camera/PC time
Use this button to view either your PC time or the camera time.
Figure 2-2: Live Video Web Page Video
Analytics
AreaTemperature Alarm
Temperature
Reading
Mouse-over
Toggle Time
Snapshot 
						

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Temperature—FC-Series R camera only
The FC-Series R camera can provide temperature measurements, the precision of which depend on 
many factors, including the ambient temperature, the distance to the object, and emissivity, an 
indication of how well a particular material radiates energy. By default, box and spot measurement 
areas are setup near the center of the video image to alarm near 90 °F (body temperature). Refer to 
Temperature Monitoring Setup (FC-Series R camera only), pg. 3-7.
Camera Control and Status
In the lower left of the screen are two indicator lights: Control and Status. 
Initially the Control light is off, as in the image above, indicating the user is not 
able to control the camera. When multiple users are connected to a camera, 
only one user at a time can issue commands to the camera. If another user 
has control of the camera, the Control light is yellow. A user is able to request 
control of the camera by clicking on the yellow or black light, or simply by 
sending a command to the camera. The Status light may turn off temporarily 
while waiting for the response from the camera. Be patient, there may be a slight delay between each 
command while the browser waits for a response from the camera. 
In addition, when the cursor is moved over the video, there are mouse-over zoom buttons and a 
mouse-over snapshot button. The zoom buttons appear in the lower left of the screen; the snapshot 
button appears in the upper right of the screen. After clicking the snapshot button, the video image is 
saved as a .jpg file and the browser will provide prompts depending on which browser is being used.
We b Co ntro l Pan el
The control buttons on the right side of the page provide a way to control 
the camera in a limited number of ways. When the mouse cursor is 
positioned over a button, a tool tip is displayed. 
This same web interface is used with various FLIR thermal cameras—
some are fixed, such as the FC-Series cameras, and some are pan/tilt 
cameras. As a result, different buttons in the control panel will appear for 
different FLIR cameras.
The following buttons appear for the FC-Series cameras:
Digital Zoom
These buttons zoom the displayed video. The zoom state (and other camera settings) 
can be saved in the IR Setup page (refer to 
Save Settings, pg. 3-3). This will allow the 
camera to retain the desired zoom state (field of view) after the power is cycled.
Toggle Polarity
This button changes the polarity of the assigned colors to the different temperatures in a 
scene. In the black and white palette for example, hot objects are displayed as white and 
cold objects as black, or vice versa. 
Toggle Palette
This button causes the camera to cycle through six different look up table (LUT) color 
palettes. Depending on the subjects viewed, one color palette may be preferable to the 
others. The Toggle Polarity button allows access to six more palettes (refer to 
Misc. (Lookup 
Ta b l e ), pg. 3-3). 
Mouse-over
Zoom 
						

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Perform IR NUC Calibration 
This button causes the camera to perform a Non-Uniformity Correction operation (refer to 
Image freezes momentarily, pg. 2-14).
Toggle Automatic Gain Control (AGC)
This button causes the camera to cycle through 5 different AGC options that use a 
combination of settings to produce different configurations that could improve the video 
image for a given set of conditions. 
Toggle Scene Preset
This button causes the camera to cycle through 5 different image settings. The Scene 
Presets cause the image brightness and contrast to adjust. Depending on the time of day, 
weather, and other conditions, one Scene Preset may be preferable to the others.
Function
The FC-Series cameras have additional features or functions which can be accessed using 
an extra numeric function keypad. It is possible to create customized camera functions 
through a “macro” interface which can be programmed through XML commands. Contact 
FLIR Technical Support for information about the Nexus XML-Based Control Interfaces. 
When the Function button is selected, the keypad changes to a numeric 
keypad providing programmed functions (1 - 9). Select the back arrow to 
return to the main keypad. Some specific cameras can have additional 
functions (10 - 18). The forward arrow will access these.
Refer to the following table for definitions of the nine functions available to 
FC-Series cameras. The video enhancing options in some cases may 
improve the video image, at least temporarily. Over time or as the 
environment changes, the scene could change and the resulting image 
may no longer be optimal.
FNFunctionDescription
1Enable EEEdge enhancement (EE) is an image processing technique that enhances details by 
emphasizing lines and edges. It may be possible to see fine details more easily in some 
scenes, but it could also make the image somewhat more grainy or pixilated. 
2Disable EE
3SAL-DRE Global
The Scene Adaptive Local Dynamic Range Enhancement (SAL-DRE) algorithm may 
improve the dynamic range of some scenes by adaptive tone mapping such that the 
contents in both the dark and bright regions are visible.
4SAL-DRE Local
5SAL-DRE Off
6SAL-DRE Low
7SAL-DRE Medium
8SAL-DRE High
9Send Test Email
An email will be sent to the default email list as configured in the Notification Lists using 
the SMTP server defined in Msg Systems (refer to 
Msg Systems, pg. 2-9). The email will 
have simply “Test” in the Subject and “FC-Series Test Email” in the message body. 
						

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2.4 Basic Camera Configuration
The following procedures describe how to do the most common bench test camera configuration 
steps, such as setting the camera IP address and hostname and changing the user password. To 
make these changes, it is necessary to login using the expert user account. Additional setup and 
configuration options required after the camera has been installed in its final location are described 
after the basic steps are given, refer to 
Advanced Configuration, pg. 3-1.
2.4.1 Setup Menu
The Setup menu is used for GEO Settings (Latitude and Longitude, for example), thermal (IR) 
camera settings, defining Video Analytics motion detection zones, and setting Radiometry 
temperature measurement areas (FC-Series R only), refer to 
Setup Menu, pg. 3-1. 
Adjustments to the IR settings should only be made by someone who has expertise with thermal 
cameras and a thorough understanding of how the various settings affect the image. In most 
installations, the only camera settings needed are available from the Web Control panel on the Live 
Video page (Scene Presets, Polarity, Palettes, AGC, and zoom). Haphazard changes can lead to 
image problems including a complete loss of video. Additional information is provided in 
Thermal 
Image Setup, pg. 3-2. 
When a user logs in as admin, a complete Maintenance menu is available (refer to Global Settings, 
pg. 3-10). The Maintenance menu also provides access to other configuration options. For more 
information on setting or changing other camera parameters refer to the Nexus IP Camera 
Configuration Guide (FLIR Doc #427-0030-00-28).
2.4.2 Server Menu
When a user logs in as exper t, the Maintenance Server 
menus are available. When the Server menu is selected, the 
LAN Settings page appears.
In order to make some configuration changes through the 
Maintenance menu, it is necessary to save the changes, then 
stop and restart the server to make the changes take effect
3. 
The basic camera configuration steps are accessed through 
the Maintenance Server menu, using the menus on the left 
side of the page. The LAN Settings, Services, and Security 
Options selections are described below. The expert login has 
access to these Server pages, but will only see the security 
settings for the user login. 
3.  When making configuration changes using the Setup page, most of the changes take 
effect immediately, and it is not necessary to start and stop the server. However it is neces
-
sary to save the changes (with the Save Settings button at the bottom of the page) if it is 
desirable to use the new settings as a default when the camera is powered on. 
						

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LAN Settings:  The LAN Settings page can be used to set the hostname, default gateway, and IP 
address for the camera. A more descriptive Friendly Name (used by FSM) can be set from the 
Product Info page with the admin login. The default IP Address mode is static; the mode can also be 
set to DHCP.
When the LAN settings are changed and the Save 
button is clicked, a pop-up message will appear to 
indicate the network interface must be restarted.
Once the IP address of the camera is changed, the PC 
may no longer be on the same network and therefore 
may not be able to access the camera until the IP 
address on the PC is changed also. For that reason, 
you may wish to change the IP address after making 
other configuration changes.
To reset the IP address to the factory default using a 
loopback connector, refer to 
Restoring the Factory 
Settings, pg. 3-26.
Note
The IP address is temporarily displayed on the analog video after the camera finishes its boot cycle. 
If you are unsure of the camera IP address, it is useful to reboot the camera and watch for the IP 
Address information after the camera boots up (usually about 90 seconds after power is applied). 
						

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Services Menu
Date and Time:  The Date and Time settings page is used to configure the date and time settings. 
The date, time, and time zone can be obtained from an NTP server, or can be entered manually. If 
NTP mode is selected, the NTP server information can be entered. The Nexus server must be 
stopped before changes can be saved. After saving changes, it is necessary to restart the server to 
make them effective. 
If the Custom mode is selected, a pop-up window allows the information to be entered manually. 
Set the date and time parameters, then select the Save button at the bottom of the page.
To g g l e  S e r v e r  ( S t o p / S t a r t ) 
						

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Msg Systems:  Use the Msg Systems page to setup a connection to a mail server to send outgoing 
email notifications.
Ensure Gateway and DNS servers are supplied. Refer to LAN Settings, pg. 2-7. Configure the Msg 
Systems page with mail server information then click Save.
Notification Lists:  Use this page to setup multiple email addresses and other notifications that can 
be sent as a result of alarms being processed by the Alarm Manager.
The email address entered into the Default Notification List will be used to send a test email (FN 9) 
from the Live Video page. 
						

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Server Status:  The Server Status page provides an indication of the current server status (either 
running or stopped) and buttons for starting or stopping the server or for rebooting the system. 
After making configuration changes, it is necessary to save the changes to the server (there is a Save 
button at the bottom of each configuration page). The configuration changes do not take effect 
immediately. Generally, it is also necessary to stop and restart the server for the changes to become 
effective. The server has a configuration that is active and running, and another configuration that is 
saved (and possibly different than the running configuration). 
The message at the bottom of the page indicates the 
saved configuration is different than the active (running) 
configuration, and it is necessary to restart the server. 
It may take up to 20 seconds or more to stop the server, especially when there are multiple video 
streams open. Be patient when stopping the server.
When the server is stopped and the page is refreshed, the 
status will show as “Server Stopped.” and the Start button 
will be enabled rather than Stop.
Click on the Start button to restart the server, and when 
the page refreshes, the status will again show as “Server 
Running…”. The Start button will be replaced by a Stop 
button when the startup procedure has completed.
To g g l e  S e r v e r  ( S t o p / S t a r t )