# Check Axis I/O circuit state against its active setting > Read Axis I/O circuit state and active-state configuration together. Do not infer an alarm meaning from an open or closed level without checking the port’s direction and configured interpretation. - Canonical URL: https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/check-axis-i-o-circuit-state-against-its-active-setting/ - Publisher: Detection Systems & Engineering (DSE Security) - Author: DSE Security Editorial Team - Published: 2026-10-29T20:33:29+00:00 - Modified: 2026-10-29T20:33:34+00:00 - Last reviewed by DSE: 2026-10-29 - Resource type: Guide - DSE priority: Advisory - Topics: Access Control, IT, Video Surveillance - Reading time: 3 minutes ## What you need to know Read Axis I/O circuit state and active-state configuration together. Do not infer an alarm meaning from an open or closed level without checking the port’s direction and configured interpretation. ## Potentially affected Axis products exposing the documented Input and outputs interface; confirm actual device, hardware and software applicability before applying the proposed checks. ## DSE recommendation DSE recommends a port worksheet linking direction, raw circuit state, active-state configuration and intended event meaning. ## Article Bottom line: Keep the measured circuit level separate from the configured active state. Have the sensor and integration owners agree which combination represents the intended operational event before changing an input rule. ## Source fact: documented behavior Axis’s [Input and outputs](https://developer.axis.com/vapix/network-video/input-and-outputs/) says the I/O check result uses 1 for a closed circuit and 0 for an open circuit. The checkactive result instead depends on Output.Active for an output or Input.Trig for an input. Its ActiveStateEnum defines open as active when floating and closed as active when grounded. ## What the source does not establish Do not turn an active flag into a diagnosis of wiring, supervision or a specific detector. Confirm the connector, device capability and manufacturer wiring instructions before a physical change. Keep simple circuit interpretation separate from supervised-input voltage ranges and from approval of a life-safety function. ## Applicability questions - Which physical connector and logical port identifier are being reviewed? - Is that port configured as an input or an output? - What circuit condition should represent the approved active event? - What independent observation can distinguish the detector state from the API interpretation? ## DSE recommendation: controlled next steps The following steps are DSE recommendations based on the cited source. DSE recommends a port worksheet linking direction, raw circuit state, active-state configuration and intended event meaning. - Identify an authorized noncritical test input with its hardware owner. Record the connector and the API’s actual port identifier without assuming every interface uses the same numbering convention. Read direction and the relevant active-state configuration through supported operations, then write the intended normal and active observations in separate rows. - Have the qualified hardware owner select a permitted way to exercise the input according to the exact product and detector instructions. Do not short an unfamiliar connector or apply an improvised voltage to demonstrate a software flag. Keep the initial configuration available and leave an unexplained wiring state unresolved. - During the attended pilot, collect the raw circuit result and active result at each approved test state. Compare both with the worksheet and the detector observation. If the values disagree with the intended event, investigate the identified direction and configuration before reversing several downstream rules. Restore the approved normal state and verify the consuming application separately. ## Verification and evidence Retain the device and connector reference, port identity, direction, configuration values and paired observations. Have another reviewer explain why a circuit level and an active flag answer different questions. Require a specific disposition for an undefined or unexpected state rather than translating it silently into normal. Use a proposed paper case with an input configured active when open and another configured active when closed. Ask the reviewer to derive the intended interpretation from the documented settings, without claiming either arrangement describes an installed detector. No wiring inspection, input transition or alarm test has been performed for this article. ## Official references - [Input and outputs](https://developer.axis.com/vapix/network-video/input-and-outputs/) — Axis Communications; official VAPIX documentation. Source review completed October 29, 2026. Recheck the official documentation and the deployed device’s capabilities before changing production settings. ## Primary reference - Name: Axis Communications — Input and outputs - Authority: Axis Communications - URL: https://developer.axis.com/vapix/network-video/input-and-outputs/ - Source publication date: Not stated by the source ## Citation and use Preferred citation: “Check Axis I/O circuit state against its active setting,” DSE Security, https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/check-axis-i-o-circuit-state-against-its-active-setting/ Publishing principles: https://update.dsesecurity.com/updates/dse-updates-editorial-methodology/ Usage and citation policy: https://update.dsesecurity.com/usage/ Copyright © 2026 Detection Systems & Engineering. All rights reserved.