If you’ve been shopping for an IP camera, chances are you’ve seen the phrase “ONVIF-compliant”. But what does ONVIF means? Literally – Open Network Video Interface Forum. Conceptually it is a ‘common calling protocol‘ for all devices that establishes conformance expectations for easy plug and play when a single interface has been implemented. In simpler words, it enables different brands of cameras to communicate with different brands of recorders or security surveillance softwares.
- ONVIF profiles make it easy to recognize how ONVIF conformant devices and clients are compatible with one another. An ONVIF profile has a fixed set of features that must be supported by a conformant device and client. It ensures that a client that conforms to Profile S, for example, will work with a device that also conforms to Profile S.
- But it implements enough of the ONVIF protocol that a Milestone system can be added to some other VMS's as an 'onvif camera'. IPVM did some testing on it in 2016 and some improvements were made since then which may or may not have improved it's compatibility.
ONVIF was founded in 2008 by Axis Communications, Bosch Security Systems, and Sony Corporation. According ONVIF.org, it’s an open industry forum for the development of a global standard for the interface of IP-based physical security products, such as communication between video management systems and devices (i.e. cameras and encoders) as well as access control systems.
In the past, when a camera manufacturer would release a new camera, it would develop a new technology protocol to go with it. If the same manufacturer were to develop another new camera line, another set of new protocols would need to be created – and so on and so forth. Making the matter even more complicated, if you want the VMS you’re using to talk to those cameras, you would have to develop separate drivers for each protocol API. ONVIF allows the VMS to integrate with cameras from multiple different manufacturers much more easily.
The three core tenets of ONVIF are about interoperability between network video products, regardless of manufacturer; standardization of communication between network video devices; and be open to all companies and organizations. The ONVIF Specifications covers things like IP configuration; device discovery; device management; PTZ camera control; and video analytics. Working in parallel are ONVIF Profiles. Profile C is for IP-based access control; Profile G is for edge storage and retrieval; and Profile S is for IP-based video systems.
What does it mean to be ONVIF compliant?
It means that you will have the confidence that your product, be it client or device, will work with other products certified at the same level. For example, a Profile S device can be expected to work with a Profile S client.
ONVIF is very flexible and covers the most common use cases at a high level. To establish conformance, the ONVIF organization created a test tool to validate the systems being built for both the video device (sender device) and the VMS (receiver client). Consider the tool to be like a test VMS. Windows now allows users to associate network cameras to their PC, enabling photo capture and streaming of video in camera applications. Currently Windows only supports ONVIF Profile S compliant cameras., which are standards-compliant network cameras optimized for real-time streaming video capture.
To help with that, ONVIF provides a test specification tool and a test tool to its members. The test tools and procedures are used in order to declare compliancy with an ONVIF Profile. Once all requirements are met in the conformance process, members can declare they are ONVIF Compliant. Members can get compliant within a week after completing testing and submitting their application to ONVIF. The testing process itself varies depending if issues are encountered or not during testing. Currently, there are more than 3,700 ONVIF conformant products out on the market.
Do you have to be ONVIF compliant and Profile S compliant?
It is not possible to be ONVIF compliant only; you need to be compliant to a Profile as well. You can be ONVIF conformant only, but if you are it is not guaranteed that you would get interoperability between other ONVIF devices and clients. To truly reap the benefits of ONVIF, you need to be Profile S compliant as it dramatically increases the chance of things like video and audio streaming or video configuration and multicast actually working well together.
How to tell whether my camera/recorder supports ONVIF?
The easy way is to contact the manufacturer and ask them whether their product supports the ONVIF protocol. If the equipment you purchased is a recent product and from a well-known company then most likely is ONVIF compliant. Before purchasing make sure to confirm if the manufacturer.
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What is ONVIF?
To put it simply, ONVIF will create a communication standard between video surveillance devices and other physical security areas. The goal is to achieve interoperability between network video products, even if they are manufa ctured by different companies. The standardized interfaces that ONVIF creates will promote effective interoperability of IP-based physical security products that are conformant to ONVIF standards.
ONVIF as an organization was started by Axis Communication, Bosch Security Systems and Sony. ONVIF membership is open to manufacturers, software developers, consultants, system integrators, and all end users and other interest groups that wish to participate in this forum. So far ONVIF has 480 active members, including prominent companies such as ASSA ABLOY AB, Canon Inc. , Huawei Technologies Co., Panasonic Corporation etc.
How does ONVIF relate to physical security?
Essentially, ONVIF enables the users to choose their ideal surveillance device without worrying about it being incompatible with video management softwares. When users make decisions regarding security devices, they are not no longer locked in to a specific brand, since ONVIF CCTV and ONVIF IP cameras are conformant to a unified standard. Take a realistic example to see how ONVIF can be applied in real life scenarios:
When the police department of a city is trying to determine which surveillance cameras to purchase and install, it faces a dilemma: cameras with different functions and features are needed to ensure the comprehensive surveillance of the city. Various features such as strength, accuracy, and angles are required, and they are provided by different vendors. The cost might be prohibited and the process of analyzing and integrating those video data are potentially complex as well.
With ONVIF standards, however, the police department can choose the devices freely among different manufacturers and vendors as long as they are ONVIF conformant. Products from different manufacturers can be used under the same system since they ‘’speak the same language’’. Devices such as ONVIF IP camera and ONVIF CCTV are totally compatible to one universal standard, so there will be no issue for such devices to communicate with each other. In this way, the police department has a wide range of vendors and manufacturers to choose from, without spending extra money and human resources on the software part of video management process.
How is ONVIF used in practice?
ONVIF is used widely in practice covering various areas of the video product and network interface fields:
● IP configuration
● Device discovery
● Device management
● Media configuration
● Real time viewing
● Event handling
● PTZ camera control
● Video analytics
● Security
● Device discovery
● Device management
● Media configuration
● Real time viewing
● Event handling
● PTZ camera control
● Video analytics
● Security
How can I find ONVIF compatible devices?
If you are looking for ONVIF compatible devices in general , simply go to https://www.ONVIF.org/conformant-products/ , and in the Application Type drop-down menu, select Device , the start the Search , a full list of conformant devices are presented. Notice that the ONVIF Conformant Product List is the authoritative source for determining whether a product is ONVIF Conformant.
What Is Onvif Compatible Camera
If you are looking for ONVIF camera list specifically, simply type Camera in the Product Name column, and start the Search . In the ONVIF camera list, the names, profiles, approved dates, as well as the manufacturers of the cameras are listed. Xtl 2500 installation manual.
What Is Onvif Compatible Modems
Below is an image of two ONVIF conformant cameras, models Axis dome cameras 212PTZ and M3005-V respectively.