ONVIF standard and VMS system compatibility

NGÀY ĐĂNG 18/09/2025

Admin

Have you ever encountered a situation where the camera is not compatible with the management software, having a headache finding an integration solution between multiple devices? ONVIF is the key to opening an open, flexible and economical security ecosystem. This article will explain in detail the ONVIF standard, how it works and Outstanding benefits when integrating with VMS system, helping you build optimal monitoring solutions, no longer worrying about technical barriers or depending on a single supplier.

What is ONVIF?

ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) is a global open standard for physical security devices based on IP, such as surveillance cameras (IP cameras), video recording systems (NVR/DVR), video management software (VMS) and other related devices.

Simply put: ONVIF is like a "common language" that helps security devices from many different manufacturers to communicate and work together easily.

Why is ONVIF important?

Interoperability:

• Previously, brand A cameras usually only worked well with brand A recorders. ONVIF broke this barrier.

• Now, you can buy a Sony ONVIF camera, connect it with a Hikvision ONVIF DVR and use Milestone ONVIF surveillance software without major compatibility issues.

Flexibility & Freedom of Choice:

• You are not "vendor lock-in" to a single manufacturer.

• You can choose the best equipment that suits your needs. integrate with your needs and budgets from multiple vendors.

• Easily expand your system later with new devices without worrying about compatibility.

Future-Proofing: Standards are developed and constantly updated, making it easy for your system to integrate new technologies.

How does ONVIF work?

• ONVIF defines a set of standard network protocols and application programming interfaces (APIs).

• ONVIF-compliant devices implement the protocols and This API.

• When they need to communicate (for example, a VMS software wants to view video from a camera), they will use these common protocols to "talk" to each other, regardless of who manufactured them.

Types of devices that typically support ONVIF

• IP Cameras(Network Surveillance Cameras)

• Network Video Recorders (NVR) & Digital Video Recorders (DVR) (Network/Digital Video Recorders) number)

• Video Management Software (VMS) (Video management software - such as Milestone XProtect, Genetec Security Center...)

• Video Analytics Engines (Video analytics engines)

• Access Control Units (Access control devices)

• Physical Access Control Systems (PACS) (Physical access control systems)

• Interoperable Devices (Other interactive devices such as sensors, alarm system...)

Popular ONVIF Profiles

To address different specific needs, ONVIF creates Profiles. A Profile defines a specific set of features that devices must support to ensure interoperability for that purpose. When selecting devices, you need to check which Profiles they support and whether they are the same.

• Profile S: For video and audio streams. Is most popular profile. Cameras supporting Profile S can send video/audio to NVR/VMS supporting Profile S.

• Profile G: For video storage and search (more for NVR).

• Profile T: Advanced for video streaming, supports new compression standards such as H.265, more flexible compression configuration, PTZ control.

• Profile C: Select physical access control.

• Profile Q: Select Quick Setup, making it easier to discover and configure basic device configuration.

• Profile A: Select advanced administration, such as users, permissions.

ONVIF is an open standard that enables IP security devices from different manufacturers to connect and work together seamlessly. It offers flexibility, freedom of choice, easy expansion, and protects your investment in surveillance security. When purchasing IP security devices, always look for the ONVIF logo and check the Profile it supports. support! 

What is a VMS?

Video Management System (VMS) is a centralized management software designed to monitor, record, store and analyze data from security cameras (IP cameras, analog cameras) and other surveillance devices. This system helps to control security effectively, especially in environments that require continuous monitoring such as enterprises, factories, hospitals, traffic, smart cities.

 Main Functions

• Video monitoring and recording: Real-time monitoring, recording and easy data retrieval.

• Video analysis: Integrate tools such as motion detection, face recognition, license plate recognition, smart search.

• Device control: PTZ control, management I/O alarm, two-way audio if camera supports .

• Management User: Access permissions, role assignment, integration with authentication systems such as Active Directory.

• Other system integration: Link with access control, POS, dedicated cameras, alarms, etc.

• System health monitoring: Device status monitoring, alarm report when there is a problem or update the system firmware.

Main Components of VMS

Management Software center

• User interface (GUI) for live viewing, camera control (PTZ), video playback.

• Multi-platform support (Windows, Linux, macOS, mobile app).

Surveillance camera

• IP camera, analog camera (via converter), AI camera.

• Support ONVIF, RTSP standards for multi-platform compatibility goods.

Storage System

• Local Storage (NVR/DVR): Stores video on directly attached hard drives.

• Cloud Storage: Cloud storage (AWS, Google Cloud, Azure).

• Hybrid Storage: Combines both local and cloud.

Video Analytics

• Motion detection, face recognition, license plate recognition.

• Intrusion warning, people counting, traffic flow.

Integration of other systems

• Access control system Control).

• Alarm System.

• IoT sensors (temperature, smoke, motion).

Benefits of VMS

 Increased security

• 24/7 monitoring, quick incident detection.

• Reduce the risk of theft and illegal intrusion.

 Cost savings

• Reduce manual supervisory worker.

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• Optimize bandwidth and storage capacity.

 Easy to expand

• Add new cameras without no need to change the system.

• Support thousands of cameras in the same system.

 Decision support

• Analyze data to optimize operations (eg: counting customers in a supermarket).

• Automatically generate reports.

ONVIF and VMS system compatibility

1. Role of ONVIF in VMS integration

Operating principle: ONVIF provides a standardized interface (API and network protocol) for VMS to communicate with IP devices such as cameras, NVRs, sensors. Thanks to that, VMS can control, receive video, audio and metadata from devices of many different brands without the need for separate drivers

ONVIF profiles (S, T, G, M...) help determine which features the camera or VMS supports.

2. Compatibility Mechanism: ONVIF Profiles

ONVIF defines profiles to standardize the minimum features that devices and VMSs must support. Important profiles for VMS include:

Note:

• The device and VMS must support the same profile to be compatible. For example, a Camera that only supports Profile S will not be able to send AI metadata to the VMS if the VMS requests Profile M.

• Profile Q (fast profile) has been discontinued since 2022.

3. Challenges when integrating ONVIF with VMS

• Partial compatibility: Some devices "claim" to support ONVIF but do not fully comply with the technical specifications, leading to errors such as:

  • Unable to control PTZ via VMS even though the video connection is successful.

  • Audio playback error due to lack of standard codec support.

• Configuration wrong:

  • ONVIF is disabled by default on some cameras (manual activation required).

  • Incorrect network port (default is port 80, but some products use a separate port).

• Firmware issue: The firmware version does not match the ONVIF standard registered version, causing connection loss.

 4. Technical solution to ensure compatibility like

Check ONVIF standards before purchasing:

• Look up products in the – single source of truth to confirm device compliance.

• Prefer devices that display the ONVIF logo on the packaging.

Use testing tools:

• ONVIF Device Manager (ODM): Discover devices in the network, check support profiles support, test video/PTZ stream.

• Synchronize time between device and VMS to avoid authentication errors.

Update firmware:

• Always use the latest firmware from the manufacturer (e.g. Hanwha recommends using the latest version even if ONVIF has certified the old version).

Choose a VMS that supports ONVIF flexibly:

• Some VMS are free fee as DSE VMS allows management of up to 256 multi-line cameras via ONVIF, automatically detecting devices.

 5. Benefits of ONVIF-VMS integration

• Cost savings: Not dependent on a manufacturer, easy to expand the system.

• Increased flexibility: Integrate cameras, sensors, control systems Access Control via Profile A/C.

• Security: Profile T supports HTTPS encryption, preventing eavesdropping on video data.

Practical benefits for each subject

 1. Business owners/Facility managers

ONVIF and VMS helps you save 30-50% of investment costs by combining multi-brand devices. You are not "locked in" to a supplier, easily replace broken devices or expand the system to hundreds of cameras without having to change VMS. The system also increases security efficiency thanks to automatic intrusion warnings via email/SMS from AI cameras integrated with ONVIF Profile M.

2. Security/Surveillance Personnel

You can centrally manage up to 32 multi-cameras (Bosch) on a single VMS screen. The smart video retrieval feature helps find incidents in 5 seconds by filtering by motion/color. Camera supports ONVIF Profile T reduces 80% of false alarms (eliminates alarms caused by rain/insects), and allows remote PTZ control (pan/zoom) right on the phone.

 3. Technician/System Deployment

ONVIF helps you set up the system quickly – tools like ONVIF Device Manager automatically detect 50 cameras in the network and add them to VMS with just one click. You don't need to worry about device conflicts thanks to the standard protocol, and troubleshoot easily by directly checking the RTSP stream without the need for the manufacturer's own software. VMS supports ONVIF and is cross-platform (Windows/Linux/Cloud) for flexible deployment.

 4. System Integrator (SI)

With ONVIF, you reduce deployment time by 50% by quickly connecting devices from 20+ different brands to one VMS. You can can create customized solutions by integrating cameras + access control systems + IoT sensors on the same interface, and remotely maintain them. The biggest competitive advantage is to proactively choose cheap ONVIF-compliant components instead of relying on expensive equipment.

 5. Household/Individual

You are free to choose the equipment that optimizes your budget. The system allows multi-point monitoring such as front door and back yard cameras on the same phone application, and sends smart alerts when detecting children coming home or strangers breaking in.

The future of ONVIF and VMS

1. The future of ONVIF: from device communication to cloud services and video security

• ONVIF has expanded its mission: not only standardizing communication between IP devices, but also supporting cloud-based IP security services and hybrid.

• The organization is collaborating with C2PA (Coalition for Content Provenance and Authenticity) to develop a media signing standard to ensure authenticity along the entire video recording chain (anti-deepfake, video evidence protection).

• The ONVIF database now includes over 30,000 compliant products — reflecting the popularity and high reputation in the industry.

 Points worth noting:

• Better support for the model cloud / hybrid deployment model

• Enhanced video integrity protection from capture to storage

• Each ONVIF profile still plays a specific role— e.g. ProfileM for metadata/analytics, ProfileT for advanced streaming, Profile C/A for access control

 2. Future trends of VMS: AI, Cloud, Edge and Openness

According to new market reports:

• AI/ML integration is on the rise: VMS is no longer just a video recording and playback platform, but an overall processing platform behavioral alerts, facial recognition, traffic analytics, and customer behavior.

• Cloud-native & VMS as a Service (VMSaaS): By 2030, cloud/hybrid VMS will become more common, with flexible scalability and simplified deployment‌.

• Edge Computing: Processing video on-device or near the data source reduces latency, saves bandwidth, and improves efficiency in emergency or IoT systems ‌.

• Enhancing cybersecurity: With increasing security requirements, VMS must support end‑to‑end encryption, multi‑factor authentication, firmware auditing, and anti-ransomware‌.

• Interoperability & Open Standards: With ONVIF expansion and cooperation with organizations such as PSIA, VMS will become increasingly interoperable with more devices and backend systems‌.

 Growing Market

• VMS is growing rapidly: from ~USD 14.5 billion (2023) to ~USD 50 billion in 2030 with a CAGR of about 20‑23%‌.

• Number of people The use and deployment in "smart city" projects, public agencies, and healthcare continues to increase at a pace that requires new technologies.

3. The correlation between ONVIF and VMS trend

 4. Long-term outlook (2025 onwards)

• ONVIF continues to develop additional specifications ve; integrated with cloud video management services and integrated IoT/security systems.

• Video security will be a focus; media signing and metadata will both be improved and stronger authentication.

• VMS will become increasingly intelligent, real-time analytical, and the operating brain of security systems and business operations.

• The strong development of AI, IoT, 5G, and smart city orientation will make VMS open and standards are increasingly important to avoid vendor dependency.