Exacq Breaks Avigilon Integration

IPVM testing has verified that Exacq has broken integration with Avigilon cameras. Up until mid year 2013, Exacq's releases immediately identified and recognized motion detection from Avigilon H3 cameras but now they do not. This is an especially important since Exacq does not support server side motion detection, forcing Avigilon cameras to record only continuously and with no markers to show movement.

Here is a video showing Avigilon cameras on the last Exacq release support Avigilon fully compared to the latest Exacq version:

Previously, Exacq immediately identified Avigilon cameras and supported their motion detection. Now they do not.

Exacq responded to IPVM questions, saying:

"None of the Avigilon models has ever been listed as supported in exacqVision, and exacqVision has never been listed as a supported VMS on the Avigilon website."

Adding that,

"We made substantial changes to the ONVIF plug-in in the 5.4 and 5.6 releases to support Profile S. We only tested against those ONVIF camera models for which we specifically provide support. We didn’t test the plug-in then, or at any time, with any Avigilon models."

Avigilon VMD Support

Though Exacq claims Avigilon cameras were never specifically supported, a configuration file used by Exacq 5.4 explicitly references Avigilon motion events:

      {
        "manufacturer": "Avigilon",
        "motion": {
          "topic": [
            {
              "name": "RuleEngine/MotionDetection/",
              "data": {
                "name": "MotionActive",
                "on": "1",
                "off": "0"
              }
            }
          ]
       }

To reinstate support for Avigilon motion events, users may manually add this block of text into the onvifnvcpi.json file found in the Exacq server directory. We have also uploaded this file (current as of version 5.10.3.5366) with the Avigilon section included.

Note: Exacq will warn about this file being modified when future updates are applied, so users should be careful not to overwrite it, or manually copy in the Avigilon section after updating).

Also, to be clear, this workaround is NOT approved by Exacq.

Analysis

The question then is this somehow ONVIF's 'fault' or did Exacq go and explicitly break the integration?

Exacq claims that:

"Models get added based on the requests from our customers and the level of partnership with the camera vendor. We maintain a list of requested models based on registered opportunities. At this time our integrators are not presenting us with opportunities that would justify the expenditure of adding Avigilon support."

However, it is unlikely to take much 'expenditure' considering Avigilon does support Profile S and it was clearly working in Exacq as recently as the middle of 2013. Plus, Exacq just spent getting ONVIF integration with far less mainstream companies than Avigilon, such as DSC, KT&C, Sunell and ViewZ.

This has led many to question whether Exacq is doing this as competitive response / barrier to Avigilon. Avigilon is very well known for being aggressive about pushing its end to end solutions, which could come at the expense of Exacq, as Avigilon reps would likely argue that their VMS is better plus supports their proprietary HD Pro cameras.

On the other hand, breaking integration with Avigilon cameras may not help Exacq, as it will push customers wanting Avigilon to switch to Avigilon's VMS unless Exacq can convince them to drop Avigilon cameras.

Whatever happens, current dealers and users of Avigilon / Exacq systems are caught in the middle of this and it does not seem Exacq has any plans to rectify.