ONVIF has long 'won' the standards battle for video surveillance.
But has the now 10-year-old ONVIF 'won' vs direct integrations? Undoubtedly, ONVIF has very wide support, with 9,496 (and counting) conformant products. However, most VMS and recorders still offer direct integration to many devices that typically offer deeper and more reliable support than ONVIF. Indeed, Hikvision recently disabled ONVIF by default in favor of its own direct integration, a blow to ease of using ONVIF with their cameras.
Has ONVIF become good enough and broad enough to displace direct integration? 150+ integrators told IPVM what percentage of camera integrations they used ONVIF for in the past year and why.
Overall Usage
3 out of every 10 cameras were integrated using ONVIF in the past year, according to statistics IPVM gathered from integrators:

This would also mean the percentage of all cameras integrated with ONVIF is significantly less than those using direct integration, as the number of cameras using ONVIF would certainly be lower in past years as well, as the number of ONVIF conformant devices is growing.
Breakdown by Integrator
******** **** *** ********* by ********** **********, *********** are ******* ********* ** using ***** **** * majority ***** ** ****** never ***** ** *** a *********** ******** ***** it *** *** ****:

Limited *** *****
* ******* ******** ** integrators ***** ******* **%-**% use ** ***** *** camera ************. ** **** cases ***** **** ******** situations *** *** **********, because ** ******** ********* or ******** ************ ******* of ***** *******:
- "*** ********** ** ******* i **** **** ***** for *** *********** *** 12%, ******* *** ****** had ******* **** ***** that **** ******* *****"
- "**% ***** **** **** installations ******* *** *********** either *** *** **** the ******* ******* ** stock ** **** *** not **** *** ******* camera *** *** *** at ***, *** ********* we *** ** **** on *** ***** ******* to *** *** *** up *** ******* ***********. "
- "**% **** ** ********** where ***** *** ******** cameras, **** **** *** work ******** **** ***/*** brand"
- "****** **%. ******** ********* 3rd ***** ******* *** individually ********** **** ****** VMS."
- **%. *** *** ******** we ******* **** *** have * **** ********* of ********** ******* *** relies ******* ** *** use ** *****.
- "**% ******* ******* *** directly ********** **** *** VMS"
- "**% ** *** ****** needed ** *** ***** due ** ********* *** take **** ** ***** that *** ******** ************* cameras ** *** ******"
- "**% - ********* *** value / ***** ******** only ********* ******** ********."
- "**% - ** **** pretty ***** ** *** main ************* ***** ** Axis *** *********. **** we *** **** ***** integration ** **** ** needed ** *** ********'* existing *******"
Direct ******* *********
**** *** ************* **** developed ****** ****** ************ to ****** ******** ** the ***** ****** ***** protocols *******. ***** ****** drivers **** ********* ** be *********, *** **** proven ** *********** ** be **** ******** *** provide **** ********** ******* integration **** *** ***** VMS *********:
- "**** ** *** **** I ** ********** *** IP ******* **** **** direct *** **** *** VMS. * ****** ***** the ** ****** *********** page"
- "** ******** ****** *** and ******* **** *** same ************/********"
- "...** ******* ****** **** the *** ** *** same *****. **** ***** cam **** ***** *** or **** *** *** companion ***."
- "...**** *** **** *********** with ***** **** *******, Milestone."
- "...******** ** ******* ******** was ** *** ********* list ** *** ** the **** ************ *** both ****** *** ***. Reason ** ******* *** will *** **** *** concern ** *** ** the *************."
- "**** ****** **** **** brand ****** ******* ** cameras **** ********* ******** recognises."
- "** ****** *** ******* that **** ****** *********** to *** ***"
- "** *** **** ***** products. ** ***** ** no **** *** ** for *****"
- "*** *** ******* * have **** **** ****** been **** **** ********* and **** * ****** or **** **** **** manufacturers ***"
- "** **** ******* *** manage ******* **** **** a ******* ********* *********** with *** *** ********"
- "** *** * *** Axis ***** *** ***** uses *** **** ***** for *** *******. "
- "** *** *** **** cameras **** *******, ** it **** *** **** driver **** ** *******. "
- "* **** *** ***** matched ******* **** ****."
- "*** ******* ** **** integrate ******** **** *** VMS"
- "**** **** *% *****. Most ** *** ******* have ** *********** ****** with *** *** ** use"
Some ******** ** *****
**** *********** ********* **** they ** *** ***** that *** "********" ******* actually ******:
- "**** *** ********* ***** we **** *** ** problems **** ***** **** ONVIF ********* *** ** have *** ******** **** camera '******' "
- "**% ** ******* *** integrated ***** ****** ********* due ** **** ************* requirements. *** ******* **** Onvif **, **** ** the ************* ** *** present."
- "**** ****** ***** ** finger *** **** ** will ****. ***** ****** much ** ********** **** onvif. "
- "...*** *****, ***** ***** still ** **** *********** of ************* ***** ********* during *********** ***** ******* are ********."
- "********* ****'* *** ******** and ** **** ** use *****. ** ***** cases **'* ******** ** success, *** ***** **** be ****** ****** ******** can ** ****."
- "* ****** ****** ******* against ***** ***** ******* wherever ********"
- "*****, ** ***** ** my *******, ** *** a ********. ** ** just *** ******* ***** we ****"
- "***** *****'* ****** **** as ********** ******."
- "*% * ***’* ***** ONVIF."
- "** **** ******* ** ONVIF ****** ****** **** in *** ***********."
***** ** ********* ** Some
***** **** **** ********* that ********* *** ******** aspects ** *****:
- "***% *****, * ** not **** ** ** “vendor ******”"
- "***%, ** **** ******* 3 ***** ** ******* and **** *** *** ONVIF *********. ** **** install * ****** ** we **** *** ********** each ****** ****."
- "***%, ***** ** ********* when ***** ******** *** and ****** ******* **** necessary."
- "***% *** ************ ********"
- "**% - **** ******* would **** ****** ** our *** ** ** ONVIF ******"
- "** *** ** % ONVIF **** *** *********** as ** ** **** for *** ***** *******"
******** **** ***** *** their *** *******
*** ***** ********** ******* in *** ********* *** some ******** *********** **** not ***** **** ******** actually **** *** ***** protocol ** *** ******** cameras ** ***. **** Avigilon's *** ***** *** [link ** ****** *********]:
*** ******** ** ******, Bullet, ****, ***** ****, and *** ****** ****** all **** ** ***** communication *********, ********* ******* S, ** *********** **** the ******** ******* ****** system.
******** ** ****, **** responses ******* ** ********* to ***** ***** ** using ******** ******* **** ACC:
- "***** **** ** ******** left ** ** *** Technician ***** *** *****, most ***** ** **** cameras ******** **** *** VMS, **** ** ******** VMS **** ******** ******. This *** ** *** full ******* *** ******** enhancements."
- "*** **** ****** ***** be ** *** ********** camera ** *** ********* directly ** *** ***. 90% ** *** *** sales **** ********."
- "* ****** ***** *** onvif ******. ****** *** cameras ******** **** *** VMS (********) *** ********."
- "**, ** **** *** Avigilon."
- "** *** ** ****** supply * ******* ******** via ********, ** ** integrated ******** **** ******** support"
- "*** **** ****** ***** be ** *** ********** camera ** *** ********* directly ** *** ***. 90% ** *** *** sales **** ********."
***** ****** *** **** person:
- "*%, ****** *** ******* Avigilon ***** ***** ** connect ** ***, **** it's **%."
******* *** *****
***** ***** ************ *** clearly ***** * ******** minority, ***** ******* *** become ** *********** *** important ***** ** *********** video ************ *******. **** noted, ** ****** ****** integrations ** ******** ** be ********* ** **** allows ****** ********* ** ensure ******* *********** *** depth ** *********** ** systems.
**** /****

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Comments (10)
Chalon Dilber
As a follow up, I would be very interested in finding out what the top five or six functionalities not offered by ONVIF that makes integrators prefer deeper, camera 'driver' integration?
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Sandy Gilad
This is a very good question!
In my perspective Onvif standard is very rich in functionality, sometimes even more then camera direct driver, and the upcoming profile T should really cover most of the needed areas that Profile S did not.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #2
My opinion of ONVIF mirrors Gandalf's opinion on the mines of Moria... I would only choose that path if I had no other choice.
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Undisclosed Manufacturer #3
In my opinion, ONVIF is a disaster. It's heavy, bloated, misleading and open to interpretation. This is leading to it being implemented at the camera in 'slightly' different flavors. We support it in our VMS platform, but I'd take a direct implementation to each camera any day. That direct implementation is cleaner, more robust and generally works better for the customer in almost every scenario.
Whatever happened to PSIA :)
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