Short answer: ONVIF is an open standard for IP security cameras. A camera that supports it can be found on the network, configured and streamed by software from a different maker, so you aren’t tied to one brand’s recorder or app.
Who is behind ONVIF?
ONVIF (Open Network Video Interface Forum) is an industry body founded in 2008 by Axis, Bosch and Sony. It writes the specifications and runs a conformance programme: makers test their products and list the ones that pass. Most professional IP cameras and many NVRs support it today.
What does ONVIF actually do?
It gives software one common way to:
- Discover devices on the local network, so a scan finds cameras without anyone typing in their addresses.
- Ask what a device can do: its streams, resolutions and codecs.
- Get the stream address. The camera hands back the RTSP URL for each stream, so the software never needs to know a brand’s URL format.
- Configure and control it: image settings, pan-tilt-zoom, events and the clock.
The video itself doesn’t travel “over ONVIF”. ONVIF is the conversation; the picture arrives as an RTSP stream.
Which ONVIF profile should a camera have?
Profiles group features so you can tell at a glance what a product supports. For video, these are the ones that matter:
| Profile | What it covers |
|---|---|
| T | Video streaming, H.264 and H.265, imaging settings, motion and tampering events |
| S | The original streaming profile. ONVIF is retiring it in favour of Profile T |
| G | Recording on the device, and searching and playing those recordings back |
| M | Analytics metadata and events, such as detected people and vehicles |
For a new camera, look for Profile T. ONVIF announced in 2025 that it is ending support for Profile S because its login method no longer meets current security practice. Cameras already installed with Profile S keep working, and most conformant products support both.
What is RTSP, and how is it different?
RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) carries the stream. Nearly every IP camera offers an RTSP address, including many without ONVIF.
The difference is what you have to know. With RTSP alone you need the exact URL, which varies by maker and model (something like rtsp://192.168.1.20:554/…), and you get video only: no discovery, no settings. With ONVIF, the software looks the URL up for you.
Rule of thumb: use ONVIF when the camera offers it and RTSP as the fallback.
Can I use cameras from different brands in one system?
Yes, as long as your software speaks ONVIF or RTSP and the cameras do too. A few things save time:
- Turn ONVIF on. Many cameras ship with it off, or want a separate ONVIF user. Both are in the camera’s web settings.
- Keep the clocks in sync. Point every camera at the same time server. ONVIF logins can fail when a camera’s clock drifts too far from the software’s.
- Use substreams for grids. Most cameras offer a lighter second stream. Use it for multi-camera layouts and the main stream for full screen and recording.
- Bring in NVRs whole. Many NVRs re-share their channels over ONVIF or RTSP, so software can pick up every camera behind the recorder at once.
- Expect a few brand-only extras. A maker’s own analytics, some PTZ presets or two-way audio may only work in that maker’s app.
How Supervision uses ONVIF
Supervision sweeps your subnet for cameras and NVRs, with no login needed to find them. Enter a device login once and it brings in each stream over ONVIF, or plain RTSP for cameras without it. An NVR brings in all its channels, with main and substream detected, and every stream is checked before anything is saved.
It works with Axis, Hanwha Vision, Bosch, Vivotek and i-PRO, with India’s STQC-certified makers CP Plus, Sparsh, Matrix Comsec and Honeywell (Certification is per model; check the STQC IoTSCS portal for the model you are buying), plus any other ONVIF or RTSP camera, all in one layout and on one timeline.
Common questions
Do all IP cameras support ONVIF?
Most professional ones do. Some consumer cameras don’t, or only offer RTSP. Check the maker’s spec sheet or the conformant products list on onvif.org.
Is ONVIF the same as RTSP?
No. ONVIF finds and configures the camera and tells software where its stream is. RTSP delivers the stream.
Does ONVIF work over the internet?
It’s designed for the local network, and discovery only works on the same subnet. To watch from elsewhere, run the video software on site and connect to it, rather than opening cameras to the internet.
Supervision is self-hosted video management software for any camera brand. If this is the kind of problem you're solving, tell us about your cameras and we'll talk it through, or email hello@bipolarfactory.com.