ONVIF
ONVIF is the IP physical-security interoperability framework used by cameras, encoders, VMS / NVR platforms, analytics services, access-control devices, and some AV/security crossover control platforms. It is not one media protocol. In practical designs, ONVIF normally provides discovery, device/service description, configuration/control, profile/add-on conformance, PTZ/event/metadata/recording interfaces, and stream URI negotiation. The live media path usually still resolves to RTSP/RTP or another ONVIF-defined streaming mode, with codec and security behavior decided by the profile, firmware, and client implementation.
Scope: ONVIF — select the deployed product/version; optional services require separate selection.
protocol · Catalog reviewed 2026-09-27
ONVIF Core 26.06 and implemented profiles
Infrastructure Requirements
- Standard IP LAN
- ONVIF device/client services over HTTP / HTTPS
- WS-Discovery multicast if automatic discovery is expected or deliberate manual endpoint knowledge if it is not
- explicitly matched ONVIF profile(s) and any required add-on(s) across the device/client pair
- and, for live video, companion media/session layers such as RTSP/RTP plus codec agreement.
Network & Physical Requirements
| Port / allocation | Transport | Connection / signal flow | Feature and requirement | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3702 | UDP Multicast: 239.255.255.250; ff02::c | Client / device → Local discovery peers | Optional · Automatic discovery WS-Discovery device discovery ONVIF Core 26.06 Discovery scope differs from service access. Use returned service endpoint URIs. | Source checked 2026-09-27 Device discovery and service endpoint addressing |
| Configured | TCP | ONVIF client → ONVIF device | Profile requirement · Core ONVIF SOAP services over HTTP/HTTPS ONVIF service endpoint URI Use actual service URI scheme/host/port and supported authentication. Select the device profile and required services. | Source checked 2026-09-27 Device discovery and service endpoint addressing |
| Negotiated | UDP | Camera / encoder → VMS / client | Optional · UDP media Negotiated RTP media and sender RTCP. ONVIF UDP streaming Use the negotiated client/server ports and selected unicast or multicast stream configuration. | Source checked 2026-09-27 5.1.1.1 RTP/UDP; 5.2.2.6 RTSP SETUPStreaming26.06 |
| Negotiated | UDP | VMS / receiving client → Camera / encoder RTCP listener | Optional · UDP media Receiver RTCP reports to the media sender ONVIF UDP streaming Use the negotiated client/server ports and selected unicast or multicast stream configuration. | Source checked 2026-09-27 5.1.2.2 RTCP; 5.2.2.6 RTSP SETUPStreaming26.06 |
| 554 (default) | TCP | Streaming client → ONVIF streaming device | Optional · RTSP / interleaved media RTSP session control; optional interleaved RTP/RTCP on the same connection. ONVIF RTSP transport Use GetStreamUri. 554 is the default, not a requirement for every advertised endpoint. | Source checked 2026-09-27 5.1.1.3; 5.2.2.1Streaming26.06 |
| Configured | TCP | Streaming client → Advertised streaming endpoint | Optional · HTTP(S) / RTSPS streaming RTSP tunnel over HTTP/HTTPS, or secure RTSPS, as advertised. ONVIF advertised HTTP(S) tunnel or RTSPS mode Use the returned URI, device capabilities and certificate policy. | Source checked 2026-09-27 5.1.1.5; 5.2.3–5.2.4; 8Streaming26.06 |
| Configured | TCP | Streaming client → Advertised WebSocket endpoint | Optional · WebSocket streaming RTP/RTSP over an advertised WebSocket connection. ONVIF device advertising WebSocket support Use the advertised WS/WSS URI; support is capability-dependent. | Source checked 2026-09-27 5.1.1.6; 7Streaming26.06 |
| Negotiated | UDP | VMS / audio source client → Camera / audio output device | Optional · UDP audio backchannel Negotiated client-to-device audio backchannel. ONVIF device advertising audio backchannel Negotiate transport and destination ports. This row applies to UDP backchannel mode. | Source checked 2026-09-27 5.3 Back channel connectionStreaming26.06 |
Gotchas & IT Notes
- ⚠Confirm the exact conformant model, firmware and required ONVIF profile. Discovery does not prove streaming, analytics or backchannel support.
- ⚠Select the advertised stream transport. UDP media, interleaved TCP and HTTPS/WebSocket tunnels have different flows. Use GetStreamUri and negotiated ports.