Network-Centric Security

Don't Sweat Standards

• By John Honovich
• Apr 01, 2009

One of the toughest challenges of using IP video is making sure your video recorders will work with the cameras you either have or want. This is especially confusing and surprising if you are only familiar with analog cameras.

With analog, you can buy any camera from any manufacturer in the market and be fairly certain it will work with your system. Yet, only a few video recorders support cameras from more than 10 IP camera manufacturers -- while more than 200 such manufacturers exist. Because of this, figuring out which IP cameras can be used with which recorders is a major headache.

To solve equipment compatibility issues in any industry, manufacturers must agree on a standard.

Once they do, everyone implements that standard, and end users can be confident of mixing and matching any products they desire. This is the role that NTSC and PAL play for analog video surveillance and why you almost never worry about analog cameras not working with your system.

In 2008, two groups of camera manufacturers started advocating separate IP camera standards: the Open Network Video Interface Forum and the Physical Security Interface Alliance. Both of these groups have released Version 1.0 specifications. While some have called these “standards,” they are not. To make matters more challenging, other manufacturers are not sure what to do given the rivalry between these two groups.

Today, video management systems support neither group, and only the companies sponsoring these trade groups claim to support their specifications. There’s been a lot of talk and hope but little or no actual implementation. Users certainly could not deploy systems today using these specifications.

The Push Is On
The good news is that the motivation to foster and finalize standards is high. Large manufacturers see standards implementation as a key factor in growing their sales. Equally important, the fact that ONVIF and PSIA are rivals is pushing both groups to work harder and faster.

The downside is that reaching a critical mass of manufacturers that support these specifications will take a few years -- at least. Manufacturers first will question whether to even dedicate resources to support these specifications. Once they do, testing and implementing them will take months. Even more challenging, many companies may choose to delay this work until it becomes apparent which trade group will win.

The reality for those buying or designing systems in the next few years is that they should not depend on the existence of standards. Instead, they must carefully check what IP cameras their video management system supports and choose equipment accordingly.

Should a lack of standards prevent you from using IP cameras? Probably not. Most video management systems support a wide enough range of cameras to fit most user needs. Then, when standards are in place, expect pricing to go down as standards increase competition and minimize integration work. For now, if you choose IP cameras based on your video recorder requirements and understand the constraints, you should be fine.

This article originally appeared in the April 2009 issue of Network-Centric Security.