Forum / Camera Compatibility

Compatible Cameras & Supported Protocols

abr 10, 2026 at 11:44 11 views 0 replies
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abr 10, 2026

Kalytera VMS works with a wide range of IP cameras through four supported protocols. Here's everything you need to know about camera compatibility.

Supported Protocols

Protocol Manufacturer API Integration Level
Hikvision Hikvision ISAPI ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Full
Dahua Dahua CGI-bin ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Full
Axis Axis Communications VAPIX ⭐⭐⭐ Good
ONVIF Any ONVIF-compatible SOAP (Profile S) ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Good

Native Protocol Support

Kalytera includes native protocol adapters for the three biggest manufacturers. This means deeper integration and better feature support compared to generic ONVIF.

Hikvision

  • Full ISAPI protocol: device info, streaming, configuration, time, PTZ, I/O, multi-channel NVRs
  • RTSP: /Streaming/Channels/101 (main), /Streaming/Channels/102 (sub)
  • Supports IP cameras and NVRs with per-channel control

Dahua

  • CGI-bin HTTP protocol: device management, video config, time sync, I/O, multi-channel
  • RTSP: /cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0 (main), &subtype=1 (sub)
  • Supports IP cameras and NVRs

Axis Communications

  • VAPIX API: device info, I/O ports, time configuration, stream profiles
  • RTSP: /axis-media/media.amp?streamprofile=Quality (high), ?streamprofile=Mobile (low)
  • Primarily single-channel IP cameras

ONVIF — Universal Compatibility

ONVIF is an open industry standard for IP security products. Kalytera includes a full ONVIF Profile S client, which means any camera that supports ONVIF should work, even without a dedicated native adapter.

ONVIF is used as a universal fallback — if Kalytera can't identify a camera as Hikvision, Dahua, or Axis, it automatically tries ONVIF.

Manufacturers that commonly support ONVIF include:

  • Reolink
  • Uniview (UNV)
  • Vivotek
  • Hanwha (Samsung Wisenet)
  • Bosch
  • FLIR / Lorex
  • Amcrest
  • HeroSpeed
  • TP-Link VIGI
  • And many more

Tip: Even Hikvision, Dahua, and Axis cameras support ONVIF, so you can always set the protocol to "ONVIF" manually as a fallback.

Automatic Protocol Detection

When adding a camera, click Detect Protocol after entering the IP and credentials. Kalytera tests each protocol in priority order (Hikvision → Dahua → Axis → ONVIF) and selects the best match automatically.

Feature Comparison

Feature Hikvision Dahua Axis ONVIF
Live Streaming ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Recording ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
PTZ Control ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Device Info ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Time Config ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Network Config ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
I/O (Relays & Alarms) ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅
Multi-Channel (NVR) ✅ ✅ ❌ ⚠️
Snapshot ✅ ✅ ✅ ✅

✅ = Fully supported · ⚠️ = Partial/Limited · ❌ = Not supported

Recommendations

  1. Best integration: Hikvision — deepest feature support with native ISAPI
  2. Great integration: Dahua — full CGI-bin support with NVRs
  3. Good integration: Axis — solid VAPIX for single-channel cameras
  4. Universal: Any camera with ONVIF Profile S — make sure ONVIF is enabled in camera settings

Troubleshooting

  • Camera not detected? Make sure ONVIF is enabled in your camera's web interface. Some cameras have it disabled by default.
  • Authentication issues? Some cameras use a separate ONVIF user/password. Check your camera's ONVIF user settings.
  • Can't connect? Verify the IP is reachable from the server and HTTP port 80 (or your custom port) is open.

Have a camera that works great with Kalytera, or one that doesn't? Let us know in this thread!

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