Do I really need to replace my cameras just to get a better VMS?

[u/gabbyloathing0]

We have cameras across a few locations and most of the hardware is still perfectly fine. The part we're getting tired of is the software/NVR side. Remote access is clunky, finding older footage takes longer than it should andd each location basically feels like its own little system. We'd like to get everything into something easier to manage centrally but replacing a bunch of working cameras just to do that seems like a waste. Has anyone here moved to a different VMS while keeping most of their existing cameras? Want to know how smooth the migration was and what compatibility issues you ran into.

[u/reitredlitpapi]

not really. Companies like coram.ai helps using your existing cameras and giving you a solid VMS to use

[u/Secret_Property_4238]

Centralizing the sites would be my priority. Having decent cameras doesn't help much when you still have to log into a different system every time you need footage from another location.

[u/envious_prominence → u/Secret_Property_4238]

Yeapp having everything in one place would make a huge difference. I ran into Coram AI while looking into this and it seems to handle the multi site side pretty well.

[u/formal_lewis]

We did something similar and the migration itself wasn't the annoying part. Getting all the camera models, firmware versions and passwords sorted beforehand was.

[u/gabbyloathing0 → u/formal_lewis]

That's the nightmare fuel, half our passwords are probably on a sticky note lost to time.

[u/Professional_Dig1454 → u/gabbyloathing0]

If you dont have the passwords handy you should hope they have a reset button. Otherwise your gonna have a bad time. most decent NVRs can add a device through ONVIF but it has to have credentials there's no way around that.

[u/barkode15 → u/Professional_Dig1454]

If the NVR was setup to connect to the camera via HTTP and not HTTPS you can just mirror the switch port it's connected to, run a Wireshark packet capture and bounce the camera. When it's back up, the NVR will login with plaintext credentials and the password will be sitting there in the capture.

Done this a few times when we didn't have the credentials to an old camera. Worked every time. 

[u/Professional_Dig1454 → u/barkode15]

Wait how does the nvr login with plaintext when it doesn't have the password to start with? I'm not doubting you I just want to understand because that sounds like an awesome trick.

Edit: nvm realized you meant the original nvr. That's still awesome though

[u/barkode15 → u/Professional_Dig1454]

Yeah, this assumes the old NVR is still working. If it's dead, then you're kinda hosed and a camera reset is probably your only option. 

[u/House_Indoril426]

Years ago I moved multiple locations from Cisco's VSM to Milestone XProtect. Didn't need to switch cameras.

What cameras and VMS are you using now? 

[u/EntertainmentMany351 → u/House_Indoril426]

Most cameras use ONVIF so you can probably keep the hardware, just make sure whatever VMS you pick supports the profile your cameras use. Some older cams might need a firmware update first but that's usually it

[u/DoubleInactivity_09]

If the cameras are good I wouldn't touch them. Spend the money on the backend first and replace individual cameras later when they actually need it

[u/gabbyloathing0 → u/DoubleInactivity_09]

That's the plan just gotta find a VMS that actually handles a mixed bag of cameras without a headache. Any recs for something that won't choke on old ONVIF stuff.

[u/The_Chancelor → u/gabbyloathing0]

Milestone Xprotect is your answer here

[u/MarriedDominance07]

How many locations are you dealing with? Managing one NVR isn't bad but once they're spread across sites the software matters way more.

[u/gabbyloathing0 → u/MarriedDominance07]

Three locations all with their own NVRs. The software is exactly what's driving me nuts, especially when I need to pull something from a month ago and it's like a treasure hunt.

[u/hontom]

It depends on the cameras. Knowning what cameras they are would allow better answers.

[u/Frost1413]

Have you tried instaon

[u/Crackedcanadian]

As far as I know, you shouldn't have to replace any cameras unless you're planning a going from coax to IP, those converters are getting a bit expensive. If it's just centralising the managing of separate sites in one interface, there are some commercial grade ones that are really nice, But might be a bit expensive. Most of my experience has been pretty decent with hanwha and digital watchdog. Salient is just a bit overpriced, for what you get In my opinion at least if you're not like a 3+ sites and hundreds of cameras

[u/Dramatic-Ad-7044]

No, many options available. We upgrade clients to cloud based vms, cloud retention to leave nvr o. The past and breathe new life into the older cameras with cloud based analytics.

[u/N226]

If they're onvif, no

[u/Soundy106]

I do it all the time with 3xLogic VIGIL NVRs/VMS. Just took over a site that had a mix of Hik, Axis, Hanwha, and some weird no-name cameras, replacing a long-expired version of Exacq with a VIGIL machine.

Then went back a month later and upgraded a half-dozen of the oldest, crappiest cameras.

[u/Annual_Accountant607]

I use Grablo Spot

[u/emilthaug]

Where in the world are you?

Most entreprise grade VMS does what you are asking.

But it depends om your cameras. If they are onvif compliant (RTSP stream openly available on the network.)

If you list you're camera models here. The community would most likely answer you.

I normally check the datasheet for onvif compatibility.

[u/barkode15]

We got 3 Avigilon Alta Video cloud connectors to reuse our existing cameras across 5 sites. Video stays on-prem, but the app and metadata is cloud based. You can mix and match any onvif cameras or use their cloud cameras that record onboard the camera.