ONVIF is an open, global forum that is working to standardize and secure the way that IP video surveillance products communicate. The goal is to make it easy to exchange video data. For example, to enable law enforcement, surveillance centers, or similar organizations to quickly access live and recorded video streams in any IP-based surveillance system.
Mobotix Systems wants to support this goal, and has developed the Mobotix Open Network Bridge toward that end. Mobotix Open Network Bridge is a part of the Mobotix Open Platform, and offers an interface that supports the parts of the ONVIF standard for retrieving live and recorded video from any Mobotix HUB VMS product.
The Manual for the OpenNetworkBridge is available under the follow link:
For example the Manual for the OpenNetworkBridge 2022 R3:
The ONVIF standard facilitates information exchange by defining a common protocol. The protocol contains ONVIF profiles, which are collections of specifications for interoperability between ONVIF compliant devices.
Mobotix Open Network Bridge is compliant with the parts of ONVIF Profile G and Profile S that provide access to live and recorded video, and the ability to control pan-tilt-zoom cameras:
- Profile G - Provides support for video recording, storage, search, and retrieval. For more information, see ONVIF Profile G Specification (https://www.onvif.org/profiles/profile-g/)
- Profile S - Provides support for streaming live video using the H.264 codec, audio streaming, and pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) controls. For more information, see ONVIF Profile S Specification (https://www.onvif.org/profiles/profile-s/)
For more information about the ONVIF standard, see the ONVIF® website (https://www.onvif.org/).
ONVIF Profiles support “get” functions that retrieve data, and “set” functions that configure settings. Each function is either mandatory, conditional, or optional. For security reasons, Mobotix Open Network Bridge supports only the mandatory, conditional, and optional “get” functions that do the following:
- Request video
- Authenticate users
- Stream video
- Play recorded video
The Mobotix Open Network Bridge is comprised of the following components:
Mobotix Open Network Bridge server
Mobotix Open Network Bridge 32-bit plug-in for Management Application
Mobotix Open Network Bridge 64-bit plug-in for Management Client
The following illustration shows a high-level view of the interoperability between an ONVIF client, the Mobotix Open Network Bridge, and XProtect VMS.
- An ONVIF client connects to the MOBOTIXHUB VMS via the Mobotix Open Network Bridge server through the Internet. To do this, the ONVIF client needs the IP address or domain name (domain/host name) of the server where the Mobotix Open Network Bridge is installed, and the ONVIF port number.
- The Mobotix Open Network Bridge server connects to the management server to authorize the ONVIF client user.
- After authorization, the recording server starts sending H.264 video streams from the cameras to the Mobotix Open Network Bridge server.
- The Mobotix Open Network Bridge server sends the video as RTSP streams to the ONVIF client.
- If available, the ONVIF client user can pan-tilt-zoom PTZ cameras.
Installation
Download the MOBOTIX_HUB_VideoOS_OpenNetworkBridge_2020_R3_Installer.exe from our Website:
https://www.mobotix.com/en/node/16631
Choose the preferred language for the installation part
Click Continue
Accept the MOBOTIX license agreement
Click Continue
Select Typical or Custom
In this Tutorial we choosed Typcial
Use Network Service when you are installing the Open Network Brigde within a Domain.
Otherwise select This Account and use a local Admin Windows User
Click Continue
Enter the adresse of your Management Server.
In this case we installed the Open Network Bridge on the same Computer on which the Management Server is running.
Click Continue
Select the File Location and the product language
Click Install
After some minutes the installation is finished.
Click Close
After the installation you will see the Open Network Bridge Icon.
Setting up MOBOTIX HUB Open Network Bridge security controls
Mobotix Open Network Bridge enforces user authorization of ONVIF clients. This controls the ONVIF client’s ability to access cameras, and the types of operations the ONVIF clients can perform. For example, whether ONVIF clients can use pan-tilt-zoom (PTZ) controls on cameras.
Mobotix recommends that you create and add a dedicated user account for the Mobotix Open Network Bridge, and for each ONVIF client, as follows:
1. Create a basic user in the Management Client, or a Windows user.
2. In the Management Client, assign the user to a role that can access cameras, and specify permissions for the Mobotix Open Network Bridges security group on the Overall Security tab for the role.
3. Assign the user to the Mobotix Open Network Bridge during installation, and in the Management Client for each ONVIF client afterward.
All users who should be granted access to Mobotix Open Network Bridge server, including those who install Mobotix Open Network Bridge, must be added in the Open Network Bridge settings in Management Client.
Mobotix Open Network Bridge allows ONVIF clients only to request and receive video streams from cameras. ONVIF clients cannot configure settings in the XProtect VMS system or the Mobotix Open Network Bridge.
Configuration of Open Network Bridge
In this tutotial we are using an Basic User.
ManagementClient → Security → Basic Users → Right Click → Create Basic User…
Create a new Role for the Open Network Bridge
ManagementClient → Security → Roles → Right Click → Add Role…
under Overall Security → Open Network Bridge
Decide what Right this user should have for this task
under Overall Security → Cameras you can select a Full Control for all cameras or
click on Device and select the device itself and give them the rights which are needed.
Click on Users and Groups and add your Basic User to this Role
Click on Open Network Bridge Serves in the Site Navigation
Right Click → Add new
Enter a name for the Open Network Bridge
Click OK
Enter a Port for ONVIF and RTSP.
Default:
ONVIF: 580
RTSP: 554
Enter the Name of your Basic User in the filed “Username” and the Passwort of your Basic User in the field Password
→ Click: Add User
Click on Advanced Settings
Edit the paramaters like you need it.
It is important to use the right Codec.
The Camera musst added with the same codec into the MxHub.
you can find the codec of the camera in the following Menu:
Interact with Open Network Bridge
Use a media player to view a video stream
This example describes how to use the VLC media player to retrieve and view a live video feed or recorded video from a camera in an Mobotix HUB installation.
VLC media player is a free, open source multimedia player from VideoLan that supports various streaming protocols, including RTSP. For example, using VLC media player is useful when you want a very fast way to connect to a camera, or just to test the connection to a camera.
When you connect to a camera to view recorded video, the Mobotix Open Network Bridge streams the video sequences, starting with the first sequence.
Before you start, get the following information from the person who administrates the Mobotix installation:
- The login credentials for the user account that is assigned to the Milestone Open Network Bridge
- The IP address or computer name of the computer where the Milestone Open Network Bridge is installed
- The GUID of the device that you want to stream video from
The camera GUID is available in Management Client. To find the GUID, select the recording server where the camera has been added, and then select the camera. Click the Info tab, press and hold CTRL on your keyboard, and then click the camera’s video preview.
To install the VLC media player, and connect it to an Mobotix HUB system, follow these steps:
1. Go to https://www.videolan.org/vlc/, and then download the installer for the VLC media player.
2. Run the installer, and follow the instructions for each step.
3. On the toolbar, click Media, and select Open Network Stream.
4. In the Open media dialog box, enter the following RSTP string. Replace the variables in the square brackets [Mobotix Open Network Bridge IP Address] and [Camera GUID] with the correct information:
To view a live video stream, enter rtsp://[Mobotix Open Network Bridge IP Address]:554/live/[Camera GUID]
To view recorded video, enter rtsp://[Mobotix Open Network Bridge IP Address]:554/vod/[Camera GUID]
Click Play, and then enter the user name and password of the user account that was added to the Mobotix Open Network Bridge.
Example URL:
rtsp://192.168.1.150:554/live/9D6C5933-052B-4AFA-AF19-1851C81F0FE2
Manage video playback
Playback controls comply with RTSP standards and the ONVIF Streaming Specification (https://www.onvif.org/profiles/specifications/).
Recording summary
You can get an overview of all recorded video available on the device by using the GetRecordingSummary command.
This is not required, but it provides useful information prior to conducting a search.
You can use GetRecordingSummary and/or GetMediaAttributes to get the timestamp of the first and the last recording, but you must first enable the Use configurations from cameras setting on the Advanced settings tab on the Mobotix HUB Open Network Bridge plug-in in the Mobotix HUB Management Client.
Create a proxy for the **RecordingSearch** service using the service endpoint returned by GetServices . Create request and response objects, then call GetRecordingSummary .
SearchBindingProxy searchProxy( &soapSearch );
std::string searchEndpoint = "http://" + host + "/onvif/recording_search_service";
_tse__GetRecordingSummary tse__GetRecordingSummary;
_tse__GetRecordingSummaryResponse tse__GetRecordingSummaryResponse;
result = searchProxy.GetRecordingSummary( searchEndpoint.c_str(), NULL,
&tse__GetRecordingSummary, &tse__GetRecordingSummaryResponse );
Search for recordings
The Search service method FindRecordings starts an asynchronous search on the camera. FindRecordings returns a token that references the search results. Even though there is only one recording available, a search is the proper way to obtain a reference for that recording.
Send a FindRecordings request with the following mandatory parameters:
SearchScope>IncludedSources>Token– you must provide the camera GUID tokenSearchScope>RecordingInformationFilter– string with the following parameters:timestamp(in UTC format)maxTimeBefore(the time before the requested timestamp, in milliseconds)maxCountBefore(the maximum number of tracks before requested timestamp)maxTimeAfter(the time after the requested timestamp, in milliseconds)maxCountAfter(the maximum number of tracks after requested timestamp)
For example:
boolean(//Track[TrackType =
“Video”]),2016-12-06T08:07:43Z,99999999,20,99999999,20
You will get a response with a SearchToken , which is unique for the search criteria.
Pass the SearchToken to GetRecordingSearchResults and you will get a list with all the tracks corresponding to the search criteria.
Initiating playback
When viewing video playback, the default speed is 1 (normal playback in the forward direction).
Playback is initiated by means of the RTSP PLAY method. A range can be specified. If no range is specified, the stream is played from the beginning and plays to the end, or, if the stream is paused, it is resumed at the point it was paused. In this example, “Range: npt=3-20” instructs the RTSP server to start playback from the third second until 20th second.
For example:
PLAY rtsp://basic:basic@bgws-pvv-04:554/vod/943ffaad-42be-4584-bc2c-c8238ed96373 RTSP/1.0
CSeq: 123
Session: 12345678
Require: onvif-replay
Range: npt=3-20
Rate-Control: no
Reverse playback
ONVIF devices MAY support reverse playback. Reverse playback is indicated using the Scale header field with a negative value. For example to play in reverse without data loss, a value of –1.0 would be used.
The Mobotix HUB Open Network Bridge supports values [-32 : 32].
PLAY rtsp://basic:basic@bgws-pvv-04:554/vod/943ffaad-42be-4584-bc2c-c8238ed96373 RTSP/1.0
CSeq: 123
Session: 12345678
Require: onvif-replay
Range: clock=20090615T114900.440Z
Rate-Control: no
Scale: -1.0
Change speed
Speed is controlled by the RTSP Rate-Control header. If “Rate-Control=yes”, then the server is in control of the playback speed. The stream is delivered in real time using standard RTP timing mechanisms. If “Rate-Control=no”, then the client is in control of the playback speed. Rate-controlled replay will typically only be used by non-ONVIF specific clients because they will not specify “Rate-Control=no”.
To control playback speed in a client, use the provided controllers. For example, with the VLC media player, select Playback > Speed > Faster or Slower. This increases or decreases the speed by 0.5.
Faster Fine and Slower Fine change the speed by 0.25.
Manage VLC media player playback with command line entries
You can manage video playback in the VLC media player by using command lines. Refer to the VLC command line help () for details.
Such commands allow you to, for example, reverse playback and change the start time of the playback.
An example of a typical command line:
vlc.exe --rate=-1.0 --start-time=3600 “rtsp://basic:basic@bgws-pvv-04:554/vod/943ffaad-42be-4584-bc2c-c8238ed96373”
Where:
- Rate is the scale and speed parameter
- Start-time is seconds after the database start
Following are the playback controls for VLC media player:
