The Media Server uses the standard ONVIF Profile S API to discover, control, and stream video from compliant cameras. If you experience issues with an ONVIF camera, you can use this guide to identify whether the issue originates from your network, camera firmware, or VMS configuration.

Prerequisites

Download and install ODM Device Manager (ODM) on the same computer as your Media Server. If your Media Server runs on Ubuntu Linux, install ODM on a Windows computer on the same local area network (LAN). ODM helps you test and verify camera behavior independently of the VMS.

Device discovery issues

The VMS automatically discovers ONVIF-compliant cameras on the same LAN using WS-Discovery multicast.

Automatic discovery fails

If the VMS does not discover your camera automatically:

1. Open ODM and enter the camera's administrator credentials in the top-left corner.

2. Verify if ODM detects the camera automatically.

If ODM cannot detect the camera, investigate these potential causes:

• Disabled multicast routing: Discovery uses WS-Discovery multicast and cannot cross subnets unless your network routes multicast traffic.

• Camera firmware errors: The camera firmware incorrectly processes ONVIF discovery requests.

Manual discovery fails

If adding the camera manually by IP address or RTSP URL fails in Nx Witness:

1. Open ODM and click Add in the bottom-left corner.

2. Enter the camera IP address or domain name, specify the TCP port if required, and click Apply.

If ODM fails to connect to the camera, check these potential causes:

• Unreachable network: Verify the camera IP address and check if you can open the camera's web interface from the server host.

• Non-standard ONVIF configuration: Verify that ONVIF is enabled in the camera settings, the correct ONVIF port is specified, and the account has dedicated ONVIF permissions. Web interface credentials do not always grant ONVIF access.

Authentication and time sync issues

Authentication failures and connection drops often result from credential mismatches or time drift:

• Verify credentials: Confirm that the account used has ONVIF administrator privileges.

• Synchronize system time: ONVIF requests use timestamp signatures. The camera rejects requests if its time differs significantly from the server. Configure both the camera and the Media Server to use the same Network Time Protocol (NTP) server and time zone.

Connection stability issues

If a camera continuously toggles online and offline while the network connection is stable:

1. Update the VMS to the latest release version.

2. Update the camera to the latest manufacturer firmware.

3. Assure that there are no duplicate IP or MAC addresses on the network.

4. Ensure no other VMS or NVR software is connected to the camera simultaneously.

5. Open Camera Settings, select the Expert tab, and test the following adjustments sequentially:

   • Select Keep camera stream and profile settings.

   • Set Use Media2 to fetch profiles to Never (if the camera firmware handles Media1/Media2 improperly).

   • Disable the secondary stream or change stream profiles.

   • Modify the RTP Transport setting.

If the issue persists, reproduce it with DEBUG logging enabled on the Media Server and submit the log files to your Authorized Distributor.

Video streaming issues

Use these troubleshooting procedures when video streams fail, drop signal, or display unexpected resolutions.

Desktop Client displays no video

Identify the status overlay on the camera tile:

• OFFLINE: The server cannot reach the camera over the network.

• NO DATA: No video stream is recorded or available for the requested timeframe.

• Loading indicator: The server requested the stream, but no frames arrived.

To resolve video delivery issues:

1. Open ODM, select the camera, and click Live Video.

2. If ODM shows NO SIGNAL, reboot the camera.

3. If no video appears after rebooting, verify that RTSP port 554 (or your custom media port) is open and not blocked by a firewall.

4. If a custom RTSP port is required, set it in Camera Settings > Expert > Media Port.

5. Disconnect other streaming clients (such as VLC, web browsers, or secondary VMS software) to prevent exceeding the camera's maximum RTSP connection limit.

Camera streams incorrect codec or resolution

If the VMS receives a lower maximum resolution stream or streams with the MJPEG codec instead of H.264/H.265:

1. Open ODM, log in, and click Video streaming.

2. Check the Encoder and resolution list for your expected settings.

3. If the expected high-resolution profile is missing in ODM, the camera hardware or firmware cannot supply that stream.

4. If the profile exists in ODM but fails in Nx Witness, select it manually in Camera Settings > Expert > ONVIF Settings > Primary Stream Profile.

Secondary stream is missing for motion detection

Nx Witness uses low-resolution secondary streams (up to 1024×768) to process software motion detection without overusing server CPU resources.

1. Open ODM and click Profiles.

2. Inspect the Video Encoder Configuration for each profile to verify frame rate, resolution, and codec.

3. If no low-resolution profile exists, the camera cannot supply a secondary stream for motion detection.

4. If valid secondary profiles exist in ODM but Nx Witness does not pick them up, enable Keep camera stream and profile settings in Camera Settings > Expert to prevent Nx Witness from overwriting camera stream parameters.

PTZ issues

If Pan-Tilt-Zoom controls do not respond or behave incorrectly in the Desktop Client:

1. Open ODM and check if the PTZ controls section is available for the camera. If missing, the camera firmware does not advertise ONVIF PTZ services.

2. Select PTZ controls > Continuous move in ODM and test movement with the directional controls. If movement fails, the camera firmware contains an ONVIF implementation defect.

3. Select PTZ controls > Absolute move in ODM and input manual coordinates. If the camera ignores absolute movement, PTZ presets will not function in Nx Witness.

Digital input (DI) issues

To verify digital input triggers when hardware events fail to register actions in the VMS

1. Open ODM, select the camera, and navigate to the Events tab.

2. Trigger the digital input on the physical camera hardware.

3. Check the log output in ODM. A compliant ONVIF implementation continuously logs state updates (for example, Input token relay changed, state: true).

4. If ODM displays no state changes, the camera firmware fails to send standard ONVIF event notifications.