Onvier Help

2023-03-26

V18.84

ONVIF® - the way of interoperation

Discover - Monitor - Control - Explore

Add a device

Tap and choose one of the following actions:

  • "FROM DISCOVERED" if at least one ONVIF or Win IP Camera device has been discovered by Onvier. This requires that both of your Android device, devices to be discovered are on the same LAN. This allows selecting a device and filling the address field automatically. The user name and password fields may need to be filled depending on your device configuration.
    Fill out the form.
    Tap "Set Up" to configure the device by retrieving information from the device.
    Tap "Test Video" to allow Onvier to select the best transport protocol and validate the video streaming.
  • "ONVIF DEVICE (RECOMMENDED)" This allows filling out the ONVIF device information form manually. This should be used for WAN access configuration.
    Fill out the form.
    Tap "Set Up" to configure by retrieving information from the device.
    Tap "Test Video" to allow Onvier to select the best transport protocol and validate the video streaming.
  • "Generic RTSP" for streaming using an RTSP URL. Most non-ONVIF NVTs support RTSP streaming that supports audio.
    Fill out the form.
    Tap "Validate" to allow Onvier to select the best transport protocol and validate the video streaming.
  • "Generic MJPEG" for streaming using an MJPEG URL. Most older NVTs support MJPEG streaming that has video only.
    Fill out the form.
    Tap "Validate" to allow Onvier to validate the video streaming.
  • "From demo" that provides a list of online live demo devices from manufacturers to choose from. This will fill out the form automatically. This option is primarily for testing the app.
  • "SETUP FLOWCHART" is a diagram showing how to set up a network camera step by step.
  • For detailed instructions and explanations, please refer to article How to set up a network camera (a.k.a. IP camera)

Tap to save the device configuration and return to the home screen. A snapshot from the device is used as the background of its tile on the home screen.
Tap to email the debugging log to IP CENTCOM for diagnosis if you need our assistance. This requires the device to have an email app (e.g. Gmail) installed. You will be asked to enter a subject.

Add and use an Onvier widget

Go to Android WIDGETS page (press the screen and hold to show it for newer Android devices), select the Onvier widget, then choose a device for the widget. The widget shows a snapshot from the device updated periodically. Tap the widget to start video streaming.

Video streaming, recording, pan/tilt/zoom (PTZ), focus.

Tap a device tile on the home screen to start video streaming.
Tap the screen to show the control overlay, status bar, and navigation bar.
Tap to show the video in different stretch modes: fill the window horizontally and vertically (the aspect ratio may be changed), fill the window at least in one direction and maintaining the aspect ratio, fill the window in both directions and maintaining the aspect ratio (cropping may happen).
Tap to pause the video. Tap to resume the video streaming.
Tap to take a snapshot.
Tap to mute the audio (if audio is available).
Tap to turn on the audio (if audio is available).
Tap to show customize command window (Pro). Customized HTTP commands (e.g. PTZ commands for generic RTSP/MJPEG streams, turn on/off IR LEDs) can be entered, stored, then executed.
Tap to show the following menu items:
Select Profile (Pro): select an ONVIF media profile for streaming. Different media profiles may have different resolutions and/or video encoding.
Talk (Pro): talk through the speaker of a camera (i.e. outgoing audio) if it is supported.
Win IP Camera (for Win IP Camera): open Win IP Camera console.
Media Files (Pro): open the gallery to browse recorded videos and snapshot images.
Video Information: display video information. For the Pro version, video information is updated in real-time.
PTZ Sensitivity (Pro): display PTZ sensitivity adjustment panel.
Digital PTZ (Pro): force a PTZ camera configuration to use digital PTZ instead of the default opto-mechanical PTZ. This is particularly useful for some non-PTZ cameras falsely declare they are PTZ cameras.
Video On (Pro): allows the user to turn on/off video. The video is on by default. This is useful for those who want only audio without video.
Hide control overlay (Pro): hides the control overlay (i.e the control overlay will not be displayed upon screen touch).
Software Codec: use software codec for H.264 video. Hardware codec is used by default for H.264 video.
Orientation:

  • Default: use the device's orientation setting (it usually use a screen orientation determined by sensors)
  • Landscape: always maintain the landscape orientation.
  • Portrait: always maintain the portrait orientation.

Debugging Log: display the debugging log window with the option to email it. If you choose to email the debugging log, you will be asked to enter a subject.

For Devices supporting H.264/H.265 encoded video:

Tap to start recording.
Tap to stop recording. Internal storage is used to store temporary files of the recording. An MP4 file is saved in the storage space for movies or any specified storage space (Pro), and all temporary files are deleted when the recording finishes. You will be asked whether to play the recorded video. Some Android devices may not be able to play the recorded video. The video file can be downloaded for playing on other devices such as desktop computers.
The Pro version allows continuous recording indefinitely. The oldest recording MP4 file will be deleted when the storage space is low.

For PTZ devices (devices supporting opto-mechanical PTZ):

Flick (i.e. swipe, fling or drag) on the touchscreen to pan/tilt. You can also tap the arrows to pan/tilt.
Pinch to zoom. You can also click button to zoom in, click button to zoom out.

For Pro Version

In addition to the support for opto-mechanical PTZ, digital PTZ is also supported.
Digital PTZ is on for non-PTZ devices by default.
Digital PTZ can be turned on for PTZ devices by checking Digital PTZ option on the menu.
Tap (Pro) to open the presets window that allows:
  • Go to a preset position
  • Add a preset.
  • Delete a preset.

Tap (Pro) to open the focus window that allows:
  • Focus nearer.
  • Focus further.
  • Reset focus.

Scroll to another video configuration (Pro)

Tap or to move to the previous or the next configuration (e.g. camera).

Multi-view

A grid of windows can be set up to display videos from multiple devices simultaneously. Multiple multi-view configurations can be set up, one of them can be selected for display.

On the home screen, tap to start multi-view streaming. If no multi-view configurations have been set up, you will be prompted to create one.

Each window initially is empty before it is configured to stream a device. Hold any window to select a device regardless of whether it has been configured before.
tap to select a video device. The Pro version allows the user to select a media profile for streaming. The app will select the optimal profile for the user automatically based on the window size. The video streaming starts as soon as a device is selected for a window. It may take quite a few seconds to start the streaming from a device the first time because the device information needs to be retrieved. Subsequent streaming starts much more quickly.

IMPORTANT: an Android device allows a limited number of concurrent H.264 video streams. We have observed the limit from 1 to 6. This is determined by the hardware codec. Multiple H.264 videos may put so much load on the hardware codec that the video performance (smoothness and latency) may deteriorate. Please avoid using excessive high resolutions that do not offer any benefit for streaming in a small windows of multi-view.


Tap to show a device in full-screen. Please note that the videos of other windows are still on while one is displayed in full-screen, so please do not use this option to replace the single-view. Tap to go back to the default grid view.
You can also use double-tap to toggle between full-screen for a video and the default grid view.

For consistency, the rest of buttons on the top right bar are the same as the single-view. Please refer to the instructions for the single-view to use them.


Tap to show the following menu items:
Sequence View (Pro): start rotating devices in full-screen mode.
Edit Configuration: edit the current multi-view configuration.
Multi-view Configurations: select/add/delete multi-view configurations.

In the multi-view configurations window:
Tap to add a new multi-view configuration.
In New Multi-View Configuration window, enter a name (the default is "My Configuration"), select the numbers of rows and columns, then:
Tap to save the new configuration.
Tap to cancel.

Tap beside a multi-view configuration to delete it.

Snapshot: take a snapshot for each device of the multi-view.
Record Screen (Pro): record the multi-view screen. Use the back button to stop multi-view screen recording.
Audio in Recording: choose whether to have audio in the multi-view screen recording. The audio in this case is from the Android device, not from video streams.
Video Information: display video information in each window of multi-view. For the Pro version, the video information is updated in real-time.
Debugging Log: display the debugging log window with the option to email it. If you choose to email the debugging log, you will be asked to enter a subject.

Manage and explore a device

Hold a device tile to display the context menu associated with the device:

Some features such as medial profiles, video encoders are allowed to be edited.

Edit: Edit the device's configuration.

Explore:. Multiple expandable lists (Device, Media, PTZ depending on the information retrieved from the ONVIF device) are displayed. Expand a list, click a button to start a hierarchical exploration of all aspects of the ONVIF device (e.g. device model, firmware, capabilities, scopes, media profiles, video and audio encoders, sources, etc.).

Active (Pro): Activate or deactivate a device configuration. A device configuration is active by default. When it is deactivated, its video streaming will be rejected or skipped, and its snapshot updating will be skipped too.

Deep Link (Pro): Get a deep link for the configuration. The deep link can be used by another app to start the video streaming of this configuration directly.

Delete: Delete a device configuration.

Delete All (Pro): Delete all device configurations.

Retrieve Access Log (Pro): Retrieve an ONVIF device's access log.

Retrieve System Log (Pro): Retrieve an ONVIF device's system log.

Reboot (Pro): Reboot an ONVIF device.

Soft-reset to Factory Default(Pro): Soft-reset an ONVIF device. This will erase all user data on the camera, but its network settings are kept.

Hard-reset to Factory Default(Pro): Hard-reset an ONVIF device. This will erase both user data on the camera and network settings.

Set a startup device: This makes Onvier start streaming the device immediately upon start. Without a startup device, Onvier starts normally by showing the home screen with tiles of configured ONVIF devices. The menu item changes to Remove as startup device: after setting a device as the startup device.
Please keep the widget feature in mind. It is the preferred way to start streaming from a device by one-tap.

Sequence-view

On the home screen, tap to start sequence view that stream each device one by one with a default interval of 10 seconds. It loops through all device configurations circularly.

On the sequence-view screen, tap the screen to show the control overlay that allows the user to stretch, pause/resume the video, turn on/off audio, take snapshots. The over-flow menu allows changing the interval and showing the video information.

Arrange Tiles

On the home screen, tap to rearrange the device tile order.

Settings

Tap to open the settings screen:

EXPORT DEVICE LIST Export the configured device list to a file and share the list via some other installed apps such as Google Drive, Email.
IMPORT DEVICE LIST Import an exported device list from a file.
Language Select a language.

For Pro Ver:

EXPORT TO GOOGLE DRIVE Export the configured device list to Google drive
IMPORT FROM GOOGLE DRIVE Import an exported device list from Google drive.
Media File Saving Location Select Internal storage space, external SD card or USB drive as media file (snapshots, video recording) saving location. Tap button TEST to create a test file in the specified location.
Maximum recording length (min) Set the maximum recording length for continuous recording. When a recording reaches this limit, it will start a new recording file.
Check/uncheck Show snapshot time stamp to display/hide background snapshot timestamps on the device tiles of home screen.
Check/uncheck Show ONVIF device model to display/hide ONVIF device models on the device tiles of home screen.
Auto-start multi-view check this option to make the app start multi-view upon opening.
Open app on reboot check this option to start the app automatically after rebooting.
Widget Update Interval Specify the widget background snapshot updating interval for mobile connection or other types of network connections.
Lock App check this option to lock the app after the specified time without any action. It can be unlocked with the specified PIN.
Launch App Button in Multi-view check this option to create a button in multi-view to launch the specified app.
PARTNER KEY: enter a Pro license key and click this button activate the Pro version.

Share

Tap to review Onvier, share Onvier on social media, share your device information (model and brand) with other users.

Feedback

Tap to send your feedback to us. Your feedback is greatly appreciated!

Windows Version

Tap to display the Windows version of Onvier - IP CENTCOM.

Upgrade

Tap or select "Upgrade" to purchase the Pro version token to upgrade the free version of Onvier to Pro.

About

Tap to show the About window.

Help information

Tap to show this help page (https://www.ipcent.com/mobile/help/onvifer).

This app uses the following work created by third parties

android-file-chooser

Simple XML Serialization

ksoap2-android

Icon created by Bezier Master from Noun Project

ONVIF is a trademark of ONVIF, Inc.