Speed up installation, make faults visible
Network and device management
ProVife finds cameras and recorders on the network, adds NVR channels in one step, manages camera settings via ONVIF, and reads network switches to draw a graphical topology that shows every device on the port it is connected to.
On a large project, most of the time goes into installation and troubleshooting. ProVife Network and device management discovers cameras and recorders via ONVIF across multiple network interfaces, or scans an IPv4 address range; no passwords are used during discovery. When an NVR is added, all of its available channels are imported in one step. Encoder and image settings are changed from within ProVife without logging in to the camera’s interface. The graphical network topology reads network switches via SNMP, finds neighboring switches via LLDP and places cameras on the ports they are connected to. The System information screen monitors server resources, network traffic and disk status; clock offset is checked via NTP.
Hours of installation become minutes
Discovery and bulk adding of NVR channels shorten on-site installation time.
The network becomes visible
The graphical topology shows which camera is on which port of which switch.
Faults come with a clear cause
Diagnostic screens report problems with an understandable cause instead of a vague error.
Configure without logging in to the camera
Encoder and image settings are managed from within ProVife via ONVIF.
Discovery and bulk add
Device management searches for cameras and recorders on the network via ONVIF discovery on all of the server’s network interfaces; a specific IPv4 address range can be scanned if needed. No credentials are sent during discovery, and devices that require a password are listed only as candidates. When an NVR or DVR is added, all of its available channels are imported in a single operation; the main and substream profile for each channel is selected under that channel.
- ONVIF discovery across multiple network interfaces
- IPv4 address range scanning
- No passwords sent during discovery
- Adding all NVR channels in one step
- Main and substream selection per channel
Organization and groups
Cameras are organized in a site, building and floor tree; on the organization screen, cameras can be moved in bulk from one node to another. This tree is used as groups in live monitoring, as sections in the smart building, and as scope in permissions. A structure set up once keeps the same organization everywhere, from the operator screen to alarm scenarios. When a new floor or building is added, cameras are moved to the new node in the tree, and groups and permissions update automatically to match.
- Site, building and floor tree
- Bulk camera moves
- Shared structure with live monitoring groups
- Shared structure with smart building sections
ONVIF camera settings
The Camera Settings screen changes encoder and image settings from ProVife without logging in to the camera’s web interface. You can set resolution, bit rate and GOP, and choose between H.264 and H.265; brightness, saturation, white balance and WDR can be adjusted if the camera offers this service. Live stream audio and recording audio are turned on and off separately. If the camera does not support a value, the screen says so clearly.
- Resolution, bit rate and GOP
- H.264 and H.265 encoding
- Brightness, saturation, white balance, WDR
- Separate switches for live and recording audio
- Clear indication of unsupported settings
Graphical network topology
On the Topology page, enter the core switch address and SNMP v2c community name, then start the scan with “Scan network”. ProVife reads switch names, ports and port status, which MAC address is seen on which port, the ARP table of layer 3 switches and LLDP neighbors. Each device is placed on the port that has no other switch behind it; devices that are ProVife cameras are shown with their camera name. No settings are changed on the switches.
- Switch reading via SNMP v2c
- Neighbor switch discovery via LLDP
- Port, MAC and IP matching
- Devices labeled with camera names
- Map and list views
- Read-only, with no changes to switches
Diagnostics and resource monitoring
The System information screen shows the server’s CPU, memory and disk usage, network traffic and camera status. Configured and measured values are shown separately, so you can see the difference between what was requested from the camera and what actually arrives. Channel and device inspection runs over the ONVIF session, and errors are reported with understandable causes. The Maintenance page brings together the version, recording path, disk and license summary in one place.
- CPU, memory and disk usage
- Network traffic and camera status
- Configured vs. measured values
- Error messages with clear causes
- Version, disk and license summary
Time and NTP
The evidential value of recordings and events depends on accurate time. On the Time and NTP screen, you select the time zone, query the NTP server and measure the offset between the server clock and NTP. A warning is issued when the offset exceeds the set limit. Recording timestamps come from the server clock, so a single time source serves as a common reference for all cameras.
- Time zone selection
- NTP query and offset measurement
- Clock offset warning
- Recording timestamps based on the server clock
Technical specifications
| Discovery | Multi-interface ONVIF discovery, IPv4 range scanning |
|---|---|
| NVR/DVR | All available channels in one operation |
| Camera settings | Resolution, bit rate, GOP, H.264/H.265, image settings |
| Topology protocols | SNMP v2c, LLDP |
| Data read | System name, ports, MAC table, ARP, LLDP neighbors |
| Topology scan | Up to 16 switches, 120 seconds max |
| Community name | Encrypted on the server, never returned in responses |
| Resource monitoring | CPU, memory, disk, network traffic |
| Time | Time zone, NTP query, offset warning |
Frequently asked questions
Does the topology scan change my network switches?
No. ProVife only reads switches via SNMP v2c; no settings are written. The community name is stored encrypted on the server and is never returned in any response.
Do camera passwords travel over the network during discovery?
No. No credentials are used during discovery; devices that require a password are listed only as candidates. The password is entered when adding the device and is masked on screen and in logs.
Can I change camera settings from ProVife?
Yes. If the camera was added via ONVIF, resolution, bit rate, GOP, encoding and image settings are changed on the Camera Settings screen. If the camera does not offer a setting, the screen tells you.
What permission is required for topology?
The Topology page is available to users with the “Device management” permission; it is not available in the monitoring client. This keeps network information accessible only to the technical team.