Getting Started Cameras & Video Detection & Recording Automation & Events Actions Integration & Connectivity Network & Discovery AI & Remote Control MQTT Modbus ZeroMQ System & Administration Comparisons Use Cases Troubleshooting About & Legal
Home / Documentation / Glossary: ONVIF, RTSP, VMS, NVR, edge computing, SCADA, MQTT, Modbus, PTZ, YOLO
Knowledge base Reference 5 min read

Glossary

Core terms in video surveillance, edge computing, and IoT — with the way Banalytics uses each.

Short, source-of-truth definitions for ONVIF, RTSP, VMS, NVR, edge computing, SCADA, MQTT, Modbus, PTZ, YOLO, codec, P2P, motion detection, and other terms that appear across the Banalytics documentation.

ONVIF Open Network Video Interface Forum
An open industry standard that defines how IP video products from different manufacturers communicate. ONVIF cameras expose a common API for discovery, video/audio streaming, PTZ control, events, and configuration, so they can be mixed and matched without vendor lock-in. Banalytics auto-discovers ONVIF cameras on the network and treats them uniformly regardless of brand. ONVIF cameras explained
RTSP Real Time Streaming Protocol
A network protocol (RFC 7826) for controlling media streaming sessions. Most IP cameras expose at least one RTSP URL that returns an H.264 or H.265 video stream. Banalytics consumes RTSP directly when ONVIF is unavailable. Network camera in Banalytics
VMS Video Management System
Software that ingests, records, displays, and manages video from multiple cameras, with retention policies, motion-based recording, alerts, user access control, and dashboards. Banalytics is a VMS plus an event/automation layer that also handles non-video devices (Modbus, MQTT, DAQ).
NVR Network Video Recorder
A dedicated hardware appliance that records IP camera streams to local disks. NVRs are typically tied to a vendor's compatible cameras. Banalytics replaces an NVR with software on commodity hardware while keeping recordings local. Cloud vs NVR vs Banalytics
Edge computing
A model where data is processed close to where it is generated (on a device or local server) rather than sent to a centralized cloud. Reduces latency, bandwidth, and cloud cost; keeps raw data local. Banalytics is edge-first: the agent runs on your device, and only metadata or curated events leave it.
SCADA Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition
Systems that supervise industrial processes, collect telemetry, and control field equipment. Traditional SCADA is centralized and proprietary. Banalytics acts as a distributed SCADA layer combining video, sensor telemetry, and remote control on commodity hardware.
MQTT Message Queuing Telemetry Transport
A lightweight publish/subscribe protocol designed for low-bandwidth, high-latency, or unreliable networks. The de-facto standard for IoT messaging. Banalytics ships an MQTT v3/v5 server, connectors, and event-driven actions, so devices can publish telemetry and receive commands. MQTT server
Modbus
A serial (RTU) and TCP/IP industrial protocol for talking to PLCs, sensors, drives, and other industrial equipment. Coils and registers are the data primitives. Banalytics polls and writes Modbus devices natively. Modbus device
PTZ Pan, Tilt, Zoom
Camera mechanics that allow remote control of the viewing direction (pan, tilt) and zoom. PTZ presets can be saved and recalled. Banalytics exposes PTZ via dashboards, scheduled actions, or gamepad/joystick input.
YOLO You Only Look Once
A family of real-time object-detection neural networks (currently YOLOv5/v8/v11). Banalytics runs YOLO on the edge to detect people, vehicles, animals, packages, and other classes inside video streams — triggering recording and alerts only on relevant events. YOLO detection
Codec
Software (or hardware) that encodes and decodes media. Common video codecs: H.264, H.265 (HEVC), AV1, MJPEG. Common audio codecs: AAC, G.711, Opus. The choice determines bitrate, CPU load, and compatibility. Media profiles for ONVIF
H.264 / H.265
H.264 (AVC) is the most widely supported video codec in IP cameras. H.265 (HEVC) cuts bitrate roughly in half for the same quality but requires more CPU/GPU to decode. Banalytics supports both.
P2P Peer-to-peer
Direct connection between two peers without routing all traffic through a central server. Banalytics uses portal-mediated WebRTC P2P so remote viewers can reach an agent behind NAT without a public IP or a relay paid by you. Access sharing & P2P
WebRTC
Browser-native real-time communication standard for low-latency audio/video over P2P. Banalytics uses WebRTC for in-browser live preview of cameras. Portal WebRTC integration
Motion detection
An algorithm that flags video frames containing change above a configured sensitivity. Used to trigger recording, alerts, or downstream AI processing. Banalytics supports zone masks and per-camera sensitivity tuning. Motion detection
IoT Internet of Things
Network of physical devices with sensors, actuators, and connectivity. Banalytics is positioned as the operational orchestration layer for an IoT deployment that includes cameras and non-camera devices.
DAQ Data Acquisition
Hardware and software for sampling analog and digital signals from sensors. Common in industrial sensing and research. Banalytics treats DAQ outputs as data sources that can be recorded, dashboarded, and event-routed.
Home Assistant
Open-source home-automation hub popular in self-hosted setups. Banalytics complements Home Assistant by publishing camera events and telemetry over MQTT or HTTP webhooks. Best VMS for Home Assistant
Dashboard
A user-defined panel that shows live video feeds, sensor values, charts, and control widgets together. Banalytics dashboards are configured in the browser and shared with role-based access. Dashboards
Event
A discrete, time-stamped occurrence in the system: motion detected, object classified, sensor crossed a threshold, agent connected/disconnected. Events flow through the Banalytics event manager and trigger actions.
Action
A configured response to an event: record video, send Telegram message, publish MQTT message, run a Java/CMD task, change task state, play audio, rotate PTZ, etc.
Agent
The Banalytics process that runs on your hardware (Windows, Linux, ARM). The agent connects to local devices and to the Banalytics web console (portal). Multiple agents can be linked into one logical system across sites.
Portal
The web-hosted Banalytics console (console.banalytics.live) that orchestrates agents, holds account/subscription state, and renders dashboards. Raw video stays at the agent; only signaling and metadata flow to the portal.