Knowledge base > Banalytics VMS > Network device discovery
The network device discovery tool is a software application that allows you to automatically discover and identify all the devices connected to your local network. This tool is designed to scan your local network and collect information about devices there, including their IP addresses, MAC addresses, and hostnames.
IP scanning. The tool scans your local network's IP address range to detect the active devices connected to it. It does this by sending ping requests to each IP address on the network and then analyzing the responses.
Port scanning. The tool scans the open ports on the devices detected on your local network. This is done by sending messages to each port on a device and analyzing the responses.
MAC addresses obtaining. The tool sends ARP requests for all possible IP addresses on your local network and captures the responses. The ARP responses contain the IP and MAC addresses of the devices on your local network.
ONVIF-compliant devices. For found ports 80 or 8080, the tool sends out a discovery request. It includes a specific ONVIF message called a "GetCapabilities" request. This message is used to retrieve information about the device's ONVIF capabilities, such as:
ONVIF profiles: The ONVIF specification defines several profiles that describe specific functionalities of ONVIF-compliant devices, such as video streaming, PTZ control, and access control.
Video streams: ONVIF-compliant devices typically support video streaming over the network using standard protocols such as RTSP or HTTP.
Note that the tool scans only the local network to which the Banalytics server belongs. Besides Banalytics devices configuration, you can use this information to identify specific devices and ports that are accessible from the internet, which can help you to identify any potential security risk
Click Server configuration > Network device discovery. You can see the list of network adapters in your local network. Select one of them and run a search.
When a network discovery tool scans a network, it may discover multiple devices, including cameras, each with its IP address and port numbers. Knowing your camera type, IP, or MAC address can significantly simplify camera configuration in conjunction with the network discovery tool. You can look for specific patterns in the IP addresses and port numbers to distinguish a camera from other devices. Here are some tips to help you determine a camera from other devices:
Look for cameras on specific IP address ranges: Many manufacturers of IP cameras use particular ranges of IP addresses, such as 192.168.1.x or 10.0.0.x. If you see multiple devices with IP addresses in these ranges, they are more likely to be cameras.
Look for cameras on specific port numbers: IP cameras typically use particular port numbers for different services. For example, port 80 is often used for HTTP web access, port 554 for RTSP video streaming, and port 443 for HTTPS secure web access. If you see devices with these port numbers, they are more likely to be cameras.
Look for the ONVIF prefix for the devices found to be compliant. However, cameras are not the only ONVIF-compatible devices. You can find a camera by checking the port and functions of the device - PTZ, imaging, and media.
MAC Address: The camera's MAC address may include manufacturer-specific prefixes that can be found in the public OUI (Organizationally Unique Identifier) database.
One way to add a camera is to click the port number. Banalytics will always try to add a network camera in this case. Click the port with the ONFIV prefix to add an Onvif camera.
Another way to add a camera is to click the IP address. In this case, you can choose which camera you want to add.
Value
Required (Yes/No)
Description
Default
Restart on failure
Yes
Restart mode upon catching an error:
Stop on failure - not restarted until triggered manually.
Immediately - tries to restart automatically immediately after catching an error.
10 sec - tries to restart automatically with a 10-seconds delay after catching an error.
30 sec - tries to restart automatically with a 30-seconds delay after catching an error.
1 min - tries to restart automatically with a 1-minute delay after catching an error.
Default to 10 sec
Ping timeout (ms)
Yes
Timeout between ping attempts.
Default to 3000 ms