A step by step plan to replace NVR and DVR boxes with a software VMS: keep your cameras, keep your old footage, add AI, and run it on hardware you control.
NVR and DVR boxes (network and digital video recorders) did their job for two decades. But they box you in. Storage is fixed, so a full disk means new hardware. More cameras means another recorder. Remote viewing usually means opening ports or juggling VPNs.
A software VMS (video management system) removes those limits. It runs on servers you choose: in your building, at the edge, or in your own cloud account. Storage grows with your needs, new cameras are added in minutes, and AI analytics run on the same platform. For multi site estates, one console for everything is reason enough to switch.
List every camera: make, model, firmware and current resolution. The good news is that you rarely need to replace any of them. Visylix connects to ONVIF cameras (the open standard most IP cameras speak) and to any camera that offers an RTSP stream.
For the most common brands, Visylix ships ONVIF device packs that set cameras up correctly from the start, with bulk administration so you configure hundreds of devices at once rather than one by one.
Many migrations stall over one question: what happens to the recordings still sitting on the old NVR? Visylix answers it. It reads NVR archives directly from Hikvision, Dahua, Uniview, I8H, Bosch and Panasonic recorders, and recognises CP Plus, Honeywell, Sparsh and Godrej models too.
That means you can search and play back historic footage from the new console while the old recorders run out their retention. Nothing is lost on day one.
Decide where video will live. Most organisations keep recording on premise, close to the cameras, so the full video stream never crosses the internet. Hybrid designs process video on site and share only alerts and clips with head office.
Viewing is simple either way. Visylix is web first and runs in any modern browser, with sub second live view over WebRTC, down to under 200 ms. There is nothing to install at the desk.
Run Visylix alongside the existing NVR for a few weeks. Confirm every camera connects, recordings are kept as required, and operators are at home in the new console. Then retire the old boxes.
You can move in phases: start with one building or one floor, then add the rest. The free 7-day trial lets you test with your real cameras before you commit.
Visylix Starter is $49 a month (₹4,999 in India) and Pro is $99 a month (₹9,999). Both include unlimited cameras on the VMS licence, so the bill does not climb each time you add a camera. Visylix runs on hardware you own, so there is no recurring box to replace every few years.
AI analytics such as face recognition, number plate recognition or PPE detection are a separate subscription, billed per camera per month, only on the cameras where you want them. Enterprise plans are priced to your estate.
No. Visylix connects to ONVIF cameras and to any camera that provides an RTSP stream, which covers almost every IP camera in service. Device packs for the leading brands make setup fast, and bulk tools configure many cameras at once.
You keep it. Visylix reads archives directly from Hikvision, Dahua, Uniview, I8H, Bosch and Panasonic recorders, and recognises CP Plus, Honeywell, Sparsh and Godrej models, so operators can search old footage from the new console while the recorders run out their retention.
Not with Visylix. It ships as a Docker image that runs on your own servers, at the edge, or in your own cloud account. Video never leaves infrastructure you control, and fully air-gapped sites are supported with an offline licence.
Run Visylix in parallel with the existing NVR for a few weeks, confirm recordings and operator workflows, then retire the old hardware. You can migrate in phases, and the free 7-day trial lets you test on your real cameras first.