A compact briefing on the platforms we develop against — XProtect 2026 R1,
and on-camera apps for Axis and Hanwha Vision.
Independent summary, not a vendor brochure.
01 · VMS
What is Milestone XProtect?
Milestone Systems makes an open-platform video management system called XProtect.
Cameras, analytics, and integrations can come from different vendors; the VMS
ties them into one workplace — Smart Client, Management Client, and recording servers.
Milestone’s April 2026 announcement positions 2026 R1 around operations, system management,
and cloud flexibility (alongside Arcules updates). On XProtect itself:
Remote Manager — scheduled, audience-specific reports from health, performance, and inventory data. Available with Milestone Care Plus.
New LogServer — centralized logs, better filtering and notifications for large deployments.
Mobile What’s New Archive — operators can reopen past feature notes instead of a one-shot launch toast.
Device Pack 14.1 — more than 16,300 verified devices; 181 new devices from 15 partners since the previous pack.
In Smart Client: motion smoothing on playback, Smart Map remembers position/floor, and faster carousels.
When we ship a plugin or driver onto 2026 R1 we re-check MIP compatibility,
logging, and the mobile client — not only “does the video come up”.
Axis network cameras share one operating system — AXIS OS — and an application platform
called ACAP (AXIS Camera Application Platform). You can install an app that runs on the
camera: analytics, events, VMS hooks, without sending every frame to a server.
Axis calls ACAP an open platform: documentation and the SDK are published publicly,
and Axis states the SDK is free. Most Axis products support ACAP;
check the product page under System Integration.
The work itself: Axis development.
Chips: ARTPEC and selected third-party SoCs
Most cameras use Axis’s own ARTPEC system-on-chip. Some models use a trusted third-party
SoC — still running AXIS OS, so cybersecurity and APIs stay consistent.
ARTPEC-9
Current generation: analytics, imaging, cybersecurity, and AV1 encoding (a first for network video). With Zipstream, lower bitrate without losing forensic detail. Selected products from 2025.
ARTPEC-8
Deep learning on the edge: AXIS Object Analytics and partner apps on the camera.
ARTPEC-7
Lightfinder 2.0, Forensic WDR, signed firmware, secure boot, and real-time object detection.
Third-party SoCs
Used where a different hardware profile is needed. Every Axis product still runs AXIS OS.
Cybersecurity: MACsec, and AV1 on ARTPEC-9
IEEE 802.1AE MACsec encrypts traffic at Ethernet layer 2 —
including protocols that often stay in the clear (NTP, DHCP, RTP/RTSP).
From AXIS OS 11.8, automatic Dynamic CAK via EAP-TLS is on by default;
Static CAK (pre-shared key) is also available. It sits next to IEEE 802.1X
and 802.1AR device identity.
AV1 arrives with ARTPEC-9: an open codec from the Alliance for Open Media,
high quality at a lower bitrate than H.264/H.265. AXIS Camera Station already supports it;
Milestone has said it will add support. MACsec is an OS capability — not exclusive to one chip —
but ARTPEC-9 cameras combine link encryption with AV1 encoding.
Hanwha Vision and Axis compete in the network-camera market.
Both have a platform for third-party apps that run on the camera.
Hanwha’s is Wisenet Open Platform: you install an app on the camera —
analytics, a cloud link, or a VMS hook — without an extra server beside each device.
How that differs from Axis ACAP
Axis publishes ACAP documentation and the SDK. On Hanwha the Open Platform SDK
is a partner-program benefit: Wisenet camera API and SDK access is for
Technology Partners (and the matching application-partner track).
Hanwha still calls it an open platform; development itself goes through partnership.
yairsys / Yair Moyal is a Hanwha Vision Technology Partner and develops applications on that platform.
The work itself: Hanwha Vision development.
Chips: Wisenet 9 and Wisenet 7
Hanwha Vision has designed its own SoC since an ISP in 2004 and the Wisenet series in 2010.
The current generation is Wisenet 9. What a camera can run depends on the model — not every unit is gen 9.
Wisenet 9
Dual NPU: one path for image quality and noise reduction, one for analytics —
so heavy analytics do not starve the picture.
AI noise reduction alongside conventional NR, upgraded WDR, and low-light.
Wisenet 7
4K, extremeWDR, WiseStream II (up to about 75% less volume versus H.264 when combined with H.265),
Root CA / Secure by Default / UL CAP, and dual microSD.
On-camera analytics on Wisenet 9
The official SoC page describes expanded on-camera analytics:
attributes such as color, bag, and face mask; counting, slip/fall, and crowd;
and WiseAI examples — blocked exit, loitering, tailgating, a stopped vehicle or pedestrian.
There is also Dynamic Privacy Masking, and edge attributes for VMS similarity search.
Compression: WiseStream with H.265.
When writing a Hanwha camera app, check the chip generation and what that model actually runs —
do not assume every site is already on Wisenet 9.
HikCentral Professional is Hikvision’s security-management suite:
video, access control, visitors, attendance, vehicles, alarms, and analytics in one workplace.
Unlike XProtect (built as an open video platform), the emphasis here is a unified stack
around the vendor’s devices and modules.
What’s new on the V3 line
Official product pages list V3.1.1 as the current release. The architectural step came in V3.0:
Clustering — master/sub model, up to 5 sub-servers, about 55,000 devices and 50,000 video channels.
Hot standby — a synchronized spare ready to take over.
AcuSeek — search by text, image, or preset attributes; natural language in 30+ languages; one timeline across devices.
When a site bridges Hikcentral to XProtect or a control system,
the work is events, cameras, and identities — not another vendor console.
