During more than a decade, Milestone Systems has developed device support for 650+ network hardware models from over 60 leading manufacturers - a key differentiator of the Milestone open platform that gives partners and customers the widest choice for best-of-breed solutions. The Milestone Manufacturer Alliance Partner (MAP) program ensures full innovative engineering expertise from the Milestone Device Team, and close collaboration for dedicated device support in XProtect video management solutions, providing users with such comprehensive functions as PTZ control, the ability to handle events and alarms, other device (Input/Output) connections, and much more.

"Milestone delivers a new device pack every two months and we have accelerated the device driver development over the years, continuing to offer the industry our software's complete support for the most network devices, with a guaranteed Quality Assurance process," explains Henrik Friborg, VP Strategic Alliances and Co-founder of Milestone Systems. "Yet demand has risen to such levels for integration with our platform that we could see the need for a Universal Driver for IP/network camera vendors who want a fast integration with basic functionality. This enables even more cameras in the global marketplace to operate with XProtect video management software."

The new universal device driver is able to detect virtually any network camera responding to the ARP command (Address Resolution Protocol) for the Milestone platforms of XProtect Corporate and XProtect Enterprise. The Universal Driver matches the most standard video and audio streaming formats in the market, including JPEG, MPEG4, and H.264, plus 19 different audio codecs. The Universal Driver provides more basic camera functionality than the Milestone MAP-developed drivers, but as long as cameras operate with the listed codecs, video and audio streams are supported.

The current initiatives in the security industry by groups like ONVIF and PSIA are working to agree on standards for surveillance hardware that relate to this area of development. Each camera manufacturer up to now has made products with different standards for interoperability. The Milestone Driver Team works diligently with these various standards today to ensure that XProtect IP video management software is interoperable with the different hardware models - and with a mix of these brands - so customers can manage surveillance installations with the full Milestone functionality and effectiveness.

"Milestone is a member of both ONVIF and PSIA and will naturally support the upcoming standards from both organizations," confirms Henrik Friborg. "For now, the Milestone Universal Driver addresses a need in the market for even more camera types to receive basic XProtect support, and the Milestone Manufacturer Alliance Partners will continue to receive the fully comprehensive, dedicated device drivers."

The Universal Driver was released for XProtect Enterprise in the April Device Pack 4.2, and for XProtect Corporate in this month's Device Pack 4.3. Future Device Packs will include the Universal Driver support for XProtect Professional and XProtect Basis+.