Can Your Existing Cameras and Card Readers Be Reused When You Switch Security Providers?
You're thinking about changing security companies. Your next question is probably the expensive one: do we have to rip it all out?
Sometimes yes, sometimes partly, sometimes no. Whether a camera, recorder or reader can stay depends on its make and model, its age and condition, the software and licenses involved, and whether you can get into the accounts and admin logins. It's hard to answer honestly from a description alone. The way to find out is to list what you have, check each item against the new system's requirements, and decide keep, replace or unknown, one device at a time. A switch can be planned to keep disruption low. Plan for some downtime at cutover and ask your provider to tell you what will be offline and when.
What you need
- A list of your cameras, recorders, readers, panels and controllers, with model numbers.
- Photos of the labels on each device.
- Names on the accounts: who owns the cloud logins, software licenses and monitoring contracts.
- The admin logins, kept by a person you trust. Don't write passwords on the list or send them by email.
- Any drawings or paperwork from the original install.
If you can't reach a device safely from the floor, note where it is. Don't use a ladder, and don't open panels.
Cameras
Ask three questions: can the new system see the camera, can it control it, and is it worth keeping?
- Open standards help, but they aren't a guarantee. ONVIF is an industry standard that lets cameras and software from different makers talk to each other. Makers test their cameras and software against ONVIF profiles and declare which ones they meet. Profile S, for example, covers basic video streaming.
- Profile S is being phased out. In October 2025, ONVIF announced that it's ending Profile S and recommends its successor, Profile T. ONVIF says this has no effect on Profile S systems already in use, and that most conformant devices and clients on the market today support both profiles. After March 31, 2027, makers can no longer submit new products, or older products with new firmware, for Profile S conformance. ONVIF's reason is that Profile S requires a sign-in method (username token authentication) that it now considers too weak, and it encourages Profile T or HTTPS instead. ONVIF also says that if a maker removes that method in newer firmware, the product is no longer Profile S conformant, which can affect systems that rely on it. So check which profiles your camera and the new software list.
- "Supports ONVIF" isn't enough. The ONVIF Conformance FAQ says conformance is tied to a specific firmware or software version. To confirm a camera, find it in ONVIF's Conformant Products database and check that its firmware version matches the one listed. ONVIF calls that page the only authoritative list. Each model in a product family is listed on its own.
- Mandatory and optional features differ. ONVIF's FAQ gives Profile S as an example: video streaming is mandatory, but pan-tilt-zoom control and audio are conditional. A conformant camera may not do everything the new software offers.
- The camera has to be set up for it. Axis's help page, for one, says the ONVIF stream address only works if an ONVIF user has been configured on the device.
- You need the camera's admin login. On Axis cameras, for example, the help page says that if the root password is lost, the device has to be reset to factory defaults, which clears its settings. Ask before anyone resets anything.
- Age and support matter. A camera that works today can be past the date its maker stopped releasing fixes. Check the maker's support dates for each model.
- Some systems are built to work only with their own recorders or apps. Ask the maker. If yours is one of them, part of it may need to be replaced.
Recorders and video software
- Each recorder and each video software package supports its own list of cameras. A new provider may use different video software, or a cloud service.
- Licenses and subscriptions are easy to miss. Ask who holds the license or account, whether it transfers, and what happens to stored footage. Get those answers before the cutover date.
- Footage you may need later should be saved first. Ask your current provider how to export it, and who holds the recorder login.
- If the recorder or video software is old, replacing it can be the sensible part of a mixed answer, while keeping cameras that pass the checks above.
Card readers and credentials
- The credential technology decides whether a reader can stay. Cards, fobs and phones each use a particular technology, and the reader has to support it. The controller behind the reader and the access control software have to work with it too.
- HID's documentation shows how specific this gets. HID says its Mobile Access is supported on HID Signo readers and HID iCLASS SE Mobile-Ready readers with the Bluetooth module installed, and that the readers must also be loaded and configured for it. So the exact reader model matters, not just the brand.
- HID mobile credentials live in a separate HID portal account. HID says a Mobile ID is unique to one phone and can't be moved, and that the Mobile IDs must also be updated in the access control system. If you use HID Mobile Access, ask who owns that portal account, and what a change means for each person's phone.
- Whether a card works is decided by the reader model. HID's multiCLASS SE RP10 and Signo 20 reader pages list older 125 kHz cards (HID Prox, Indala Prox, Dorado Prox, EM Prox) and newer 13.56 MHz cards (Seos, iCLASS SE, iCLASS, MIFARE Classic, MIFARE DESFire). Check the model number on each reader before you assume a card will work.
- Cards and fobs may need to be reissued if the new system can't read them. Whether a reader or card can be reused depends on the reader model and the new system. Email photos of the reader labels and a sample card to info@paxsecurity.com and we can talk through what may be reusable. We won't promise anything before checking. Leave out logins and passwords.
- Door hardware, power supplies and locks are part of the answer too. A good reader on a door with failing hardware is only half a win.
Cabling
Existing cabling can sometimes be reused, and a good installer tests it before quoting. Our guide to upgrading an old intercom without tearing open the walls shows that pattern, where the existing wiring is tested before anyone quotes. Ask each provider what they would test and what they would need to replace.
Step by step
- List every camera, recorder, reader, controller and panel with its model. Photograph the labels.
- Write down who owns each account, license and contract. Note the logins that exist, and who holds them.
- Check each camera and reader against the maker's information and, for cameras, the ONVIF database.
- Check the support status of each item.
- Mark each item keep, replace or unknown.
- Share the list with the providers you're comparing. Ask each what they'd keep and why.
- Ask every provider for a cutover plan: what goes offline, when, for how long, and what you'll do in the meantime.
- Make your decision with the "unknown" items in view, not hidden.
What the vendor guide skips
- A keep list isn't a promise. Photos and model numbers can't show the condition of a lens, a cable splice or a door. A site check can.
- Mixing brands is normal, and it adds work. Every device you keep is a device the new system has to be set up around.
- Keeping a device that's near the end of its life can mean replacing it soon after. Ask each provider about that.
- Ask for the reasons. A good keep or replace list says why for each item.
- Account ownership can be the real blocker. Equipment is easy to count. The logins, licenses and portals are what hold things up.
- Be careful with any promise of zero disruption. Ask what could be offline during the work, and what the plan is if something doesn't work on the first try.
If you'd rather not do it yourself
If you don't know your models, can't tell who owns the accounts, or just want to talk through your list, call PAX at (855) 440-5353 or email info@paxsecurity.com. You can also reach us through https://paxsecurity.com/contact-us. See our System Takeover service: https://paxsecurity.com/services/system-takeover.
Sources
- ONVIF, Conformance FAQ: https://www.onvif.org/conformance-faq
- ONVIF, Profile S: https://www.onvif.org/profiles/profile-s
- ONVIF, Profile S Deprecation Q&A: https://www.onvif.org/profiles/profile-s/profile-s-deprecation-qna/
- ONVIF press release, ONVIF to End Support for Profile S; Recommends Profile T as Replacement (Oct 9, 2025): https://www.onvif.org/pressrelease/onvif-to-end-support-for-profile-s/
- Axis Communications, How to assign an IP address and access your device: https://help.axis.com/en-us/access-your-device
- HID Global, HID Mobile Access Frequently Asked Questions, Support Documentation for Portal Administrators (PLT-02085, Rev C.8, April 2026), sections 4.8, 4.26 and 6.5: https://doc.origo.hidglobal.com/faq/portal/HID_Mobile_Access_FAQ.pdf
- PAX Security, Upgrading an Old Building Intercom Without Tearing Open the Walls: https://paxsecurity.com/learn/intercom-upgrade-existing-wires
- HID Global, multiCLASS SE RP10 (supported card types): https://www.hidglobal.com/products/rp10
- HID Global, Signo Reader 20 (supported card types): https://www.hidglobal.com/products/20
- Accessed 2026-10-31 and 2026-11-02.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Assuming "ONVIF" means "works with everything."
Choosing a provider before you know who owns the accounts.
Resetting a camera or recorder to get in, then losing its settings.
Keeping everything to save money without checking support status.
Replacing everything because one device is a problem.
Putting passwords on the equipment list.
Skipping the footage you might still need.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I have to replace all my cameras to switch providers?
Not necessarily. It depends on the make and model, their condition, the software they'll connect to, and whether you can access their accounts.
Is an ONVIF camera guaranteed to work with a new system?
No. ONVIF says conformance applies to a specific firmware version listed in its database, and not every feature is required.
Is ONVIF Profile S going away? Will my cameras stop working?
ONVIF says it's ending Profile S, with March 31, 2027 as the last date for new Profile S conformance submissions. It also says this has no effect on Profile S systems already in use. Check which profiles your camera and the new software list.
Can existing card readers stay?
Sometimes. The reader, the credentials, the controller and the software all have to work together.
Will anything be offline during the switch?
Plan for some downtime at cutover. A switch can be planned to keep disruption low, and your provider should tell you what will be offline and when.
What if I can't find the model numbers?
Photograph what you can see and tell the providers what's unknown. Don't open panels or climb to reach a device.
Not sure what your property needs?
PAX Security designs and installs security cameras, access control, intercom, and cabling systems for commercial and multifamily properties across the NY Metro area. Tell us about your building and we will give you a straight answer.