Third-party camera and Two-Way Audio compatibility - Frequently Asked Questions

To use Two-Way Audio with third-party cameras, the customer must have: 

• A Commercial Video or Commercial Video Plus service package, or a legacy Commercial 4/8/16 video service package with the Third-Party Cameras add-on.
• The Audio for Non-Doorbells service package add-on.
• A compatible Alarm.com SVR/CSVR with firmware version 1.4.2+:
  • ADC-CSVR2000P/2008P/2016P
  • ADC-CSVR2108P/2116P
  • ADC-SVR210
• A compatible audio-capable third-party camera.

• A Commercial Video or Commercial Video Plus service package, or a legacy Commercial 4/8/16 video service package with the Third-Party Cameras add-on.
• The Audio for Non-Doorbells service package add-on.

After Two-Way Audio is enabled, the customer will see an Audio Recording Agreement the next time they log in to their account. The customer must accept the agreement before they can use the feature. After accepting the agreement, the live view screen in the Alarm.com customer website has a microphone and a mute button for cameras that support Two-Way Audio.

Compatible third-party cameras with microphone and speaker support are eligible for Two-Way Audio with Alarm.com. To be supported, the device must: 

1. Support Two-Way Audio via ONVIF Profile S, ONVIF Profile T, or VAPIX communication protocols.
    
   Important: Some devices support ONVIF discovery or streaming but have audio capabilities that are not ONVIF-conformant. If you are unsure if your video device's audio functions are ONVIF-conformant, please contact the manufacturer. 
    
2. Connect to or contain a functional microphone or speaker. To test a microphone or speaker's audio connection, please log in to the camera's local webpage and ensure you can verify that both microphone and speaker are functional.
    
   Note: While a device may be marked as "supports audio," that does not mean it contains a built-in microphone or speaker. If you are unsure if your video device contains a built-in microphone or speaker, please contact the manufacturer. 
    
3. Support and use the G.711µ audio codec. If you change the audio codec to G.711µ, be sure to power cycle the camera after saving.
4. Include audio with its video streams. 
    
   Note: Some manufacturers require you to opt to include audio in each video stream. If you are unsure how to include audio in your camera's video streams, please contact the manufacturer. 

Once your camera is installed to an Alarm.com customer account, complete the following steps:

1. Confirm that the camera supports Two-Way Audio via ONVIF Profile S, ONVIF Profile T, or VAPIX communication protocols.
    
   Important: Some devices support ONVIF discovery or streaming, but have audio capabilities that are not ONVIF-conformant. If you are unsure whether your video device's audio functions are ONVIF-conformant, please contact the manufacturer. 
    
2. Ensure the device is connected to or contains a functional microphone or speaker. To test the audio connection of a microphone or speaker, please log in to the camera's local webpage and ensure you can verify both microphone and speaker are functional.
    
   Note: While a device may be marked as "supports audio," that does not mean it contains a built-in microphone or speaker. If you are unsure if your video device contains a built-in microphone or speaker, please contact the manufacturer. 
    
3. Set the audio codec to G.711µ. If you change the audio codec to G.711µ, power cycle the camera after saving.
4. Enable audio for all applicable video streams. 
    
   Note: Most manufacturers require you to include audio in each video stream explicitly. If you are unsure how to include audio in your camera's video streams, please contact the manufacturer. 
    
5. Test audio from the camera's local webpage. 

Once audio works reliably for both microphone and speaker in the camera's local page, log in to the Alarm.com customer website and navigate to the live video page to test Two-Way Audio.

If the  button is missing from the live video stream, verify the following: 

• The user is logged into the Alarm.com customer website to use Two-Way Audio.
• The Audio for Non-Doorbells add-on is enabled for the customer account.
• That Turn off the camera's microphone and speaker is deselected in the camera's settings.
• That Speaker is selected under Camera Capabilities on the Advanced Setup page.

If there is no sound coming from the video device's speaker, verify the following: 

• The Alarm.com customer website responds when the user clicks and holds the  button.
• The browser has permission to use the client's microphone (e.g., the microphone in the laptop you are attempting to talk from).
• The third-party camera has a connected and functional speaker. If you are unsure whether your video device contains a speaker, please contact the camera's manufacturer.
   
  Important: If the camera does not have a connected speaker, there is no mechanism to create sound. The third-party camera must have a speaker to support Two-Way Audio. 
   
• You can hear sound playing from the video device's speaker when you test Two-Way Audio from the camera's internal webpage. If you are unable to hear audio when testing in this manner, please contact the camera's manufacturer. 
• The camera's audio capabilities are ONVIF-compliant. 
  • Some manufacturers will only support ONVIF for discovery and streaming, but not more advanced features like Two-Way Audio. If you are unsure whether your video device's audio functions are ONVIF-conformant, please contact the manufacturer. 

If the  button is missing from the live video stream, verify the following:

• The user is logged into the customer website to use Two-Way Audio.
• The Audio for Non-Doorbell Cameras add-on is enabled for the customer account.
• That Turn off the camera's microphone and speaker is deselected in the camera's settings.
• That Microphone is selected under Camera Capabilities on the Advanced Setup page.

If there is no sound coming from the device running the browser, please verify the following: 

• The device is not muted and the media volume is turned up.
• You are able to hear sound from another source or website.
• The third-party camera has a connected and functional microphone. If you are unsure whether your video device contains a microphone, please contact the camera's manufacturer.
   
  Important: If the camera does not have a connected microphone, there is no mechanism to capture and relay sound. The third-party camera must have a microphone in order to support Two-Way Audio. 
   
• You can hear sound coming from the video device's microphone when you test Two-Way Audio from the camera's internal webpage. If you are unable to hear audio when testing in this manner, please contact the camera's manufacturer. 
• The camera's audio capabilities are ONVIF-compliant. 
  • Some manufacturers will only support ONVIF for discovery and streaming, but not more advanced features like two-way audio. If you are unsure whether your video device's audio functions are ONVIF-conformant, please contact the manufacturer. 

If sound coming from the video device's microphone sounds distorted, please verify the device's audio codec settings by completing the following steps: 

1. log in to the camera's local webpage.
2. Locate the device's audio codec settings and ensure the codec is set to G.711µ.  
    
   Note: The device may have separate audio codec fields for the microphone and speaker or may apply one audio codec to both. 
    
3. Save the codec and power cycle the camera. 

If audio quality is still distorted, complete the following steps: 

1. Test audio from the local webpage. If audio is distorted here, it may be a hardware problem. Please contact the device's manufacturer. 
2. Verify saved and live video quality is similar.
3. If the saved video is higher quality than the live video:
   1. Verify that the network meets the video device's bandwidth requirements. For more information about those requirements, see What are the internet service and bandwidth requirements for Alarm.com video devices?.
   2. Verify the device viewing the video has a good internet connection:
      • Connect the device viewing the video to another network.
      • Use another device to stream the video and audio.

Yes. Multiple users can view and listen to camera audio at the same time. However, only one user can communicate from the Alarm.com customer website to the camera at a time.

No. The Audio for Non-Doorbells service package add-on is free for all service plans.