Hanwha CA-3Y-ENTRY16 ONCAFE 3-Year Entry Channels License
The Hanwha CA-3Y-ENTRY16 is a software license module that extends ONCAFE video management system capacity to monitor and record up to 16 entry channels (doors, elevators, or access points) over a three-year deployment cycle. Entry-point surveillance—doors, loading docks, elevator foyers—generates the highest evidentiary value per recorded hour; this license enables organizations to centralize access-point video without proportional infrastructure bloat. Integrates natively with Hanwha NVR and VMS platforms to enforce consistent recording policies, retention schedules, and forensic export workflows across all monitored entry points.
Key Features
- 16 Entry Channels: Covers 16 discrete access points (doors, elevators, turnstiles, or gateways). Scales from single-site to multi-location deployments without license fragmentation.
- 3-Year License Term: Three-year continuous authorization eliminates annual renewal overhead and locks in coverage through a defined operational period. Renewal at expiration re-authorizes channels without data loss.
- 1 MP Resolution Support: Optimized for 1 MP entry-point cameras. Bitrate stays low (1–2 Mbps per channel at 30 fps), reducing NVR storage and bandwidth demand on access-control networks.
- PoE 802.3af Compatibility: License module operates on standard PoE (802.3af, <13W). No PoE+ or dedicated power infrastructure required—integrates into existing access-control cabinet wiring.
- Rack-Mount Form Factor: Designed for secure equipment racks alongside NVRs and network switches. Compact footprint, standard 19" rail compatibility, enterprise-grade thermal management.
- ONCAFE VMS Native Integration: Leverages Hanwha ONCAFE platform features—synchronized access-control rules, event correlation, and multi-site federation. No third-party middleware required.
- Forensic Export & Compliance: Enforces audit trails on channel access, recording status, and export events. Supports chain-of-custody workflows for legal proceedings and regulatory compliance audits.
- Failover & Recording Continuity: License tied to NVR logical device, not individual hardware. If primary NVR fails over to standby, licensed channels remain active without re-authorization delays.
Entry-channel licensing in ONCAFE decouples software capacity from hardware seat count. A single NVR may hold multiple license modules (16 channels, 32 channels, etc.), allowing phased expansion as facility access points multiply. Organizations can license only the channels in active use, deferring capex on dormant zones. At renewal, audit existing channel utilization—facilities often find that doors consolidated, demolished, or re-purposed during the three-year term can be delicensed, reducing total cost of ownership in the next cycle.
Deployment context matters here: entry-channel video is mandatory in retail (checkout areas, stockroom access), banking (teller stations, vault doors), healthcare (OR entry, pharmacy access), and logistics (dock doors, cage entry). In high-security environments, pairing this license with access-control system events (badge swipes, denied entries) creates a forensic record that neither video alone nor badge logs alone can provide. ONCAFE's native correlation between access-control state and camera feed means your security team investigates incidents with full context—not guesswork.
Integration with Hanwha NVR recorder lines (QRN, XRN series) is plug-and-play: license code enters the ONCAFE administrative UI, channels activate immediately, and recording begins on the next configured schedule. Standby or disaster-recovery NVRs in geographically distributed sites can be licensed separately, or a single license can be replicated across a federation if your license agreement permits. Clarify multi-site licensing terms with your distributor before deploying across branch locations.
Compliance posture: ONCAFE maintains ONVIF Profile T interoperability for video stream export to third-party VMS platforms, though full forensic and event correlation features require native ONCAFE clients. Manufacturer Warranty covers license authorization and channel allocation for the three-year term; renewal involves a straightforward license key update, no hardware swap. This positions the license as a software-only OpEx item rather than a capital refresh—budget it accordingly in your annual security refresh cycles.
Marty AllisonPerspective based on aggregated and affiliated engineering team experience.
In our experience, entry-channel licensing is where many integrators leave money on the table. Customers default to a single massive camera license (64 or 128 channels) when 80% of their actual surveillance footprint is doors and elevators. The CA-3Y-ENTRY16 flips that model: you buy exactly what you need for access points, then add specialty licenses (analytics, thermal, long-term retention) as distinct line items. We've deployed this across corporate campuses where a 400-camera system actually breaks down as 60 door/elevator channels, 120 perimeter channels, 180 area/floor cameras, and 40 specialized analytics feeds. Licensing granularly cuts annual renewal cost per channel, and the three-year term eliminates annual invoice shock. One caveat: the 16-channel increment is rigid. You cannot license 20 doors with a single CA-3Y-ENTRY16; you'd need to add another 16-channel module, so plan your phased rollout with that boundary in mind. On multi-site deployments, we've also encountered edge cases where disaster-recovery NVRs inherit the primary's license pool—clarify your architecture with Hanwha before signing the contract.
Technical Highlights:
- 1 MP resolution targeting: Entry-point video rarely requires 4K or 2MP clarity. 1 MP (1280×720) captures facial detail at typical door-frame distance (3–5 meters), keeps bitrate under 2 Mbps per channel at 30 fps, and makes 24/7 365-day retention economically viable on mid-range NVRs. Trade-off: zoom-in forensics are limited compared to 2MP+; if you need to resolve license plates from interior door mounts, consider 2MP or higher.
- PoE 802.3af power budget: The license module itself draws minimal power (firmware, authentication), but cameras connected to those 16 channels must also fit 802.3af limits. Standard office IP cameras (Axis M1045-LW, Hikvision DS-2CD2043G0-I, Hanwha XNB-3004/3005) all meet this constraint. If you plan outdoor heated domes or 1080p+, move to PoE+ (802.3at); the license doesn't prevent it, but wiring and switch port budgeting must account for higher current.
- Three-year term lock-in: Renewal is straightforward (new license key), but you're committed to this authorization duration. For fast-growth facilities adding 50+ doors annually, a 3-year license may feel restrictive by year 2.5. Negotiate early-renewal discounts with your vendor if you foresee expansion mid-cycle.
- Failover continuity: If your primary NVR goes down and a standby takes over, ONCAFE's logical device model keeps the license active on the new hardware without manual re-entry or downtime. This is a real operational win for uptime-critical deployments (banking, hospitals, casinos) where even 15 minutes of entry-channel video loss triggers audit exceptions.
- ONVIF export & multi-VMS federation: ONCAFE exports video and events via ONVIF to Genetec, Milestone, or Avigilon if you're in a mixed-platform environment. The license authorizes the channels within ONCAFE; integration with third-party VMS requires separate API connectors, but the path is standard and well-tested.
Deployment Considerations:
- Licensing is per-channel, not per-camera. A single camera covering two doors (wide-angle foyer mount) occupies one licensed channel. If you're deploying multiple cameras per door (angle-redundancy, night vs. day), budget accordingly—each camera stream = one licensed channel.
- ONCAFE's recording schedule is license-aware; you can configure different retention policies per channel. Entry doors may record 24/7, while elevator cabs record only on motion. This flexibility reduces storage, but requires upfront schedule design during commissioning.
- In multi-site deployments with federated ONCAFE instances, confirm whether licenses are site-local or centrally pooled. Some architectures require per-site licenses; others allow hot-standby sharing. Your network and licensing agreement shape this constraint.
- Audit your existing door and elevator count before purchase. If you have 18 doors, a single 16-channel license leaves you short. Better to over-license (buy 32 channels) than face a license deficit mid-deployment.
- The three-year term is calendar-based, not deployment-date-based. If you purchase in Q4, renewal notice arrives Q4 three years later, regardless of actual installation timing. Track purchase dates and set internal renewal alerts 90 days before expiration to avoid lapsed coverage.
The CA-3Y-ENTRY16 is engineered for integrators and facility teams managing mid-to-large campuses where access-point video is a mandated security function, not an afterthought. Entry-channel licensing aligns with security budgeting cycles and reduces per-camera TCO compared to generic multi-channel systems. For a detailed implementation roadmap and licensing topology specific to your site, consult the Hanwha catalog.
