How to Tell If Your Security System Is Still Supported (Cameras, Recorders and Panels)
Your system works. The cameras record and the doors open. But when did anyone last check whether the company that made the equipment still supports it? Here's a simple way to find out, one device at a time.
You check three things for each device: the exact model, the date the maker discontinued it, and the maker's published end-of-support dates. Find the model on the device label. Then look up the maker's support policy and the product's own page. Hardware repair, device software with security patches, management software and any cloud service can each have a different end date, so check each one. Every maker sets its own dates. Axis publishes its policy, and we use it below as a worked example. If support has ended, that doesn't mean the device stops working. It means the maker is no longer releasing fixes, so you need a plan. With Axis hardware, end of support also means the helpdesk, chat and phone are no longer available, only online self-help.
What you need
- A list of your equipment: cameras, recorders, access control panels, alarm panels and intercoms.
- Model numbers, and serial numbers if you can find them.
- The name of the company that installed it, and anyone who has the paperwork.
- Internet access to look up each maker's support pages.
Step by step
- Make the list. Walk the building and note every device that connects to the network or a panel. Look for a printed label on each device. Axis, for example, says the serial number is on the printed label on the product, and the label may be hidden once the camera is installed. If a label is hidden, out of reach, or inside a cover, don't move or open anything. Check old paperwork or the box, take a photo of what you can see, and call PAX. If a device is out of reach from the floor, write down where it is and leave it for a professional.
- Find the maker's support policy. Search for the maker's name and "support policy" or "end of life." Use the maker's own website, not a reseller's. A policy may be a general page, dates on each product page, or both. Check for both.
- Find your product's page. Look up the exact model. Look for a discontinuation date, an end-of-sale date, or an end-of-support date.
- Separate the layers. Ask the same question four ways:
- Hardware: will the maker still repair or replace the device?
- Device software (firmware): will the maker still release security patches and bug fixes for it?
- Management software: the program that runs on a computer to view or manage the devices.
- Cloud service or app: does the service you log in to have its own end date?
- Write the dates next to each device. A simple table is enough: device, model, discontinued, hardware support ends, software support ends, who told you.
- Can't find a date? Ask the maker's support team or the installer. We can also help you work out what to ask. "I couldn't find it" is an answer you can write in the table. It's not the same as "supported."
A worked example: Axis
Axis publishes a general support policy for products after the discontinuation date. We read it on October 31, 2026. In plain words:
- Hardware: Axis says it offers support and repair or replacement service for discontinued products until 6 years after the discontinuation date. Hardware shipped to the original purchaser before April 1, 2020 has 5 years of support. After that date, Axis calls the product "End of support." It offers online self-help resources only, and no longer provides help through its helpdesk, chat or phone.
- Device software (AXIS OS): Axis says it provides AXIS OS support throughout the product's lifetime and at least five years after its discontinuation date. In many cases it's longer, and the product's page shows the exact end of software support date.
- Management software: Axis says it supports its own computer software up until 3 years after the discontinuation date, according to the applicable license agreement.
- Axis defines "end of software support" as the last date it provides security patches and bug fixes for discontinued products.
A made-up example
This is an illustration only. It's not a real product. Say a camera was discontinued in January 2022. Under the Axis policy above:
- If it shipped on or after April 1, 2020, hardware support would run until January 2028.
- If it shipped before April 1, 2020, hardware support would end in January 2027 instead.
- AXIS OS support would run at least until January 2027, possibly later.
- Management software support would end in January 2025.
Same camera, different dates for different layers. The real dates for your product are on its own page, so check yours.
What Axis says about the final stage
Axis also explains in its 2023 newsroom article that all products eventually move to a final long-term support track, and that when that ends, no further software upgrades are released. For devices that are no longer supported, Axis recommends removing them from operation. If that isn't an option, it recommends a full risk analysis before putting extra protective measures in place, such as additional network access control.
Axis is one maker. Other makers set their own dates and policies. Don't assume another brand follows these numbers. Look up yours.
What "no longer supported" means
In plain words: the maker has stopped releasing security patches, bug fixes or repairs for that device. The device may keep working. But problems that are found later won't get a fix from the maker.
That's not a reason to panic. It's a reason to decide on purpose. The usual options:
- Replace the device on a schedule that suits your budget.
- Keep it for now and review the risk, with extra protective measures chosen by someone who knows your network.
- Move it off your main network. Our guide on separating cameras onto their own network explains a related idea.
- Replace only the parts that can't be supported, and keep what still can be.
What the vendor guide skips
- "Supported" has more than one meaning. A camera can have hardware support and no new security patches, or the reverse. Ask which one you're being told about.
- Recorders and the cameras they run are separate. A supported camera can sit behind a recorder that isn't.
- Find out whose name is on the paperwork. Ask whose name any product registrations, support contracts and cloud accounts are in. If it's an installer who stopped answering, ask us or the maker how to proceed. Our guide on switching property managers covers what to gather.
- Operating systems age too. If a computer runs your video software, its own support status matters.
- Warranty isn't support. Axis, for example, says its AXIS OS isn't covered by its hardware warranty. Check each separately.
- Dates can change. Check the policy again each time you review the list.
Our guide to the signs a system is out of date shows what to look for when you walk the building.
If you'd rather not do it yourself
If you can't find a model number, the maker has ended support, or you don't know who holds the support contract, call PAX at (855) 440-5353 or email info@paxsecurity.com. You can also reach us through https://paxsecurity.com/contact-us. If you're changing providers, see our System Takeover service: https://paxsecurity.com/services/system-takeover.
Sources
- Axis Communications, General support policy after discontinuation date: https://www.axis.com/support/warranty/general-support-policy-after-discontinuation-date
- Axis Communications Newsroom, Keeping AXIS OS devices secure from deployment to decommission (Jan 5, 2023): https://newsroom.axis.com/en-us/article/os-devices-secure
- Axis Communications, Serial number (printed label on the product): https://axis.com/support/technical-notes/serial-number
- Accessed 2026-10-31 and 2026-11-02.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Looking up the wrong model, such as a similar name from another product line.
Reading one date and assuming it applies to hardware, software and cloud.
Relying on a reseller's listing instead of the maker's policy.
Writing "supported" when the answer was "couldn't find it."
Replacing everything at once when only some devices are past their dates.
Leaving an end-of-support device on the main office network with no plan.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does "end of support" mean the camera stops working?
No. It means the maker stops providing support and, for software, security patches and bug fixes.
How long does Axis support its cameras after they're discontinued?
Per the policy we read: support and repair service for 6 years after discontinuation (5 years for hardware shipped before April 1, 2020), and AXIS OS for at least 5 years, often longer. The product page shows the exact dates.
What about other brands?
They set their own policies. Look up the maker's support page for your exact model.
What do I do if I can't find any dates?
Ask the maker's support or your installer, and call us if you want help working out what to ask. Write down what you learn, and who told you.
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.