Written from publicly available information. Spotted something wrong? Tell us and we will correct it.

Choose your platform without giving up your hardware choices.

Compare the workspace and the hardware required at each site.

Verkada: proprietary cameras or Connector

Verkada Command showing video and operator incident controls.
Verkada cameras or a Command Connector appliance are required. Command Connector supports compatible third-party cameras, with channel licences.

TetherX: your hardware, your choice

TetherX on desktop, laptop, tablet and phone
Run TetherBox Bridge on a suitable PC or server alongside your existing applications, or as a dedicated Linux appliance.

Book a live demonstration

WHY INSTALLERS AND BUYERS LOOK ELSEWHERE

Keep control of the relationship and the renewal.

The cameras you bought depend on the licence

IPVM's April 2026 testing found Verkada cameras locked out when a licence lapses, so the cameras on your wall depend on the renewal. TetherX works with independent cameras you own outright.

When the internet drops, so does on-site access

Verkada's own storage guide says live-viewing links will not be accessible while the camera is offline, and archives download only from Command, so an outage leaves no on-site route to the footage. TetherX records locally, and the TetherBox offline interface shows live and recorded video on the site network, so your team can keep watching through an outage.

Keep the alarm panel you already have

Verkada Alarms is built to replace your panel: Verkada says organisations can replace any traditional panel with its own BP52. TetherX connects the panel you already have.

An installer's report
In January 2026 an installer described removing a DSC Neo alarm that was working perfectly to fit Verkada's own.

The installer brings the customer. Who keeps them?

Installers in 2025 and 2026 Reddit discussions report Verkada selling around the channel and contacting their customers directly. TetherX sells only through authorised installers and distributors, with no direct-sales team competing for the account, so your installer stays the commercial and support partner. See the partner programme.

The renewal can decide the next site

School buyers and app reviewers describe licence spend constraining expansion, even when they like Verkada. With TetherX you keep supported independent equipment and choose the site compute. Both platforms charge a subscription, so compare equivalent multi-year quotes.

Attackers viewed 97 customers' video in 2021

Verkada's own incident report says attackers accessed video from 97 customers in 2021. In TetherX, the permanent audit log shows who viewed footage, exported it or changed the system. Ask every supplier how it controls access to your footage.

The 2024 FTC order
A 2024 FTC order included a USD 2.95M penalty for CAN-SPAM violations and required an information security programme.
AT A GLANCE

Verkada and TetherX, question by question

The 4 questions an integrator asks on a site walk, answered for both platforms.

Question Verkada TetherX
Do I need a recorder on site? Other camera brands need Verkada's own Command Connector appliance, with its own storage, channel capacity and licences. The largest model takes 50 channels at 5MP. Verkada cameras record on-device. TetherX provides recording, viewing, search and monitoring through one system and one app. TetherBox records locally, with optional TetherX cloud recording, so no existing recorder or third-party cloud video service is required. It can also work alongside either where needed.
Who monitors your alarms Professional monitoring is tied to Verkada Alarms site licences. A control room is built in: operators act on each event in full context, while site users get critical alerts that sound through silent mode and pass on instructions. Choose professional monitoring through a TetherX control room, run your own, or keep an existing provider; Patriot-based centres such as IMS connect directly.
Where the AI runs Command Connector ignores the analytics built into your other cameras. Native analytics run on Verkada cameras or Connector, with AI search in AWS. On Connector, line crossing and loitering share a fixed compute allocation and skip PTZ and fisheye cameras. Included TetherBox AI runs on the edge, and supported camera and third-party analytics feed the same timeline. Native video, appearance/PPE and counting run on compatible NVIDIA GPU/Jetson or Hailo compute, including Raspberry Pi AI HAT; audio runs locally on the CPU. Each module needs supported models, configuration and a capacity check. Additional modules and retention can cost extra. Optional paid Calipsa cloud verification is also available, and natural language footage search interprets requests in the cloud.
What you keep if you stop paying Cameras locked out in IPVM's lapsed-licence test. After the 30-day expiry grace period, Command access to devices and settings is unavailable, along with alarms and event notifications. Verkada says connected devices keep recording. The TetherBox keeps a local interface for live view and recent footage with no internet and no subscription, so the site is never dark.

The Verkada column is built from 35 public sources, listed at the foot of this page.

VERKADA vs TETHERX

Keep your equipment choices and your installer relationship.

The buying difference is which equipment you commit to, who owns the support relationship and what access remains if the service ends. Both platforms provide cloud operation and integrated security workflows.

Verkada

Strengths

Hardware and management designed together

Broad single-vendor physical-security suite

Government-grade Command in AWS GovCloud has FedRAMP Moderate authorisation

Trade-offs

From 5 June 2026, Connector list prices rose by 15.6% to 50% and the camera models reviewed by 20% to 28.6%

Command licences per camera, door and alarm site, on 1, 3, 5 or 10-year terms

Every Connector and door controller is Verkada hardware

TetherX

Strengths

Supported cameras, alarm panels and access systems from many manufacturers connect through TetherBox Bridge on compute you choose

TetherBox AI included in the platform licence on compatible hardware; see the AI module guide

Get scheduled reports on recording gaps and device faults across your sites

Review long periods of recording quickly with interactive timelapse

Trade-offs

TetherX does not make cameras, so you choose and buy them separately.

Point-of-sale integration is planned for 2027.

MORE THAN A VMS

Run your control room. Or connect the ARC you already use.

TetherX supplies operator queues, verification, escalation, recorded outcomes and performance reporting within its cloud platform. Work the alarms in TetherX, or forward them into a supported monitoring platform.

First-party TetherX integration connects to Intelligent Monitoring Solutions (IMS) through Patriot, with alarm images and confirmed alarm delivery. IMS lists 800+ bureaus and two A1/R1A centres. Explore TetherX control-room workflows · IMS provider information

Other security platforms also provide operator alarm handling and monitoring integrations. Compare the supplied workflow, equipment support, licence and monitoring contract for your proposal.

AI and recording terms: TetherBox AI is included in the platform subscription. Additional modules and data retention may cost extra. Cloud recording is optional; specialist services and professional monitoring are separately scoped. See current AI coverage.

Build the viewing workspace around your team

Use shared camera presets, maps and filtered event queues across browser windows and displays. Viewing accounts control camera access, live-only permissions and permitted IP addresses.

Explore TetherX video walls
WHICH ONE FITS

Pick the one your site points at

Find the column that describes the job in front of you.

Choose Verkada if

  • The organisation likes the functionality Verkada offers, and accepts its hardware and what IPVM calls "hostage as a service"
  • A coordinated hardware and software suite fits the customer’s buying priorities
  • The organisation wants Verkada equipment with compatible legacy cameras brought into Command
  • The procurement specification requires an authorised government-grade cloud environment within Verkada’s FedRAMP scope

Choose TetherX if

  • The customer wants to choose supported cameras, alarm panels and access systems across manufacturers
  • The customer needs full-rate local recording with cloud retention chosen per camera
  • The installer should remain the commercial and support partner
  • You would rather run the site software on a PC or server you choose than on vendor hardware
FAQ

Questions before you switch from Verkada

Yes, while their licences last. Enable local RTSP on supported models in Command and they stream to the TetherBox. Verkada can revoke that stream if you do not renew, so connect them before the licences lapse.

Only through Verkada's own Command Connector appliance, with channel licences, and with limits Verkada lists itself. Its Connector page says plate-of-interest alerts are not supported on third-party cameras, and that Verkada is unable to offer firmware updates for non-Verkada cameras. Its preparation guide calls analogue cameras through an encoder not recommended, and says to avoid cameras reachable only through an NVR's internal switch.

TetherX supports 1,000+ integrations plus ONVIF and RTSP devices, including cameras behind existing DVRs and NVRs, and reads number plates from compatible ANPR cameras of several brands.

Yes, with TetherX. Any panel with an IP communicator reporting SIA DC-09 or Contact ID connects, including Honeywell Galaxy, Texecom, DSC and Risco, and alarm events appear on the same timeline as your cameras. Verkada Alarms uses its own BP52 panel instead.

Verkada's AI-powered deterrence works with Verkada devices: its setup guide lists the BZ11, Verkada intercoms and Verkada Sound Systems. TetherX drives any speaker, PA or horn wired to the TetherBox, as well as supported IP and camera speakers.

Yes. Verkada's dedicated wall device, the Viewing Station, needs its own licence, and Command browser Camera Grids display up to 12 feeds per page, rotating between pages. With TetherX, arrange views across browser panes and displays without extra per-screen or per-GPU wall licences.

These dated accounts describe specific tasks and installations:

  • An integrator monitoring 60 cameras in a medical security room said the grid limit forced staff to rotate views, causing them to miss events. Reddit r/videosurveillance, March 2026
  • A school district moved one building to another system after reporting persistent buffering, high annual licence costs and limited camera interoperability. Reddit r/k12sysadmin, June 2026
  • An April 2026 reviewer said Verkada Pass incorrectly showed locked doors as unlocked. Restarting the app was needed to show the right status. Google Play review, April 2026
  • An installer reported waiting over a month after receiving two faulty alarm controllers in succession. They also had to replace 5 of 20 new cameras. Reddit r/accesscontrol, January 2026

Test the same tasks on representative sites with either system. These are selected firsthand reports and do not measure how often each problem occurs.

A public school director with roughly 350 cameras across four locations, including older D30/D40/D50 units and CM41 classroom cameras, is weighing long-term licence spend against the risk of replacing Verkada with an NVR maintenance workload. They still like Verkada. This is an evaluation rather than a verified migration or comparative cost study, and its cross-posts count as one buyer.

TetherX supplies a managed cloud operating platform across supported independent cameras, access systems, alarm panels and connected events. Verkada supplies a coordinated hardware and Command software suite, including Command Connector for supported third-party cameras.

Both run in the cloud with mobile access, so compare the enabled modules, exact device workflows and subscription-end access for your sites.

TetherX uses an annual platform subscription scaled by channel count, quoted through an accredited installer with any optional modules, cloud recording and retention. For Verkada, include devices or Connector appliances, camera/channel licences, retention, analytics, monitoring and support over the same term. Request equivalent scoped quotes rather than relying on an indicative camera price.

Yes. Trial TetherBox Bridge at one site with supported cameras and alarm panels, then migrate as Verkada licences approach renewal.

A typical TetherBox setup takes about 15 minutes, without port forwarding or a static IP.

TetherX ships a feature release every month, with smaller compatibility and improvement updates in between, and validated updates install automatically on the platform and TetherBox software. Verkada firmware updates are also automatic; new features arrive in batches, with device updates rolled out separately. Compare what each update cycle delivers for your sites.

TetherX trains your team free of charge to run the platform. Your accredited installer provides hardware changes and on-site support.

Command credentials and 2FA setup interrupted a first-time Verkada installer aiming three cameras in September 2026; the customer showed their live camera monitor over Google Meet so the installer could adjust the cameras. Agree installer access, authentication and the commissioning workflow before attending site. Other commenters suggested preparing the correct organisation and permissions. The report describes account-setup friction; it does not show a platform outage or a lack of local streaming, and the account and camera build were not specified.

Up to 90 days, and longer retention can reduce the number of channels the appliance can accommodate. The default is 30 days. Current documentation permits 0 to 90 days of continuously recorded adaptive-quality video, subject to available appliance storage.

Verkada announced Moderate authorisation in May 2026 for its government-grade Command environment hosted in AWS GovCloud and supported product lines. Procurement teams should check that the proposed deployment falls within that scope.
THE STORY SO FAR

Verkada and TetherX

Verkada

Verkada began with cloud-managed cameras in 2016 and expanded into access, alarm and sensor hardware. Linse Capital backed its 2022 funding; General Catalyst and CapitalG added funding in 2025. Native devices and third-party camera connections depend on Verkada licences and hardware.

TetherX

Founded by UK security installers in 2009, TetherX launched in 2011, raised product funding in 2018 and became independent in 2022. In 2026, we launched TetherX AI and expanded into Australia with local support on the ground. With no VC, private-equity or camera-manufacturer owner, customers and installers shape our roadmap.

Read the TetherX story

Free comparison PDF

Not ready to talk? Take the comparison with you.

A one-page open cloud VMS versus locked-platform breakdown: what you keep, what you cut, what it costs. We will email it over, usually the same working day.

Please complete the verification.

No sales call; your details stay with us. We route serious enquiries through accredited local TetherX installers.

Want this at your site?

Get a quote from a certified TetherX installer. We will match you with a local partner who knows your area and your needs.

Certified Installers
Local to You
No Obligation
Prefer to browse partners first? See our partner directory →
ALSO COMPARED

See TetherX against another VMS

Researching options? Read the side-by-side for each VMS the channel asks about most.

YourSix

Axis-only PSaaS bundling monitoring vs multi-brand, channel-only.

Cisco Meraki

Tied to Cisco networking stack vs network-agnostic.

Immix

Compare specialist monitoring software with TetherX recording, customer access and control-room workflows. Run the control room on TetherX or feed verified alarms into an existing Immix station.

Genetec

Enterprise SMA renewals and certification gating vs channel-ready.
See all comparisons

Still have questions about supported equipment, recording or the partner programme?

Read the full FAQ Compare all VSaaS providers Vendor comparison hub

Try TetherX free for 30 days

Arrange a 30-day trial through an accredited installer. Agree supported equipment, network capacity and recording responsibilities for the evaluation.

Start Free Trial

Across the partner network

TetherX partners hold the accreditations security-procurement buyers and insurers filter on. Coverage varies by partner.

NSI 9 ISO 9001 6 SSAIB 5 SafeContractor 5 BAFE 4 CHAS 4 ConstructionLine 4 Cyber Essentials 3 NICEIC 2 ISO 14001 2

Counts reflect partners currently in the TetherX directory holding each accreditation.

References (35 public sources)
  1. Verkada browser Camera Grids scope
  2. Verkada dedicated Viewing Station
  3. Installer account/2FA setup experience, September2026
  4. Verkada firmware policy
  5. Verkada native response workflows
  6. Verkada founder leadership
  7. Verkada initial Series D, 2022
  8. Verkada Series E, February 2025
  9. Installer discussion: Alta vs Verkada, March 2025
  10. Installer experiences, April 2025
  11. School buyer renewal discussion, August 2026
  12. Verkada Command app reviews
  13. Verkada June 2026 price update
  14. Command Connector on-device analytics resources
  15. Command Connector FAQ: non-Verkada camera events not used
  16. Command Connector overview: third-party camera feature support
  17. Verkada licence plate recognition guide
  18. Verkada camera and cloud AI architecture
  19. About Verkada
  20. December 2025 valuation
  21. Command Connector range
  22. Connector adjustable retention
  23. Connector ONVIF and RTSP update
  24. Camera RTSP output
  25. Licensing
  26. FedRAMP
  27. Camera data API
  28. Verkada security incident report, March 2021: 97 customers had video or image data viewed
  29. FTC press release, 30 August 2024: USD 2.95M CAN-SPAM penalty and mandated information security programme
  30. Verkada list prices, checked 16 October 2026: Connector range, channel licences extra, Alarms include professional monitoring
  31. Verkada dated firmware releases
  32. Installer channel experiences, r/accesscontrol, January 2026 (with Verkada-employee counterpoint, July 2026), including faulty alarm controllers and camera replacements
  33. Reddit r/videosurveillance integrator, March 2026: grid limit for about 60 cameras caused missed events
  34. Reddit r/k12sysadmin, June 2026: district moved a building off Verkada over buffering, ONVIF and licence cost
  35. Google Play review of Verkada Pass, edits dated January and April 2026: app shows doors unlocked

Anything wrong on the Verkada comparison?

Flag an inaccuracy, an outdated fact, or a missing nuance on the Verkada page. We update the per-vendor pages and the /compare hub from this inbox - real reply, real human.

Please tell us what to call you.
Please enter your email address.
Please tell us what to fix or add.
Please complete the verification.

We reply within 1 business day. No newsletter, no follow-up sequence.

[1] About this comparison. Information about other vendors is drawn from their public product pages, datasheets, integrator forums (Reddit, vendor user groups), public CVE databases (NVD, CISA), publicly-listed LinkedIn company pages (headcount, headquarters, founding year, leadership transitions and corporate ownership signals) and customer conversations - accurate to the best of our knowledge as of Q3 2026. Pricing, features, security posture and policies change. A vendor may have shipped a fix, dropped a price, added a region or changed an architecture since this page was last reviewed.

If you believe anything here is inaccurate or out of date, please contact us and we will review and correct it. Trademarks and product names belong to their respective owners and are referenced here for identification only.

Start trial Call now

30 days free. No card. Talk to a local installer.