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Connecting to IP Cameras

Introduction

This tutorial provides tips on how to connect IP cameras to BrainFrame. BrainFrame is expected to work with any IP camera that is compatible with RTSP. To make setup easier, we recommend IP cameras that support ONVIF as well. ONVIF is a complementary standard that allows IP cameras to be automatically discovered on a local network by tools like ONVIF Device Manager, among other things. For more information, see the ONVIF website.

If you are having trouble getting your IP camera connected to BrainFrame, please feel free to contact us on our forum. Please include the make and model of your IP camera, as well as the RTSP URL you are attempting to connect with.

What is RTSP?

RTSP is the most common protocol that IP cameras use to communicate with other applications, like BrainFrame. To connect to an RTSP-compatible IP camera, we need to get its RTSP URL.

RTSP URLs are in the following format:

rtsp://{username}:{password}@{ip address}:{port}/{path}

The values in curly braces represent fields that need to be filled in. A full RTSP URL might look something like this:

rtsp://admin:mypassword@10.0.0.104:553/streams/0

Let's break down each portion of the RTSP URL and discuss how you might find its value for your IP camera.

Username and Password

Most IP cameras require a username and password to prevent unauthorized access. These values can be configured in the IP camera's settings. If you haven't changed these values, your IP camera may be using its default username and password. These defaults can be found in the camera manual or on aggregation websites like security.world.

IP Address

When an IP camera connects to your router, it will be assigned an IP address. An ONVIF discovery tool can discover compatible IP cameras on your network and provide you with their IP addresses. Otherwise, you may find the IP camera on your router's configuration page under its list of connected devices.

Some IP cameras may request a static IP address from the router. If, for whatever reason, that static IP address is unavailable, the IP camera may not successfully connect to your router. Device vendors provide special tools to interact with their IP cameras when in this state, often as a smartphone app or desktop application. Consult your device's manual for details.

Port

Chances are, your IP camera is using the default RTSP port, 554. If that's the case, you may omit the :{port} section of the RTSP URL.

Path

IP cameras that provide multiple video streams may require you to append a path to the end of the RTSP URL. Even if your IP camera only provides one stream, the manufacturer may require a specific path value anyway. An ONVIF discovery tool should be able to discover this path. Otherwise, aggregation websites like security.world may have this information available for your device.

ONVIF Discovery Tools

If your IP camera supports ONVIF, you can use special ONVIF-compatible tools to discover your device on a local network. This allows for easy access to the camera's IP address, port, and path for each stream.

For Windows, ONVIF Device Manager is free software and can be downloaded here.

For Linux, ONVIF Device Tool is a free utility provided by Lingodigit. Download the release corresponding to your distribution here.

Using Your Phone as an IP Camera

If you want to test BrainFrame's IP camera support but don't have a dedicated device available, you can repurpose an Android device using IP Webcam in the Play Store.

To start an IP camera stream, select the "Start server" option. Your device's IP address and port should be displayed near the bottom of the screen. Use those values to fill in this RTSP URL, which can be provided to BrainFrame:

rtsp://{ip address}:{port}/h264_ulaw.sdp