How to find the RTSP URL of a camera or recorder

What you need to find out

• Address — the camera's IP on the local network (e.g. 192.168.1.64); from the internet, your public IP or a domain.
• RTSP port — almost always 554.
• Username and password — ideally a separate user that can only view live video.
• Path — the stream's location inside the camera, e.g. /Streaming/Channels/101. It depends on the vendor.

The structure of the URL is explained in detail in What is RTSP.

1. Vendor documentation and the web interface

The most reliable source is the camera's manual: search it for "RTSP" or "stream URL". Then open the camera's web interface from the local network by typing its IP into a browser. The factory address is usually 192.168.1.64 on Hikvision and 192.168.1.108 on Dahua, though your installer has probably changed it.

• RTSP port: Hikvision — Configuration → Network → Basic Settings → Port; Dahua and Uniview — the Network → Port section.
• Codec: Hikvision — Configuration → Video/Audio → Video. The stream must be H.264 or H.265, not MJPEG.
• Separate user: Hikvision — Configuration → System → User Management → Add, level "User" with Live View only; Dahua — System → Account. Don't enter the admin account in our system.

2. ONVIF Device Manager

If you don't know the path, the free ONVIF Device Manager (Windows) will show it. Run it on the camera's local network:

1. Enable ONVIF on the camera. On newer Hikvision models it is off by default: Configuration → Network → Advanced Settings → Integration Protocol — enable it and add an ONVIF user.
2. Start the program and enter the username and password in the fields at the top.
3. Pick the camera in the list on the left and open Live video.
4. The full stream address rtsp://... appears under the video — copy the path.

3. Test it in VLC

Before entering anything in the dashboard, test the URL in VLC: Media → Open Network Stream (Ctrl+N), paste the URL and press Play.

rtsp://192.168.1.64:554/Streaming/Channels/101

You can leave the username and password out of the URL — VLC will ask for them. If video appears, the path and credentials are right. Tools → Codec Information (Ctrl+J) shows the codec: H.264 or H.265. To test from the internet, do the same on a phone with Wi-Fi off, using your public IP and the forwarded port instead of the local IP.

Common paths by brand

On Hanwha, N is the video profile number from the camera's settings. Newer Reolink models may need RTSP switched on in the network settings, and on H.265 models the path starts with h265.

Channel numbering on recorders (NVR/DVR)

Through a recorder every camera comes from the same address and port — only the channel number in the path changes:

• Hikvision: channel × 100 + stream. Camera 3 main stream is /Streaming/Channels/301, sub stream 302; camera 12 is 1201.
• Dahua: the camera number goes in channel=: channel=3&subtype=0.
• Uniview: after the letter c: /unicast/c3/s0/live.

Some older hybrid recorders number IP channels after the analog ones, so check the recorder's manual. More in NVR and DVR recorders.

Special characters in passwords

In our dashboard the password has its own field — type it exactly as it is and the system handles encoding. But if you write a full URL into VLC or other software, some characters must be percent-encoded or the URL will be misread:

For example, the password Kamera@2026 goes into a URL as rtsp://viewer:Kamera%402026@192.168.1.64:554/Streaming/Channels/101.

What the connection test result means

• Auth error — the network is fine, but the username or password is wrong, or the user has no viewing right. Some cameras temporarily block logins after several failed attempts — wait and try again.
• Wrong path — the camera answers but has no such stream. Recheck the table and the channel number.
• Unreachable / timeout — the server can't reach the camera: see Port forwarding.
• Unsupported codec — set the camera to H.264 or H.265: see Camera settings.