Streams

A stream is a live video feed from an IP camera or NVR. You add it to Watchman using an RTSP URL.

What are IP cameras and RTSP?

IP camera: a camera that plugs into your network (Ethernet or Wi‑Fi) and can be reached by an IP address like 192.168.1.50.

RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol): a standard way to read the live video from your camera. It's a link (URL) that you paste into apps like Watchman or VLC.

Example format:

rtsp://username:password@camera-ip:554/stream-path

Common patterns:

rtsp://admin:123456@192.168.1.50:554/Streaming/Channels/101

rtsp://user:pass@192.168.1.60:554/h264

rtsp://user:pass@192.168.1.70:554/live/ch00_0

rtsp://user:pass@192.168.1.80:554/stream1

Add a stream (step‑by‑step)

Open Streams and click “Add Stream”.
Paste your RTSP URL. If needed, fill Username/Password; they sync with the URL automatically.
Choose Region Layout (1, 4, or 9). 9 works best for most scenes.
Optionally pick an Agent to process events from this camera.
Set Run Target:
- User Server: select from your registered servers.
- Unassigned: leaves the stream unbound.
When Run Target is User Server, choose which Server will process the stream.
Save.

How to find your RTSP URL

Camera web page: log into the camera's web UI. Look for Video/Stream/Network settings.
Manufacturer docs: search “YourBrand RTSP URL.”
ONVIF tools: use an ONVIF scanner to auto‑discover cameras and streams.
Test in VLC: if it plays in VLC, it will work in Watchman.

Tip: Default RTSP port is 554. Try alternate paths like /h264 or /stream1 if unsure.

Connectivity options

Using Watchman‑managed servers

Your camera must be reachable from the internet.

Find public address (router public IP or DDNS).
Port forward an external port to the camera's RTSP port.
Build URL: rtsp://user:pass@PUBLIC_HOST:PORT/stream-path
Test from mobile data in VLC.

Security tips

Change default passwords, use a random external port, and restrict by IP if possible. If exposing the camera isn't acceptable, use a self‑hosted User Server on your LAN.

Prefer not to expose your camera?

Run a User Server on your LAN instead.

Register a User Server (self‑hosted).
Set Run Target to User Server.
Select your Server and use the camera's local RTSP URL.

Field reference

RTSP URL: must start with rtsp://. Credentials may be embedded.
Region Layout: 1, 4, or 9 partitions; 9 is recommended.
Agent: route events to an agent for analysis.
Run Target: choose User Server to select one of your registered servers; Unassigned leaves it unassigned.
Server: when Run Target is User Server, select the specific server to process the stream.

Troubleshooting

Verify username/password; try a simple password to test.
Confirm RTSP port (often 554) and the exact path from the camera docs.
Test the URL in VLC (works locally? works from cellular data?).
If using Watchman‑managed, confirm port‑forwarding and that your ISP allows inbound ports.
Lower the camera’s bitrate or choose the sub‑stream if your uplink is slow.