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Cameras not detected or not coming up properly?

  • Cameras listed as compatible in the camera faq should be detected if they’re connected directly to your network by WiFi or a PoE switch. They won’t be detected if they are plugged into the back of an NVR. See below for how to add cameras connect to an NVR.  
  • Unlisted brands that support RTSP and are directly connected to your network will also work. You may need to do add them to Camect manually using the correct RTSP url as described below. 

Click the symptom that applies to your camera:

Detected as 'Onvif Camera' but ...
Username and password are always incorrect

Some brands of camera use a password for Onvif that is different from the username and password used to access the camera’s UI or the app.

If you don’t know the Onvif password for your camera, see if you can find the RTSP url for the camera, and add it using the RTSP url instead. (See instructions below.)

I get an error after entering the username and password

This occurs if the camera’s Onvif implementation is not interoperating properly with Camect’s Onvif implementation. If you are getting “media errror” please let us know. We would like to track the brands for which this happens. 

If you know the RTSP url for the camera, add the camera manually using the RTSP url. (See below.)

Detected as 'Generic Device', but produces an error or disappears after I enter the username and password

In this case your camera supports RTSP, but it does not use one of the common RTSP urls that Camect tries automatically.

You’ll need to find the RTSP url for your camera and add the camera manually using the RTSP url. (See below.)

Not detected at all.
  • Is your camera listed as supported on the camera faq, or do its specs mention RTSP support? If your camera does not support RTSP, it may not be usable with Camect.
  • Is your camera plugged into the back of an NVR, instead of connected directly to your network? If so, extra configuration will be required. (See below.)

If you know that your camera supports RTSP, and you know its IP address and RTSP url, you can add it manually using the RTSP url. (See below.)

How to add a camera manually using an RTSP url.

Determine the RTSP url for your camera.
  • The format of the URL depends on the brand of your camera. For supported brands, Camect already knows the format of the url to use. 
    • As an example, the RTSP Url of an Amcrest camera might look like:
              rtsp://192.168.1.192/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0
  • Your camera’s manual, or the product page on Amazon often mention the correct RTSP url format to use. 
  • You can often find the correct RTSP url format by searching google for the brand and string “rtsp url” or for your model number and “rtsp url” 
Add the camera to Camect using the RTSP url
    • Open the home settings (cog wheel at top right) 
    • Choose the “devices” tab (camera icon)
    • Click the green “add camera” button
    • Pick “Stream URL” as the camera type, and provide the RTSP url in the text box. 
    • If your camera is added successfully, you’ll see it in the UI shortly after you press “Add”Add the camera in Camect using the RTSP url:

How to use cameras plugged into the back of an NVR.

Cameras plugged into the back of an NVR or DVR are not connected directly to your network, so Camect cannot detect them.

  • If you have IP cameras (powered and connected by a single network cable) plugged into your NVR, you can choose to move them to a PoE switch. That will allow both your NVR and Camect to access them.
  • Alternatively, you can configure Camect to know about RTSP urls that allow it to fetch video through the video recorder. This requires finding the appropriate RTSP urls. 

    Common RTSP urls for NVRs
     
    Many kit NVRs of different brands (e.g. Swann, Lorex, LaView)  are actually made by Dahua or Hikvision. If you have the manual for your NVR, check to see what the RTSP url format is for your NVR. If you can’t find it, try these: 

    Dahua-based NVRs:
    rtsp://USER:PASSWORD@IPADDRESS/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0
    • Enter the appropriate values for USER, PASSWORD, and IPADDRESS
    • The first camera on the NVR will be channel 1, the second will be channel 2, etc
     
    Hikvision-based NVRs: 
    rtsp://USER:PASSWORD@IPADDRESS:554/Streaming/Channels/101
    • Enter the appropriate values for USER, PASSWORD, and IPADDRESS
    • The first camera on the NVR will have suffix “/101”, the second will be “/201”, etc

      TIPS:
      • Many NVRs will lock you out if you try to access them 5-6 times and fail. You may need to reboot your NVR before trying the above URLs. 
      • If your NVR is detected as “Hikvision Device” take note of its IP address and then disable (but do not delete) the detected device in the Camect UI. After doing so, reboot your NVR to ensure that Camect is not locked out when you try the URLs. 
      • Your NVR may have its RTSP service configured to be on a port other than the default 554, e.g. 8554 or 10554 are common. If your NVR does this, change the port number in the url, e.g. 
                    rtsp://USER:PASSWORD@IPADDRESS:8554/Streaming/Channels/101

 

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