Adding a camera

There are two ways to add a camera: let camera.ui discover it, or add it manually with its stream URL. Both start from the Cameras page (open it from the menu, or select Get started on the home screen when you have no cameras yet).

Before you start

• Power on the camera and connect it to the same network as your server.
• For network discovery, enable ONVIF in the camera's own settings.
• Have the camera's username and password ready. For a manual add, also have its RTSP URL (from the camera's manual or app).

Discover a camera

The Cameras page lists devices that have been discovered, ready for you to add. A camera shows up here when camera.ui's built-in discovery finds it on your network (ONVIF and other protocols), or when a plugin that manages cameras reports one. Either way, you add it the same way. Cameras you have already added appear under Adopted cameras.

1. Open Cameras. Discovery runs automatically. If a camera on your network doesn't appear, select Rescan and check that it's powered on and on the same network.
2. Select a camera under Discovered. A Connect dialog opens.
3. Some cameras need credentials. If asked, enter the username and password (a few use a PIN instead), then select Connect. Others need no details and connect right away.
4. The status changes to Connecting…, and on success the camera moves to Adopted cameras and shows up in your live view.

You can hide devices you don't want to see with the eye icon, and bring them back later with Show hidden devices.

Add a camera manually

Use this for cameras that aren't discovered, or to set up streams yourself. Select Add camera on the Cameras page.

1. Give the camera a Name, and optionally assign it to a Room.
2. Under Sources, set up at least one stream:
   • Enter a Source name.
   • Pick a Source role: High Resolution, Mid Resolution, or Low Resolution for streaming, or Snapshot for stills. At least one streaming role is required.
   • Choose the protocol (RTSP is the default and works with most IP cameras) and enter the stream URL. Use the (i) button for protocol-specific help, or Test camera source to preview a frame.
3. Add more URLs to a source, or Add source to add another role (for example a low-resolution stream for fast scrubbing).
4. Save. The camera appears in your Cameras list and live view.

Sources and roles

A camera can have several sources, each with a role:

• High / Mid / Low Resolution are streaming tiers. camera.ui uses the one that fits the situation, such as a low-resolution stream in a multi-camera grid and a high-resolution one at full screen.
• Snapshot provides still images.

One source is enough to get started. Adding a lower-resolution stream later improves performance for grids and playback.

Performance options

Each source has a few options that trade a little memory for a faster, smoother experience:

• Hot mode. Keeps the connection to the camera always active, so there's no reconnect delay when a stream is opened.
• Preload. Preloads the stream so the camera view opens with minimal delay.
• Prebuffer. Continuously buffers a short, rolling window of the stream, so the last few seconds are always available to access, such as the moment just before a trigger in an event recording.

With hot mode and preload on, opening a stream is near-instant, whether the camera uses H.264 or H.265.

Connection protocols

camera.ui supports many connection types. RTSP works with almost any IP camera and is the usual choice, while ONVIF powers discovery. The protocol list also covers specific brands and systems, some of which connect directly and others through a plugin. The (i) button next to the protocol field shows instructions for the one you picked. See Connection protocols for the full list.^[1]

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1. Cameras that depend on a vendor cloud (such as Ring or Nest) can be connected, either directly or through a plugin, but they are not recommended and not covered by support. Use local RTSP / ONVIF cameras for a reliable experience. ↩︎