Low-Latency RTSP Streaming

Stream your Verkada cameras on your existing third-party applications or media players

Updated over a week ago

RTSP is a streaming protocol allowing Verkada cameras to integrate live video into third party applications or media players. We support RTSP 1.0 and RFC 2326. Verkada camera RTSP streams can only be accessed over the local network from private addresses as defined in RFC 1918. The video is streamed directly from the camera to the client, without passing through the Verkada Cloud.

We offer two qualities of RTSP streams: standard-quality and high-quality. The resolution and bitrate of the RTSP streams are the same as in Verkada Command (see defaults here). Up to two concurrent RTSP streams can be set for a single camera.

In order to prevent unauthorized access to the camera feed, RTSP streams are secured with a username and password configured when RTSP is enabled. The password must be at least 8 characters long and contain an uppercase character, a lowercase character and a number. We recommend using special characters to further strengthen the integrity of the password. Note that a valid password is required to enable RTSP streams and users are prompted to enter a valid password the first time they toggle the feature on.

For your convenience, the RTSP URLs are displayed in Verkada Command, allowing the user to copy and paste them with one click. You will have to replace the [PASSWORD] text in the URL with the password that you set-up for the camera, before using it in the RTSP client.

Securing RTSP

RTSP 1.0 is widely supported by vendors for interoperability but because it is an unencrypted protocol, proper network configuration is needed to secure the data. We recommend that you take the following steps to secure your camera network before enabling RTSP:

1. Create a custom username and password for RTSP that is not reused in any other system. Generate a random long password for this purpose.

2. Segregate your cameras onto a separate network, VLAN, or VPN that is not accessible from the Internet or other untrusted systems.

3. If you use a 3rd-party cloud video integration, set up a VPN between the 3rd-party system and your camera network as the RTSP authentication and connection is not encrypted when streaming video.

4. Configure your external/edge firewall to drop RTSP traffic (port 8554).

5. Add only the minimum necessary RTSP client IP addresses in Verkada Command.

6. If you have traffic shaping/limiting capabilities, consider configuring the bandwidth allowed for RTSP.

Requirements

  • Only Site Admins will have the ability to enable this feature

Process

  1. Navigate to the Settings page for the camera.

  2. Under Devices toggle on Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP)

  3. You will be prompted to enter a username and password

    Note: You will need to store your password in a secure location as it will not be displayed again after it is created

  4. Copy the desired standard or high-resolution URL and change the [PASSWORD] section with the password you created

    Note: You can also edit this feature in bulk from the Devices page

  5. Once you have updated the link you add it to your third-party application

Note: Audio is not available on all modes. Check the camera datasheet for more information.

Camera

RTSP Type

RFC

RTSP Stream

RTSP Audio

Max. Standard Quality Streams

Max. High Definition Quality Streams

Max Concurrent Streams

D30 D40 D50

D80

CM41-S

CB51-E

CB51-TE

CB52-E

CB52-TE

CB61-E

CB61-TE

CH52-E

1.0

2326

Yes

No

2

2

2

CD31

CD31-E

CD41

CD41-E

CD51

CD51-E

CD61

CD61-E

CD42

CD42-E

CD52

CD52-E

CD62

CD62-E

CM41

CM41-E

CM61

CF81

1.0

2326

Yes

Yes

2

2

2

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