If you are streaming an IP camera to our service that you have purchased elsewhere (not one of our plug and play cameras) then you will need to use the RTSP method, and RTSP stands for Real Time Streaming Protocol. This method requires that you have an open port in your router (default port 554) which is forwarded to your camera so our service can connect to your camera through your firewall and pull an RTSP stream. Then our system converts it to formats required for todays streaming requirements and rebroadcasts it to your web player

There are a number of situations that can prevent our system from connecting to an RTSP camera and the most common issues are listed below. Please follow the check lists in order, and according to your particular scenario prior to submitting a support ticket as often the items listed here will prove to be the cause and fixing these issues will get you back on line quickly. If you have been supplied a new router or changed ISP then you can jump straight to step 8 in this section.

Before starting Check Camsecure service status page here - system outages and maintenance are reported here, updated at 30 minute intervals.

Scenario 1 - Webcam has been working fine but has stopped, your Internet is working fine.

1) Check camera power is still plugged in and the LED power light is on.

2) Reboot camera by powering off for at least 30 seconds, then power back up. Camera should reconnect within 10 minutes (be patient). This will often be all that is necessary to reset a stalled camera's RTSP if there has been a power glitch or temprary Internet or router problem etc.

3) Depending on how the camera is powered, check the DC or AC power unit to verify power is actually getting to the camera or if the camera is powered by a POE injector or POE router/switch make sure the POE injector is still correctly connected i.e. Data & POE port goes to camera cable and Data / LAN port goes to router connection. If using a POE switch ensure that the camera cable is indeed plugged into a POE port on the switch and that it has not been removed and left disconnected or plugged back in to a non POE port. Once power supply is confirmed move on.

4) If router has port status LED's check that the LED  is on for the port the camera is plugged in to, (some routers do, some dont). In the case of a POE switch there are usually two LEDs for each port. One shows if power is on to the device and the other shows that data is connected to the device. Make sure both LED's are illuminated if you have this type of POE switch.

5) Check the lead from the POE injector Data In or LAN connection is still plugged in to a LAN / Ethernet port on router, it may have been pulled out and left, or plugged back in to WAN port by mistake, but it must be in a LAN / Ethernet port in order to work.

If your router has both types of port as shown below then LAN can also be called Ethernet and WAN may be called BT Infinity or Fibre etc. Sometimes the sockets are different colours too. The data link cable from the Injector or switch must be plugged in to a LAN / Ethernet port.

6) Reboot router and camera together (power both off 30 seconds then back on) this will force router and camera to talk after power glitches or updates.

7) Check integrity and connection of camera cable between router/POE unit and actually at the camera. (Use an Ethernet cable checker for speed)

8) If all power supplies and connections are verified you need to check the router. If you have performed a full reset on your router or the ISP has been remotely looking at the router due to some other problem, the port forwarding rules may well have been removed. In this case you will need to reprogram your router for port forwarding. If you have been supplied with a new router from your current ISP or if you have changed ISP then obviously this will also be the case.

9) Check port forwarding rule is in place and forwards the RTSP port to the IP address of the camera.

10) Check that the camera is on the correct IP address and subnet mask.

11) Check the gateway setting of the camera matches that of the router. (use a DOS command to quickly check network gateway and other uses)

12) If you are on a static public IP address, verify that it has not changed as some ISP's (especially BT) do change a static IP addresses without notice occasionally. (check your IP)

13) If you are using a DDNS service to resolve a dynamic public IP in to a static name then check that it is live, valid and working. 

14) Make sure the camera has not had its User Name or Password changed. If it has then you need to inform us of the new one so we can still pull the stream.

15) Make sure the camera settings and conditions for RTSP streaming are still in place and not been changed to prevent proper streaming (scenario 3, 7 - 14)

16) If all physical power and data connections are verified, camera programming is verified check that you can connect to the camera yourself from outside of your own network e.g. from home.

17) Check Camsecure service status page here - system outages and maintenance are reported here, updated at 30 minute intervals.

18) If all above is correct but the camera still wont connect, submit a support ticket and we will get back to you and try remote diagnostics and offer more assitance as required. 

Scenario 2 - Webcam has been working fine but has gone very slow to respond or very jerky.

1) Reboot camera by powering off for at least 30 seconds, then power back up. Camera should reconnect within 10 minutes (be patient).

2) Check your broadband speed, in particular the upload and see if it has dropped off in performance. If so, reboot router. (speed check)

3) Check camera settings to ensure no one has altered the resolution, frame rate or bit rate settings recommended (see scenario 3, 7 - 14)

4) Check Camsecure service status page here - system maintenance, outages and problems  are reported here, updated at 30 minute intervals.

5) If you are on Basic (or maybe even standard) service and your camera is very polular, you may at times exceed your simultaneous viewer limit. (upgrade?)

6) If you are using a 4G/5G connection you may be over your data limit. Contact provider and switch to Truly Unlimited data (check no fair usage policy!)

7) If all above checks out, submit a support ticket and we will get back to you and try remote diagnostics and offer more assitance as required. 

Scenario 3 - Cant get new RTSP webcam on line.

1) Ensure that your camera is compatible with our streaming service. It must be capable of RTSP streaming and H264 encoding.

2) Ensure that the camera lead and any patch leads are wired EXACTLY as in this diagram. This must be done to ensure the correct twisted pairs go to the correct data connections on the equipment. Do Not deviate from it otherwise the camera and other equipment will not function correctly especially as the cable length increases.

3) Check the cable wiring at each end using a network cable tester to ensure all connections are made and go pin to pin 1-1 / 2-2 etc. at each end.

4) Check patch leads are also correct - dont just trust them especially if already used.

5) Make sure the network plug at the camera end is fully inserted and clicked in place and that any additional power connectors are also inserted and secure.

6) With all connections now made, verify operation locally by logging in to the local address of the camera. If not possible check all connections again.

7) Now logged on to the camera ensure video size is correct for account type e.g. 720P for basic account or 1080P for other accounts.

8) Ensure maximum bit rates for video are set e.g. 1024 - 2048 KBPS for 720P / 2048 - 4096 KBPS for 1080P

9) Ensure frame rate is set ideally to 15FPS or max of 25FPS.

10) If profile setting is available set to baseline.

11) Ensure RTSP streaming is set to on.

12) If option available set RTSP authentication to basic/digest.

13) Ensure encoding is set to H264 Only - nothing else.

14) Turn off any AI encoding or other encoding sub method, set to General encoding method.

15) Ensure Gateway setting in IP settings matches Gateway setting of the router (check with IPCONFIG).

16) Ensure camera is set on a static local IP address 

17) Ensure router port forwarding is set to forward the RTSP port you are using (default is 554) to the local IP address of the camera.

18) Ensure to set port forwarding to allow both TCP and UDP.

19) Check User Name and Password are the same as you submitted on your camera connection form. (re-submit new details)

20) Ensure the Static IP address (if applicable) that you submitted is correct and not changed. (Public IP address Checker).

21) Ensure any DDNS (if no static public IP available) is set and up to date / auto registering.

22) So if all connections are secure and verified, all programming is complete and verified, you have been able to prove remote access from a network outside of your own and you have submitted all the correct information on the Camera Details form the system should auto connect to the RTSP camera within 10 minutes and stream to your player.

23) Check Camsecure service status page here - system outages and maintenance are reported here, updated at 30 minute intervals.

24) If everything is checked and OK and still the camera will not connect submit a support ticket and we will get back to you and try remote diagnostics and offer more assitance as required to get you on line.