Troubleshooting What can I do if fail to stream the Tapo camera via the RTSP/ONVIF protocol?
The Tapo wired-powered camera supports RTSP and ONVIF (Profile S) protocols, enabling compatibility with third-party NVR or NAS devices that also support RTSP/ONVIF. If you fail to stream the Tapo camera via RTSP/ONVIF, please follow the steps below to troubleshoot.
Note:
- For battery-powered cameras/doorbells, only the special models (Tapo D235/D225/TD25) support RTSP streaming when hardwired, with a jumper cable installed, and the always-on mode turned on. Other models (such as Tapo C410/C420/C425/D230) do not support RTSP streaming due to battery and electronic design limitations.
- For dual-lens cameras, when connected to a PC/NAS/NVR via ONVIF, only the wide-angle lens stream is available.
Step 1. Check Your Camera Settings
1) Configuration: Ensure that the camera settings are correctly configured. The instructions below introduce some basic parameters that need to be configured on the camera.
How to view Tapo camera on PC/NAS/NVR through RTSP/Onvif Protocol
Note: Try to change the camera account(username and password) if they include special characters.
2) Subscription and Storage: Check whether the camera has subscribed to the Tapo Care service and if a microSD card is inserted. If both are present, the RTSP/ONVIF stream can't be established.
You may remove the microSD card from the camera to establish the RTSP/ONVIF connection.
Step 2. Review Your Network Diagram
The typical network diagram for streaming a camera via the RTSP/ONVIF protocol on a PC/NAS/NVR locally is shown below. Then you can refer to these instructions to establish the RTSP/ONVIF connection.
If you are streaming the camera remotely, more configurations are required on your home network. For detailed instructions, please refer to the article below.
How to View Your Tapo Camera Remotely via RTSP/ONVIF
Step 3. Test with Different Third-Party Applications
You can refer to the instructions below to establish the RTSP/ONVIF connection with the camera using Agent DVR or VLC, then test if you can stream the camera.
How to view Tapo camera on PC/NAS/NVR through RTSP/ONVIF Protocol?
Step 4. Pay attention to the number of devices that are streaming the camera.
The Tapo camera allows for up to 2 main streams (stream1) and 2 sub-streams (stream2) to be viewed simultaneously. Each RTSP/ONVIF connection occupies one stream. If all 4 streams are in use, you cannot establish a new connection.
You can try the following steps to troubleshoot interference from the device count limit.
1) Restart the camera to disconnect the device from viewing the camera.
2) Switch between the URL of the main stream (stream1) and the sub-stream (stream2) when establishing the RTSP/ONVIF connection.
3) Modify the Camera Account on the camera's Device Settings > Advanced Settings > Camera Account page to disconnect the device from viewing the camera.
Note: The Tapo Care service occupies one main stream, and viewing the camera's live feed through the Tapo app will occupy either a main or a sub-stream.
Next Steps If RTSP/ONVIF Streaming Cannot Be Established
You can reply to this thread or start a new thread with the following information for further assistance.
1. Describe the encountered phenomenon on the third-party apps. For example:
1) The third-party apps you are using (e.g., Agent DVR, VLC).
2) The URL used to stream the camera, such as rtsp://IP Address/stream1(For high-quality stream1).
3) The error message that appears if there is one.
2. List the results of the above four troubleshooting steps.
3. Provide the camera's model number, firmware, and hardware version.
QA related to the RTSP/ONVIF connection
Q1：What ports are used by the Tapo camera for RTSP/ONVIF?
A1: The Tapo camera uses the following ports for RTSP/ONVIF: ONVIF Service Port: 2020 and RTSP Service Port: 554.
Q2: Does the Tapo Camera support 2-way audio when connected via RTSP/ONVIF?
A2: The ONVIF standard includes multiple profiles, and the Tapo Camera only supports Profile S. This profile does not include 2-way audio. Profile S only covers basic functionalities such as video/audio streaming, network configuration, event handling, and PTZ (pan-tilt-zoom) control.
Q3: What are the Tapo dual-lens cameras' (e.g., Tapo C246D, C840) RTSP URLs for different lenses?
A3: You can access different lenses by switching URLs as shown below.
Wide-angle lens (high quality): rtsp://IP Address/stream1
Wide-angle lens (low quality): rtsp://IP Address/stream2
Telephoto Lens (High Quality): rtsp://IP Address/stream6
Telephoto Lens (Low Quality): rtsp://IP Address/stream7
Note: Only the wide-angle lens is accessible via the ONVIF protocol.
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I just received a new C120, promptly popped in an SD card, and hooked it up. Got it added into the app, no problems and detections/notifications/recordings/playback all work great. No Tapo Care was configured or used.
I figured I would test the ONVIF and RTSP but no luck getting either to work...
I retrieved the IP address from the Tapo app as shown and added the camera user, also as shown. If I read things correctly, it appears the SD card would not allow using ONVIF/RTSP, so I removed the card. Just for sanity, I pinged the camera's IP and that worked. Everything is on the same network subnet, so no issues to contend with there. Everything seemed good to go, so I went on to testing.
For RTSP, I used VLC Media Player, put in the url, rtsp://<camera IP>:554/channel1, opened it, was prompted for username and password, entered that, then opening the stream failed:
VLC is unable to open the MRL 'rtsp://192.168.1.131:554/channel1'. Check the log for details.
I tried the same with 'channel2' URL and had the same results.
Next, I moved into trying ONVIF with DW Spectrum IPVMS. I went to add device, put in camera IP address, username, and password then hit Search. The results were, "No Devices Found". OK, so I moved on to my favorite troubleshooting tool, ONVIF Device Manager. Did a network scan and it pulled in the usual local cameras, but no Tapo C120. I added the camera into ODM manually with URL of 'http://192.168.1.131/onvif/device_service' and when trying to connect, I got the message, "There was no endpoint listening at http://192.168.1.131/onvif/device_service that could accept the message.
I tried turning off and back on the camera user in app settings. Tried deleting and re-adding the camera user. Tried turning off the camera in the app to disconnect any unneeded streams. Tried restarting the camera a few times. No love.
Any suggestions for what to try next?
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the pc must be connected to the same network as the cameras
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Update:
I removed camera from app and it reset according to voice prompt. I also did the 10 second reset button reset procedure. Once that was done, I added it back to app and changed nothing else. There was no SD card in the camera at any time after resetting. Still getting the same messages and not able to connect with ONVIF or RTSP.
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Update 2:
I figured out the ONVIF to DW Spectrum problem. Default port Spectrum was trying to connect over was 80. Changed that to 2020 and the C120 was discovered immediately. Added camera in with no problem at that point. Pulled in both high and low streams, Spectrum's motion detection works fine, recording good, etc. 2560x1440 high res stream and 640x360 low res stream.
ONVIF Device Manager also works fine now as well using port 2020
Still no RTSP to VLC though. Will fiddle with that some more.
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Update 3:
Figured out the VLC issue... the correct URL for RTSP is: 'rtsp://<ip_address>:554/stream1' NOT '.../channel1'. My mistake. I noticed it when looking at the camera properties in DW Spectrum.
All is working as it should now. I can actually stream to VLC, Spectrum, and the Tapo app all at the same time. Sweet.
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Hi,
Thank you for sharing your experience.
Btw, the SD card and the RTSP/Onvif connection can work simultaneously when the camera has not subscribed to the Tapo Care service.
Best Regards
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@Solla-topee Hi, I have an issue with not being able to stream via RTSP. The camera is C501GW. I have a 4G SIM card in the camera with unlimited data plan and static IP from the network provider with all ports open. Camera account has been set up from the app and APN set to "static" manually (as required from the ISP). So far tried with VLC and Agent DVR, but no luck. I can ping the IP address successfully.
Is the RTSP stream supported with 4G network connection? Anything I could try to do?
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Hi,
Your problem may be related to the network diagram and parameters, please confirm the following information about the issue.
1. What IP address do you obtain from the ISP? You can send it to me(@Solla-topee) via a private message.
2. Which device is trying to stream the camera via RTSP/Onvif? Is it connected to your home router to go to the internet? Can it ping the IP address of the camera obtained from the ISP?
Best Regards
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TP-link has told us that there will be an update to the app tomorrow on the 14th of december, it will add a toggle to allow us to integrate cameras to dvr's and homeassistant.
This information was shared to the author of Homeassistant-Tapo-Control on github.
Let's all wait and see if they release it tomorrow and if it indeed fixes our issues.
Edit: Actually that's the 13th, today..
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I have created a camera account.
When I try to access it in home assistant I get an error that says wrong user/pass.
I have double checked and I have added the username and password from the created camera account correctly. I am using the following RTSP URL
rtsp://myusername:mypassword@192.168.68.152:554/stream1
I have also tried stream2 and I get the same result. I have also tried without the port number in the IP address with the same result
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