Troubleshooting What can I do if fail to stream the Tapo camera via the RTSP/ONVIF protocol?

Note: currently, some battery-powered cameras, such as Tapo C420, C400, and D230, do not support being viewed via the RTSP/ONVIF stream.
1. If the camera has subscribed to the Tapo Care service and inserted a microSD card, the RTSP stream can’t be established.
2. Check if the configuration on the camera is correct.
The link below includes some basic parameters that need to be configured on the camera.
How can I connect my Tapo camera to a NAS or NVR?
Note: Try to change the camera account(username and password) if they include special characters.
3. Check your network diagram, and confirm if you are streaming the camera locally or remotely.
If you are streaming the camera remotely, more configurations are required on your home network, for example, open port 554 or 2020 on your router for the camera, and find the public wan IP address on your router.
For example, the typical network diagram of streaming a camera via RTSP protocol on a PC locally:
4. Confirm the detailed phenomenon on the third-party apps/programs.
For example:
1) Third-party apps/programs are used, such as iSpy, VLC, etc.
2) The URL used to stream the camera, for example, rtsp://IP Address/stream1(For high-quality stream1).
3) The error message that appears if there is one.
5. Try to stream the camera on a PC with an iSpy or VLC program.
How to view Tapo camera on PC/NAS/NVR through RTSP/ONVIF Protocol?
Note: If several devices watch the camera simultaneously, close the Tapo app, and disconnect other RTSP/ONVIF connections first.
Please reply to this thread or start a new thread with the following information to get further help if the RTSP/ONVIF stream cannot be established.
1. The results of the above steps.
2. Collect the camera log if possible.
How to get the log of Tapo Camera?
3. The MAC address of your Tapo camera. You can find the MAC address on the camera’s Device Settings>Device Info page, and please send it to me(@Solla-topee) via a private message.
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add me to the list of issues., setting up new camera, LAN IP 10.0.1.171 - the tpLink app see's it, the amazon alexa sees it, but VLC doesnt
i tried every variation of logging in, adding username:password - all streams, nothing. -- I decided to port scan the camera, and found THIS:
could the issue be that port 554 isnt open?
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Hi,
Port 554 is the service port for the RTSP protocol, and it's always open. Typically, you can refer to the following instructions to set up the RTSP stream.
How to view Tapo camera on PC/NAS/NVR through RTSP/Onvif Protocol
If it failed, please confirm the following information.
1. Send us a picture of the error message that appears during the setup process.
2. Can your device that installed the VLC app ping the camera's IP address successfully?
3. Please try to establish the RTSP/Onvif stream with another app (such as iSpy) or another device connected to the same Wi-Fi network as the camera, then test if you can establish the RTSP/Onvif connection successfully.
Best Regards
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I ve tapo c201 and tried to connect to xvr dahua with all combinations and nothing happens... i ve success connecting but i can not receive image.
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Hi,
Please verify if you can stream the camera's live feed both locally and remotely using the Tapo app. If so, test if you can stream the camera's live feed with other third-party apps via RTSP/Onvif, such as VLC or iSpy.
How to view Tapo camera on PC/NAS/NVR through RTSP/Onvif Protocol
Best Regards
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I have a problem with my new dual lens camera C246D. When I add the camera to iSpy I can only see the streams for the wide-angle lens (stream1 & stream2). The telephoto lens is not recognized. Stream6 and stream7 are missing.
Is it not supported to show both lens via ONVIF? Or do I have to wait for a firmware update?
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Hi,
Update on Sep 25, 2025.
On the Tapo C246D, the wide-angle lens can establish an ONVIF connection in the ONVIF client, but the telephoto lens is not yet supported. However, you can stream both lenses via RTSP. For example, you can refer to the following instructions to add both lenses to the VLC app via RTSP.
How to view Tapo camera on PC/NAS/NVR through RTSP/Onvif Protocol
The iSpy app also supports establishing an RTSP connection with the camera. You can find configuration instructions online, such as searching for phrases like "how to establish RTSP stream with security camera on iSpy" on Google.
Best Regards
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Hi,
No I didn't get any error messages. I have only followed the manual from tp-link to add the camera (https://www.tp-link.com/de/support/faq/2680/)
I did the following tasks:
And now I can only see these 3 streams. Stream6 and stream7 are missing for the telephoto lens.
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Hi,
I double-confirmed the information with our tech team, and I apologize for the inaccuracies in my previous post. In your case, please refer to the updated content for troubleshooting.
Best Regards
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I have a D225 Doorbell connected, wired, in always-on mode.
I can use onvif protocol but only the lower res option works reliably. But I cannot use RTSP:// on either stream.
I do not subscribe to Tapo Care. I do have a micro-sd card inserted. I verified I'm using the newest firmware. And it's in a 2.4GHz only WiFi ssid.
I have tried Go2RTC, Frigate, Scrypted, and HomeBridge, and I couldn't get a direct rtsp stream to work.
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