Ceptory

Camera setup guide

Connect CP Plus to Ceptory

Most CP Plus DVRs, NVRs and IP cameras run Dahua-based firmware, so they serve video on the same /cam/realmonitor RTSP path. Point Ceptory Edge at each channel of your recorder, or at an IP camera directly, and only the activity is sent to Ceptory.

Connect a cameraHow it works

Also covers: CP Plus DVRs and NVRs, CP Plus HDCVI cameras via the DVR.

Stream URL

CP Plus RTSP URL format

On a DVR or NVR, the channel is the camera's number on the recorder: channel=1 for the first camera, channel=4 for the fourth. For an IP camera connected directly, use channel 1.

Sub stream (use this one)
rtsp://<username>:<password>@<host>:<port>/cam/realmonitor?channel=<channel>&subtype=1
Main stream
rtsp://<username>:<password>@<host>:<port>/cam/realmonitor?channel=<channel>&subtype=0

On the camera

Prepare the stream

  1. 1

    Find the recorder's IP address

    On the monitor connected to the DVR or NVR, open the main menu's network (TCP/IP) settings and note the IP address, or find the recorder in your router's list of connected devices. Give it a fixed IP so the URL keeps working.

  2. 2

    Check the RTSP port

    The recorder's network port settings list the RTSP port. It is 554 unless someone changed it.

  3. 3

    Set each channel's sub stream to H.264

    In the recorder's camera encode settings, pick the channel, choose the sub stream (extra stream), and set H.264, D1 or about 640×360, and 10 to 15 fps. Turn off Smart Codec and H.265 for this stream.

  4. 4

    Use a dedicated user

    In the recorder's account settings, add a user with live view rights for Ceptory instead of sharing the admin password.

In Ceptory Edge

Add the camera to edge.toml

Or let the Connect a camera page in your dashboard build this file, including the stream URL, and check each step live.

edge.toml
[ceptory]
url = "https://www.ceptory.com"
api_key = "${CEPTORY_API_KEY}"   # a WRITE key from Dashboard → API keys

[defaults]
index_id = "your-index-id"        # from /dashboard/indexes/<index_id>
upload_mode = "motion"

[[cameras]]
id = "front-entrance"
name = "Front entrance"
url = "rtsp://admin:${CAMERA_PASSWORD}@192.168.1.64:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=1"
Check the camera, then start
ceptory-edge check
ceptory-edge run

check opens every stream and reports the codec, resolution and frame rate, so a wrong URL or password shows up before anything is uploaded.

Good to know

CP Plus notes

  • Ceptory Edge reads the recorder over your local network, so it must run on the same network as the DVR or NVR. The gCMOB app's cloud (P2P) connection doesn't help here.
  • Analog CP Plus cameras (HDCVI) connect through the DVR: add one camera entry per DVR channel you want Ceptory to watch.
  • Some CP Plus Wi-Fi cameras, such as the Ezykam range, are cloud-first and may not offer RTSP. Try ceptory-edge discover; if nothing answers, connect a wired camera or go through an NVR.
  • Older recorders shipped with a default admin password. If yours still uses it, change it before you connect anything to the network.
  • If the password contains characters such as @, : or /, the connect flow in the dashboard encodes them for you. When you write the URL by hand, replace @ with %40, : with %3A and / with %2F.

FAQ

Troubleshooting

Still stuck? Email us your CP Plus model and the error you see, and we'll help you get it streaming.

Contact support

The cameras work in the gCMOB app but not in Ceptory Edge

The app connects through CP Plus's cloud relay, from anywhere. Ceptory Edge needs the recorder's local IP and RTSP port, so run it on the same network as the recorder and use the IP shown in the recorder's network menu.

Error 401, or the account locks

The username or password is wrong. CP Plus recorders lock a user out for a while after repeated failed logins; wait for the lock to clear, then try again with the correct password.

ceptory-edge check says it could not open the stream

Open the same URL in VLC (Media → Open Network Stream) from the edge box. If VLC fails too, the URL, username, password or port is wrong, or RTSP is turned off on the camera. If VLC works, check that nothing on the box blocks outbound connections to port 554.

The camera shows online but no clips arrive

Clips are only sent when something moves. Walk in front of the camera, or lower motion_sensitivity (for example to 0.01) in edge.toml. If the camera's on-screen clock is counted as motion, add it to ignore_regions.

Do I need to open ports on my router?

No. Ceptory Edge runs inside your network, reads the cameras locally, and only makes outbound HTTPS connections to Ceptory. Nothing on the internet can reach your cameras through it.

Does all my footage go to the cloud?

No. Ceptory Edge watches every frame locally and uploads only short clips with activity, with a few seconds of context either side. Still footage stays on your cameras or recorder. You can also set upload_mode to off to send health and snapshots only.

Are camera passwords sent to Ceptory?

No. Stream URLs and passwords stay in edge.toml on your edge box. Ceptory only receives the camera's name, health, an occasional snapshot and the activity clips.

Get started

Search your CP Plus footage in plain language

Connect a camera in a few minutes. Only activity clips are uploaded and indexed.

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