Camera setup guide
Connect Reolink to Ceptory
Reolink cameras support RTSP, but recent firmware ships with it turned off. Turn it on once, point Ceptory Edge at the sub stream, and activity clips start arriving in your index.
Also covers: Reolink NVRs.
Stream URL
Reolink RTSP URL format
Use channel 1 for a camera. On a Reolink NVR, use the camera's channel: channel 2 gives h264Preview_02_sub.
rtsp://<username>:<password>@<host>:<port>/h264Preview_<channel, 2 digits>_sub
rtsp://<username>:<password>@<host>:<port>/h264Preview_<channel, 2 digits>_main
On the camera
Prepare the stream
- 1
Turn on RTSP
In the Reolink app or client, open the camera's settings → Network → Advanced → Port Settings (Server Settings on some firmware) and switch RTSP on. Switch ONVIF on too if you want to use ceptory-edge discover.
- 2
Find the camera's IP address
The app shows it under the device's network information. Reserve it in your router.
- 3
Use the sub stream
The sub stream is H.264 on every Reolink model and is small enough to upload.
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.
[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/h264Preview_01_sub"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
Reolink notes
- 4K and 8MP models encode the main stream in H.265 and name it h265Preview_01_main. The sub stream stays H.264, so keep using it.
- Most battery-powered Reolink models don't provide RTSP. Use a PoE or wired Wi-Fi model.
- 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 Reolink model and the error you see, and we'll help you get it streaming.
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.
Other cameras
More setup guides
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