Camera setup guide
Connect Uniview to Ceptory
Uniview cameras expose their streams at /media/video1 and /media/video2. Ceptory Edge reads the second, lighter stream and sends activity clips to Ceptory.
Also covers: UNV cameras and NVRs.
Stream URL
Uniview RTSP URL format
Connect Uniview (UNV) cameras and NVRs to Ceptory over RTSP using the sub stream.
rtsp://<username>:<password>@<host>:<port>/media/video2
rtsp://<username>:<password>@<host>:<port>/media/video1
On the camera
Prepare the stream
- 1
Find the camera's IP address
Use the Uniview EZTools utility, the NVR's camera list, or your router.
- 2
Set the sub stream to H.264
In the camera's video settings choose the sub stream, set H.264, about 640×360 and 10 to 15 fps, and turn off U-Code smart encoding for it.
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/media/video2"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
Uniview notes
- On most Uniview NVRs, stream a camera through the recorder with /unicast/c{channel}/s1/live (s0 is the main stream).
- 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 Uniview 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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Search your Uniview footage in plain language
Connect a camera in a few minutes. Only activity clips are uploaded and indexed.