Finding your stream URL

Common paths ​

Most cameras need RTSP switching on first, and many want a dedicated camera account rather than the admin login.

Test it before configuring it ​

ffprobe -rtsp_transport tcp -i 'rtsp://user:pass@192.168.1.138:554/stream1'

A working stream prints something like:

Stream #0:0: Video: h264 (High), yuv420p, 1920x1080, 15 fps

Note the resolution and frame rate: they are what maxWidth, maxHeight and maxFps should reflect. Claiming more than the camera sends does not improve anything, and claiming a resolution it cannot produce gives you a black tile.

This is the only place credentials belong in a URL. In the plugin configuration they go in username and password, and a URL containing them is refused.

Use the substream for snapshots ​

If the camera has a second, smaller stream, point snapshotUrl at it. A still from a 640×360 substream is quicker to fetch and indistinguishable at the size HomeKit draws it.

{
  "url": "rtsp://192.168.1.138:554/stream1",
  "snapshotUrl": "rtsp://192.168.1.138:554/stream2"
}

If it will not connect ​

• 401 or 403: wrong credentials, or the camera wants a separate RTSP account
• Connection refused: RTSP is off, or the port is not 554
• 404 or "method DESCRIBE failed": right host, wrong path
• Timeout: nothing is listening, or a firewall is in the way