Reolink RTSP and ONVIF setup

Reolink cameras can stream to any recorder over RTSP and report motion over ONVIF, but recent firmware ships with both switched off. Turn them on, then add the camera by its stream address.

At a glance

Replace USERNAME, PASSWORD, and CAMERA-IP with your own. The main stream is the full-resolution one to record; the sub stream is a lighter copy for small previews. Cameras set to record in H.265, which includes most 4K models, use h265Preview_01_main for the main stream instead.

Before you start

• Give the camera a fixed IP address with a DHCP reservation on your router, so its stream address never changes.
• Use a strong password, but avoid @, :, /, and #. They have special meanings in stream addresses, and some cameras mishandle them.
• Update the camera’s firmware. Menu names differ between firmware versions and models, so treat the ones below as a guide to where to look.

Turn on RTSP and ONVIF

1. Open the camera’s web interface at its IP address, or the Reolink app, and sign in as admin.
2. In the web interface go to Settings › Network › Advanced and open Server Settings (Port Settings on older firmware). In the app, the same switches are under Device Settings › Network Information › Advanced.
3. Turn on RTSP and ONVIF. Leave the RTSP port at 554 and the ONVIF port at 8000 unless you have a reason to change them.
4. Save. The camera may restart.

Turn on motion events

1. Check that motion detection is switched on in the camera’s alarm or detection settings, and set its sensitivity and zones there. The ONVIF motion events follow those settings.
2. Some Reolink models also detect people and vehicles on the camera. Whether those events arrive over ONVIF depends on the model and firmware, so plain motion is the dependable choice.

Add the camera to Loki Eye

1. Add the camera in Loki Eye with its main stream address from the table above. Loki Eye probes the stream to check that it plays.
2. Enter the ONVIF port so motion events can reach the recorder. Loki Eye tests the port as you add the camera.
3. Choose continuous recording, or recording on motion with pre-roll and post-roll.

Things to know about Reolink cameras

• Most battery-powered Reolink cameras, such as the Argus range, do not offer RTSP or ONVIF on their own. A local NVR needs a mains-powered or PoE model.
• Reolink cameras are known to reject some special characters in RTSP passwords. If the stream refuses a password you know is right, try one made of letters and numbers only.
• Recent Reolink NVRs also serve RTSP for each channel. Replace 01 in the address with the channel number, such as h264Preview_03_main for channel 3.

If it does not work

• The stream will not open. Try the same address in VLC, under Media › Open Network Stream. If VLC cannot play it either, the problem is on the camera: RTSP switched off, the wrong port, or the wrong password.
• You are not sure of the stream address. ONVIF Device Manager, a free Windows tool, finds cameras on your network and shows their stream addresses.
• The stream drops when another app is watching. Cameras accept only a few stream connections at once. Close other viewers, or point them at the sub stream.
• No motion events arrive. Check that motion detection is on in the camera, that the ONVIF port is right, and that the camera clock is correct. ONVIF requests carry a timestamp, and a camera whose clock is minutes off can refuse them. Setting the camera to sync with an NTP time server fixes this for good.