TP-Link Tapo RTSP and ONVIF setup

Mains-powered Tapo cameras offer RTSP and ONVIF, but only after you create a camera account in the Tapo app. Your TP-Link ID does not work here.

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.

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. In the Tapo app, open the camera and tap the settings gear.
2. Go to Advanced Settings › Camera Account and create a username and password. This account is only used for RTSP and ONVIF.
3. Note the camera’s IP address from Device Info in the same settings.

Turn on motion events

1. Turn on motion detection in the camera’s settings in the Tapo app, and set its sensitivity and zones there. ONVIF motion events follow those settings on models that send them.
2. Keep privacy mode off on cameras you want to record. It stops the video stream completely.

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 TP-Link Tapo cameras

• Battery-powered Tapo cameras, such as the C4xx outdoor range, do not offer RTSP or ONVIF.
• Firmware updates occasionally change how third-party access works. If a working camera stops connecting after an update, check the Camera Account in the Tapo app again.

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.