Connect your camera to Sentinel Monitor

A guide to getting your CCTV / IP camera into Sentinel.

What is RTSP? (one sentence)

RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) is the standard "web address" your IP camera uses to hand out its live video — it looks like rtsp://username:password@<camera-ip>:554/<path>, and Sentinel needs that address to watch the camera.

The easy way: let Sentinel scan your network

1. Make sure your camera and this computer are on the same network (same router / Wi-Fi).
2. In Sentinel, click Add Camera → Scan my network.
3. Sentinel sends an ONVIF discovery request across your LAN. Almost every modern IP camera and NVR answers it and reports its make/model.
4. Pick your camera from the list, type its username and password (the camera's own login — not your Sentinel/app account), and Sentinel automatically builds the correct RTSP URL for you.
5. Sentinel picks the camera's sub-stream (lower resolution) by default — that's intentional, it keeps things fast when many cameras run at once. You can switch to the main stream if you want higher quality.
6. Click Test to confirm the stream opens, then Add. Done.

Finding your camera's IP address

• Check your router's admin page → "connected devices" / "DHCP clients"; look for the camera's brand name or MAC.
• Use the camera's own phone app (Hik-Connect, DMSS, Reolink, Tapo, etc.) — it usually shows the device IP under settings/info.
• Or a free network scanner app (e.g. "Fing").

Enabling RTSP / ONVIF (if the scan can't see your camera)

Many cameras ship with ONVIF or RTSP turned off. Enable it in the camera's app or web page:

• Hikvision: Web UI → Configuration → Network → Advanced → Integration Protocol → enable ONVIF (add an ONVIF user); RTSP is on by default on port 554.
• Dahua/Amcrest: Web UI → Setting → Network → ONVIF → enable; create an ONVIF account.
• Reolink: App → camera → Settings → Network → Advanced → RTSP/ONVIF → enable.
• TP-Link Tapo: App → camera → Advanced Settings → Camera Account — create a local account; RTSP uses that account.
• TP-Link VIGI: VIGI app/NVR → camera settings → enable RTSP/ONVIF.
• Ubiquiti UniFi Protect: Protect app → camera → Settings → Advanced → RTSP → enable a resolution (gives you an rtsps:// URL).

Brand-by-brand RTSP URL cheat-sheet

Replace USER, PASS, and IP with your camera's login and IP address. 554 is the default RTSP port. Main = full quality (heavier); Sub = lower resolution (recommended for multi-camera monitoring).

Notes & gotchas

• For a multi-channel NVR, change the channel number: Hikvision …/Channels/201 (channel 2 main), …/Channels/202 (sub); Dahua …?channel=2&subtype=0.
• If your password contains @, :, /, or #, URL-encode it (e.g. @ → %40) or it will break the URL.
• Modern firmware often forces a custom password on first setup — admin/admin and admin/(blank) usually won't work.
• UniFi Protect must have RTSP explicitly enabled per camera, and uses secure rtsps://, not plain rtsp://.
• When in doubt, paste the URL into Sentinel's Test URL box first — it tells you immediately whether the stream opens.