IP Camera Streaming With Wowza
Stream IP camera feeds without additional hardware, convert RTSP to web-ready formats, deliver IPcam live video across devices, and manage IPcam videos with recording, playback, and real-time control.
Pull RTSP Streams from Any IP Camera
Point your RTSP streams from IP cameras to Wowza —no separate encoder needed.
Record/Archive Live Video Streams
Capture and store IPcam videos for playback, compliance, or analysis. With Wowza Streaming Engine, easily use archived files for on-demand playback.
Easily Control Pan-Tilt-Zoom Cameras
Control the PTZ functionality of multiple IP cameras in real time to produce a professional live stream.
Pause, Rewind, and Seek in Live Streams
Use the built-in nDVR feature in Wowza Streaming Engine™ to deliver a time-shifted viewing experience with the ability to pause, rewind, or resume live streams on any device
Flexible IP Camera Streaming Architecture
Easily integrate Wowza technology with other systems and third-party offerings. Leverage Wowza APIs and components to build solutions that support your evolving streaming needs.
What Customers Are Saying about Streaming with Wowza
Is RTSP or ONVIF better?
RTSP and ONVIF solve different problems and work together, neither one is inherently better than the other. RTSP is a streaming protocol that delivers video and audio packets from a camera to a media server. ONVIF is an interoperability standard that defines how IP cameras from different manufacturers announce themselves on a network and expose their capabilities. ONVIF Profile S compliance requires RTSP for media transport, so a robust IP camera workflow uses both.
Can I view an IP camera remotely in a web browser?
Yes, an IP camera feed can be viewed in any modern web browser when a media server converts the camera’s native RTSP output into a browser-friendly delivery format. Wowza Streaming Engine ingests RTSP from any compliant camera and transmuxes the stream to WebRTC for sub-second latency or HLS for broad device support. No browser plugins or specialized client software are required for playback. Wowza Streaming Engine handles the ingest, applies authentication and token-based access controls, and delivers the stream. Read about a real-world example in the Mississippi DOT case study, where Wowza powers remote access to more than 1,300 traffic cameras.
Can you live stream from a security camera?
Yes, a security camera that supports RTSP output can live stream to web pages, mobile apps, and social platforms when paired with a media server. Wowza Streaming Engine pulls the RTSP feed from the camera, transcodes or transmuxes it as needed, and delivers the live stream to viewers over WebRTC, HLS, or RTMP. The same workflow supports recording, PTZ control, and time-shifted playback through nDVR.
How to stream security camera to YouTube?
- Pull the RTSP feed from the security camera.
- Repackage the video and audio into RTMP using a media server like Wowza Streaming Engine.
- Push the stream to YouTube’s RTMP ingest endpoint with the assigned stream key.
How to embed an IP camera into a web page?
- Ingest the camera’s RTSP feed into a media server
- Package the feed into a browser-compatible format like WebRTC or HLS
- Place a player on the page that points to the resulting stream URL.
What is RTSP in IP camera?
RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) is the session-control protocol that IP cameras use to negotiate, start, pause, and stop live video streams. RTSP itself does not carry video data. It works alongside RTP (Real-Time Transport Protocol), which delivers the actual audio and video packets. Together, RTSP and RTP form the standard ingest stack for IP cameras and the foundation of ONVIF-compliant streaming.
Which IP cameras support RTSP?
Nearly all professional and ONVIF-compliant IP cameras support RTSP. The list includes models from Axis, Bosch, Hanwha, Hikvision, Dahua, Vivotek, Pelco, and dozens of other manufacturers. ONVIF Profile S requires RTSP for media streaming, so any camera marketed as ONVIF Profile S compliant exposes an RTSP endpoint by default. Some lower-end consumer cameras restrict RTSP access behind manufacturer firmware.
How do I find my IP camera RTSP URL?
- Determine the camera’s IP address on the network
- Log into the camera’s built-in web UI
- Navigate through its menus to locate the streaming URL
What is IP streaming on a camera?
IP streaming on a camera refers to delivering live video and audio from a network-connected camera over an IP network using standard streaming protocols. The camera encodes the video, packages it according to a protocol like RTSP/RTP, and transmits it across the network to a media server, recorder, or viewer. IP streaming replaces analog video cables with standard networking hardware, which enables remote monitoring, scalable delivery, and integration with software-defined video workflows.
Which cameras can live stream?
Any camera that produces an RTSP, RTMP, SRT, or WebRTC output can live stream when paired with a compatible media server. The list includes professional IP cameras, PTZ cameras, body-worn cameras, drone cameras with onboard encoders, and modern action cameras. Wowza Streaming Engine supports all of the above ingest protocols, enabling live streaming across the full range of professional and prosumer camera hardware.
Can security cameras be used for live streaming?
Yes, security cameras that support RTSP output can be repurposed for live streaming to internal dashboards, public web pages, mobile apps, and social platforms. A media server bridges the gap between the camera’s RTSP feed and modern delivery formats like WebRTC, HLS, and RTMP. Wowza Streaming Engine adds recording, transcoding, PTZ control, and access management on top of the ingest layer, which extends the reach of an existing security camera fleet without replacing the underlying hardware. Learn more about RTSP streaming at scale.