Core Features

Recording & Playback

Save footage locally without a cloud storage plan. SmartRTSP Pro is required.

All recordings are stored on your device (or a directory you choose on Mac). SmartRTSP never uploads video to any server.

Event Recording

Automatically record when motion or AI detection events occur.

  1. 1 Go to Camera Settings → Recording.
  2. 2 Enable Record on Detection.
  3. 3 Optionally set Pre-buffer (seconds to include before the event trigger).
On iPhone and iPad, recording is foreground-bound when iOS suspends the app. Background Monitoring can use execution time the system grants, but it cannot guarantee unattended 24/7 recording. Prefer a powered Mac for continuous operation.

Manual Recording

Start and stop recording any time from the live view.

  • → Tap the record button (circle icon) while viewing a camera.
  • → The button turns red while recording is active. Tap again to stop.
  • → File is saved immediately when you stop.

Recording Format

Format
.mp4 container
Video Codec
H.264 or H.265 (passthrough — same as source)
Resolution
Matches selected stream (main or sub)

Storage depends on the camera bitrate: hourly GB ≈ bitrate in Mbps × 0.45. For example, a 4 Mbps stream uses about 1.8 GB per hour before file-system overhead.

Storage Management

SmartRTSP automatically cleans up old recordings so you don't have to.

Retention Period

Set how many days to keep recordings. Default: 7 days. Older files are deleted automatically at midnight.

Storage Limit (GB)

Set a maximum storage cap. When exceeded, the oldest recordings are deleted to free space.

Settings: Settings → Storage → Recording Storage

Playback

All recordings are accessible in the History tab.

  • → Filter by camera or date using the controls at the top.
  • → Tap a recording thumbnail to play. Drag the scrubber to seek.
  • → Tap the share icon to export or save to Photos.

Where Are Files Saved?

📱
iPhone / iPad

Saved to SmartRTSP folder in the Files app. Can also be saved to Photos. Enable iCloud Drive to sync across devices.

💻
Mac

Default: ~/Movies/SmartRTSP/. Change the directory in Settings → Storage. Any local folder works, including network drives (SMB/NFS mounted in Finder).

Tips

  • •Use Sub Stream for long-duration recording to save storage (~4× less than Main Stream).
  • •Connect to power when recording continuously — sustained decoding drains battery.
  • •macOS is better suited for 24/7 recording than iOS due to fewer OS background restrictions.
  • •Multiple cameras can record simultaneously — each stream is saved as a separate file.
Live View AI Detection