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Troubleshooting

Common issues and how to fix them. Can't find your issue? Contact support →

🔴
Camera Won't Connect / Connection Error
Possible causes
  • • Wrong IP address or port number
  • • Incorrect username or password
  • • Camera and device on different network subnets
  • • Camera firewall blocking access
Steps to fix
  1. 1. Confirm the camera's IP by checking your router's connected devices list.
  2. 2. Try opening the camera's web interface in Safari at http://camera-ip to verify credentials.
  3. 3. Confirm RTSP port is 554 (or the non-default port your camera uses).
  4. 4. Test the same RTSP URL in VLC on the same Wi-Fi network. If VLC fails too, the issue is with the camera config, not SmartRTSP.
  5. 5. Check the camera's built-in firewall settings.
🟡
ONVIF Scan Finds No Cameras
Steps to fix
  1. 1. Confirm your iPhone/Mac and the camera are on the exact same Wi-Fi network and subnet.
  2. 2. Open the camera's web admin page and verify ONVIF is enabled (most cameras have it under "Network" or "Integration" settings).
  3. 3. TP-Link Tapo cameras: Open the Tapo app → camera → Settings → Advanced → ONVIF Account. Enable and set a password.
  4. 4. If some cameras still don't appear, add them manually with Method 2 (RTSP URL).
  5. 5. Some managed switches or routers block UDP multicast on port 3702. Check your router's multicast/IGMP settings.
⬛
Black Screen / No Video
Steps to fix
  1. 1. Check that the RTSP URL path is correct for your camera model — wrong path gives a "connected but no video" state.
  2. 2. Try switching to the Sub Stream (lower resolution) — sometimes the main stream codec isn't supported by hardware decode.
  3. 3. If the camera default is H.265/HEVC, switch the camera to H.264 in its web settings for better compatibility.
  4. 4. Check your network bandwidth — a congested Wi-Fi network can drop frames, causing a black screen.
  5. 5. Try switching transport: TCP instead of UDP (or vice versa) in Camera Settings.
🔄
Stream Keeps Disconnecting
Steps to fix
  1. 1. Move your device closer to the Wi-Fi router or use a 5 GHz band for more stable throughput.
  2. 2. Disable RTSP ALG on your router (some routers have "RTSP Application Layer Gateway" that intercepts and corrupts RTSP streams). Look in router firewall/NAT settings.
  3. 3. Increase the connection timeout in Camera Settings.
  4. 4. Check if the camera itself has a session timeout configured and extend it in the camera's web interface.
🔇
Audio Not Working
Steps to fix
  1. 1. Make sure the speaker icon in SmartRTSP is unmuted (not crossed out).
  2. 2. Verify the camera actually has a built-in microphone — not all IP cameras do.
  3. 3. Check the camera's web settings to ensure audio is enabled and the codec is AAC or G.711 (both supported by SmartRTSP).
  4. 4. If using multiple cameras, only one audio stream can play at a time — ensure you're viewing the right camera.
🔔
Notifications Not Arriving
Steps to fix
  1. 1. Go to iPhone Settings → SmartRTSP → Notifications. Confirm notifications are allowed.
  2. 2. In SmartRTSP Settings → Notifications, verify the detection events you want are enabled.
  3. 3. Enable Background Monitoring — notifications only arrive while SmartRTSP is running. See Performance & Battery → Background Monitoring.
  4. 4. Check if the camera's detection zone is configured correctly (not excluding the area where events occur).
  5. 5. Check if a Do Not Disturb schedule is suppressing notifications during that time.
🏠
HomeKit Pairing Fails
Steps to fix
  1. 1. Confirm your SmartRTSP device and iPhone are on the same Wi-Fi network.
  2. 2. Make sure your HomeKit hub (Apple TV 4K, HomePod) is online and responsive.
  3. 3. Close the Home app completely and reopen it before scanning the QR code.
  4. 4. Restart SmartRTSP and try again — the pairing QR code refreshes each time.
🔋
High Battery Drain
1. Switch to Power Saving mode in Settings → Performance Mode.
2. Enable Sub Stream instead of Main Stream for all cameras.
3. Disable AI detection on cameras that don't need it — use Motion only.
4. Set Do Not Disturb schedules to stop detection during quiet hours.
See the full guide: Performance & Battery →
📡
Live Push Fails or Stream Drops
1. Check your upload speed. You need at least 1.5× your configured stream bitrate (e.g., 6 Mbps upload for a 4 Mbps stream).
2. Refresh your Stream Key in YouTube Studio / Twitch dashboard — expired keys cause immediate failure.
3. Lower the stream bitrate or resolution in Live Push settings.
4. Try switching from RTMP to RTMPS, or vice versa, to test connection issues.
💥
App Crashes or Freezes
1. Force-quit SmartRTSP and reopen it.
2. Update to the latest version from the App Store.
3. Free up storage — if the device has less than 2 GB free, recording and heavy processing can cause crashes.
4. Reduce active camera count or switch to Power Saving mode to lower memory pressure.
5. If crashes persist, use the in-app feedback feature to send a diagnostic report (Settings → Send Feedback). We respond to every report.

Still need help?

We respond to every support message. Include your device model, iOS/macOS version, and camera brand/model for fastest resolution.

Contact Support → More Troubleshooting Guides →
Performance & Battery