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    RTSP URL formats · Dahua · Checked against Dahua documentation, October 2026

    Dahua RTSP URL: channel, subtype and NVR streams

    Dahua cameras and recorders use one path, /cam/realmonitor, with two parameters: channel, counted from 1, and subtype, which picks the stream. The port is 554.

    RTSP URL generator

    Your RTSP URL
    rtsp://[email protected]:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0

    Built in your browser. Nothing you type here is sent anywhere.

    Dahua RTSP paths

    • Main stream: rtsp://user:password@IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0
    • Sub stream: rtsp://user:password@IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=1
    • Third stream: rtsp://user:password@IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=2
    • Default port: 554
    Camera, main stream
    rtsp://admin:[email protected]:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0
    Camera, sub stream
    rtsp://admin:[email protected]:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=1
    NVR channel 5, sub stream
    rtsp://admin:[email protected]:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=5&subtype=1
    Camera, third stream
    rtsp://admin:[email protected]:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=2

    subtype=0 is the main stream, 1 the second stream, 2 the third stream.

    Channel numbers start at 1, also on a single camera.

    Source: Dahua Wiki: Remote Access, RTSP via VLC

    What channel and subtype mean

    channelThe camera, counted from 1. A single camera is always channel=1; on an NVR it is the camera slot.
    subtype=0Main stream.
    subtype=1Second stream (sub stream).
    subtype=2Third stream, on cameras that have one.

    Dahua's own wiki also shows the form ...&subtype=0&unicast=true&proto=Onvif, which some third-party software expects. Amcrest and Lorex IP products use the same /cam/realmonitor scheme.

    Dahua and ONVIF

    A recorder that adds a Dahua camera by ONVIF still receives an RTSP URL from it, so the paths above are what actually carries the video.

    Of the 118 Dahua cameras in the CCTVplanner catalog whose datasheets list ONVIF profiles, 118 list Profile S (live video), 109 Profile T (H.264/H.265 streaming), 106 Profile G (edge recording) and 17 Profile M (analytics metadata).

    More on the profiles in ONVIF profiles explained, and on testing a camera in the ONVIF Device Manager guide.

    How to test the Dahua RTSP URL

    1. Open VLC, choose Media > Open Network Stream, paste the URL and press Play.
    2. No picture? Try the sub stream. If that plays, the main stream is too heavy for the network or the player.
    3. For the codec, resolution and frame rate the camera actually sends: ffprobe -rtsp_transport tcp "rtsp://…"
    4. Once it plays in VLC, add it to the recorder or VMS by RTSP URL or by ONVIF.

    Dahua RTSP questions

    What is the RTSP URL for a Dahua camera?

    rtsp://user:password@IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0 for the main stream and subtype=1 for the sub stream.

    How do I stream one camera from a Dahua NVR?

    Use the NVR's address and set channel to the camera slot: channel=5&subtype=1 is camera 5's sub stream.

    What is subtype=2?

    The third stream, on cameras that offer one. subtype=0 is the main stream and subtype=1 the second stream.

    Do Amcrest and Lorex use the Dahua RTSP URL?

    Amcrest products and Lorex recorders and IP cameras that support RTSP use the same /cam/realmonitor?channel=&subtype= scheme.

    Planning where the Dahua cameras go?

    CCTVplanner has Dahua and every other brand in one catalog. Place the cameras on the real site map, see each camera's view in 3D and check pixel density, bandwidth and storage before anyone mounts a camera.

    RTSP URLs for other brandsRTSP explained