Real Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP)

Perhaps. We’ll see what happens.

Then if this RTSP firmware will be stabilized and will be reliable for production use, I’m planning to setup up something like this: ROCKPro64 PCIe SATA Card - YouTube as low power NAS/NVR. Since it will be running Linux, its highly likely that surveillance software like Shinobi or ZoneMinder could be setup.

FWIW, ZoneMinder is terrible. I spent way too many hours working with it and gave up. It’s too clucky to be useful. I wish there was a good Linux-based software to consume, record, and monitor RTSP streams.

I am not a Linux expert, but I was able to get Zoneminder set up and functioning. I haven’t tried it in a while, nor have I tried with these WYZE cameras, mainly because they are not stable using the RTSP Firmware. They are almost perfect if they would just stop acting like they lose network connection and freeze and then reboot.

I think they get overwhelmed, lock up and then reboot. Seems like it anyway.

Actually I haven’t tried and I’m still researching other surveillance software such as ZoneMinder, Shinobi, Kerberos.io, Bluecherry, MotionEye, ContaCam and iSpy, but I think I need to have a dedicated camera for testing since the RTSP firmware is not yet that stable, reliable (should cache/backup record to SD card in case of WiFi signal lost/interruption) and not configurable (no frame/bit rate and resolution settings).

Does anyone know if CMC (complete motion capture) is functional with RTSP firmware? I’ve heard conflicting reports.

This is the goal of RTSP ; connect the cam to a real security software like blue iris.

In theory that would be great but rtsp is not stable enough over WiFi.

I still hope that Wyze continue to develop this RTSP firmware, so I propose the following for its develpment roadmap:

  • make it bare minimal even the motion detection can be offloaded to the NVR/surveillance system back-end software
  • the firmware main function and priority should be to stream its captured video
  • configurable RTSP video stream resolution and bit rate to be able to optimized based on network and NVR/video surveillance back-end software capacity
  • use the SD card as cache/backup/fall-back on events of WiFi interruption/lost
  • configurable and functional on local WiFi (off the Internet)

And I hope we live to see the days these would happen…

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Those are really good ideas. I especially like the SD card as a local CACHE.

Not only as cache, but should also do backup/fall-back recordings on the SD card depending on how the WiFi connection gets interrupted/lost. That’s the only thing I could think of to be able to compensate with the disadvantage of WiFi IP camera compared to wired/Ethernet connected ones.

I don’t think it is the Wireless that is the issue. I have other Wireless cameras from different manufacturers and they work flawlessly. It’s only the WYZE cameras that lockup when a lot of motion occurs. It is almost like the protocol for these cameras gives priority to the streaming features and while doing that, freezing the RTSP stream, causing a reboot or reset to get it back and running.

You mean its prioritizing streaming to the “cloud”…
instead of the RTSP video stream to the NVR/surveillance software.

Yup. Which would restrict bandwidth, causing it to freeze on the RTSP side, but the video on the APP side is not impacted

I’m happy to report that I now have 12 cameras all using RTSP w/ ContaCam with zero issues. Biggest issues I ran into revolved around AP channel segregation and older 802.11b device issues that were resolved with an AP switch and AP channel audit.

So… the camera is running two (2) video streams? The RTSP video stream and the other for the Wyze mobile app…
If the Wyze app can detect if the camera is running the RTSP firmware, why can’t the app just use the RTSP video stream instead…

Good to know of your success; but could you please share the details how did you set them up, particularly the “AP switch” and “AP channel audit” that would be of great help for us trying to setup with this RTSP firmware. Thanks in advance.

@Kaloy - documented in more detail here:

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Thanks @ElectroStrong, will follow the steps you’ve done when I will try to switch to RTSP firmware, but I also do hope that Wyze continue to develop this RTSP firmware as we the users, their customers wanted and needs it to be.

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Where do you download the RTSP firmware, I’m in the Beta program.