Connect Dahua cameras to Camzify
Dahua IP cameras connect to Camzify over RTSP, so the cameras already installed can run AI detections, virtual patrol rounds and cloud recording without being replaced. Dahua's own wiki notes that the last day to purchase Dahua products in the United States was December 31, 2025, so for many US sites the question is what to do with the Dahua cameras already installed. They speak standard RTSP, and that is all Camzify needs.
Dahua RTSP URL format
As Dahua’s own documentation gives it. Replace the parts in angle brackets with the camera’s values.
- Main stream
rtsp://<username>:<password>@<ip>:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=<channel>&subtype=0The same URL works for an IP camera, a DVR or an NVR; channel selects the camera, and a single camera is channel 1. 554 is the default RTSP port.
- Sub stream
rtsp://<username>:<password>@<ip>:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=<channel>&subtype=1Dahua numbers the streams 0 (main), 1 (first extra stream) and 2 (second extra stream).
Turning on RTSP and ONVIF on a Dahua camera
Dahua documents both basic and digest authentication on the RTSP stream, over TCP or UDP. Its RTSP guide lists no setting to switch RTSP on; the stream answers on port 554 unless the port has been changed, in which case the new port goes in the URL.
Dahua's own pages disagree, across firmware generations, on whether ONVIF starts on or off: an older Dahua wiki page says it is off by default. If a system cannot find the camera over ONVIF, check the ONVIF setting in the camera's web interface first.
Can a Dahua camera push RTMP?
Some Dahua cameras can. Dahua says RTMP was added to some of its latest IP cameras, for streaming to YouTube and other services. In the newer web interface it is under Network > Access Platform > RTMP, with Custom selected as the address type, and Dahua's guide requires every stream encoded as H.264 with audio enabled as AAC. RTMP setup in Camzify.
Worth knowing before you connect
- If a camera runs H.265 and the receiving recorder only supports H.264, Dahua's guidance is to switch the camera to H.264.
- Dahua's note on US sales also says existing warranties continue; nothing about an installed camera's RTSP stream changes.
Adding the Dahua stream to Camzify
- 1
Check the stream plays
Open the RTSP URL above in a player such as VLC. If it plays from outside the camera’s network, Camzify can connect it directly.
- 2
Local only? Use the Connector
If the camera is only on the local network, the Camzify Connector on a Windows, macOS or Linux machine there relays it, with no port forwarding.
- 3
Add it in the console
Camera Management → Add Camera, paste the URL (or pick the relayed stream) and enter the camera’s credentials. The RTSP setup guide has the detail.
What runs on Dahua cameras once they are connected
Once the stream is in Camzify, a Dahua camera is treated exactly like any other: the brand decides nothing about which features it can use.
- Virtual patrol roundsscheduled checks of each camera against its checklist, with a report per round
- AI detectionsintrusion, loitering, tailgating, weapons, fire and smoke, slip and fall, and the rest of the 23
- Camera tampering detectionan alert when a camera is covered, moved, defocused or frozen
- Cloud recordingfootage kept off site, under a retention period set per camera
- Custom detectionsbuilt to order when the standard set does not cover what a site needs
Sources, checked 7 October 2026
Every Dahua-specific detail on this page comes from Dahua’s own documentation, listed below. Firmware changes menus over time; when the camera’s own interface differs, it is the authority.
- DahuaWiki: Main Page (US sales note)
- DahuaWiki: Remote Access / RTSP via VLC
- DahuaWiki: Remote Access / Embed Video Feed On Website
- DahuaWiki: IPCConnection
- DahuaWiki: Live Demo / RTMP
- DahuaWiki: Remote Access / LiveStream RTMP to YouTube
- DahuaWiki: IPC / How To Enable H264
Dahua is a trademark of its owner. This page states that Dahua cameras exposing a standard RTSP stream interoperate with Camzify; it does not imply partnership, endorsement or certification by Dahua.