The difference
RTSP is the video pipe: it carries the H.264 stream. ONVIF sits on top: it lets the recorder discover the device, read its streams and receive events.
When to use which
- Use ONVIF when your NVR or VMS supports it (most do). Discovery and setup are simpler, and motion events work.
- Use RTSP for players like VLC, or recorders that only accept a stream address.
The exact addresses
ONVIF port8000 (TCP)
RTSP port554 (TCP)
DiscoveryWS-Discovery, UDP 3702
Web panel8080
Default useradmin / admin (change it in the Users tab)
Main streamrtsp://PC-IP:554/screenlive
Sub streamrtsp://PC-IP:554/screensub
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Quick test
Open rtsp://PC-IP:554/screenlive in VLC. If it plays, the PC side is working.
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Which is faster?
The video is the same H.264 stream either way. ONVIF only adds the control layer.
Why two streams?
The main stream is for recording; the lighter sub stream is for multi-camera grids.
