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Integration Guide

Amcrest Integration Guide

Connect your Amcrest IP cameras to AgenticEye for AI-powered monitoring. This guide covers RTSP streaming, ONVIF discovery, and FTP snapshot integration for the IP8M-T2599E, IP5M-T1179E, and other Amcrest series.

RTSP ONVIF FTP Upload HTTP API

Prerequisites

Before You Begin

  • An Amcrest IP camera connected to your local network (wired Ethernet recommended for reliable streaming)
  • Camera firmware updated to the latest version via the Amcrest web interface or amcrest.com/firmware
  • Admin credentials for the camera (default username is admin)
  • Camera's IP address — find it using Amcrest IP Config Tool or your router's DHCP table
  • Network access between the AgenticEye server and the camera (same subnet or proper routing configured)
  • AgenticEye platform account with an active subscription

Supported Models

This guide has been verified with the following Amcrest models, though most Amcrest cameras using the same firmware family will work identically:

  • IP8M-T2599E — 4K UHD PoE turret, ideal for wide-area outdoor monitoring
  • IP5M-T1179E — 5MP PoE turret with built-in mic, great for entry points
  • IP8M-2496E — 4K bullet camera for perimeter and parking areas
  • IP4M-1051B — 4MP ProHD WiFi camera for indoor deployments

Step-by-Step Setup

1
Enable RTSP on Your Amcrest Camera

RTSP is typically enabled by default on Amcrest cameras, but it is worth verifying the setting and confirming the port number.

  1. Open a web browser and navigate to your camera's IP address (e.g., http://192.168.1.100)
  2. Log in with your admin credentials
  3. Navigate to Setup → Network → Connection → RTSP
  4. Confirm that RTSP is enabled and the port is set to 554 (default)
  5. If you have changed the port, note the custom value for use in the RTSP URL below

Optionally, enable RTSP over TCP for more reliable delivery on congested networks. This can be found under the same RTSP settings page.

2
Create a Dedicated User Account

For security best practice, create a dedicated user for AgenticEye rather than using the admin account.

  1. Go to Setup → System → Account → Account
  2. Click Add User
  3. Set username to something like agenticeye
  4. Assign a strong password (avoid special characters @ # & which may break RTSP URL parsing)
  5. Set the user group to user with at minimum Monitor and Playback permissions
  6. Click Save
# Verify RTSP access with the new credentials using ffprobe:
ffprobe -rtsp_transport tcp \
  "rtsp://agenticeye:[email protected]:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0"
3
Configure Stream Settings

Amcrest cameras support multiple stream profiles. Configure the main stream for recording and the sub-stream for live preview and AI analysis.

  1. Navigate to Setup → Camera → Video → Video
  2. Under Main Stream:
    • Codec: H.264 (recommended) or H.265 if your AgenticEye plan supports it
    • Resolution: 3840x2160 (4K) or 2592x1944 (5MP)
    • Frame Rate: 15-20 FPS (balances quality and bandwidth)
    • Bit Rate Type: CBR for consistent streaming
    • Bit Rate: 4096-8192 Kbps
  3. Under Sub Stream (used by AgenticEye for AI analysis):
    • Codec: H.264
    • Resolution: 1280x720
    • Frame Rate: 10-15 FPS
    • Bit Rate: 1024-2048 Kbps
# Main stream (high quality):
rtsp://agenticeye:[email protected]:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0

# Sub stream (lower bandwidth, used for AI):
rtsp://agenticeye:[email protected]:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=1
4
Add Camera to AgenticEye

With the RTSP stream verified, add the camera to your AgenticEye dashboard.

  1. Log in to your AgenticEye dashboard at app.agenticeye.com
  2. Navigate to Cameras → Add Camera
  3. Select Amcrest from the manufacturer dropdown
  4. Enter the RTSP URL for the stream you want AgenticEye to analyze
  5. Name the camera with a descriptive location label (e.g., "Warehouse North Entrance")
  6. Select the appropriate AI agent vertical for your use case
  7. Click Test Connection to verify the stream
  8. Once the preview appears, click Save & Activate

RTSP URL Format

Amcrest RTSP URL Structure

rtsp://[username]:[password]@[ip]:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0

Parameters:

  • [username] — Camera user account name
  • [password] — Account password (URL-encode special characters)
  • [ip] — Camera's IP address or hostname
  • channel — Camera channel number (1 for single-channel cameras, 1-N for NVRs)
  • subtype=0 — Main stream (high quality); subtype=1 — Sub stream (lower bandwidth)

ONVIF Configuration

Enabling ONVIF Discovery

ONVIF allows AgenticEye to automatically discover camera capabilities, control PTZ, and subscribe to events.

  1. Navigate to Setup → Network → Connection → ONVIF
  2. Set ONVIF to Enable
  3. The default ONVIF port is 80. If port 80 is occupied by the web interface, Amcrest may use an alternate port — check the field and note the value
  4. Under ONVIF User Management, ensure your AgenticEye user account has been added with Operator or Admin privilege
  5. Click Save
# ONVIF device service URL:
http://192.168.1.100:80/onvif/device_service

# Test ONVIF connectivity (using python-onvif):
from onvif import ONVIFCamera
cam = ONVIFCamera('192.168.1.100', 80, 'agenticeye', 'YourPassword')
info = cam.devicemgmt.GetDeviceInformation()
print(info)

FTP Snapshot Upload

Configure Event-Driven Snapshots

Amcrest cameras can push JPEG snapshots to an FTP server on motion or alarm events. AgenticEye can ingest these for additional offline analysis.

  1. Navigate to Setup → Network → FTP
  2. Enter the AgenticEye FTP ingest endpoint:
    • Server: ingest.agenticeye.com
    • Port: 21 (or 990 for FTPS)
    • Username/Password: Use your AgenticEye ingest credentials from the dashboard
    • Remote Directory: /cameras/amcrest-[camera-id]/
  3. Click Test to verify the connection
  4. Navigate to Setup → Event → Video Detection → Motion Detection
  5. Enable motion detection and check Send Email or FTP Upload under the linkage method
  6. Set snapshot interval (recommended: 1 frame every 2 seconds during events)

Troubleshooting

RTSP authentication fails with "401 Unauthorized"

Amcrest cameras use Digest authentication by default for RTSP. If you are getting 401 errors:

  • Verify credentials by logging into the web interface with the same username/password
  • Ensure the password does not contain characters that break URL parsing: @ : / ? # [ ]. If it does, URL-encode them (e.g., @ becomes %40)
  • Check that the user account has Monitor permission enabled
  • Some older firmware requires you to explicitly add the user to the ONVIF/RTSP access list under Setup → System → Account
# Test with explicit digest auth using curl:
curl --digest -u agenticeye:YourPassword \
  "http://192.168.1.100/cgi-bin/snapshot.cgi"
Stream plays in VLC but not in AgenticEye

This usually indicates a codec or transport mismatch:

  • Switch the video codec from H.265 to H.264 — AgenticEye's AI pipeline processes H.264 more efficiently
  • Ensure the stream resolution does not exceed your AgenticEye plan limits
  • Try using the sub stream (subtype=1) which uses lower bandwidth
  • If using WiFi, switch to a wired Ethernet connection for stability
  • In AgenticEye camera settings, toggle TCP transport to force RTSP over TCP instead of UDP
ONVIF discovery does not find the camera

ONVIF discovery uses WS-Discovery multicast, which can be blocked by network configuration:

  • Ensure the camera and AgenticEye server are on the same subnet, or that multicast routing is configured
  • Verify ONVIF is enabled in Setup → Network → Connection → ONVIF
  • Try manual ONVIF connection by entering the device service URL directly: http://[ip]:80/onvif/device_service
  • Some Amcrest firmware versions require ONVIF users to be created separately from camera users — check the ONVIF user list
  • Temporarily disable any firewall between the server and camera to test
Video stream freezes or shows artifacts

Stream instability is almost always bandwidth-related:

  • Reduce the bit rate on the camera to stay within your network capacity. For 4K, 4096 Kbps is often sufficient for surveillance
  • Switch from VBR to CBR to prevent bit rate spikes
  • Lower the frame rate to 10-15 FPS — AI analysis does not require 30 FPS
  • Use the sub stream for AgenticEye analysis and reserve the main stream for recording
  • Check the PoE switch for power budget issues if running many cameras — underpowered cameras may intermittently disconnect
FTP snapshot uploads are not arriving

Troubleshoot FTP connectivity step by step:

  • Use the Test button on the camera's FTP configuration page — it should report success or a specific error code
  • Verify the camera can reach the FTP server (check DNS resolution and firewall rules for port 21 outbound)
  • Ensure the remote directory path exists on the FTP server
  • Check that motion detection is enabled and the FTP linkage method is checked under the event configuration
  • Look at the camera's system log (Setup → System → Log) for FTP-related error entries

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