Imou in Gladys: RTSP URL and camera setup
Imou cameras (a brand of Dahua) are an affordable, widely used choice, and most of them work with Gladys Assistant.
Imou cameras expose a standard RTSP stream, so they connect through the generic camera integration. Gladys talks to the camera directly on your local network, which means your video feed stays at home and never transits through the Imou cloud.
Imou RTSP URL
Imou cameras expose two RTSP streams on port 554: a high resolution main stream and a lighter sub stream. Replace username, password and the IP address with your own values:
# Main (high resolution) stream:
rtsp://username:[email protected]:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0
# Sub (low resolution) stream:
rtsp://username:[email protected]:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=1
A few things worth knowing:
- The
channel=1value is the channel number. On a standalone camera it is always1. If the camera is connected through an Imou/Dahua NVR, increment it for each channel (channel=2,channel=3, and so on). subtype=0is the main stream,subtype=1is the sub stream. For a smooth live view on your dashboard, the sub stream is often enough and puts less load on your Gladys server. Use the main stream when you want full resolution.- The username is usually
admin, and the password is the device password you set when pairing the camera in the Imou Life app (not your Imou account password). - Reserved characters in the username or the password must be percent-encoded in the URL, otherwise it will not be parsed correctly. The most common one is
@, which becomes%40, but the same applies to:(%3A),/(%2F),?(%3F),#(%23) and space (%20). If in doubt, set a password with letters and digits only. - Some battery powered Imou models do not keep an RTSP stream running to save power. On those, RTSP may not be available and the camera cannot be added to Gladys.
Enable RTSP on your Imou camera
On many Imou cameras RTSP (and ONVIF) has to be turned on before the stream responds:
- Open the Imou Life app and select your camera.
- Go to Settings → Camera Settings and look for ONVIF or RTSP (the exact wording depends on the model and firmware).
- Enable it, and if the app asks you to set an ONVIF/RTSP password, note it down: that is the password you will use in the RTSP URL.
It is good practice to keep a dedicated password for the RTSP stream so you can change it at any time.
Test the URL in VLC
Before adding the camera to Gladys, confirm your RTSP URL works in VLC: open File → Open Network..., paste the URL and check that the stream plays. VLC is a good way to validate the URL, the credentials and the network path: if the stream plays there, it should also work in Gladys, as long as Gladys supports the codec and stream type your camera uses.
If VLC does not play the stream, that does not necessarily mean the camera has no RTSP. Check the following before giving up:
- The credentials are in the URL and correctly percent-encoded (VLC may otherwise silently pop up its own authentication dialog).
- The password is the device/ONVIF password, not your Imou account password.
- The stream path matches your model (
channelandsubtypevalues, and the channel number if you go through an NVR). - The camera is reachable from your computer (same network, correct IP, port
554not blocked). - RTSP/ONVIF is actually enabled in the Imou Life app.
Add your Imou camera to Gladys
Once your RTSP URL is confirmed, adding the camera to Gladys takes a minute:
- In Gladys, go to the Integrations tab and open the Camera integration.
- Click New, then paste your Imou RTSP URL and give the camera a name.
- Click Test connection, then Save.
- Add the camera to your dashboard, and optionally ask Gladys to show it from the chat or on Telegram.
The full walkthrough with screenshots is on the camera integration page.
Frequently asked questions
What is the RTSP URL of an Imou camera?
Imou cameras expose two RTSP streams on port 554: the main (high resolution) stream at rtsp://username:password@CAMERA_IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0 and a lighter sub stream at rtsp://username:password@CAMERA_IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=1. Replace the username, password and IP with your own. The username is usually admin and the password is the device password set in the Imou Life app.
Does the Imou Ranger 2 support RTSP?
Yes. The Imou Ranger 2 (and Ranger 2C) exposes a standard RTSP stream once RTSP/ONVIF is enabled in the Imou Life app, so it can be added to Gladys through the camera integration like any other RTSP camera.
Does the Imou integration work without the cloud?
Yes. Gladys connects to your Imou camera directly over your local network using its RTSP stream, so the video never goes through the Imou cloud and keeps working without an internet connection.
Why does my Imou RTSP URL not connect?
The most common causes are RTSP/ONVIF being disabled in the Imou Life app, a wrong password (use the device/ONVIF password, not your Imou account password), a wrong channel number (channel=1 for a single camera), or a battery model that does not keep the stream running. Test the URL in VLC first: if VLC cannot open it either, the problem is with the URL or the camera, not with Gladys.