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How to Connect to Arecont Vision IP Camera in C# .NET

Video Capture SDK .Net Media Blocks SDK .Net

Brand Overview

Arecont Vision (now part of Costar Group) is an American IP camera company originally founded in 2003 and based in Glendale, California. Arecont Vision was a pioneer of megapixel IP cameras and is known for high-resolution models (up to 20MP) and multi-sensor panoramic cameras. The company was acquired by Costar Group in 2019, which continues to support and manufacture Arecont Vision products.

Key facts:

  • Product lines: AV Series (megapixel fixed), MegaDome, MegaBall, SurroundVideo (multi-sensor panoramic), MicroDome
  • Protocol support: RTSP, ONVIF (newer models), PSIA, HTTP/CGI
  • Default RTSP port: 554
  • Default credentials: Varies by model (many ship with no default password)
  • ONVIF support: Yes (newer models), PSIA support on most models
  • Video codecs: H.264, MJPEG (older models MJPEG only)

Arecont Vision and Costar Group

Arecont Vision was acquired by Costar Group in 2019. Existing Arecont cameras continue to use the same RTSP and PSIA URL formats. Newer Costar-branded models may use updated firmware but maintain backward-compatible URL patterns.

RTSP URL Patterns

Standard URL Formats

Arecont Vision cameras support multiple RTSP URL patterns depending on the model generation and configured protocol:

rtsp://[USERNAME]:[PASSWORD]@[IP]:554/h264.sdp
URL Pattern Protocol Description
rtsp://IP:554/h264.sdp H.264 Standard H.264 stream (most current models)
rtsp://IP:554/PSIA/Streaming/channels/0?videoCodecType=H.264 PSIA PSIA-based H.264 stream
rtsp://IP:554/cam1/mpeg4 MPEG-4 Legacy MPEG-4 stream (older models)

H.264 Stream with ROI Parameters

Arecont cameras support optional Region of Interest (ROI) parameters for customizing the stream output:

rtsp://[USERNAME]:[PASSWORD]@[IP]:554/h264.sdp?res=half&x0=0&y0=0&x1=1600&y1=1200&quality=15&doublescan=0
Parameter Values Description
res full, half Stream resolution (full or half of sensor resolution)
x0, y0 0 - max Top-left corner of the region of interest
x1, y1 0 - max Bottom-right corner of the region of interest
quality 1 - 21 JPEG/H.264 quality factor (lower = higher quality)
doublescan 0, 1 Enable double-scan mode for improved image quality

ROI Parameters Are Optional

The ROI parameters (res, x0, y0, x1, y1, quality, doublescan) are optional and can be omitted entirely for full-frame streaming. Use rtsp://IP:554/h264.sdp without parameters for the simplest connection.

Camera Models

Model Series Resolution Main Stream URL Codec
AV Series (generic megapixel) Varies rtsp://IP:554/h264.sdp H.264
AV2100 (2MP) 1600x1200 rtsp://IP:554/cam1/mpeg4 MPEG-4
AV5115/AV5125 2592x1944 rtsp://IP:554/h264.sdp H.264
AV8185DN (8MP multi-sensor) 6400x1200 rtsp://IP:554/h264.sdp H.264
AV10005/AV10115 (10MP) 3648x2752 rtsp://IP:554/PSIA/Streaming/channels/0?videoCodecType=H.264 H.264
AV20185 (20MP multi-sensor) 10240x1536 rtsp://IP:554/h264.sdp H.264
MegaDome Series Varies rtsp://IP:554/h264.sdp H.264
MegaBall Series Varies rtsp://IP:554/h264.sdp H.264
MicroDome Series Varies rtsp://IP:554/h264.sdp H.264

PSIA Streaming URLs

Models that support the PSIA protocol can use the following URL format:

Channel URL
Channel 0 (default) rtsp://IP:554/PSIA/Streaming/channels/0?videoCodecType=H.264
Channel 1 rtsp://IP:554/PSIA/Streaming/channels/1?videoCodecType=H.264

Connecting with VisioForge SDK

Use your Arecont Vision camera's RTSP URL with any of the three SDK approaches shown in the Quick Start Guide:

// Arecont Vision AV Series, H.264 main stream
var uri = new Uri("rtsp://192.168.1.90:554/h264.sdp");
var username = "admin";
var password = "YourPassword";

For PSIA-based streaming, use the PSIA URL instead:

// Arecont Vision via PSIA protocol
var uri = new Uri("rtsp://192.168.1.90:554/PSIA/Streaming/channels/0?videoCodecType=H.264");

Snapshot and MJPEG URLs

Type URL Pattern Notes
JPEG Snapshot http://IP/img.jpg Most models, requires basic auth
JPEG Snapshot (alt) http://IP/Jpeg/CamImg.jpg Alternative snapshot URL
Configurable Snapshot http://IP/image?res=half&x0=0&y0=0&x1=1600&y1=1200&quality=15&doublescan=0 Snapshot with ROI parameters
MJPEG Stream http://IP/mjpeg?res=full&x0=0&y0=0&x1=100%&y1=100%&quality=12&doublescan=0 Continuous MJPEG stream

Multi-Sensor (SurroundVideo) Snapshot URLs

For SurroundVideo and other multi-sensor cameras, each sensor has its own snapshot URL:

Sensor URL Pattern Notes
Channel 1 http://IP/image1?res=half&x1=0&y1=0 First sensor
Channel 2 http://IP/image2?res=half&x1=0&y1=0 Second sensor
Channel 3 http://IP/image3?res=half&x1=0&y1=0 Third sensor
Channel 4 http://IP/image4?res=half&x1=0&y1=0 Fourth sensor

Troubleshooting

ROI parameters causing issues

Arecont cameras have unique Region of Interest parameters (res, x0, y0, x1, y1, quality, doublescan) embedded in their URLs. If you encounter connection problems:

  1. Remove all ROI parameters and use the bare URL: rtsp://IP:554/h264.sdp
  2. Verify the camera resolution supports the requested ROI coordinates
  3. Use res=full for full-resolution streaming or res=half for reduced bandwidth

MJPEG-only on older models

Some older Arecont models (AV1300, AV2100, AV3100) only support MJPEG encoding and do not have H.264 capability. For these cameras:

  • Use the MPEG-4 RTSP URL: rtsp://IP:554/cam1/mpeg4
  • Or use the HTTP MJPEG stream: http://IP/mjpeg

PSIA vs direct RTSP

Arecont cameras support both direct RTSP and PSIA-based RTSP URLs. If one format does not work:

  • Try the alternative format (switch between h264.sdp and PSIA/Streaming/channels/0)
  • Verify the camera firmware version supports the chosen protocol
  • Check that PSIA is enabled in the camera's web interface

Connection timeout

Arecont cameras may take longer to establish an RTSP session than other brands, especially for high-resolution (10MP+) models:

  • Increase your connection timeout to at least 10 seconds
  • For multi-sensor models, connect to individual channels rather than the composite stream for lower latency

FAQ

What RTSP URL format does Arecont Vision use?

The primary RTSP URL is rtsp://IP:554/h264.sdp for H.264 streaming. PSIA-based streaming uses rtsp://IP:554/PSIA/Streaming/channels/0?videoCodecType=H.264. Older models may use rtsp://IP:554/cam1/mpeg4 for MPEG-4 streams.

Are Arecont Vision cameras still supported after the Costar acquisition?

Yes. Costar Group acquired Arecont Vision in 2019 and continues to manufacture and support Arecont Vision camera products. Existing cameras remain fully functional, and firmware updates are available through Costar's support channels.

How do I connect to a multi-sensor SurroundVideo camera?

SurroundVideo cameras expose individual sensor channels through numbered URLs. For snapshots, use http://IP/image1, http://IP/image2, etc. For RTSP, use the standard H.264 URL with the full panoramic composite, or PSIA channel-based URLs for individual sensors.

Do Arecont Vision cameras support ONVIF?

Newer Arecont Vision models support ONVIF Profile S. Older models rely on the PSIA protocol instead. Check your camera's specifications or web interface to confirm ONVIF availability.