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How to Connect to Q-See IP Camera & DVR in C# .NET

Video Capture SDK .Net Media Blocks SDK .Net

Brand Overview

Q-See was an American consumer surveillance brand based in Anaheim, California. Q-See DVRs and IP cameras were popular budget surveillance systems sold through major US retailers including Costco and Amazon. The company became essentially defunct by 2020, but a large number of Q-See systems remain deployed in homes and businesses. Q-See products used a mix of Dahua OEM cameras and components from other Chinese manufacturers, meaning most Q-See devices follow Dahua RTSP URL conventions.

Key facts:

  • Product lines: QC Series (DVRs), QCN Series (IP cameras), QS Series (DVR kits)
  • Protocol support: RTSP, HTTP/CGI, ONVIF (some IP camera models)
  • Default RTSP port: 554
  • Default credentials: admin / admin or admin / 123456
  • ONVIF support: Some IP camera models (QCN series)
  • Video codecs: H.264 (most models), MPEG-4 (older DVRs)
  • OEM base: Mix of Dahua and other manufacturers

Q-See Is Defunct

Q-See ceased operations around 2020. No firmware updates, technical support, or cloud services are available. If you are integrating Q-See hardware, treat it as Dahua-compatible equipment and try Dahua URL patterns first. See our Dahua connection guide for additional details.

RTSP URL Patterns

Standard URL Format (Dahua-Based)

Most Q-See devices use the Dahua cam/realmonitor URL pattern:

rtsp://[USERNAME]:[PASSWORD]@[IP]:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0
Parameter Value Description
channel 1, 2, 3... Camera channel (1 for standalone cameras, 1-N for DVR channels)
subtype 0 Main stream (highest resolution)
subtype 1 Sub stream (lower resolution, less bandwidth)

DVR Models (QC Series, QS Series)

Model / Series Main Stream URL Notes
QC-804 (4-ch DVR) rtsp://IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0 Dahua format, change channel for each input
QS408 / QS411 (DVR kits) rtsp://IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0 Dahua format
Various DVRs rtsp://IP:554/ Root stream (fallback)
Various DVRs rtsp://IP:554/live.sdp Live SDP stream
Various DVRs rtsp://IP:554/ch0_unicast_firststream Unicast first stream

IP Camera Models (QCN Series)

Model Resolution URL Notes
QCN7001B 1080p rtsp://IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0 Dahua format (recommended)
QCN7001B 1080p rtsp://IP:554/PSIA/Streaming/channels/0?videoCodecType=H.264 PSIA format
QCN7001B 1080p rtsp://IP:554/VideoInput/1/h264/1 VideoInput H.264
QCN7001B 1080p rtsp://IP:554/VideoInput/1/mpeg4/1 VideoInput MPEG-4
QCN7005B 1080p rtsp://IP:554/ Root stream

Alternative URL Formats

Some Q-See devices support additional URL patterns:

URL Pattern Notes
rtsp://IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0 Standard Dahua format (recommended)
rtsp://IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=1 Sub stream (lower bandwidth)
rtsp://IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=00&authbasic=BASE64 With base64-encoded credentials
rtsp://IP:554/ Root stream (fallback for many models)
rtsp://IP:554/live.sdp Live SDP format
rtsp://IP:554/ch0_unicast_firststream Unicast first stream

Base64 Authentication

The authbasic= parameter used in some Q-See URLs takes base64-encoded credentials in the format username:password. For example, admin:admin encodes to YWRtaW46YWRtaW4=.

DVR Channel URLs

For Q-See multi-channel DVRs (QC-804, QS408, QS411, etc.):

Channel Main Stream Sub Stream
Camera 1 rtsp://IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0 rtsp://IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=1
Camera 2 rtsp://IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=2&subtype=0 rtsp://IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=2&subtype=1
Camera N rtsp://IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=N&subtype=0 rtsp://IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=N&subtype=1

Connecting with VisioForge SDK

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

// Q-See QC-804 DVR, channel 1 main stream
var uri = new Uri("rtsp://192.168.1.100:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0");
var username = "admin";
var password = "admin";

For sub-stream access, use subtype=1 instead of subtype=0.

Snapshot and MJPEG URLs

Type URL Pattern Notes
CGI Snapshot http://IP/cgi-bin/snapshot.cgi?chn=1&u=USER&p=PASS Channel-based snapshot with credentials
Login-Based Snapshot http://IP/cgi-bin/snapshot.cgi?loginuse=USER&loginpas=PASS Login parameter-based snapshot
Still Image http://IP/stillimg1.jpg Replace 1 with channel number
Stream Image http://IP/images/stream_1.jpg Replace 1 with channel number
Fast Stream (QS Series) http://IP/control/faststream.jpg?stream=MxPEG&needlength&fps=6 Continuous fast stream

Troubleshooting

No firmware updates or support

Q-See ceased operations around 2020. There are no firmware updates, no technical support, and no replacement parts available. If your Q-See device has a security vulnerability or bug, it cannot be patched. Consider upgrading to a currently supported camera brand.

Try Dahua URL patterns first

Most Q-See DVRs and many IP cameras use Dahua firmware internally. If the Q-See-specific URLs listed above do not work, try the standard Dahua cam/realmonitor format. See our Dahua connection guide for the full set of Dahua URL patterns.

Base64 authentication parameter

Some Q-See devices use an authbasic= parameter in the RTSP URL instead of embedding credentials in the URI. Encode username:password as base64:

  • admin:admin = YWRtaW46YWRtaW4=
  • admin:123456 = YWRtaW46MTIzNDU2

Port forwarding for remote access

Q-See DVRs typically require manual port forwarding for remote RTSP access. Forward port 554 (RTSP) and optionally port 80 or 8080 (HTTP) on your router to the DVR's local IP address.

Default credentials

Q-See devices commonly ship with one of these credential pairs:

  • admin / admin
  • admin / 123456

If neither works, the password may have been changed by the previous owner or installer.

FAQ

What RTSP URL format do Q-See cameras use?

Most Q-See devices use the Dahua cam/realmonitor format: rtsp://admin:password@CAMERA_IP:554/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0. This is because Q-See cameras and DVRs were primarily OEM versions of Dahua hardware. Use channel=1 for standalone cameras or the appropriate channel number for DVR inputs.

Are Q-See cameras still supported?

No. Q-See ceased operations around 2020. No firmware updates, cloud services, or technical support are available. The hardware still functions, but there will be no future patches or improvements. Many users have migrated to other brands like Amcrest or Reolink that use similar Dahua-based protocols.

Can I use Q-See cameras with ONVIF?

Some Q-See IP cameras (QCN series) support ONVIF, but most Q-See DVRs do not. If ONVIF discovery fails, use the direct RTSP URL patterns listed above instead.

What is the default password for Q-See cameras?

The default credentials are typically admin / admin or admin / 123456. Since Q-See is no longer available, there is no official password reset tool. A factory reset (usually a pinhole button on the device) will restore default credentials on most models.