What you need
Axis cameras are professional-grade and typically well-configured out of the box. RTSP is usually enabled by default.
- Axis IP camera connected to your network
- Camera credentials (default user: root, password set at first login)
- A computer on the same LAN
- A PanoraCast account
Step 1: Find your camera's IP address
Use the AXIS IP Utility or AXIS Device Manager (free from axis.com). These tools discover all Axis devices on your network. Axis cameras also support Bonjour/mDNS, so they may appear as 'axis-XXXX.local' on your network.
Step 2: Copy your RTSP URL
Axis cameras use the VAPIX protocol. The RTSP URL format is standardized across all Axis models.
# Standard VAPIX URL (most models)
rtsp://root:[email protected]:554/axis-media/media.amp
# Multi-camera or multi-sensor (select camera 2)
rtsp://root:[email protected]:554/axis-media/media.amp?camera=2
# Force H.264 encoding
rtsp://root:[email protected]:554/axis-media/media.amp?videocodec=h264VAPIX parameters
Axis VAPIX supports many URL parameters: resolution, fps, compression, rotation, and more. Check the VAPIX Library documentation for your model's full parameter list. For PanoraCast streaming, the default URL without extra parameters works best.
Step 3: Add to PanoraCast
In your PanoraCast dashboard, click 'Add Camera', select 'Axis', paste the RTSP URL, and test the connection.
Troubleshooting
Common issues:
- 401 Unauthorized — Axis uses digest authentication by default. Verify your credentials in the camera's web interface
- No stream — Check Setup > System > Plain Config > Network to verify RTSP is enabled
- Multiple streams — Some Axis cameras have multiple view areas. Use the camera= parameter to select the right one