UDP Video Stream

Connect to a server and stream live video from your device's camera.

This screen sends live camera video to a server over a direct connection and displays video coming back the other way. You enter the server address and port, connect, then start recording to begin streaming from the camera. The connect button itself shows the connection state, and a video area fills with incoming frames.

Overview

Control	What it does
IP Address field	The server's address. Pre-filled with a default.
Port Number field	The server's port. Pre-filled with a default.
Connect button	Opens the connection. It turns green and reads Connected when ready.
Start Recording button	Starts capturing and sending camera video.
Stop Recording button	What the same button reads while you are streaming.
Video area	A black panel that fills with incoming video frames.
Back button	Returns to the previous screen.

Defaults and button states

Field or button	Default or state	Meaning
IP Address	Pre-filled with the default server address	Change it only if you have been given a different one.
Port Number	Pre-filled with the default port	Change it only if you have been given a different one.
Connect, black	Not connected	Tap to connect.
Connected, green	Connection is ready	Tap again to disconnect.
Start Recording, black	Camera idle	Tap to begin streaming.
Stop Recording, red	Camera streaming	Tap to stop.

Getting Here

1. Open the Video or Streams feature from Home.
2. Open the UDP Video Stream screen.
3. The IP Address and Port Number fields are already filled in with the default server.

Connect to the Server

1. Confirm or edit the IP Address and Port Number fields.
2. Tap Connect. The app works through its connection states and the button follows along.
3. When the connection is ready the button turns green and reads Connected.
4. Tap it again to disconnect. The button returns to black and reads Connect.

note

The port has to be a plain number. If the port field is empty or is not a number, tapping Connect does nothing at all — there is no error message, so check the field if nothing seems to happen.

Once connected, the app sends a small keep-alive message every ten seconds so the connection is not dropped for being idle. That runs on its own and needs nothing from you.

Start and Stop Streaming

1. Connect to the server first.
2. Tap Start Recording. The button turns red and reads Stop Recording, and the camera begins capturing and sending video.
3. Tap Stop Recording to end the stream. The button turns black and reads Start Recording again.

Situation	What happens
You tap Start Recording while connected	The camera starts and video is sent.
You tap Start Recording while disconnected	The app shows "Please connect to server first" and nothing starts.
Camera permission has not been granted	The device asks for it; declining means no video is captured.
The device has no usable camera	Nothing starts.

caution

You must connect to the server before recording. If you tap Start Recording while disconnected, the app shows "Please connect to server first" and the camera does not start.

note

Disconnecting does not stop the camera on its own. Tap Stop Recording first, then Connect to disconnect, so the camera is not left running.

Watch Incoming Video

The black panel is not a preview of your own camera — it shows video arriving from the other end of the connection.

1. Connect to the server.
2. When the server sends video, the panel fills with it.
3. Video is scaled to fit the panel without being stretched or cropped.

note

Video is sent in small pieces and reassembled by the receiver. If pieces are lost in transit, that frame is skipped rather than drawn incorrectly, which shows up as a brief stutter rather than a corrupted picture.

Empty and Loading States

Situation	What you see
Before connecting	The fields are filled in, the button reads Connect, and the panel is black.
Connected, no video arriving	The button is green but the panel stays black.
The connection is still being set up	The button may briefly read Connect before turning green.
The connection fails or is cancelled	The button returns to black and reads Connect.
Streaming	The button is red and reads Stop Recording.

How This Connects

• What the connection is. The app opens a direct connection to the address and port you entered — there is no sign-in step and no server lookup, which is why the fields are editable and why a wrong address simply results in nothing happening. Defaults are provided so that the usual case needs no typing.
• How video is sent. Each camera frame is broken into small pieces, each tagged with its position and the total count, and sent one after another. The receiving end collects the pieces and rebuilds the frame once it has them all. Incoming video is reassembled the same way before being drawn in the panel.
• What keeps it alive. A keep-alive message every ten seconds stops the connection being dropped while nothing is being sent. It stops when you disconnect.
• Camera and microphone. This screen uses the camera only. Audio for a channel is separate — see Live Audio Streaming and Push-to-Talk (RTP Audio) — so a video stream and a radio channel can run side by side, with the video going to the server and the audio staying on the channel.
• How it relates to the audio screens. The push-to-talk screen works the same way at a lower level: server details fetched or filled in, a connection you open by hand, and a control you hold or toggle. If video will not connect, testing audio on Push-to-Talk (RTP Audio) is a quick way to tell whether the problem is the network or this particular server.
• Offline and reconnect. Nothing here works without a network path to the server, and nothing is queued or retried. If the connection drops, the button returns to Connect — reconnect and start recording again. The screen does not reconnect by itself.

Troubleshooting

If this happens	What to do
"Please connect to server first"	Tap Connect and wait for the button to turn green, then tap Start Recording.
Tapping Connect does nothing	The port is empty or is not a number. Correct the Port Number field.
The button never turns green	The address or port is wrong, or the server is not reachable from your network. Confirm both with whoever gave them to you.
The button turned green then went black	The connection failed or was cancelled. Tap Connect again.
The panel stays black while connected	No video is being sent to you. That is expected unless the other end is streaming.
No video reaches the server	Confirm the button is green and reads Stop Recording in red, meaning the camera is running.
The camera never starts	Camera permission was declined. Allow it in your device settings.
The video stutters	Pieces of frames are being lost on the network. Move to better coverage or a stronger connection.
The camera stays on after disconnecting	Tap Stop Recording — disconnecting alone does not stop the camera.
The battery drains quickly	Streaming video runs the camera and the network continuously. Stop recording when you do not need it.

Related Pages

• Live Audio Streaming
• Push-to-Talk (RTP Audio)
• Choose Speaker Output

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