How to Set Up RTSP Port Forwarding for Live Streaming

While using Rtsps you might need to open ports on your router. Port forwarding allows for direct connections from the internet to your device. By default, routers block incoming connection requests from the internet in order to protect your network from outside attacks. This guide explains how to port forward Rtsps.

What Is RTSP and Why Forward Its Ports?

RTSP is the control stream for managing real-time video, whereas actual media (RTP) may flow through dynamically assigned UDP ports. Without forwarding, your camera remains only locally accessible. Forwarding opens a channel for remote apps to connect securely.

Find Your Router’s Port Forwarding Page

You’ll need to access your router’s web interface:

1. Locate your router’s IP (e.g., 192.168.1.1) via ipconfig or app utility.
2. Log in using admin credentials.
3. Navigate to Port Forwarding, Virtual Server, or Applications/NAT menu.

Requirements to Port Forward Rtsps

Just before you begin with the process of port forwarding, make sure you have the following things:

• Downloaded and installed the Rtsps server.
• The IP address of your router.
• IP address of your device.

TCP and UDP ports of Rtsps for your device as mentioned in the section below.

Step-by-step guide on how to port forward Rtsps

Now that you have the above details noted down, you can move to the next stage of Rtsps port forwarding:

1. On your web browser address bar, type your router’s IP Address/Default Gateway.
2. Log in with your router’s credentials (username and password) to view your router’s firmware settings.
3. Navigate to the port forwarding section of your router.
4. Click on Port Forwarding.
5. Enter the IP address of your device in your router in the correct box.
6. Put the TCP and UDP ports of the Rtsps server in the boxes in your router. The default Rtsps port number is 554. And then click the apply button.
7. And you’re done. Restart your router to let the changes take effect.
8. Once your changes take effect, now you can host a Rtsps server and let your friends connect to it as well. To let them connect to it, you need to provide them the hostname you are using, along with the port number. For example, ‘hostname.domain.com:25565’.

Rtsps ports needed to run

To use Rtsps online and create a server without any interruptions, you’ll have to allow access to certain ports on your firewall. The default Rtsps ports are:

TCP Port:

554

Ports to forward on devices

Ports to run on PC:

TCP Port:

554

Handle RTP Streaming Ports

RTSP may use dynamic UDP for media packets. You have two options:

• Static mapping: Assign a specific RTP port in your camera settings and forward that port too (e.g., TCP 554 + UDP 8554 for RTP).
• Dynamic forwarding: Forward a range of ports if the camera negotiates randomly (e.g., 10000–10100).

Testing Your Setup

To verify your configuration:

• Use an Open Port Checker (e.g., Network Utilities) to ensure 554/TCP shows as open.
• Connect from outside your network (e.g., over mobile data) using an RTSP URL like:

For Arduino:

rtsp://[Your_Public_IP_or_DDNS]:554/stream

Or, specify the RTP port if separate:

rtsp://[IP]:554/stream?rtpport=8554

Troubleshooting Tips

Symptom	Possible Cause	Solution
RTSP port appears closed	Router not restarted or misconfigured rule	Reboot router, verify IP and port settings
Stream loads but stalls	RTP port not forwarded	Identify RTP port via SDP and forward it
No incoming connection	ISP using CGNAT	Request static IP, or use PureVPN
Two devices on same port	Conflict in forwarding setup	Use different external ports per device

How to open ports behind CGNAT

What if your ISP performs CGNAT? Most ISPs perform CGNAT (Carrier-grade Network Address Translation) to conserve bandwidth and assign a single IP address to multiple users connected to the same internet network. However, CGNAT makes it difficult for you to open ports on the router. 

To get around the CGNAT issue, you can use the Port Forwarding add-on to bypass this problem and port forward routers without hassle. 
Here’s more information on how to use PureVPN’s Port Forwarding add-on and bypass CGNAT in a few clicks.

PureVPN’s Port Forwarding Add-on

A secure way to open all ports

To most people, port forwarding is quite a demanding task. For starters, every router has a different console, which often makes it difficult to navigate to specific settings.

Secondly, you won’t always be able to open RTSPS ports on your router if your ISP restricts the ports. Yes, you heard that right! ISPs are notorious for blocking ports due to security reasons. If ISP isn’t the reason behind a blocked port, then perhaps it could be your operating system’s firewall.

Well, you can eliminate all these problems on all your desired systems with PureVPN’s Port Forwarding add-on. Through the Port Forwarding add-on, you can allow all ports, disallow all ports, and allow specific ports.

Frequently Asked Questions