rtsp.me vs your own server for IP camera streaming

What a self-hosted solution includes

To show an IP camera stream on your website without a managed service, you need to build and maintain several components:

• a VPS with sufficient bandwidth or an on-site mini server;
• media server software, such as MediaMTX, SRS, nginx-rtmp or an FFmpeg-based solution;
• conversion of the RTSP stream to HLS (M3U8), which browsers can play;
• an HTML5 player;
• a domain and HTTPS;
• video delivery from the camera to the server through a public IP address, port mapping, VPN, tunnel or outbound stream push;
• storage for the video archive and a recording rotation system;
• camera and stream monitoring;
• automatic service restarts after failures;
• backups;
• operating system and media server updates;
• firewall configuration and server security.

A typical setup looks like this:

With rtsp.me, this infrastructure is already in place and maintained as part of the service.

rtsp.me vs your own server

How much traffic a live stream generates

The cost of a VPS is not limited to the virtual server rental. Outbound traffic is one of the main resources used by video streaming.

Suppose an IP camera sends video at a bitrate of 2 Mbps, and the average viewing session lasts 10 minutes.

• One viewing sessionAbout 150 MB of traffic
• 100 views per dayAbout 15 GB per day
• One camera per monthAbout 450 GB
• 10 camerasAbout 4.5 TB per month
• 100 camerasAbout 45 TB per month

When choosing a VPS for video streaming, consider not only the rental price but also the included traffic allowance, network port speed and overage charges.

What happens when the audience grows

With your own media server, every new viewer increases outbound traffic.

These scenarios place very different loads on the network infrastructure. As the audience grows, you need to account for port bandwidth, server performance and the infrastructure's ability to scale.

With rtsp.me, the camera sends one stream into the service infrastructure, and rtsp.me handles delivery to viewers. The camera owner does not need to upgrade a VPS or build a load-distribution system.

The hidden cost of a self-hosted solution

VPS rental may be only one part of the total cost.

Outbound traffic

The amount of transferred data increases with the number of viewers and the length of each viewing session.

Video archive

Continuous recording from several cameras quickly consumes tens or hundreds of gigabytes, or even terabytes, of disk space. You need to arrange storage, recording rotation and free-space monitoring.

Monitoring

Simply starting FFmpeg or a media server is not enough. You need to monitor camera availability, stream health, CPU, memory, disk and network usage.

Fault tolerance

You also need automatic process restarts, detection of frozen streams, monitoring and alerts.

Updates and security

The operating system, media server and other components require regular updates. A server exposed to the internet also needs protection and supervision.

Specialist time

Even when VPS rental is inexpensive, the cost should include engineering time for initial setup, updates, diagnostics and troubleshooting.

What about an on-site mini server?

Instead of a VPS, you can install a physical mini server near the cameras. This avoids virtual server rental, but adds other requirements:

• a stable power supply;
• backup power;
• sufficient outbound internet bandwidth;
• equipment temperature monitoring;
• storage device maintenance;
• backups;
• physical access to the server in case of a fault.

When your own server makes sense

Running your own media server can be a good solution when:

• the video system must operate inside a completely closed network;
• company policy prohibits sending video streams to external services;
• custom video processing is required;
• you need proprietary video analytics or integration with specialized software;
• the company already has server infrastructure and specialists to maintain it;
• the number of cameras and viewers is small and the infrastructure is already available.

In these cases, a self-hosted server provides full control over the system.

When rtsp.me is more convenient

A managed service is suitable when the main goal is to get an IP camera live stream without building and maintaining your own server infrastructure.

rtsp.me handles the technical work of delivering video from the media server to viewers.

• Media serverNo need to install and maintain MediaMTX, SRS, nginx-rtmp or FFmpeg yourself
• HTML5 playerOnce the camera is connected, you receive ready-to-use player code for your website
• Connection without a static IPAlternative stream delivery methods are available when direct inbound access to the camera is not possible
• ProtectionTools are available to restrict access to the stream and control embedding on third-party websites
• Cloud video archiveRecordings can be kept in the cloud without installing disks or managing file rotation
• MonitoringNo need to build your own system for monitoring the media server and video delivery
• ScalingWhen the audience grows, you do not need to increase the bandwidth of a single VPS or build additional infrastructure yourself

Which option should you choose?

Your own VPS or mini server offers maximum control and can be cost-effective when the server infrastructure and specialists are already available.

rtsp.me removes the need to install and maintain your own media server and lets you launch an IP camera stream on a website faster.

Comparing the options using only the VPS rental price is therefore misleading. A self-hosted solution must account for the entire infrastructure: server, network traffic, data storage, monitoring, redundancy, updates and specialist time.

If the goal is specifically to put live video from an IP camera on a website quickly, a ready-made cloud service does so without requiring your own server infrastructure.

Frequently asked questions