Angelcam is brand-agnostic — meaning it works with almost any manufacturer's hardware. If a camera, NVR, or other device supports open industry standards, you can connect it, no matter whose logo is on the box. We estimate this covers around 99% of security devices on the market today.
This article walks you through what works, what doesn't, and how to check a specific device before you buy or connect it.
🔌 The two questions that decide compatibility
For any device, compatibility comes down to two things:
Does it speak open standards? Angelcam works with devices that stream H.264 over RTSP — the surveillance industry's standard combination. MJPEG over HTTP works too, mostly for older or budget cameras. We recommend H.264 for any new camera.
How will it reach the cloud? The device needs a way out to the internet — either through AngelBox on your local network, the Angelcam Connector running on the camera itself, or (as a last resort) port forwarding.
If both answers are yes, you're good. The rest of this article fills in the details.
🎥 Cameras and other video-capable devices
Most things that produce a video stream can be connected:
IP (network) cameras from almost any brand — Axis, Hikvision, Dahua, Bosch, Vivotek, Sony, Foscam, Amcrest, TP-Link, Ubiquiti, Hanwha, Pelco, and many more. See the full list of tested brands.
NVRs and DVRs with H.264/RTSP support. Each channel becomes a separate camera in Angelcam. See How to connect an NVR/DVR.
💡 If you have an NVR with IP cameras, connect each IP camera to Angelcam directly when possible — that way, if something happens to the NVR, your cloud recording isn't affected.Doorbells and video intercoms — Hikvision, GeoVision, Beward, DoorBird, and others. See compatible doorbell brands.
Analog (CCTV) cameras — yes, even these. See the section below for the three ways to bring an analog camera online.
Android phones and tablets — turn an old device into a wireless camera with the Cam'ON app.
Network speakers for verbal deterrence — Axis speakers and any 3.5mm audio speaker via AngelBox.
Advanced users have also connected GoPros, drones, and any RTSP-capable streaming server (including VLC).
📼 Connecting analog security cameras
Analog cameras don't speak RTSP on their own, so you need something in between to convert the signal into a digital stream Angelcam can read. There are three ways to do this:
Through a DVR — connect the analog camera to a DVR that supports H.264 + RTSP. You connect the DVR to Angelcam, and the camera shows up as one of its channels. This is the most common setup.
Through a video encoder (also called a video server) — a small device that takes one or more analog inputs and outputs an RTSP stream. Multi-channel encoders work too; you'll just need to specify the channel.
Through a capture card and streaming software — install an analog capture card in a computer and use software like VLC to stream RTSP. The computer has to stay on whenever you want the camera online, which makes this the most fragile option. Pick one of the first two if you can.
🚫 What's NOT compatible
A small number of camera makers run closed ecosystems — their cameras only stream to their own apps and don't expose RTSP at all. There's no way around this from our side. The notable ones:
Nest — closed; no third-party access.
Arlo — closed; no third-party access.
Ring — closed for video. You can send Ring events to Angelcam through IFTTT to trigger recording on another camera, mark a timeline, or get notifications — but the Ring video itself isn't accessible.
Some cameras sit in a grey zone. Wyze, for example, ships closed by default but has unofficial firmware that adds RTSP — see How to connect a Wyze camera. Some Xiaomi models work depending on the firmware version.
🔍 How to check if a specific device works
Before you buy or connect a camera, you can check compatibility in a few ways. Start with the easiest:
1. Check the spec sheet
Look at the camera's technical specifications — on the box, in the manual, or on the manufacturer's website. You're looking for these terms, ideally listed explicitly:
RTSP (the streaming protocol)
H.264 (the video codec) — or MJPEG over HTTP for older cameras
ONVIF compliance is a strong positive signal — almost all ONVIF cameras support RTSP/H.264
If none of these terms appear in the specs, the camera almost certainly doesn't support them.
2. Test it with the AngelBox Compatibility Tester
The most reliable way to confirm a camera will work is to run the AngelBox Compatibility Tester — a free desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It scans your local network, finds your cameras, and tells you whether each one produces a stream Angelcam can read.
💡 Worth running even if you don't plan to use AngelBox. If you intend to connect via port forwarding — or any other method — the Tester still answers the most important question: does my camera actually output a usable RTSP/H.264 stream? If the Tester finds a working stream, Angelcam will work with it too, no matter how you ultimately route it to the cloud.
A couple of other tools can help if you want to dig deeper or check a single specific stream:
ONVIF Device Manager — a free Windows tool that scans for ONVIF cameras on your network and shows their RTSP stream addresses.
VLC — if you already know your camera's RTSP URL, paste it into VLC's Open Network Stream. If VLC plays the video, Angelcam will too.
3. Ask the manufacturer or your dealer
For NVRs and less common brands, the fastest path is often just asking the manufacturer or distributor for the RTSP stream URL for your specific model. They have it.
📡 Beyond cameras: sensors, alarm panels, and real-time security
Angelcam isn't just for video. You can also connect:
Sensors and alarm panels — anything that can send an event via email, IFTTT, or our API. Use these events to trigger recording, mark events on the timeline, or get notifications.
Network speakers — for verbal deterrence. Axis speakers work directly; any speaker with a 3.5mm jack can be connected via AngelBox.
Fog cannons — for the small percentage of intruders not deterred by audio. See our fog cannon comparison.
🛠️ How devices connect to Angelcam
Once you know your device is compatible, you have a few options for getting it online:
AngelCamera — pre-configured cameras that connect to Angelcam directly out of the box. Easiest path if you're starting fresh.
AngelBox — a small device on your local network that brings any compatible camera online without port forwarding, public IPs, or router changes. Best option for retrofitting existing cameras.
Angelcam Connector — firmware that runs directly on Axis cameras (and can be compiled for Raspberry Pi, OpenWrt routers, EdgeRouters, and other ARM devices for advanced users).
Port forwarding — still works, but we don't recommend it for most people. The connection is unencrypted — your video stream and camera credentials travel openly over the internet — and the setup is fragile: a new public IP from your ISP, the camera's internal IP changing after a DHCP lease renewal, or any small network change tends to break it. Use AngelBox or the Connector instead — both keep the stream encrypted and survive network changes.
💡 If you're still going to use port forwarding, run the AngelBox Compatibility Tester first to confirm the camera produces a working stream. It saves you a lot of router-debugging if the issue is actually on the camera side.
For developers and integrators: The Angelcam Connector is open source and runs on Linux. You can integrate it directly into your own product, compile it for custom hardware, or run it in Docker. See our developer docs for the full API and webhook documentation.
🤔 Still not sure?
If you're considering Angelcam and want to verify your specific setup will work before committing, run the AngelBox Compatibility Tester on your network — it'll detect your cameras and tell you whether they'd work.
AngelBox comes with a money-back guarantee, so if it doesn't work with your setup, you can return it.
😇 We are here to help
Just say hello@angelcam.com or check out the Angelcam Community to connect with other users sharing their experiences and insight into various security topics.