This guide walks through getting a Hanwha (Wisenet) network camera from box to a working RTSP feed you can add to a Genea Video Gateway - physical setup, first-time login, and building the RTSP URL Genea needs.
Hanwha cameras use a different RTSP URL format than Axis cameras, and it's easy to carry over an assumption from one brand to the other - see Step 4.
If your camera is already online and you just need to add it to Genea Video, skip ahead to How to Add a Camera on Gateway - this article is the step before that one.
Before You Start
You'll need:
Item | Why |
PoE power (injector, switch, or NVR PoE port) | Most Hanwha cameras draw power from the network cable |
A computer on the same network as the camera | Needed for initial discovery and configuration |
Wisenet Device Manager | Hanwha's free discovery and configuration tool - finds cameras on your local network, sets IPs and passwords, and can update firmware |
A Genea Gateway already installed and online | Every camera in Genea Video connects through a gateway |
VLC (or another RTSP-capable player) | Lets you confirm the stream is correct before wiring it into Genea |
Genea Video connects to cameras over RTSP. Confirm RTSP is enabled on the camera during setup - it's on by default on most Wisenet models.
Step 1: Mount, Power On, and Find the Camera on Your Network
Mount and power the camera. Most Hanwha cameras run on PoE, so a single Ethernet cable handles both.
Give the camera a minute to boot, then open Wisenet Device Manager on a computer connected to the same network.
Click Search. The camera should appear with its MAC address and current IP.
On a network with DHCP, it shows up with an address assigned by your router.
On a network with no DHCP server, it defaults to
192.168.1.100. If your computer isn't on that subnet, temporarily set your adapter's IP into that range, or connect through a switch with DHCP.
Once you can reach the camera, assign it a static IP or a DHCP reservation. This matters more than it sounds: the RTSP URL you build later includes this IP, and if the camera's address changes, the feed breaks in Genea until you update it.
Step 2: Log In and Complete First-Time Setup
Enter the camera's IP address in a browser, or open it directly from Wisenet Device Manager.
Log in with username
admin. On modern Wisenet firmware, you'll be prompted to create a password on first access - there's no default. On older models, the default isadmin/adminor a blank password; change it immediately if so.If the interface offers a firmware update, install it before going further.
Set the date and time, or point the camera at an NTP server. This keeps recording timestamps accurate and matters later for correlating video with access control events.
Step 3: Find the Right Video Profile
Hanwha cameras don't select a stream by physical sensor the way Axis multi-sensor cameras do - instead, each camera has a numbered list of video profiles, and each profile has its own codec. You need to know which profile number is set to H.264, since that's what Genea Video expects.
In the camera's web interface, go to Basic > Video profile.
Note the codec listed next to each profile number. A typical layout looks like this:
Profile | Codec |
1 | MJPEG |
2 | H.264 (default on most models) |
3 | H.265 |
4 | MOBILE (H.264, lower resolution) |
This layout is common but not guaranteed - check the actual profile list on your camera rather than assuming profile 2 is H.264. Whichever number is H.264 is the one you'll reference in Step 4.
While you're on this page, confirm the RTSP port under Basic > IP & Port > Port (default 554) - you'll need it for the URL too.
Step 4: Build the RTSP URL
Hanwha's RTSP URL format is different from Axis - don't reuse the Axis pattern here. The base format is:
rtsp://<camera-ip>:554/profile<N>/media.smp
<N> is the profile position from Step 3, not a name - use the number next to the H.264 profile. Example, with H.264 on profile 2, at IP 192.168.1.50:
rtsp://192.168.1.50:554/profile2/media.smp
A couple of things specific to Hanwha:
Multi-channel or multi-sensor Hanwha models add a channel index before the profile:
rtsp://<camera-ip>:554/0/profile2/media.smp,/1/profile2/media.smp, and so on. Single-channel cameras skip this entirely, as in the example above.Don't embed the username and password in this URL. Unlike the Axis workflow, Hanwha credentials go in Genea's separate Username / Password fields when you add the camera in Step 6, not in the RTSP URL itself.
Step 5: Test the RTSP URL Before Connecting It to Genea
Confirm the stream works on its own before wiring it into the gateway:
Open VLC.
Go to Media > Open Network Stream.
Paste in the RTSP URL from Step 4 and click Play. VLC will prompt for the camera's username and password separately - enter them there rather than embedding them in the URL.
Confirm video loads within a few seconds and shows the correct profile (correct resolution, no MJPEG artifacts if you meant to select H.264).
If VLC can't connect, the issue is with the camera or network, not Genea - fix it here first. See Troubleshooting below for common causes.
Step 6: Add the Camera to Genea Video
Once the RTSP URL is confirmed working, add it in Genea Video:
Go to Video Management > Device Management > Cameras and click + Add.
Select Manually.
Enter the camera name, the RTSP URL (without embedded credentials), the username and password in their own fields, the camera's IP and MAC address, and assign it to your gateway.
Set retention and indoor/outdoor placement, then click Save.
The camera should show Online within a few minutes. Full details on all three add methods, including scanning the network and CSV bulk import, are in How to Add a Camera on Gateway.
Note: Genea Video's AI features currently work best on H.264. Make sure the profile you referenced in the RTSP URL is the H.264 one from Step 3.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Likely Cause | Fix |
VLC can't connect, camera has no stream at the URL | Using an Axis-style path ( | Use Hanwha's format: |
Wrong codec, or picture looks off | Referencing the wrong profile number | Recheck Basic > Video profile - the number next to H.264 is not guaranteed to be 2 on every camera |
VLC can't connect at all | Wrong IP, wrong port, or camera not on the network yet | Reconfirm the IP in Wisenet Device Manager and the port under Basic > IP & Port > Port |
"401 Unauthorized" or similar auth error | Admin password not yet set, or wrong credentials | Log into the camera's web UI to confirm the password; enter credentials in VLC's prompt or Genea's fields, not embedded in the URL |
Camera shows Offline in Genea after adding | RTSP URL typo, gateway and camera on different subnets, or the camera's IP changed | Re-test the URL in VLC; confirm the gateway can reach the camera's IP; revisit Step 1 on static IPs |
Questions or something not covered here? Reach out to Genea Support at acsupport@getgenea.com.