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How to Connect Verkada Cameras to Genea Video

Verkada cameras support RTSP, but it's off by default, local-network only, and needs the codec set to H.264 first — here's the full setup, end to end.

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Written by Michael Maxsenti

Verkada cameras stream into Genea Video over RTSP, the same way most third-party cameras do — but RTSP is off by default on Verkada hardware, locked to the local network, and the codec has to be set correctly before Genea can use it well. This guide walks through enabling it in Command and adding the camera in Genea Video.

The most common reason to do this is migration: connect an existing Verkada camera to Genea Video over RTSP now, then physically swap in a Genea-supported camera once the Verkada license or hardware comes up for renewal.

💡 Looking for something else? If you want to view Verkada footage alongside access events, alarms, and door activity inside Genea Access Control, see Genea Access Control System Integration with Verkada Video Management System instead. That is a separate integration with separate credentials.

Before You Begin

You will need:

  • Site Admin access to Verkada Command, with permission to edit camera settings.

  • A Genea Gateway that is online and on the same local network as the Verkada camera, or bridged to it over a VPN. Verkada RTSP streams are available only across the local network and never pass through the Verkada cloud — if your Genea Gateway sits on a different subnet with no route to the camera, the stream will not connect no matter how correct the URL is.

  • A dedicated username and password for the RTSP stream. Do not reuse credentials from anywhere else — RTSP 1.0 sends them in plain text.

  • VLC (or another RTSP-capable player) to confirm the feed before wiring it into Genea.

Verkada supports up to 2 concurrent RTSP streams per camera — a high-quality (HQ) and a standard-quality (SQ) stream, at whatever resolution and bitrate the camera is already using in Command. Neither can be adjusted from the RTSP settings; change the camera's normal video settings first if you need a different resolution.

Step 1: Set the Camera's Codec to H.264

Genea Video's ingest pipeline and AI detection are built around H.264. Verkada cameras don't all default to it — several newer models ship on H.265/HEVC.

  1. In Verkada Command, go to All Products > Cameras and select the camera.

  2. Click Settings.

  3. Find the video encoding option (the exact label varies a little by camera generation) and set it to H.264.

  4. Save.

If a camera is left on H.265, RTSP will still enable in Step 2 — it will just hand Genea a codec its pipeline isn't built to ingest cleanly.

Step 2: Enable RTSP on the Camera

  1. Still in the camera's Settings, find Device.

  2. Toggle on Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP).

  3. Enter the username and password you set aside in Before You Begin.

  4. Click Enable.

💡 Tip: Migrating several cameras at once? Command has a bulk RTSP-enable option from the Devices tab, rather than opening each camera individually.

Step 3: Copy the RTSP URL

  1. Back on the camera's Settings page, under Device > Real-Time Streaming Protocol (RTSP), Command shows two URLs — HQ and SQ.

  2. Click Copy next to the one you want. Use HQ for best recording quality, SQ if bandwidth is tight.

  3. Replace the [PASSWORD] placeholder in the copied URL with the real password.

Step 4: Test the RTSP URL Before Connecting It to Genea

  1. Open VLC.

  2. Go to Media > Open Network Stream.

  3. Paste in the RTSP URL and click Play.

  4. Confirm video loads within a few seconds.

Test this from a machine on the same local network as the camera — Verkada blocks RTSP connections from outside its private IP range, so testing from anywhere else will fail even when everything is configured correctly. If it still won't connect from the right network, the issue is with Verkada or the network, not Genea. See Troubleshooting below.

Step 5: Add the Camera in Genea Video

Verkada cameras won't turn up on a network scan the way ONVIF cameras do, so add this one manually.

  1. Go to Video Management > Device Management > Cameras and click + Add.

  2. Select Manually.

  3. Enter the camera name, the RTSP URL, the Username and Password from Step 2, the camera's IP and MAC address, and Verkada as the manufacturer.

  4. Set indoor/outdoor placement, assign it to your gateway, and set a retention period (default: 30 days).

  5. Click Save.

The camera should show Online within a few minutes — real-time confirmation on add isn't instant. Full details on all three add methods, including CSV bulk import, are in How to Add a Camera (Manual / Scan Network / CSV Bulk Import).

Securing the RTSP Stream

RTSP 1.0 doesn't encrypt video or credentials, so Verkada's own guidance — worth following regardless of which VMS is on the other end — is to:

  • Put Verkada cameras on their own VLAN or network segment, inaccessible from the internet or other untrusted systems.

  • If the Genea Gateway reaches the camera over a WAN rather than the same local switch, use a VPN between them instead of exposing RTSP publicly.

  • Drop RTSP traffic at your edge or external firewall (Verkada uses port 8554, not the standard 554) so it never reaches the public internet.

  • If your network gear supports it, allow only the specific client IP — your Genea Gateway — to open a stream.

Troubleshooting

Issue

Likely Cause

Fix

VLC can't connect at all

RTSP not enabled in Command, or the test machine isn't on the camera's local network

Confirm RTSP is toggled on for the camera; retest from a machine on the same LAN, not remotely

"401 Unauthorized" or similar auth error

Wrong username/password, or the [PASSWORD] placeholder was never replaced

Re-copy the URL from Command and manually swap in the real password

Camera shows Offline in Genea after adding

Gateway and camera on different subnets, an RTSP URL typo, or Verkada credentials changed after adding

Re-test the URL in VLC from the gateway's network; confirm the gateway can reach the camera's IP

Feed loads but looks worse than expected

Camera still set to H.265, or the SQ URL was copied instead of HQ

Confirm the codec is H.264 (Step 1); re-copy the HQ URL if that's the one you meant to use

Stream drops out under load

More than 2 RTSP clients pulling from the same camera

Verkada caps concurrent RTSP streams at 2 per camera — close any other client also reading that feed

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If you have any questions about connecting cameras to Genea Video, reach out to Genea Support at any time at acsupport@getgenea.com.

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