MediaMTX Setup
MediaMTX handles the camera stream using the Pi's hardware H.264 encoder. It talks directly to the camera - no extra processes needed - and serves the stream over WebRTC (for the dashboard) and RTSP (for recording).
Install MediaMTX
Run the included installer script:
/opt/security-cam/setup/install_mediamtx.sh
This will:
- Download the MediaMTX binary (v1.17.0, verified with SHA256 checksum)
- Install it to
/usr/local/bin/mediamtx - Set up a systemd service that starts on boot
The script auto-detects your Pi's architecture. If you ever need the latest version instead of the tested one, run:
/opt/security-cam/setup/install_mediamtx.sh --latest
Start the service
sudo systemctl start mediamtx
Check that it's running:
sudo systemctl status mediamtx
You should see active (running) in the output. If something went wrong, check the logs:
journalctl -u mediamtx -f
Verify the stream
Open a browser on any device connected to the same network and go to:
http://<raspberry-pi-ip>:8889/cam
You should see a live video feed from the camera. The stream uses WebRTC with hardware H.264 encoding at 1296x972 @ 30fps.
If you're connected to the Pi's Access Point, use:
http://192.168.4.1:8889/cam
Configuration
The MediaMTX config lives at /opt/security-cam/client/data/mediamtx.yml. The default settings should work out of the box, but here are the key parameters you can adjust:
| Setting | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
rpiCameraWidth | 1296 | Frame width in pixels |
rpiCameraHeight | 972 | Frame height in pixels |
rpiCameraFPS | 30 | Frames per second |
rpiCameraBitrate | 1000000 | H.264 bitrate (1 Mbps) |
rpiCameraTextOverlayEnable | true | Timestamp overlay on video |
rpiCameraHFlip / rpiCameraVFlip | false | Mirror the image |
After editing the config, restart the service:
sudo systemctl restart mediamtx
The available resolutions depend on your camera sensor. Check what your camera supports with:
rpicam-hello --list-cameras
Using a resolution not listed there will cause MediaMTX to fail to start.
Continue to service setup to install the Security-Cam systemd service.