Frequently Asked Question

DeskCamera can expose several media sources, such as screens, webcams, application windows, audio-only sources, or combined media, to an NVR/VMS in two ways: Multiple channels mode or Multiple cameras mode.

Use Multiple channels first unless your NVR/VMS has trouble showing more than one channel from the same ONVIF camera.

Multiple channels mode

In Multiple channels mode, DeskCamera appears in the NVR/VMS as one ONVIF camera. Each enabled media source is added as a separate channel/profile under that camera.

This mode is usually easier to manage because the NVR/VMS has only one DeskCamera device to add and maintain.

Use this mode when your NVR/VMS can select and record several channels or profiles from one ONVIF camera.

Multiple cameras mode

In Multiple cameras mode, DeskCamera creates a separate ONVIF camera for each enabled media source.

All cameras are hosted by the same PC and use the same PC IP address, but each camera uses its own ONVIF port. For example, one media source may appear on one port, and another media source may appear on the next available port.

Use this mode when your NVR/VMS only shows the first channel from an ONVIF camera, cannot select additional channels, or works better when every stream is added as a separate camera.

Camera identity in Multiple cameras mode

Current versions keep each camera identity more stable. In Multiple cameras mode, each enabled media source still receives an automatically chosen network address. If you reduce how many cameras are running, such as unplugging a webcam, disabling a source, or switching to a mode with fewer cameras, the remaining cameras may move to different ports.

This does not mix one camera video with another. It only means the NVR/VMS may need to rediscover or re-add the affected cameras. If you need one fixed camera address, use Multiple channels mode where possible, or keep the enabled media sources unchanged.

Which mode should I choose?

• Choose Multiple channels for the simplest setup.
• Choose Multiple cameras if your NVR/VMS cannot use additional channels from one ONVIF camera.
• Choose Multiple cameras if you want each media source to appear as a fully separate camera in the NVR/VMS.

Audio-only sources

In current versions of DeskCamera, audio-only media sources are handled more cleanly in Multiple channels mode. They appear as profiles of the main DeskCamera camera instead of creating an extra separate audio-only ONVIF camera.

NVR/VMS support for audio-only ONVIF profiles can vary. If the NVR/VMS does not handle an audio-only profile correctly, try direct RTSP playback or add the source using Multiple cameras mode.

For more details about audio-only streams, see Creating Audio-only streams.

Ports and firewall

Multiple channels mode normally uses one ONVIF camera entry.

Multiple cameras mode uses one ONVIF camera entry per enabled media source, so the NVR/VMS must be able to reach each camera port.

For firewall and port details, see Ports used by DeskCamera and Configuring firewall rules.

If you need to change the default ONVIF port, see How to change default ONVIF ports. Note that custom static ONVIF port configuration applies to Multiple channels mode; Multiple cameras mode automatically assigns ports for the separate cameras.

After changing the mode

After switching between Multiple channels and Multiple cameras, check the DeskCamera entries in your NVR/VMS. In some cases, you may need to remove the old DeskCamera device and add it again so the NVR/VMS discovers the new camera/channel layout.

Troubleshooting

The NVR/VMS only shows one stream.
If DeskCamera is using Multiple channels mode, the NVR/VMS may not support selecting additional channels from one ONVIF camera. Switch to Multiple cameras mode and add each camera separately.

The NVR/VMS finds several DeskCamera cameras from the same PC.
This is expected in Multiple cameras mode. Each enabled media source appears as its own ONVIF camera.

Some cameras do not connect after switching to Multiple cameras mode.
Check that Windows Firewall allows the ONVIF/RTSP ports used by DeskCamera and that the NVR/VMS is using the correct port for each camera.