TheRelay Blog
Guides, tutorials, and articles about RTSP streaming, IP cameras, and cloud video infrastructure.
Is It Safe to Port Forward Security Cameras? Risks & Alternatives
Port forwarding camera streams exposes them to the entire internet. Real CVEs, Shodan stats, and why a cloud relay is a fundamentally safer architecture.
How to Access IP Cameras Behind CGNAT (Carrier-Grade NAT)
Behind CGNAT you have no real public IP — port forwarding simply doesn't work. Here's how to detect CGNAT and the solutions that actually work.
Hikvision Remote Access Without Hik-Connect: 3 Better Alternatives
Hik-Connect routes video through Hikvision's servers. Here are three privacy-respecting alternatives for remote Hikvision camera access, with step-by-step setup.
RTSP to WebRTC: How to Watch IP Cameras in Any Browser
Browsers can't speak RTSP. Here's how the conversion pipeline works and the easiest ways to get a live camera feed playing in Chrome, Firefox, or Safari.
How to Stream IP Cameras to a Website (RTSP → HLS, WebRTC, RTMP)
A practical guide to embedding live IP camera streams in a webpage using HLS.js, WebRTC, or RTMP — with working code examples for each method.
Cloudflare Tunnel vs TheRelay for RTSP Cameras — What Actually Works?
Cloudflare Tunnel is great for web apps but struggles with RTSP's stateful protocol model. Here's exactly why, and what a purpose-built video relay does differently.
ONVIF Over the Internet: Can You Use ONVIF Cameras Remotely?
ONVIF WS-Discovery only works on your LAN — it doesn't cross routers. Here's what ONVIF actually does, and how to access ONVIF cameras from anywhere.
The Best Way to Remotely Access IP Cameras Securely in 2026
A comprehensive comparison of every major method — port forwarding, DDNS, VPN, cloud relay, and vendor apps — with a security, privacy, and ease-of-use breakdown.
VPN vs Cloud Relay for Security Cameras: Which Should You Use?
VPNs and cloud relays both avoid port forwarding — but they solve different problems. A deep comparison to help you pick the right tool for your camera use case.
How to Use OpenCV with Remote RTSP Cameras (No Local Network Required)
Run computer vision pipelines against cameras anywhere in the world. Full Python examples: capture, retry loops, multi-camera threading, and YOLO inference over cloud RTSP.
How to Access RTSP Cameras Without Opening Ports or Port Forwarding
Compare 4 methods to access RTSP cameras remotely without port forwarding: cloud relay agent, VPN mesh, SSH reverse tunnel, and dynamic DNS — with honest pros, cons, and real setup instructions.