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Add camera

BRNKL Blue and BRNKL Black work with most cameras that support the ONVIF and/or RTSP protocols. For a list of certified compatible cameras, see Supported cameras.

Video walkthrough

▶ Adding and Configuring Cameras (2:43)

Prerequisites

  • Cameras are powered and connected to your network

  • BRNKL Blue is installed and connected to the internet

  • Cameras and network peripherals are not on switched power (cameras must remain powered for BRNKL to access them)

  • You have the login credentials for each camera

If your cameras are on an MFD or chartplotter network, complete Connect MFD network before continuing. Not sure if your setup needs this step? Use the network configuration tool on the Get started page.

Add a camera

The general workflow is the same for every supported camera. Each brand-specific guide below documents the menu paths, credentials, and IP scheme for that camera.

  1. Find the camera's IP address — using BRNKL Device Manager's auto-discovery, the router's device list, or an IP scanner.

  2. Log in to the camera's web interface using its IP address and credentials.

  3. Configure stream settings — see "Recommended camera stream settings" below.

  4. Assign a static IP address on the camera so it remains reachable across reboots.

  5. Add the camera to BRNKL Device Manager from Settings > Cameras > + Add Camera.

For best playback performance on BRNKL, configure cameras with the following stream settings. Some cameras may use different field names — match the closest equivalent.

  • Resolution — 1280×720 or 1920×1080

  • Frame Rate — 20 fps

  • Bitrate — 2.4 Mbps (2400 kbps) or less

  • Encoding — H.264 (H.265 is not supported)

  • Multicast — disabled

If you're configuring more than one camera on a single BRNKL, lower bitrate settings may be required to maintain smooth playback.

Camera settings in Device Manager

Once a camera is added, click it in Settings > Cameras to expand its settings panel.

Camera Settings

  • Name — descriptive name shown on the dashboard and in alerts. Editable.

  • Make, Model, IP Address — populated automatically from the camera. Read-only.

  • Webpage — opens the camera's web interface in a new tab.

  • Remove — removes the camera from BRNKL. The camera itself is not affected.

Video Settings

  • Continuous Video Recording (CVR) — when enabled, BRNKL continuously records the camera's stream.

  • Pre-record (Events) — how many seconds of footage to include before an event trigger.

  • RTSP Protocol — TCP is more reliable; UDP has lower latency but may drop frames on busy networks.

  • RTSP URL — the stream URL BRNKL uses to access the camera. Can be edited to display secondary streams/views.

Display Settings

  • Display overlay — when enabled, an information overlay is shown on the camera video.

  • Position — which corner of the video the overlay appears in.

  • Selection — which fields appear in the overlay (Date and time, Device name, Camera name, Vessel position).

Supported cameras

Follow the brand-specific guide below to add your camera to BRNKL Device Manager.