Mat Leszkiewicz

I’m a support engineer with a passion for cybersecurity and mission to help people be safer in the web.

1 minute read

As part of my academic and personal learning journey into system design, networking, and edge computing, I developed a lightweight RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) video server using a Raspberry Pi. The project focused on creating a low-cost, self-hosted solution to stream real-time video over a local network — ideal for CCTV-style setups or media streaming experiments.

🎯 Project Objective

To use a Raspberry Pi as a standalone RTSP server that captures live video from a camera module and broadcasts it over the network to compatible video players (e.g., VLC, ffmpeg, or NVR software).

🧰 Tools & Technologies

  • Hardware: Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+
  • Camera: Pi Camera Module v2
  • OS: Raspberry Pi OS Lite
  • Streaming Software: v4l2loopback, ffmpeg, nginx (optional for UI), rpicam utilities
  • RTSP Protocol: For real-time video delivery
  • SSH & CLI tools: For headless setup and monitoring

🛠️ Implementation Steps

  1. Installed Raspberry Pi OS Lite for headless setup
  2. Enabled camera and SSH access
  3. Installed required dependencies: 
    sudo apt install ffmpeg v4l-utils v4l2loopback-dkms
  4. Used ffmpeg to stream Pi Camera output: 
    ffmpeg -f video4linux2 -i /dev/video0 -f rtsp rtsp://<ip-address>:8554/live.stream
  5. Configured port forwarding and service autostart for continuous availability

📺 How to View the Stream

To access the live stream, use any RTSP-compatible client like:

vlc rtsp://<raspberry-pi-ip>:8554/live.stream

Or embed it in web platforms or dashboards for real-time monitoring.

🧠 What I Learned

  • Configuring low-latency video streaming on Linux-based systems
  • Optimizing Raspberry Pi performance for real-time media processing
  • Managing system services, autostart, and headless device setup
  • Basics of network protocols like RTSP and how video is handled at the protocol level

🧩 Potential Improvements

  • Add motion detection or event-based triggers
  • Secure stream with authentication or HTTPS proxying
  • Integrate video archiving functionality
  • Build a web dashboard for stream management

🔗 GitHub Repository

Explore the source code and setup guide here:
👉 matlesz/RaspberryPi-RTSP-Server

This project helped solidify my understanding of video streaming protocols, network configuration, and embedded system capabilities — all of which align with my broader goals of working in cybersecurity and infrastructure-level engineering.

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