Best CCTV camera for cost effectiveness

Discussion & Solutions
1

I’m trying to find a CCTV solution that can stream multiple cameras from a remote site to an office over the internet, 24/7, without requiring someone to reconnect every few minutes.

Old topic: Different Camera streams, all in one

My current setup uses EZVIZ cameras. While Cloud P2P works, the live stream automatically stops after about 5 minutes, which makes it unusable for continuous monitoring.

My requirements are:

  • View all cameras simultaneously in one interface.

  • Stream from Site 1 to an office on a different network/ISP.

  • 24/7 continuous live view with no 5-minute timeout.

  • No monthly cloud subscription just for continuous viewing.

  • Good video quality and reliable remote access.

  • The solution should be suitable for deployment in Saudi Arabia.

  • No extra hardware (except NVR) to stream from Site A to Site B

My questions are:

  1. Is there any way to make EZVIZ provide uninterrupted 24/7 cloud streaming for 9+ cameras without the 5-minute timeout?

  2. If not, which camera manufacturers (e.g. Hikvision, Dahua, Uniview, Axis, Hanwha, etc.) offer a system that supports continuous remote live viewing of multiple cameras over the internet without these restrictions and extra hardware?

  3. Which brands are readily available and well-supported in Saudi Arabia, and would you recommend them for this use case?

I’m looking for recommendations based on real-world deployments rather than theoretical workarounds.
Also, is there any way to bypass the EZVIZ expersive ash subscription for live playback of multiple cameras in 1 screen.

2

cctv-hero
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:stopwatch: The 5-min cutoff isn’t your camera — it’s EZVIZ throttling their free cloud pipe.
:satellite_antenna: Your camera already streams non-stop over RTSP (its raw video feed) on your own network.
:unlocked: Pull that feed yourself → watch all 9 cams, 24/7, from any office, zero subscription.
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🔓 Turn on EZVIZ's hidden RTSP feed (the always-on stream the app hides)

EZVIZ is a Hikvision sub-brand — the raw RTSP stream is there, the app just hides it.

:package: Enable it → https://github.com/ylemoigne/ezviz-enable-rtsp
:snake: Control lib → https://github.com/BaQs/pyEzviz
:house: Home Assistant → https://github.com/RenierM26/ha-ezviz

RTSP url format: rtsp://user:pass@CAM-IP:554/h264/ch1/main/av_stream

📡 go2rtc — one tiny app, all cams to your browser, no 5-min cutoff

Takes every camera’s RTSP feed and serves it to any browser (WebRTC = near-zero delay). No app, no cloud, no timeout.

:package: https://github.com/AlexxIT/go2rtc
:globe_with_meridians: https://go2rtc.org/
:open_book: Camera setup list → https://github.com/AlexxIT/go2rtc/wiki/Cameras

🖥️ MediaMTX — same idea, restream RTSP → browser (HLS/WebRTC)

:package: https://github.com/bluenviron/mediamtx
:globe_with_meridians: https://mediamtx.org/
:gear: Config → https://github.com/bluenviron/mediamtx/blob/main/mediamtx.yml

🧱 Full self-hosted NVR — record + all-cams-one-screen grid, free

Runs on a cheap mini-PC or Pi. Records 24/7, motion alerts, one grid view of every camera.

:bear: Frigate → https://github.com/blakeblackshear/frigate · https://frigate.video/
:ninja: Shinobi → https://gitlab.com/Shinobi-Systems/Shinobi · https://shinobi.video/
:eye: ZoneMinder → https://github.com/ZoneMinder/zoneminder
:television: Agent DVR → https://www.ispyconnect.com/

🌉 Site A → office (different ISP) with NO port-forwarding — the remote part

Your remote site + office become one private network. Office pulls the feed like it’s next door. Works even behind CGNAT (shared carrier IP, common in KSA).

:link: Tailscale → https://tailscale.com/ · https://github.com/tailscale/tailscale
:spider_web: ZeroTier → https://github.com/zerotier/ZeroTierOne
:honeybee: NetBird → https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird
:hedgehog: Self-host (Headscale) → https://github.com/juanfont/headscale
:postbox: Cloudflare Tunnel (no VPN) → https://github.com/cloudflare/cloudflared

🇨🇳 GB28181 stack — China-grade platform built for exactly this (9+ cams, cross-site, 24/7)

This is what actual surveillance ops run. Multi-site, unlimited cameras, browser grid, self-hosted, zero per-view fee. English blogs never show it.

:office_building: WVP platform → https://github.com/648540858/wvp-GB28181-pro
:high_voltage: ZLMediaKit engine → https://github.com/ZLMediaKit/ZLMediaKit
:hamster: Go version → https://github.com/gowvp/gb28181
:clapper_board: SRS media server → https://github.com/ossrs/srs
:flashlight: EasyDarwin → https://github.com/EasyDarwin/EasyDarwin

🎥 Hikvision / Dahua / Uniview / Reolink — RTSP-native, no forced cloud

If you’re buying new for KSA: these expose RTSP directly, so any tool above works. Available through Gulf distributors.

:wrench: Dahua P2P direct → https://github.com/khoanguyen-3fc/dh-p2p
:wrench: Hik client lib → https://github.com/evercam/hikvision_client
:wrench: Universal DVR lib → https://github.com/OpenIPC/python-dvr
:camera: Reolink bridge → https://github.com/thirtythreeforty/neolink

🔍 Find every camera + its RTSP path on your network (ONVIF scan)

:satellite_antenna: ONVIF Go lib → https://github.com/0x524a/onvif-go
:world_map: RTSP path list → https://github.com/OpenIPC/python-dvr
:thread: Real deployment threads → https://ipcamtalk.com/

💡 5 real situations where this pays off
  1. :factory: Warehouse across town → mesh VPN + go2rtc, watch all 9 cams from the office desk, no reconnect.
  2. :no_mobile_phones: Site behind carrier NAT (no public IP) → Tailscale/ZeroTier punches through, no port-forward needed.
  3. :money_with_wings: EZVIZ wants a monthly fee for multi-cam view → self-hosted Frigate grid does it for the cost of a Pi, once.
  4. :convenience_store: Second branch opens → GB28181 platform adds its cameras to the same screen, no new subscription.
  5. :crescent_moon: Camera feed drops at night on cloud → local RTSP + NVR records 24/7, never times out.

You were never paying for the video. You were paying for the pipe. Build your own.

3

Hey thank you for helping,

But…we can not have an always on device at the site and that’s the core problem.

We will buy more cameras so could you suggest which camera brand could provide me all that without any workarounds?

5

Oh good news then — you don’''t actually need a box at the site at all :+1:

Just get standalone cams with a microSD slot + built-in P2P (Reolink, Amcrest, Annke, or Hikvision/Dahua). Each one records to its own card 24/7 and beams out solo — no NVR, no PC, nothing extra running there.

Then at your office you drop every camera’''s QR into one free app (Reolink / Hik-Connect / Dahua DMSS) :backhand_index_pointing_right: all cams on one screen, live, zero subscription. The grid runs on your phone, not the site :mobile_phone:

Only real catch is the site’‘‘s upload speed — flip the grid to the sub-stream and 8–16 cams stay smooth. And if there’’'s literally no internet or power out there → 4G solar cams like Reolink Go, just know each one needs its own SIM :antenna_bars: