Stream Generic IP Cameras to Any Cloud Storage
Universal FTP bridge configuration for any IP camera, DVR, or NVR supporting FTP/FTPS uploads. Eliminate expensive NVR hardware and proprietary cloud subscription fees - stream surveillance clips directly into Cloudflare R2, Backblaze B2, or AWS S3.
Looking for a Specific Camera Brand Instead?
Have a branded camera? Jump directly to verified firmware guides and field mappings
Your cameras stream clips offsite immediately upon motion detection. Intruders cannot steal or destroy critical surveillance evidence by seizing on-prem recorder hardware.
Store surveillance recordings on your own terms. Apply automated cloud bucket lifecycle rules to rollover, expire, or archive footage after 30, 90, or 365 days.
Rilavek ingests native FTP and FTPS streams from your camera firmware and writes directly into multipart S3 PUTs with TLS encryption and zero disk writes.
Works with Any Camera or NVR Supporting FTP / FTPS
Any camera with FTP or FTPS capability works out of the box. Whether you own Uniview, Hanwha Vision, Ubiquiti UniFi, Bosch, Vivotek, TP-Link Tapo/Vigi, Sunba, Escam, or any custom ONVIF camera — if your firmware has an FTP settings page, you can stream directly to your private cloud storage without an NVR or subscription.
How to Stream Generic IP Camera or NVR to S3-Compatible Cloud Storage
Follow these 6 steps to provision your object storage, configure Rilavek’s Data Store, Sender, and Ingestion Pipe, enter your camera firmware settings, and establish automated S3 retention rules.
Obtain Your Cloud Storage Bucket & API Credentials
Rilavek bridges your Other cameras and NVRs directly into any S3-compatible cloud or self-hosted bucket. To begin, you need an S3 bucket name, your provider's regional endpoint, and an Access Key / Secret Key pair with read/write permissions.
Need Provider-Specific Instructions?
Click any provider for exact dashboard steps:Add Your Data Store in Rilavek
In your Rilavek dashboard, navigate to Data Stores > New Data Store, select your provider, and enter your S3 credentials. Rilavek verifies the connection with an automated write-probe before saving.
Add New Data Store
Create a Camera Sender in Rilavek
Go to Senders in the Rilavek sidebar and click New Sender. A Sender represents the hardware identity of your Generic / Custom ONVIF & FTP Camera and generates a dedicated device-level password.
Create New Sender
Must be at least 6 characters, lowercase, start with a letter/underscore, and contain only letters, numbers, hyphens, or underscores.
Secure credentials will be automatically generated for this sender.
Sender Credentials
Create & Configure Your Ingestion Pipe in Rilavek
Go to Pipes in the sidebar and click Create Pipe. Configure the 4 core sections of your pipeline: General (Pipe ID), Inputs (FTP), Access Control (Sender permission), and Destinations (Data Store).
1General Settings (Pipe ID)
Every pipeline in Rilavek is assigned an immutable, globally unique Pipe ID (e.g. p_cctv9x). This ID acts as an isolated ingestion channel that segregates audit logs, real-time transfer metrics, and storage routing. It also forms the second half of your scoped camera FTP login username (username@p_cctv9x).
Pipe ID
Use this ID to identify this pipe in logs. Combine it with the sender username for complete authentication details.
2Inputs (FTP / FTPS Ingress)
The Inputs configuration defines how camera files enter Rilavek. Enabling the FTP Ingress input provides a persistent, high-availability ingestion server (ftp.rilavek.com) compatible with active and passive FTP modes, explicit TLS negotiation, and standard CCTV firmware video push routines.
Inputs
Enable inputs to receive data.
FTP Ingress
Endpoint enabled. Connect using your Sender credentials.
Example: cam_genericipcamera@p_cctv9x
Use the password configured for the specific Sender.
3Access Control (Sender Authorization)
Access Control prevents unauthorized uploads by enforcing a zero-trust boundary on the ingestion pipe. Only explicitly authorized Senders (such as Generic / Custom ONVIF & FTP Camera) can authenticate and stream video into this pipe. Any requests with unassigned credentials are rejected at the network edge.
Access Control
Restricts who can upload to this pipe.
Individual Senders
Grant or revoke pipe access for specific individual senders.
4Destinations (Target Cloud Storage Routing)
The Destinations section routes video clips to your target cloud storage provider. Linking your configured Data Store routes all received footage directly to your S3-Compatible Cloud Storage bucket (cctv-generic-recordings). Video files are committed on-the-fly via parallel multipart S3 PUTs without intermediate disk caching.
Destinations
This is where we send your files to.
Configure FTP, Motion Detection & Linkage in Generic Camera Firmware
Open your camera's web configuration portal in your browser at its local LAN IP address and configure the universal FTP and event settings below:
Step 5AConfigure FTP Streaming Credentials
Click Network > FTP Settings (or Network > Advanced > FTP).
Turn on 'Enable FTP Upload', then enter your Rilavek Regional Gateway server (ftp.rilavek.com), port 21, scoped username (username@pipeId), and device password as indicated by callouts (1) and (2). Ensure Passive Mode (PASV) is checked (3) for seamless firewall traversal, then click 'Test FTP Connection' (4) to verify.
Note on Camera Firmware UIs: Specific camera models (such as Uniview, Hanwha Vision, Ubiquiti UniFi, Bosch, Vivotek, TP-Link, Sunba, Escam, etc.) feature varying menu layouts, but all share the same universal configuration concepts shown below: enter your FTP server credentials with Passive Mode (PASV), define a motion trigger zone, and enable “Upload to FTP” as the action.
FTP & FTPS Upload SettingsRilavek S3 Ingest Gateway
Configure cloud storage streaming credentials to upload motion video clips and snapshots directly to your S3 bucket.
cam_generic@p_cctv9xftp.rilavek.com:21. Ingestion pipe and destination S3 bucket are active and accepting streams.Step 5BConfigure Motion Detection Zone & Sensitivity
Click Event > Motion Detection (or Video Analytics).
Turn on 'Enable Motion Detection' and adjust the detection grid over your active surveillance field (1). Set sensitivity to approximately 75% (2) and enable smart Human/Vehicle AI filtering if supported by your camera hardware to minimize false alarms.
Note on Camera Firmware UIs: Specific camera models (such as Uniview, Hanwha Vision, Ubiquiti UniFi, Bosch, Vivotek, TP-Link, Sunba, Escam, etc.) feature varying menu layouts, but all share the same universal configuration concepts shown below: enter your FTP server credentials with Passive Mode (PASV), define a motion trigger zone, and enable “Upload to FTP” as the action.
Motion Detection & Event Zone SetupTrigger Settings
Define the motion detection area and AI sensitivity filters so the camera uploads video only when genuine activity occurs.
Step 5CConfigure Linkage Action (Upload Video Clip to FTP)
Click Action > Upload Linkage (or Event > Linkage Action).
Select 'Upload Video Recording to FTP / Cloud' (1) as the primary trigger action. Set a 5-second pre-recording buffer (2) and 30-second post-recording buffer so complete event clips are transmitted to your S3 bucket upon motion detection.
Note on Camera Firmware UIs: Specific camera models (such as Uniview, Hanwha Vision, Ubiquiti UniFi, Bosch, Vivotek, TP-Link, Sunba, Escam, etc.) feature varying menu layouts, but all share the same universal configuration concepts shown below: enter your FTP server credentials with Passive Mode (PASV), define a motion trigger zone, and enable “Upload to FTP” as the action.
Event Linkage & Upload ActionsAction Rules
Instruct the camera firmware what action to take upon motion trigger. Enabling “Upload to FTP” routes video clips directly to Rilavek.
Other Firmware Notes & Best Practices
Model-specific nuances, recommended settings, and verified workarounds for the Generic IP Camera
Most consumer and enterprise cameras require Passive FTP mode to traverse NAT firewalls.
Verify Ingestion
Click Test in your camera's FTP settings or trigger a test recording transfer. In your Rilavek dashboard, navigate to Pipes > your pipeline > Transfers tab to inspect incoming files as video clips stream into S3-Compatible Cloud Storage.
| FILE | SENDER | SIZE | DATE | STATE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
generic/other/2026-09-10/ch01_143000.mp4 | cam_genericipcamera | 18.4 MB | Sep 10, 14:30 | Success |
generic/other/2026-09-10/ch01_142500.mp4 | cam_genericipcamera | 21.2 MB | Sep 10, 14:25 | Success |
generic/other/2026-09-10/ch01_142000.mp4 | cam_genericipcamera | 19.7 MB | Sep 10, 14:20 | Success |
Storage & Bandwidth Calculator
Simulate storage sizing and cloud provider costs for your specific camera fleet, resolutions, and retention windows:
Generic Cloud Storage Calculator
Estimate storage consumption, monthly bandwidth, required internet uplink, and cloud bucket costs for your Generic camera fleet.
Fleet Configuration Parameters
Adjust resolution, camera count, activity level, and retention window
Standard 1920×1080 HD stream (~1.2 Mbps)
High definition 2560×1440 or 5MP (~2.5 Mbps)
Flagship 3840×2160 8MP stream (~5.5 Mbps)
Panoramic / multi-sensor high resolution (~8.0 Mbps)
Warehouses, storage rooms, rarely used areas
Offices, shops, entrances
Car parks, streets, busy retail
4× 1080p Full HD (2MP)
Rilavek Ingest (Free Plan):Free ($0/mo)Cloudflare R2 Storage (8.8 GB):$0.00/moCloudflare R2 API Operations (6,000 PUTs):Free ($0/mo)Common questions
Can I connect any third-party or white-label IP camera or NVR?
Yes. Any IP camera, DVR, or NVR that features an FTP or FTPS client in its firmware can connect directly to Rilavek. This includes Uniview, Hanwha Vision, Ubiquiti UniFi Protect, Bosch, Vivotek, TP-Link Tapo/Vigi, Sunba, Escam, SV3C, and thousands of generic ONVIF-compliant devices.
Do I need an on-site NVR, server, or bridge hardware?
No. The camera firmware connects directly to Rilavek's endpoint over standard FTP or FTPS. Rilavek ingests the stream into memory and issues multipart PUTs straight into your S3-compatible cloud bucket. You do not need an on-prem NVR, recording PC, or bridge device like Videoloft.
Which FTP mode should I select in my camera settings?
Passive Mode (PASV) is strongly recommended. Most home and enterprise networks sit behind NAT routers and stateful firewalls. Passive FTP allows the camera to initiate outbound data connections to Rilavek without requiring inbound firewall port forwarding.
Does Rilavek support encrypted FTPS uploads?
Yes. Rilavek supports RFC 4217 FTPS (FTP over Explicit TLS) on standard port 21 as well as implicit FTPS on port 990. Footage is encrypted in transit using industry-standard TLS encryption before arriving in your S3 storage.
Which cloud storage providers are supported?
Rilavek supports any provider offering an S3-compatible API. This includes Cloudflare R2 (zero egress fees), Backblaze B2, AWS S3, Wasabi, Google Cloud Storage, IDrive e2, and self-hosted MinIO or RustFS instances.
How does video retention work?
Because footage is written directly into your private object storage bucket, retention is completely under your control. You can configure native bucket lifecycle rules (e.g., automatically expire or delete objects after 30, 60, or 90 days, or transition to Glacier/Coldline) with zero subscription markups.
Stream your Generic IP Cameras to S3 Cloud Storage
Create your free Rilavek ingestion pipe in seconds. No NVR hardware, no proprietary camera cloud subscriptions, and 100% data ownership in your private storage bucket.
Free plan includes 10GB of transfer. No credit card required.