Table of Contents
Cameras
This page covers the dashboard tabs that get video into the rig: DJI, SJCAM, Phone, Director Mini and the optional spare embed tab. If you are using Android phones through the StreamHelpers.com Companion app, use Companion help for the phone-as-camera workflow and come back here for the dashboard side.
Camera input
For the Companion director, the dashboard tab has remembered collapsible Preview video, Stats, Encoder and Background audio remover sections. Folding Preview video stops only the preview playback and connection, not the broadcast. Switch as: is the first row inside Layout. The remover's Settings link opens the Restreamer tab; selecting Companion again returns to its own controls. See The Companion tab on the dashboard for every control.
From dashboard 2026.10.15.3 and Companion 0.9.121/build 143: unreliable experimental stinger transitions are removed; Cut and ordinary Fades remain. Saved stinger selections become Cut. See Fades and clip transitions. Layout boxes offer cameras first, then library clips, including the main box; clips stay silent and keep their native proportions.
Most camera paths end at the same place: the router's Camera / encoder input.
That card appears on the Bonding tab, and on Stream Input when bonding is off. It always shows:
- SRT — for a Director Mini, Companion director, OBS or phone app that speaks SRT Caller.
- RTMP — for cameras and phone apps that only push RTMP.
- Copy buttons for each address.
- Restart input if the listener needs restarting.
When SRTLA is running, the card says into the bond and the router forwards the input across every bonded uplink. When bonding is off, it says direct and sends the stream on one connection.
The router's SRT input port is fixed at 5000. RTMP uses the address printed by the tab you are on; do not invent a stream key. If the page gives you a key, use it exactly.
USB cameras and wired HDMI
Plug a USB webcam, a camera in webcam mode (such as a DJI Pocket 3), or an HDMI-to-USB dongle such as the MS2130 into a Companion phone's USB-C port. Tap Allow when the phone asks for USB access; after that the Companion switches to the USB camera by itself, as an extra lens, and uses its sound too. A powered USB-C hub keeps the phone charged while it captures.
This is experimental and may not work on every phone or camera. Plugging cameras into the router directly is not supported. For what to buy, setup, the In low light setting and troubleshooting, see USB cameras and HDMI capture.
External encoder: connect the USB camera or capture dongle to an encoder that explicitly supports that USB capture device and format, or use its native HDMI input. A USB socket on an encoder may be for storage or control only. Send the resulting SRT/RTMP stream to the address shown by the dashboard.
Does 4K just flow through?
Already encoded 4K can pass through the router and bond without being reduced to 1080p. Keep the receiver's publication on video copy, use a destination that accepts the source codec and resolution, and allow enough sustained upload capacity for video, audio, transport overhead and retransmissions. 4K is a picture size, not a fixed network bitrate.
Companion director is different: it decodes inputs, draws layouts and overlays, then re-encodes the program. Select an available 2160p output format under Companion → Encoder → Output format, save it and restart the program while off-air. The phone needs compatible hardware decoding, compositing and encoding, plus cooling. A 4K input does not automatically change the saved program output from 1080p to 4K. Selecting 4K output for a 1080p source only upscales it.
MS2130's 4K input claim is not a promise of 4K capture. Its documented default USB output tops out at 1080p60 even though it accepts a 4K30 HDMI input; see MS2130 input and USB output specifications. Check the exact dongle's advertised capture modes and negotiated USB speed. Native 4K needs a capture device that actually delivers 3840×2160 to the encoder.
Receiver video conversion, background-audio processing and monitoring can consume additional server resources. The small receiver preview is disabled by default for inputs above Full HD; that does not downscale the live video-copy output. Verify resolution and frame rate at the receiver and destination, rather than judging the preview size.
DJI tab
The DJI tab is for BLE-capable DJI cameras, tested around the DJI Osmo Pocket 3. It can tell the camera to join the router's Wi-Fi and push RTMP to a destination. It does not make the stream public by itself; the destination has to be listening first.
The top row shows:
- checking BLE…
- camera not detected — make sure it is powered on
- Detect camera
- checking video…
- a battery chip when the camera reports one
Below it, once the camera is on the router's Wi-Fi, a second row shows how it is connected:
- the band, channel and width it is on (5 GHz · ch 149 · 80 MHz);
- shares its radio with the repeater in amber, when the router's venue Wi-Fi link is on the same band. The camera's video and the internet uplink then take turns on one channel; the WiFi, repeater & radios box on the Router tab can fix that;
- the signal: how loud the camera sounds to the router, with excellent, good, fair or weak. About -30 dBm is right beside the router, above -67 is plenty for video, below -75 is where drops start;
- the link speeds the two radios have agreed on (↑ is the camera sending to the router, the way its video goes). These are not traffic. Amber under 24 Mb/s up, which leaves the picture little room for retries on a busy channel;
- how long it has been connected. joined 40 s ago right after a drop means it reconnected by itself;
- its address on the router.
When the camera has left the Wi-Fi, one grey chip says where it was last seen, for example not on the router's WiFi · last seen 3 min ago on 5 GHz ch 149 at -78 dBm. A weak signal or a slow ↑ just before it went usually means range or a busy channel, not the camera. If more than one camera is connected, each gets its own labelled row.
DJI first setup
- Open the DJI tab.
- In Video destination settings, press Autofill WiFi from router if the Wi-Fi boxes are empty.
- Check WiFi network (SSID) and WiFi password.
- Check RTMP URL (where the camera pushes). It must point at a listening RTMP input: a Director Mini, a Companion director slot, the router's direct input, OBS, or another RTMP server.
- Pick Stream resolution, Frame rate and Video bitrate. Start with 6 Mbps - recommended for 1080p for 1080p on a decent link.
- Press Save settings.
- Press Detect camera with the camera powered on near the router.
If the camera is a Pocket 3, also check the camera's Settings → Wireless Connection → Wi-Fi Frequency. The camera can only use one band at a time, so it must match the router hotspot it is joining. The DJI tab tells you which band, for example Set the camera to 5GHz. This cannot be changed over Bluetooth.
When the router is also using venue Wi-Fi, keep the gear hotspot on the other band. The router restarts the hotspot that shares a band with the venue Wi-Fi every time the venue Wi-Fi drops, and that throws the camera off. At a crowded venue that happens constantly. When this is the case, the WiFi, repeater & radios box at the top of the Router tab turns red and offers one Fix it for me button; see WiFi, repeater & radios.
DJI one tap over Bluetooth
The One tap over Bluetooth (experimental) section draws one Send to button per destination. Press the destination where you want the camera to publish.
The tab then saves the settings and tells the camera what to do. The log starts with a message like Telling the camera to send video to … and says Accept the pairing request on the camera if it asks.
If pairing appears on the camera screen, tap Agree or Confirm there. The dashboard will not claim success until the camera actually starts sending video.
In a crowd the Bluetooth connection is often refused before the camera hears anything. The log then says Bluetooth retry 2 of 8 and tries again a few seconds later. Those retries do not use up an attempt. Once the camera has taken the command, the dashboard gives it time to join the Wi-Fi and start sending video before it tries again. It waits longest once the camera has been told to start streaming, because a Pocket 3 can sit on Preparing to live stream for a couple of minutes.
Bluetooth can come from either:
- a USB BLE dongle in the router, or
- an Android Companion device on the router Wi-Fi lending its Bluetooth.
The Mudi 7 has no internal Bluetooth. If the dashboard says Bluetooth support isn't installed yet, press Install Bluetooth support. If it says no compatible adapter exists, plug in a USB BLE dongle or use Companion Bluetooth.
When the Bluetooth comes from a Companion phone, that phone's Bluetooth must be on and the app needs the Nearby devices permission. If it is off, the button now says so and names the phone, instead of trying and failing. A USB BLE dongle in the router (one with a CSR8510 chip, for example) takes the phone out of it altogether.
More than one Companion. If the phone lending Bluetooth cannot be reached, cannot see the camera, or keeps being refused by it, the dashboard moves to the next Companion with Bluetooth on (then the dongle, if there is one) in the same go, without you pressing anything. Each switch is written in the log and shows in the dashboard header as a Rig message naming the phone, so you know which one is the problem.
Auto re-go-live. Under the Send to buttons, Auto re-go-live (on unless you turn it off) watches the camera while you are live. If the camera's video stops for 20 seconds, for example because it dropped back to Continue last live stream?, the router sends it back live over Bluetooth with the last Send to you pressed. It tries up to three times, a minute, two and four minutes apart. Every step shows in the header as a Rig message (for example The camera is live again (auto re-go-live #1, took 48 s)); double-click it to come here. It only watches after you have pressed Send to, only while the stream is on, and only once the camera has sent video. Stop stream turns it off until the next Send to.
Stopping. Stop stream on the Go Live tab also tells the camera to end its live stream, over the same Bluetooth, after the platforms have been switched off. The camera does not confirm it, and it can take half a minute to stop; if it keeps going, stop it on the camera.
DJI manual method
The reliable fallback is Manually configure your camera:
- In DJI Mimo, start Live Stream → RTMP / Custom.
- Join the Wi-Fi shown on the tab.
- Paste the RTMP address shown by the tab. Use Copy if you are setting it from the same phone.
- Make sure the RTMP input exists.
- Press Go Live on the camera.
Use this if the Bluetooth path stalls or the camera firmware does not accept the handoff.
DJI direct camera mode
Direct camera / Compact mode runs without a Director Mini or other encoder:
DJI camera → Mudi 7 → bonded SRTLA → Restreamer
Press Start direct camera mode only after bonding is running and the camera is detected. Use Return to external encoder to switch back.
Direct mode carries the camera's video and the camera's audio only. Director Mini scenes, graphics and externally mixed audio are bypassed. Keep the camera screen on and unlocked while switching.
If the tab says direct mode not installed yet, use the button it offers to add it when you are off-air. If it says this router cannot run direct mode, keep a Companion director or Director Mini in the path.
DJI connection check
Connection check reads the path:
- WiFi settings match the router
- Camera is on the router's WiFi
- Video destination is accepting the stream
- Camera is streaming video
If Video destination is accepting the stream fails, fix the receiving side before pressing Send to again. The tab may suggest starting direct camera mode, pointing the RTMP box at OBS or Restreamer, or setting up a Director Mini or Companion director.
If a powered-on camera is not found, close DJI Mimo, wake the camera, and use the camera's reset/reconnect option before blaming the router. A camera can be powered on but not advertising over Bluetooth.
If the camera keeps stopping at Continue stream?, it has lost the router's Wi-Fi or the place it was sending to. When the router is on venue Wi-Fi, the usual cause is the gear hotspot sharing the venue Wi-Fi's band. If the WiFi, repeater & radios box at the top of the Router tab is red, press Fix it for me there first; tapping continue again will not stop it happening.
The router's own modem can do it too. On some cell bands it tells the 5 GHz WiFi to get off nearby channels, and the hotspot jumps to another channel, taking the camera with it. From 2026.10.10.1 the router keeps your gear's 5 GHz WiFi on a channel the modem leaves alone; see Router's 5 GHz channel.
SJCAM tab
The SJCAM tab is for SJCAM C-series cameras such as C400, C300 and C200. SJCAM setup is different from DJI: the router cannot press a Go Live button over Bluetooth. The camera learns the Wi-Fi and RTMP destination by scanning a QR code with its lens.
The top chips say whether an SJCAM is on the router Wi-Fi and whether video is arriving. Below them, a row shows how the camera is connected - band and channel, signal, link speeds, time connected and address - read the same way as on the DJI tab. When it has left the Wi-Fi, one grey chip says where it was last seen.
SJCAM setup
- Open the SJCAM tab.
- In the Wi-Fi section, copy a router network name and password. Use the one marked use this one: it is the hotspot that does not share a radio with the venue Wi-Fi, so the venue Wi-Fi dropping cannot knock the camera off it. With no venue Wi-Fi in use, prefer 2.4 GHz; it carries farther.
- Pick where the camera should publish: a Companion slot or Router (direct mode).
- Show the generated QR code to the camera lens.
- On the camera, use its RTMP / live streaming flow so it scans the code.
- Watch the top chip. It changes from no video to video arriving when the stream reaches the router.
The code says: join this Wi-Fi and push to this RTMP address. It does not control the camera after that.
SJCAM destinations
If a Companion director is online, the tab lists its slots such as cam1 through cam4. Pick an empty slot so the SJCAM appears on the Companion tab and can be switched, overlaid and put on air there.
Router (direct mode) sends the SJCAM straight into the router's input. That is simple and has no overlay or switching. The video is on air as soon as the receiving path carries it.
Some apps want server and key separately. The tab prints the exact server and key when that matters. Use them as printed; a different key is refused.
SJCAM probe
Probe the camera is read-only. It looks for known SJCAM local-control protocols and reports what answered. Run it with the camera powered on, connected to this router and SJCAM Zone closed on your phone.
Possible results include:
- Nothing answered. Normal for a camera that keeps its control channel closed while streaming.
- an open protocol family, if the camera responds.
- RTSP is open, which means the router could pull a preview stream, though that is not the same as the main RTMP feed.
The probe does not start recording, change settings or switch modes.
SJCAM gotchas
- Auto Power Off can shut the camera down mid-stream.
- Screen Saver can make a working camera look dead.
- SJCAM Zone can occupy the one local control connection, so close it before probing.
- Use a normal 5 V charger. Do not rely on a fast charger the camera manual warns against.
- The camera cannot draw StreamHelpers overlays. Add overlays later with the Companion director, Director Mini, OBS or another downstream tool.
When setup is done, Hide this tab only removes it from the menu. It does not stop the camera and you can turn it back on in Settings → Menu bar → Show the SJCAM camera tab.
Phone tab
The Phone tab is for Moblin, Larix, IRL Pro, Streamlabs or any phone app that can push custom RTMP.
The phone is the camera and the encoder. It must join the router Wi-Fi first. If it streams over its own cellular directly to a platform, it skips the router and the router cannot bond it.
Phone setup
- Open Put the phone on this router's WiFi and join one of the listed networks. Use 5 GHz if the phone is close enough; leave 2.4 GHz free for cameras that need it. When the router is using venue Wi-Fi it may list only one band, the one away from the venue Wi-Fi.
- Do not save the venue's own Wi-Fi on a rig phone. If the router's hotspot restarts, Android joins any other saved network it can see, and the phone quietly leaves the rig.
- Open Point your app at this router.
- Choose Moblin, Larix Broadcaster or Something else.
- Under Where to send it, pick a Companion slot or the router's own input.
- Copy RTMP server / URL and Stream key / name, or use the one-box address if your app only has one URL field.
- Start streaming in the phone app.
- Wait for the receiving box to turn green and say it is receiving your video.
If a Companion director is set up, the phone lands on a camera slot and is selected on the Companion tab. If no Companion director exists, the phone goes to the router's own input and straight into the bond.
Phone apps
For Moblin:
- Open Settings → Streams.
- Press +.
- Set Protocol to RTMP.
- Paste the one-box address.
- Press Go Live in Moblin.
Leave Moblin's own SRTLA bonding off. The router is already doing the bonding.
For Larix Broadcaster:
- Open Settings → Connections → New connection.
- Paste the one-box RTMP address as printed.
- Leave Login and Password empty.
- Save and press the red record button.
The free Larix version stops after 30 minutes and watermarks the video.
For Something else, look for Custom RTMP, custom server or advanced. Two boxes means server in one and key in the other. One box means the joined address.
Phone overlays
Put your overlays on the picture gives one overlay URL for phone apps that can draw a browser page over the camera.
Moblin supports this with Settings → Scenes → Widgets → Create widget → Browser. Set the widget to the stream size, usually 1920 × 1080.
Larix has Settings → Web widgets. Test transparency before relying on it; an app that draws the widget on a solid background will cover the camera.
If the phone is publishing into a Companion director slot, the director already draws overlays. Do not draw them again on the phone unless you deliberately want two copies.
Before you go live with a phone
- Keep the streaming app in front. Locking the screen usually stops the camera encoder.
- Turn the phone screen timeout up or off.
- Plug the phone in.
- Leave mobile data on for the app's own needs, even though the video goes over Wi-Fi to the router.
- Check the dashboard says the router is receiving the slot before you start the show.
A phone used as a camera is not the same as a phone used as a bonded link. For Companion phones used as cameras, see Companion help.
Director Mini tab
The Director Mini tab controls a Magewell Director Mini configured in Settings with Director Mini IP, Director Mini username and Director Mini password.
The tab starts with a live program preview. It says Open this tab to start preview until the preview player starts. The connection strip reports whether the Director Mini is reachable and shows status such as temperature and battery in the header and tab chip.
Director Mini stream destinations
Stream destinations lists the Director Mini's configured stream servers. The active output is green. Selecting another destination switches to it in one tap.
Use Disconnect stream to stop the active output.
Create the destinations on the Director Mini itself first. The dashboard switches among destinations it can read; it does not create new ones for you.
Director Mini quick actions
Quick actions has:
- BRB
- Security
- Clear GFX
- Default GFX
- Start Timer
- Stop Timer
Use BRB, Security, and timer setup to choose what those buttons do. You can set optional scenes for BRB button scene and Security button scene, choose which GFX each action enables, and press Save quick-action setup.
Use Default GFX set to choose which overlays are restored by Default GFX, then press Save default set.
Director Mini overlays and scenes
Overlays (GFX) lists webpage graphics and other GFX entries from the Director Mini. StreamHelpers dashboard overlays are webpage GFX. The Director Mini only supports a limited number of webpage GFX slots, so remove ones you do not use.
If a dashboard overlay shows 404 on the Director Mini after a reboot, toggle that layer off and on. The note on the tab says that is all it needs.
Scenes lists scenes from the Director Mini. Press one to switch.
Director Mini display
Display changes the Director Mini's screen brightness: 10%, 20%, 40%, 80% or 100%. Recording and streaming are unaffected.
Use Open web UI when you need Magewell's own page.
Director Mini health
The dashboard deliberately waits before saying a Director Mini needs a restart. A short busy moment during a scene change should not become a reboot instruction.
Watch for:
- not reachable or not responding
- high temperature
- battery state when it is not on external power
- a preview that will not start
If only the preview is broken, stop and reopen the tab before rebooting the Director Mini. Preview sessions are expensive on the device, so do not leave several dashboards showing the preview at once.
Extra embed tab
The optional extra tab appears when Settings → Extra embeds has a Spare tab URL. Its menu label comes from Spare tab label and defaults to Extra.
Use it for a page you want beside the dashboard during a show: a venue dashboard, a production note, a private control panel, or another trusted page.
Only embed pages you trust. The tab is just an iframe pointed at the URL you entered.
