Table of Contents
Camera API Tab
Every camera page has an API tab that surfaces what the TetherBox knows about the camera over its native API and ONVIF, plus actions to refresh that state and remotely reboot the camera.
To open it, go to Admin > Cameras > [select camera] > API.
API Status
The top of the tab shows a status badge for each protocol the TetherBox uses to talk to the camera:
- ONVIF API - the standardised protocol used as a fallback for vendors we do not have a native integration with
- Native API - the manufacturer's own protocol, used when we have a dedicated integration (Hikvision, Dahua, Axis, Hanwha, Uniview and others)
Possible states:
| State | Meaning |
|---|---|
| OK | TetherBox is communicating with the camera over this API |
| Disabled | The protocol is turned off on the camera or in the camera settings |
| Unauthorised | Wrong username or password, or insufficient privileges for that user |
| User Locked | The camera has temporarily blocked the account after too many failed logins. See Camera Troubleshooting |
| Not Available | The camera does not advertise this protocol |
Tip: A camera only needs one of these APIs to be OK. Native usually exposes more capabilities; ONVIF is the universal fallback. See How to Enable ONVIF if both are missing.
Refresh Capabilities
Re-runs the discovery process against the camera. Use this after changing camera firmware, enabling ONVIF, or swapping the camera behind the same IP. The page updates with the new profiles, capabilities, and device info.
Reboot Camera
Issues a remote reboot to the camera or recorder. The TetherBox uses the manufacturer's native API where it has an integration and falls back to ONVIF SystemReboot where it does not, so the action works on virtually any modern IP camera and on supported NVRs/DVRs added to the platform.
The button requires hold-to-confirm to avoid accidental reboots. The camera typically takes one to three minutes to come back online; the Cameras page will show it as offline during that window and back to online once it has finished booting.
Note: The Reboot Camera button is only available on TetherBox software version 5.99 and later. Older units will only show the API status and profiles. See TetherBox Firmware Updates.
Profiles
Lists every stream profile the camera advertises, with encoding, resolution, frame rate, bitrate, key frame interval, and audio capability. Click a profile to expand the full capability detail and copy the RTSP URI.
This is the same data the TetherBox uses when picking which streams to record and analyse, so it is the quickest way to confirm a camera is exposing the streams you expect.
Related Articles
- Camera Notification Settings - per-camera failure alerts (Video Lost, Tamper, Storage Failure)
- Camera Troubleshooting - diagnosing offline cameras, wrong-password lockouts, dropped connections
- How to Enable ONVIF - turning on ONVIF where the native API is not enough
- Remote Power Management - power-cycling a TetherBox or PoE switch via TP-Link Kasa smart plugs
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