How to assign substream only to group view, but main stream in single camera view mode?

[catatung]

Describe the problem you are having

Hi guys,

I've been trying to get frigate down to the behaviors and setup that I want but I'm starting to doubt it supports what I'm looking for.

I've got 10 cameras configured, using go2rtc, with substreams and mainstreams configured for each one. I've created a group of all cameras with continuous monitoring. However on the group view screen (where all the cameras in the group are shown in a grid) is using the main stream where I want them all to show the substream. when I select a camera and it opens in a screen which shows only that single camera, I can use the gear icon to select which stream (main or sub) to show on that screen, however this seems to have no effect on the grid summary page. Is there some way to assign substream only to the grid of grouped cameras that I'm missing?

I presume I could create 10 additional cameras with the substream URLs as the main stream and assign them to a group, but that seems kludgey and wrong, and also would make the config file more difficult to follow while doubling the number of camera configurations. A simple feature to assign which stream to use for the grid summary page of a group of cameras seems to make way more sense, and I'm wondering if I'm just missing it somehow.

Thanks for any help.
R

Version

0.16-0

Frigate config file

mqtt:
  enabled: false

ffmpeg:
  hwaccel_args: preset-vaapi

cameras:
  camera1:
    live:
      streams:
        main: camera1
        sub: camera1_sub
    ffmpeg:
      output_args:
        record: preset-record-generic
      inputs:
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera1
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - record
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera1_sub
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - detect
    detect:
      enabled: true
      width: 704
      height: 480
      fps: 5
      
  camera2:
    live:
      streams:
        main: camera2
        sub: camera2_sub
    ffmpeg:
      output_args:
        record: preset-record-generic
      inputs:
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera2
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - record
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera2_sub
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - detect
    detect:
      enabled: true
      width: 704
      height: 576
      fps: 5

  camera3:
    live:
      streams:
        main: camera3
        sub: camera3_sub
    ffmpeg:
      output_args:
        record: preset-record-generic
      inputs:
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera3
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - record
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera3_sub
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - detect
    detect:
      enabled: true
      width: 352
      height: 288
      fps: 5

  camera4:
    live:
      streams:
        main: camera4
        sub: camera4_sub
    ffmpeg:
      output_args:
        record: preset-record-generic
      inputs:
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera4
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - record
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera4_sub
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - detect
    detect:
      enabled: true
      width: 720
      height: 480
      fps: 5

  camera5:
    live:
      streams:
        main: camera5
        sub: camera5_sub
    ffmpeg:
      output_args:
        record: preset-record-generic
      inputs:
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera5
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - record
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera5_sub
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - detect
    detect:
      enabled: true
      width: 720
      height: 480
      fps: 5

  camera6:
    live:
      streams:
        main: camera6
        sub: camera6_sub
    ffmpeg:
      output_args:
        record: preset-record-generic
      inputs:
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera6
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - record
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera6_sub
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - detect
    detect:
      enabled: true
      width: 704
      height: 576
      fps: 5

  camera7:
    live:
      streams:
        main: camera7
        sub: camera7_sub
    ffmpeg:
      output_args:
        record: preset-record-generic
      inputs:
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera7
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - record
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera7_sub
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - detect
    detect:
      enabled: true
      width: 704
      height: 576
      fps: 5

  camera8:
    live:
      streams:
        main: camera8
        sub: camera8_sub    
    ffmpeg:
      output_args:
        record: preset-record-generic
      inputs:
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera8
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - record
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera8_sub
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - detect
    detect:
      enabled: true
      width: 640
      height: 480
      fps: 5

  camera9:
    live:
      streams:
        main: camera9
        sub: camera9_sub
    ffmpeg:
      output_args:
        record: preset-record-generic
      inputs:
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera9
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - record
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera9_sub
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - detect
    detect:
      enabled: true
      width: 704
      height: 576
      fps: 5

  camera10:
    live:
      streams:
        main: camera10
        sub: camera10_sub
    ffmpeg:
      output_args:
        record: preset-record-generic
      inputs:
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera10
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - record
        - path: rtsp://127.0.0.1:8554/camera10_sub
          input_args: preset-rtsp-restream
          roles:
            - detect
    detect:
      enabled: true
      width: 320
      height: 320
      fps: 5

go2rtc:
  streams:

    camera1:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.21/live0.264
    camera1_sub:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.21/live1.264

    camera2:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.23:8554/live0.264
    camera2_sub:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.23:8554/live1.264

    camera3:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.20/live0.264
    camera3_sub:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.20/live1.264

    camera4:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.15:8554/live0.264
    camera4_sub:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.15:8554/live1.264

    camera5:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.4:8554/live0.264
    camera5_sub:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.4:8554/live1.264

    camera6:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.91/live0.264
    camera6_sub:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.91/live1.264

    camera7:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.92/live0.264
    camera7_sub:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.92/live1.264

    camera8:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.8/live0.264
    camera8_sub:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.8/live1.264

    camera9:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.14/live0.264
    camera9_sub:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.14/live1.264

    camera10:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.24/live0.264
      - "ffmpeg:camera10"
    camera10_sub:
      - rtsp://192.168.1.24/live1.264
      - "ffmpeg:camera10_sub"


detect:
  enabled: true
version: 0.16-0
camera_groups:
  Everything:
    order: 1
    icon: LuActivity
    cameras:
      - camera10
      - camera1
      - camera2
      - camera3
      - camera4
      - camera5
      - camera6
      - camera7
      - camera8
      - camera9

Relevant Frigate log output

No relevant log info exists, as I am not getting errors pertaining to what I am trying to accomplish.

Relevant go2rtc log output

No relevant log info exists, as I am not getting errors pertaining to what I am trying to accomplish.

Frigate stats

No response

Operating system

Proxmox

Install method

Proxmox via Docker

docker-compose file or Docker CLI command

services:
  frigate:
    container_name: frigate
    restart: unless-stopped
    stop_grace_period: 30s
    image: ghcr.io/blakeblackshear/frigate:stable
    devices:
      - /dev/dri/renderD128:/dev/dri/renderD128
    volumes:
      - ./config:/config
      - ./storage:/media/frigate
      - type: tmpfs # Optional: 1GB of memory, reduces SSD/SD Card wear
        target: /tmp/cache
        tmpfs:
          size: 1000000000
    ports:
      - "8971:8971"
      - "8554:8554" # RTSP feeds

Object Detector

Other

Screenshots of the Frigate UI's System metrics pages

No response

Any other information that may be helpful

No response

[inkeep-ai-assistant[bot]]

Based on the available documentation, camera groups use the first entry in your live -> streams configuration(1). Your current config has:

live:
  streams:
    main: camera1
    sub: camera1_sub

(2)

Since main is listed first, the camera group displays the main stream(1). To use the substream in camera groups while keeping the main stream available for single camera view, reorder your streams configuration:

cameras:
  camera1:
    live:
      streams:
        sub: camera1_sub
        main: camera1

(2)

This way, the camera group will default to the substream (first entry), but you can still manually select the main stream when viewing individual cameras using the gear icon(1).

The default "All Cameras" dashboard always uses the first entry in your streams configuration(1). If you want different behavior from the defaults, you need to use a camera group(1).

Apply this reordering to all cameras in your group to have consistent substream display in the grid view while maintaining access to main streams in single camera mode.

📚 Sources:

1. Live View
2. Full Reference Config

---

Have another question? Just tag @inkeep.

[catatung]

ai bot seems to have spelled it out for me. I will have a go at this. Thanks!

[catatung]

I'm still having an issue, I've changed the sequence of the "sub" and "main" under live: streams: and it appears the main stream is still being used. What's more is that I just saw motion and it definitely wasn't 5 fps as indicated in the config file for the substream.

Is there something else to try?

[hawkeye217]

https://docs.frigate.video/configuration/live/#streaming-options-on-camera-group-dashboards

[catatung]

Hi,

Thanks for the quick response -- I just found it, under the edit camera group for my existing group, and in the settings for each camera.

This is only my personal interpretation, but from my perspective the clicking of "+" as the way to modify an existing group is misleading, perhaps a different type of icon would be more intuitive to users to let them know that is not only a way to create a new entry, but a way to modify existing ones also.

I know when you're really close to something and you live in it all day long (especially as the designer/coder/creator), it's easy to look past some things that can confuse new users.

Thanks again for the prompt help!

[hawkeye217]

Right, the primary way to edit a camera group is to use the small overlay "pencil" edit icon in the bottom right of the screen on desktops. The "+" icon gets you back to the camera group dialog on both desktop and mobile, where you can also edit.

Glad it's working for you now!

[catatung]

I didn't even notice those icons at the bottom right until you just mentioned them, thanks for pointing that out.

One quick question - I had set all the feeds to continuous streaming while troubleshooting and noticed when using a different browser all the cameras went back to smartstreaming. This tells me with no browser cookie, the default is smartstreaming for the cameras, but with a cookie, it can be different. If this is true, is there configuration that can be implemented in the yaml file to change the default behavior in the event that no cookie is present? This would help to allow a preferred configuration survive different browsers/computers without the need to carefully configure them the same way. This would also survive if cookies were cleared on the computer. My placement and size configuration on the grid summary page of live feeds was unexpectedly lost also, perhaps that was to the loss of a cookie as well.

[hawkeye217]

Yes, this is expected behavior. Since the same installation of Frigate can be used by different users, devices, browsers, and across different networks, we've chosen to implement the streaming configuration in camera groups as a per-browser setting. The UI just uses your browser's indexedDB to store an idb key, streaming-settings. You can use a browser extension that can access your indexedDB to save/restore this key at your convenience.