Start with the Real Site Conditions
StreamGate should be evaluated against the actual deployment path: video sources, network boundaries, browser playback, recording, APIs, and licensing. An evaluation is most useful when it validates the production workflow, not just whether a page opens.
1. Cameras and Video Sources
List every source type: IP cameras, NVRs, GB28181 platforms, RTSP URLs, SRT backhaul, encoders, or existing streams. Prepare at least one real sample for each type.
For RTSP and ONVIF cameras, confirm credentials, main/sub stream URLs, resolution, bitrate, H.264/H.265, and PTZ permissions. For GB28181, confirm SIP IDs, domain, server address, ports, catalog, and media ports.
2. Web Console and Access Address
If the console must be accessed from other LAN machines, confirm the bind address, firewall, and stable IP or domain. A stable external address prevents playback URLs, certificates, and business-system integrations from changing repeatedly.
3. Ports
Open ports only for enabled features. Typical categories include Web Console HTTP/HTTPS, WebRTC, GB28181 SIP, GB28181 RTP ranges, SRT ingress, and API access from business systems.
4. Bandwidth and Recording Storage
Estimate ingress bandwidth from camera bitrate. A site with 64 cameras at 2 Mbps needs about 128 Mbps of ingress before viewer or upstream traffic is added.
A rough recording estimate is bitrate Mbps x 0.45 equals GB per hour. One 2 Mbps stream is about 0.9 GB per hour; 64 channels for seven days is roughly 9.7 TB.
5. Browser Playback and Replay
Validate multi-view preview, fullscreen, channel switching, long playback, disconnect recovery, recording schedules, indexes, time search, and web replay.
6. APIs and Business Integration
Confirm whether the project needs channel lists, online state, playback URLs, recording search, events, license state, or runtime metrics. API scope should be confirmed before quotation.
7. Licensing
StreamGate commercial licensing is based on edition and input channels, not viewer count or playback connections. Evaluation validates deployment scope; production requires a commercial license.
Server Checklist
Confirm CPU, memory, disk, NIC, OS version, writable data directory, and service installation policy. Put recording data on a suitable data disk rather than the system disk. On Linux, confirm systemd, file limits, time sync, and firewall rules.
Network Checklist
List ports separately for Web Console, media playback, GB28181, SRT backhaul, and APIs. Open inbound ports only on the StreamGate server when other machines must access those services.
Trial-to-Production Path
Start with one or two real devices, then scale to target bitrate and channel count. Validate recording, replay, APIs, logs, and license import before production use.
Troubleshooting Advice
When playback fails, check device reachability, source URL, credentials, codec, firewall rules, generated playback URL, and logs in that order. Do not assume protocol incompatibility before excluding network, permission, and port issues.