Rivet SRT Basics: Port Number

Rivet helps producers bring in remote contributors from anywhere in the world by utilizing SRT Protocol.

Any data that is passed back and forth between the internet uses a port. 

The IP address is where the stream starts but the port is what the stream passes through to get to its destination.

Another way to conceptualize this is to view an IP address as a phone number and a port number as a required extension code.

To send a Rivet stream to a decoder, you need to open up a port to traffic to the decoder.

Ports are blocked and opened by network firewalls. We can’t provide step-by-step instructions on how to configure and select ports since all routers are different, but we can help point you in the right direction.

Most scenarios can be covered within three network scenarios.

The first is if your decoder is in a large organization’s network. You’ll need to work with your IT Administrator to open up port forwarding at the IP address of your decoder. They will be able to help you from here.

The second scenario is if you are on your own network and you don’t have a firewall. You just need to select a port or port range. 

It’s safer to use higher numbers since less likely those ports will already be in use. 

Here are some examples:

• 4001
• 8,000 - 8,050
• 10,000 - 10,050

It’s important to note that you can only have one SRT stream incoming or outgoing per port. Also, for every subsequent stream you need, you’ll have to go up a port number. For example, if you send your first stream to port 8001, your next stream will need to go to port 8002. 

The third scenario is if you have a firewall enabled on your own network that you can control. You will need to set up port forwarding on your router. Every router’s control software is different so check your router's documentation for how to do this.

First, you’ll need to find the local IP address of your software decoder. If you use a PC,  go to Command Prompt, type "ipconfig," hit enter, and find the IPV4 address.

On Mac, go to System Preferences, Network, select the Network you are currently using, go to Details, click on the TCP/IP tab, and find the IP Address. 

Once you have this number, go to your router’s firewall and forward incoming and outgoing UDP traffic for your chosen port range. For example ports 10,000 - 10,010. 

On the firewall, forward this traffic to the same port range on the local IP address of your decoder. Using the same example, I would forward UDP ports 10,000 - 10,010 of the Public IP to ports 10,000 - 10,010 of the Local IP of the decoder.

Once you’ve done this, you can pick a port from your open range and put it into Rivet.

This will go into the Port field at the top right of the Contributor Camera section of the Stream Settings.

Click here to learn how to find your Decoder Address.