GitHub - steelbrain/LemurCam: Turn your IP Cameras into macOS Webcams

2 min read Original article ↗

LemurCam icon

Ditch the cable. Keep the camera.

LemurCam is a macOS app that turns any IP camera into a virtual webcam. Use your RTSP or ONVIF cameras directly in Zoom, Teams, OBS, and any other app that supports camera input.

Website: lemur.cam · Download Latest Release

Features

  • Virtual camera device that works with any macOS app
  • ONVIF camera auto-discovery on your local network
  • Direct RTSP stream support
  • Demand-driven streaming — only active when an app is using the camera
  • Menu bar app with quick-access popover
  • Siri Shortcuts integration

Getting Started

  1. Move LemurCam to /Applications before opening it — macOS does not allow system extensions to load when the app is outside of this folder.
  2. Allow Local Network access when prompted — LemurCam needs this to discover and connect to cameras on your Wi-Fi network.

Compatible Cameras

LemurCam works with any IP camera that supports RTSP or ONVIF. Some popular options:

  • TP-Link Tapo (C100, C200, C210) — great starter cameras at $20–35
  • Reolink (E1, RLC-510A, RLC-810A)
  • Hikvision and Dahua series
  • Amcrest (IP2M, IP5M)
  • UniFi Protect cameras

If your camera has an RTSP URL or supports ONVIF discovery, it will work with LemurCam.

Requires macOS 14.0 (Sonoma) or later.

Issue Tracker

This repository serves as the public issue tracker for LemurCam. If you've found a bug or have a feature request, please open an issue.

Technologies Used

LemurCam builds on several open-source projects, all licensed under the MIT License:

  • XMLKit — XML parsing and composition, a Swift port of xmltree-rs
  • IPCamKit — RTSP packet depacketization, a Swift port of Retina
  • LemurCam itself has roots in UniCamEx, an Unreal Engine streaming to Virtual Camera demo

Author

Anees Iqbal (@steelbrain)