The Tool Desk
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Diagnose which connection failed
A Raspberry Pi FFmpeg command can have separate input and output connections, and each can use a different protocol. Record the protocol for each endpoint, then check what the process did at the moment of the drop.
- FFmpeg exited: capture the exit status and surrounding log lines. A reconnect option cannot revive a process that has stopped; use a service manager or other supervisor to restart it.
- FFmpeg stayed alive but packets stopped: investigate the affected input or output protocol, whether the remote source is available, and whether the connection is stalled.
- Packets continue but the stream has gaps or lag: check whether the chosen recovery behavior buffers, delays, or drops packets to preserve real-time processing.
Before changing options, save ffmpeg -version, the exact command with credentials and stream keys removed, and complete logs from before and after a drop. FFmpeg options and defaults can vary by installed build; verify support with that build’s help output rather than assuming current master documentation exactly matches your package.
If FFmpeg reads an HTTP stream
FFmpeg’s HTTP protocol has specific reconnect controls. They apply to HTTP input, not as a general-purpose reconnect mechanism for RTSP or every network output. The current FFmpeg master implementation describes reconnect, reconnect_at_eof, reconnect_on_network_error, reconnect_on_http_error, and reconnect_streamed; these are disabled by default in that implementation. See the FFmpeg HTTP implementation.
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Set the retry behavior deliberately for the feed and your tolerance for interruption. The current master source lists a 120-second reconnect_delay_max, unlimited retries with reconnect_max_retries set to -1, and a 256-second reconnect_delay_total_max. These are implementation details, not guaranteed values for every Raspberry Pi package or release. Check the HTTP protocol options exposed by your installed FFmpeg before relying on a particular option or default.
If FFmpeg reads an RTSP camera or server
RTSP transport selection is not the same as HTTP reconnection. FFmpeg documents UDP and TCP transport; UDP packets may arrive out of order or be lost. Trying TCP can help diagnose loss or reordering on the UDP path, but the documentation does not promise that TCP will re-establish an RTSP session after every network interruption. The appropriate choice depends on the camera or server, network, firewall behavior, and latency needs. Consult the FFmpeg RTSP protocol documentation.
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Use a controlled comparison: keep the rest of the command unchanged, try the documented -rtsp_transport tcp setting, and compare logs and behavior across comparable drops. If the process exits, configure a supervisor to restart it; if it remains alive but stops receiving data, investigate the source’s availability and the connection’s stall or timeout behavior. Do not treat TCP as a guaranteed automatic-recovery fix.
If FFmpeg writes a network stream
For network output, FFmpeg’s FIFO muxer provides a separate recovery path. The documented controls include attempt_recovery, recovery_wait_time, max_recovery_attempts, recover_any_error, and packet-overflow behavior. In the documentation, attempt_recovery defaults to false, recovery_wait_time to five seconds, max_recovery_attempts to zero (unlimited successive attempts), and drop_pkts_on_overflow to false. See the FFmpeg FIFO muxer documentation.
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Choose the overflow behavior based on whether continuity or real-time timing matters more. With packet dropping enabled, the encoder can continue in real time when the queue fills, but the resulting stream omits content. Without dropping, a full queue can delay or block processing instead. Recovery attempts may help restore the output connection, but cannot guarantee delivery through an unavailable destination.
The FFmpeg documentation demonstrates an outage configuration using -f fifo, -fifo_format flv, -drop_pkts_on_overflow 1, -attempt_recovery 1, and -recovery_wait_time 1. Treat that as an example for a compatible FLV/RTMP output, not a universal command to paste into another output. Adapt the FIFO format and options to your destination and confirm compatibility with your installed build.
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If FFmpeg exits, add an external restart policy
In-process recovery options only operate while FFmpeg is running. If logs show that FFmpeg terminates during a drop, configure the service manager or process supervisor used on your system to restart the command after failure. Keep this distinct from HTTP reconnect or FIFO recovery: the supervisor starts a new process, while FFmpeg options try to recover a connection inside a running process.
Check that the restart policy does not create a rapid crash loop. Capture each run’s exit status and logs, and confirm the command can reconnect to its input and output on a fresh start. The FFmpeg documentation cited above describes protocol and muxer recovery behavior; it does not prescribe a particular supervisor or service-manager configuration.
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Rule out camera and encoding instability
If the source is a Raspberry Pi camera, not an external network feed, separate camera-stack and workload problems from network drops. The Picamera2 manual describes Picamera2 as Raspberry Pi’s current camera Python library, supports Raspberry Pi OS Bullseye or later, and identifies version 0.3.37 as the latest version when that manual was written. It also notes that lower-powered devices can struggle with desktop preview software. Check the current manual and release information for updates, and verify the camera stack and workload independently of FFmpeg network recovery. The manual describes the legacy PiCamera/camera stack as deprecated and unsupported: Picamera2 Library manual.
Troubleshoot the symptom, not just the error text
- FFmpeg exits as soon as the connection drops: inspect the final log lines and exit status. Add a supervisor restart policy if the process has terminated; protocol reconnect options cannot restart it.
- HTTP input does not reconnect: confirm the input is actually HTTP, check whether the installed build exposes the relevant HTTP options, and set an explicit retry policy rather than relying on defaults.
- RTSP over UDP loses packets: compare with
-rtsp_transport tcpto test whether UDP loss or reordering is involved. A better result is diagnostic evidence, not proof that TCP will recover every interruption. - RTSP stays connected in name but stops delivering data: determine whether the camera/server is reachable and whether FFmpeg is receiving packets. Investigate stalls and source availability; transport selection alone may not resolve them.
- Network output fails during an outage: check whether FIFO recovery is enabled and whether its format matches the destination. Select retry timing and overflow behavior with the continuity-versus-real-time trade-off in mind.
- The camera feed or encoder is unstable even on a healthy network: verify the supported camera stack and reduce or remove preview workload where the device struggles before attributing the fault to the network.
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