How to Add an SRT or RTMP Source in OBS (Setup Guide)

OBS (the free streaming software most creators use) can pull in a live video feed from a relay and drop it into your scene like any other camera. A relay is just a server in the middle that catches your video and hands it to OBS — think of it as a parcel locker with a permanent address. This guide shows you exactly how to add your StreamRelay endpoint (the address OBS picks the video up from) to OBS over SRT (lower delay, recovers better on shaky internet) or RTMP (the simplest paste-and-go option), and how to tune the buffering so the picture stays smooth.

What you need before you start

• A StreamRelay endpoint. The dashboard gives you two ready-made URLs per endpoint: a publish URL (what your encoder sends to) and a read URL (what OBS pulls from). For OBS ingest you want the read URL — it carries the shareable read token. From €9.99/month.
• Something already sending video to it — a phone encoder app (an app that turns your phone camera into a live source), a drone, or a second encoder.
• OBS Studio version 28 or newer.

How OBS receives a remote feed

OBS doesn’t “log in” to a relay the way you sign into a website. Instead it opens a Media Source — the same kind of box you’d use to play a video file — but pointed at a network address. You paste in a pull URL (the link that tells OBS where to fetch the video), and OBS plays the incoming feed just like a file or a webcam.

Add an SRT source in OBS (recommended)

1. In the Sources box, click + → Media Source → Create new → OK.
2. Untick “Local File” — this tells OBS you’re pulling from the internet, not from your hard drive.
3. In the Input field, paste your SRT read URL (your personal video pickup link — it carries the shareable read token, not your secret publish key):

   srt://<id>.ingest.stream-relay.eu:4000?streamid=read:live/<slug>:_:<readToken>

4. Set Input Format to mpegts (this just tells OBS how the video is packaged so it knows how to read it).
5. Adjust Network Buffering — this is a small holding area for incoming video. Lower means less delay; higher means OBS rides out brief hiccups instead of freezing. Start around 1–2 MB and tune from there.
6. Click OK. As soon as something is sending video to the endpoint, the feed shows up.

SRT is the better pick on unreliable connections: if a few bits of video go missing on the way, SRT quietly asks for them again and resends them (the technical name is ARQ). That happens over your one single link, so a brief drop won’t freeze your scene.

Add an RTMP source in OBS

RTMP is the simplest option when your connection is solid and steady:

1. Sources → + → Media Source → Create new.
2. Untick Local File.
3. Paste your RTMP pull URL for the endpoint into Input.
4. Set Input Format to flv (or just leave the default), then click OK.

Tuning latency vs stability

• Lower Network Buffering gives you a tighter delay between the real action and what viewers see (“glass-to-glass” — lens to screen); raise it again if the feed starts to stutter.
• Over mobile data, prefer SRT with a modest buffering value rather than RTMP — it handles a wobbly signal far better.
• Set your publisher bitrate (how much video data per second you send) to match the weakest point of your connection. StreamRelay carries one single connection — it doesn’t combine several internet links into one, so don’t set the bitrate higher than your single link can reliably handle.

Automatic “BRB” scene switching on signal loss

OBS won’t switch scenes on its own when the incoming feed drops — but you can add that yourself with a free tool you run on your own machine. NOALBS watches StreamRelay’s live connection stats and tells OBS to flip to a “Be Right Back” scene when your bitrate falls or the link drops, then flips back once things recover. StreamRelay supplies the relay and the stats; the switching logic runs on your side, so you stay fully in control.

Why an EU relay for OBS ingest

Your video takes this path: phone/encoder → relay → OBS. You choose your relay location in the dashboard — today that’s DE-CIX Frankfurt (one of the biggest internet exchange hubs in Europe, where many networks meet and hand off traffic), with more EU locations on the way. Routing through your chosen EU location keeps the delay low for EU viewers and the route clean and direct. StreamRelay is GDPR-compliant (it follows EU data-protection rules), hosted in the EU, and your stream keys stay yours alone.

Frequently asked questions

How do I add an SRT source in OBS? Add a Media Source, untick Local File, paste your srt://… pull URL into Input, and set Input Format to mpegts.

Why is my OBS media source black? Nothing is publishing to the endpoint yet, or the pull URL / stream-id doesn’t match. Confirm your encoder is live and the URL is exact.

SRT or RTMP for OBS ingest? SRT for lower latency and better recovery on shaky networks; RTMP for the simplest paste-and-go setup on stable connections. See SRT vs RTMP.

Keep reading

Streaming from a phone? Follow the phone-to-OBS guide.