HOME /COMMS & RADIO /CAMLINK — LIVE VIDEO TO YOUR TAK SERVER | ATAK PLUGIN

CamLink ATAK plugin live: red camera cone on the map and the live video in the CamLink pane
District47

CamLink — Live Video to Your TAK Server | ATAK Plugin

$9.95

SKU: D47-CAMLINK

Live Video Instant Download No Stream Keys ATAK 5.6.0 Android Plugin v1.0.1
No TAK server yet? District47 TAK Server Hosting gives your team its own OpenTAKServer, already set up for CamLink. Video is on the Group ($20/mo, 6–20 members) and Network ($40/mo, 21–50) plans.

Your team can see where you are on the map, but not what you're looking at. CamLink puts live video from the phone already running ATAK onto your TAK server: plug in a capture card or use the phone's own camera, tap Go Live, and a red cone on your marker shows everyone where the camera points.

There's no laptop, no OBS and no stream key. CamLink logs in with the TAK certificate ATAK already has, streams encrypted, and keeps going with the screen locked. When the signal gets weak it steps the quality down instead of dropping, and climbs back when it clears.

How it works

How CamLink works: pick a source, tap Go Live, your team watches

By the numbers

CamLink by the numbers: 720p30, 2.5 Mbps top, 0.2 Mbps lowest step, 1080p phone recording, 5-minute recording pieces, 0 stream keys

What you and your team see

On screen: the cone at 5x zoom, the live dot and Watch button, the live controls, and full screen video

Who can watch

One phone streams to your TAK server, which sends the video to ATAK phones and tablets, WinTAK laptops and iPhones

Only the phone sending video needs CamLink. It streams once and the server hands the video to everyone on it, so ten viewers cost your phone no more data than one. ATAK users with CamLink tap your marker, then Watch. ATAK, WinTAK and iPhone users without it open the stream in their video player with their server login.

Need a server?

Need a server? District47 hosts your own OpenTAKServer, set up for CamLink. Team plan $15 a month for 1 to 5 members, no video. Group plan $20 a month for 6 to 20 members and Network plan $40 a month for 21 to 50 members, both with video streaming and voice. $50 onboarding covers your first month.

What's included

  • Capture card input: an Elgato Cam Link 4K puts a drone controller, thermal scope or body camera on the map
  • Phone camera input: back or front, with lens buttons from 0.6× to 5× and a zoom slider
  • 720p30 H.264 with AAC audio, up to 2.5 Mbps, stepping down to 480p or 360p on a weak signal
  • Encrypted streaming over RTSPS, with an optional unencrypted fallback that always warns you
  • Certificate login: no stream key, no password to type
  • A red cone on your marker showing where the camera points, sent to everyone on the server
  • A blinking LIVE dot and a Watch button on your marker for teammates with CamLink
  • MISB ST 0601 KLV in the video: position, heading and field of view, read by ATAK's video player
  • Record to phone: a separate 1080p copy, saved in 5-minute pieces so a crash costs one piece
  • Record only: no server or signal needed
  • Orientation that follows the phone, even while live, or locked to portrait or landscape
  • Runs with the screen locked or ATAK in the background

Video and streaming

Video H.264, 720p at 30 fps · steps down to 480p and 360p
Bitrate Up to 2.5 Mbps · as low as 0.2 Mbps on a weak signal
Audio AAC from the phone's mic or the capture card's HDMI audio · mute any time
Encryption RTSPS (TLS) to your server's MediaMTX
Login The TAK certificate ATAK already has · only a login token is stored, never your password
On the map Camera cone and LIVE dot on your marker · Watch button for teammates with CamLink
Metadata MISB ST 0601 KLV, about 4 times a second
Recording 1080p MP4 at 8 Mbps in Movies/CamLink, in 5-minute pieces

Easy on your data plan

Full quality uses about 1.1 GB an hour, and much less once CamLink steps down on a weak connection. Your phone sends the stream once, however many people watch. Recording to the phone uses about 3.6 GB of storage an hour and no data.

How to install

  • 1Complete your purchase: you'll receive an email with your APK download link instantly.
  • 2Transfer the APK to your Android device running ATAK 5.6.0.
  • 3Install the plugin and tap Load when ATAK offers CamLink.
  • 4Open CamLink from the ATAK tools menu, pick a source and a server, and tap Go Live.
Check your capture card CamLink needs a card that sends raw (uncompressed) video over USB, as the Cam Link 4K and most USB 3.0 cards do. Many $10–20 HDMI dongles only send MJPEG and won't work.

The cone and KLV come from the phone's compass and tilt sensors. With a capture card they show where the phone points, not the drone or scope, so keep the phone facing the same way. Near metal or in a vehicle the compass can be off by tens of degrees.

Compatibility

ATAK version ATAK-CIV 5.6.0 (sending); viewers can use ATAK, WinTAK, iTAK or TAK Aware
Plugin version 1.0.1
Min Android 5.0 (SDK 21)
Target SDK Android 14 (SDK 34)
Tested on Galaxy S24 Ultra and S26 Ultra
Server OpenTAKServer with MediaMTX · District47-hosted servers are ready; on others, add the free OTS-CamLink plugin or sign in once in CamLink
Capture card UVC with raw video (tested with the Elgato Cam Link 4K) and a USB-C adapter
Connection Internet to your TAK server (Wi-Fi or cellular); Record only works offline
Delivery APK · digital download

Elgato and Cam Link are trademarks of Corsair Memory, Inc. ATAK is developed by the TAK Product Center; CamLink is an independent plugin, signed through the TAK.gov third-party plugin program. District47 is not affiliated with or endorsed by Elgato, Corsair or the TAK Product Center.