diff --git a/camera-management-api/usda_vision_system/camera/streamer.py b/camera-management-api/usda_vision_system/camera/streamer.py
index 51f25d6..d2dc6d3 100644
--- a/camera-management-api/usda_vision_system/camera/streamer.py
+++ b/camera-management-api/usda_vision_system/camera/streamer.py
@@ -86,6 +86,9 @@ class CameraStreamer:
         
         # RTSP settings
         self.rtsp_fps = 15.0  # RTSP FPS (can be higher than MJPEG preview)
+        # Use MEDIAMTX_HOST env var if set, otherwise default to localhost
+        # Note: If API uses network_mode: host, MediaMTX container ports are exposed to host
+        # So localhost should work, but MediaMTX must be accessible on that port
         self.rtsp_host = os.getenv("MEDIAMTX_HOST", "localhost")
         self.rtsp_port = int(os.getenv("MEDIAMTX_RTSP_PORT", "8554"))
         self._rtsp_process: Optional[subprocess.Popen] = None
@@ -525,15 +528,27 @@ class CameraStreamer:
         # Wait for frame dimensions to be set
         timeout = 10.0  # Wait up to 10 seconds for first frame
         start_time = time.time()
+        self.logger.info(f"Waiting for frame dimensions (current: {self._rtsp_frame_width}x{self._rtsp_frame_height})...")
         while self._rtsp_frame_width == 0 and (time.time() - start_time) < timeout:
             if self._stop_rtsp_event.is_set():
+                self.logger.info("RTSP streaming stopped before frame dimensions were available")
                 return
-            time.sleep(0.1)
+            # Check if streaming is actually producing frames
+            if not self.streaming:
+                self.logger.error("Camera streaming stopped, cannot start RTSP")
+                self.rtsp_streaming = False
+                return
+            time.sleep(0.5)
+            elapsed = time.time() - start_time
+            if elapsed > 2 and int(elapsed) % 2 == 0:  # Log every 2 seconds
+                self.logger.debug(f"Still waiting for frame dimensions... ({elapsed:.1f}s elapsed, queue size: {self._rtsp_frame_queue.qsize()})")
         
         if self._rtsp_frame_width == 0:
-            self.logger.error("Could not determine frame dimensions for RTSP streaming")
+            self.logger.error(f"Could not determine frame dimensions for RTSP streaming after {timeout}s. Stream active: {self.streaming}, Queue size: {self._rtsp_frame_queue.qsize()}")
             self.rtsp_streaming = False
             return
+        
+        self.logger.info(f"Frame dimensions available: {self._rtsp_frame_width}x{self._rtsp_frame_height}")
 
         rtsp_url = f"rtsp://{self.rtsp_host}:{self.rtsp_port}/{self.camera_config.name}"
         self.logger.info(f"Publishing RTSP stream to {rtsp_url} with dimensions {self._rtsp_frame_width}x{self._rtsp_frame_height} @ {self.rtsp_fps}fps")
diff --git a/diagnose_rtsp.sh b/diagnose_rtsp.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..7c35903
--- /dev/null
+++ b/diagnose_rtsp.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,87 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Comprehensive RTSP diagnostic script
+
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "RTSP Streaming Diagnostic"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo ""
+
+echo "1. Checking API health..."
+API_HEALTH=$(curl -s http://exp-dash:8000/health 2>&1)
+if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
+    echo "   ✅ API is responding"
+else
+    echo "   ❌ API is not responding"
+    echo "   Response: $API_HEALTH"
+    exit 1
+fi
+echo ""
+
+echo "2. Checking camera status..."
+CAMERA_STATUS=$(curl -s http://exp-dash:8000/cameras/camera1/status 2>&1)
+echo "$CAMERA_STATUS" | python3 -m json.tool 2>/dev/null || echo "$CAMERA_STATUS"
+echo ""
+
+echo "3. Starting camera streaming..."
+curl -X POST http://exp-dash:8000/cameras/camera1/start-stream 2>&1 | python3 -m json.tool 2>/dev/null || curl -X POST http://exp-dash:8000/cameras/camera1/start-stream 2>&1
+echo ""
+
+echo "4. Waiting for stream to initialize (8 seconds)..."
+sleep 8
+
+echo "5. Starting RTSP streaming..."
+RTSP_RESPONSE=$(curl -s -X POST http://exp-dash:8000/cameras/camera1/start-rtsp)
+echo "$RTSP_RESPONSE" | python3 -m json.tool 2>/dev/null || echo "$RTSP_RESPONSE"
+echo ""
+
+echo "6. Waiting for RTSP to initialize (10 seconds)..."
+sleep 10
+
+echo "7. Checking for FFmpeg process..."
+FFMPEG_PID=$(docker compose exec api bash -c "ps aux | grep '[f]fmpeg' | grep -v grep | awk '{print \$2}'" 2>/dev/null | head -1)
+if [ -n "$FFMPEG_PID" ]; then
+    echo "   ✅ FFmpeg is running (PID: $FFMPEG_PID)"
+    echo "   Process details:"
+    docker compose exec api bash -c "ps aux | grep '[f]fmpeg' | grep -v grep" 2>/dev/null
+else
+    echo "   ❌ FFmpeg is NOT running"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+echo "8. Checking API logs for RTSP activity..."
+echo "   Recent RTSP/FFmpeg logs:"
+docker compose logs api --tail 100 | grep -E "RTSP|FFmpeg|frame dimensions|Waiting|Could not|Starting RTSP|Publishing|error|Error" | tail -20
+echo ""
+
+echo "9. Checking MediaMTX for stream..."
+PATH_INFO=$(curl -s http://localhost:8889/v2/paths/get/camera1 2>/dev/null)
+if [ -n "$PATH_INFO" ] && [ "$PATH_INFO" != "null" ] && [ "$PATH_INFO" != "{}" ]; then
+    echo "   ✅ Stream path exists in MediaMTX"
+    echo "$PATH_INFO" | python3 -m json.tool 2>/dev/null | head -20 || echo "$PATH_INFO"
+    SOURCE_READY=$(echo "$PATH_INFO" | python3 -c "import sys, json; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(d.get('sourceReady', False))" 2>/dev/null || echo "false")
+    if [ "$SOURCE_READY" = "True" ]; then
+        echo ""
+        echo "   ✅ Stream is READY!"
+    else
+        echo ""
+        echo "   ⚠️  Stream exists but source is not ready"
+    fi
+else
+    echo "   ❌ Stream not found in MediaMTX"
+fi
+echo ""
+
+echo "10. MediaMTX recent activity..."
+docker compose logs mediamtx --tail 20 | grep -E "camera1|RTSP|publishing|session" | tail -10
+echo ""
+
+echo "=========================================="
+echo "Diagnostic Complete"
+echo "=========================================="
+echo ""
+TAILSCALE_IP=$(tailscale ip -4 2>/dev/null || hostname -I | awk '{print $1}')
+echo "If stream is ready, try accessing:"
+echo "  http://$TAILSCALE_IP:8889/static/"
+echo "  http://$TAILSCALE_IP:8889/camera1/webrtc"
+echo ""
+
diff --git a/mediamtx.yml b/mediamtx.yml
index b5fc1ed..b591529 100644
--- a/mediamtx.yml
+++ b/mediamtx.yml
@@ -9,11 +9,6 @@ paths:
     # allow any path to be read; publishers can be added on-demand
     readUser: any
     sourceOnDemand: no
-    sourceOnDemandStartTimeout: 10s
-    sourceOnDemandCloseAfter: 10s
-    # Keep source alive even without readers (remove timeout)
-    # sourceCloseAfter: never  # Keep stream alive indefinitely
-    sourceCloseAfter: 30s  # Keep stream alive for 30 seconds after last reader disconnects
 
 # Example on-demand publisher for a demo VOD (adjust file path):
 #  vod:
diff --git a/test_rtsp_working.md b/test_rtsp_working.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..c469155
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test_rtsp_working.md
@@ -0,0 +1,59 @@
+# RTSP Streaming is Working! 🎉
+
+**Status**: ✅ RTSP streaming is functional and VLC can view the stream!
+
+## Current Status
+
+- ✅ FFmpeg is encoding and publishing frames
+- ✅ MediaMTX is receiving the RTSP stream
+- ✅ VLC can successfully view the stream via RTSP
+- ⚠️ WebRTC requires the stream to be active when accessed
+
+## Access Methods
+
+### 1. RTSP (Working - Use This!)
+```bash
+rtsp://100.93.40.84:8554/camera1
+```
+
+**For VLC:**
+- File → Open Network Stream
+- URL: `rtsp://100.93.40.84:8554/camera1`
+- Or with TCP: `rtsp://100.93.40.84:8554/camera1?transport=tcp`
+
+### 2. WebRTC (Browser Player)
+The WebRTC player needs the stream to be active when you open it. 
+
+**To use WebRTC:**
+1. First, make sure RTSP is running:
+   ```bash
+   curl -X POST http://exp-dash:8000/cameras/camera1/start-rtsp
+   ```
+
+2. Then quickly open (within 10 seconds):
+   ```
+   http://100.93.40.84:8889/camera1/webrtc
+   ```
+
+**Note**: WebRTC uses POST requests to `/camera1/whep`, so 404/405 errors are normal if the stream isn't active.
+
+## Troubleshooting WebRTC
+
+If you see "stream not found" in the browser:
+- The RTSP stream may have timed out
+- Restart RTSP and immediately open the WebRTC URL
+- MediaMTX closes streams after ~10 seconds without active viewers
+
+## Quick Test Commands
+
+```bash
+# Check if RTSP is running
+curl -X POST http://exp-dash:8000/cameras/camera1/start-rtsp
+
+# Check stream status
+curl -s http://localhost:8889/v2/paths/get/camera1 | python3 -m json.tool
+
+# Full diagnostic
+./diagnose_rtsp.sh
+```
+