I’m looking for security cameras that will integrate with my home server and nas. I want ones that record to my nas without some BS subscription service, and ideally run FOSS server logic I can deploy on my server. I’ve got one camera now that sorta does what I want, except the software isn’t FOSS and I’ve been unable to add the features that are missing.
My ideal requirements are:
- Good camera quality
- Direct powered (no battery)
- Connects via wifi to my network
- Records to remote nas (no cloud “subscription” requirement)
- Highly configurable via FOSS software
- Monitoring software runs on server with local web access
- QOL features like 2-way audio, audio recording, motion sensing, night vision, etc.
Does anyone have suggestions that meat what I’m looking for or close?
- this is a huge topic, I find Reolink a good balance of cost/performance but their ONVIF support is not great. You will need to research each individual camera to see if it will work. Otherwise AXIS/BOSH, or get Chinese cameras and make sure they dont have a way to call home. If you go Chinese Dahua and Hikvision.
- Get POE cameras!
- NO wifi, WIFI is crap for cameras as they need a constant stream of video to be recorded. If they only write a file when triggered it means you will miss lots of events. Most NVR software, even FOSS records constantly but overwrites files until an event is triggered and then it locks the previous 10 seconds until the event ends.
- Any non “consumer” solution should record to local storage. Consumer solution like Ring/Arlo are all built around subscriptions.
- Frigate/Shinobi are decent NVR FOSS solutions, and any ONVIF compatible camera should work fine with FOSS.
- again Frigate/Shinobi, and I think frigate even has HASS integration.
- most good quality professional cameras have built in tracking, detection, and other neat tools. But in addition Frigate has more features you can apply on top of the built in ones. 2 way audio IDK about never looked into it.
These are all pretty good suggestions…a few points I’d add based solely on my personal experiences:
- A lot of Amcrest’s cameras are pretty solid for the price too. I’ve recently ordered some rebadged Dahuas from empire tech and haven’t used them a ton but so far I’m thinking I’ll really like them.
- Check out night color cameras. They’re not as “discreet” potentially as they generate their own visible light if it’s pitch black out, but to me that’s actually another security benefit…and the night time performance can be amazing.
- Blue Iris is another pretty great piece of software. Super cheap for what it offers, and while it’s a little more resource heavy being a full fledged NVR, you can pair it with things like Codeproject.ai and get some amazing results.
- Double down on getting rid of wifi, if at all possible, and through any and every means possible. I too was initially pretty set on the convenience of wifi, but mixing wifi and cameras just never ends up in a great experience from everything I’ve ever had experience with. The absolute best I’ve ever seen is just “ok”, and usually it’s substantially worse.
Good luck!!
I just ran into a problem with the cheaper reolink cameras. I didn’t realize that some don’t support rtsp or ONVIF. I was able to solve this with a github project neolink: https://github.com/QuantumEntangledAndy/neolink In less than 10min I was able to install neolink and get my $30 reolink camera working with my NVR.
Sorry I don’t have a recommendation for you but this question often comes up in the Home-Assistant (local-first home automation software) community. So maybe have a look around those channels as well.
The most OSS solution out there would probably bee to use an ESP32-CAM with esphome(https://esphome.io/components/esp32_camera.html) and Home Assistant. I think you could even add a motion sensor to that as well. But it would require more work and some electronic knowledge to set up an esp32.
I’ve tried to use esp 32 cameras before. First issue, there are no esp32 cameras that either don’t have ir filters or have ir filters that can be removed. I finally found an Amazon seller that doesn’t glue the camera lenses together very thoroughly and once you break them open, the ir filter is in a place that can be removed if you’re patient enough with an exacto knife.
The other major issue is that esp 32s generate so much heat they eventually melt everything I put them in. You can’t leave them naked because even if it doesn’t rain, they still stop working after only a few days of being outside.
I really hope someone else has figured out a better way to use esp 32 cameras for home security because the only other choices are a) those chinese ones that don’t give you control over the rtsp stream (you can only use their spyware infested smartphone app) or b) those absurdly overpriced ones that don’t even come with night vision most of the time.
I’m not a big expert so I’m probably just ignorant, but why do you want to remove the IR filters? Also I was planning on using esp32 but inside only, and keep them naked. Does it overheat in this condition?
Night vision. You can remove the ir filter and then buy or make an infared lightbar and get good night vision that way.
They won’t overheat if you don’t put them in an enclosure or case but this makes them more suseptible to damage. I bet a small pc fan blowing through a custom made 3d printed or wood box would be enough to offset it.
