Ask HN: Self-hosted open source IP security cameras?

#1

Post by DietaryNonsense » Thu, Mar 03, 2022, 7:36 PM UTC

There are many options for IP security cameras and multi-camera setups. Ubiquiti, Foscam, Nest, Ring, and all of the things. But they all involve running untrusted internet connected devices on a local network. I want to improve my physical security with these devices without providing nodes to some future DDoS botnet or whatever else these poorly secured IoT devices will get repurposed for. I also don't want my system to be useless if the internet goes down or if BigCompany decides to change their terms or drop service for their APIs or whatever else.

Wondering if anyone has had success in setting up a self-hosted (maybe open source) camera system for their site? And if so, any advice? recommendations? sources for information that you found useful?

Re: Ask HN: Self-hosted open source IP security cameras?

#2

Post by giantg2 » Thu, Mar 03, 2022, 7:53 PM UTC

You can used ZoneMinder with various PoE cameras and put the system on it's own network/segment.

Re: Ask HN: Self-hosted open source IP security cameras?

#3

Post by sterlinm » Thu, Mar 03, 2022, 8:10 PM UTC

There's a channel on YouTube called "The Hook Up" that has a lot of good videos about home automation. Here's his playlist of videos he's made on security cameras:

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-51DG-VULPom8Ud6vdf5...

Most relevant to your question might be this video: Build The BEST Security Camera NVR: Free Locally Processed AI Computer Vision with Blue Iris.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwoonl5JKgo

Re: Ask HN: Self-hosted open source IP security cameras?

#4

Post by DietaryNonsense » Thu, Mar 03, 2022, 8:50 PM UTC

sterlinm wrote: post #3

There's a channel on YouTube called "The Hook Up" that has a lot of good videos about home automation. Here's his playlist of videos he's made on security cameras: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL-51DG-VULPom8Ud6vdf5... Most relevant to your question might be this video: Build The BEST Security Camera NVR: Free Locally Processed AI Computer Vision with Blue Iris. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwoonl5JKgo

Thanks!

Re: Ask HN: Self-hosted open source IP security cameras?

#5

Post by lormayna » Thu, Mar 03, 2022, 9:39 PM UTC

I have several cheap chinese cameras (Sricam) in a separated VLAN without internet access in my home LAN. The camera are connected via ONVIF to a Raspberry running [motion](https://motion-project.github.io/).

Re: Ask HN: Self-hosted open source IP security cameras?

#6

Post by kotaKat » Thu, Mar 03, 2022, 9:40 PM UTC

Not open source, but fairly open standard, I'm in love with Milestone XProtect Essential+[1] because I'm a Windows Server guy.

Free for 8 cameras, has extremely universal support for cameras (you can add in RTSP streams, Onvif, MJPEG/HTTP grab, etc) and some really good SDK support[2] - and a PowerShell module[3] to boot.

And, more importantly, a really good view on ethics[4]:

> We require employees, partners, and customers to comply with applicable laws and to respect human rights. We do not accept discrimination, human rights violations, violations of child labor laws. We have incorporated human rights language into our licensing terms, which were supplemented by the Copenhagen Clause in 2019.

[1] https://www.milestonesys.com/solutions/platform/video-manage... [2] https://www.milestonesys.com/community/developer-tools/mip-a... [3] https://www.milestonepstools.com/ [4] https://www.milestonesys.com/about-us/csr/

Re: Ask HN: Self-hosted open source IP security cameras?

#7

Post by larsla » Thu, Mar 03, 2022, 9:52 PM UTC

I use Frigate (https://frigate.video/) on a rPI for recording and doing person detection for 3 Reolink cameras. Connecting that to HomeAssistant for dashboard and notifications. It works great! I boot the rPI (model 4 with 8gb RAM) from a USB-SSD to not worry about SD-cards. I connected a Coral USB device for the person detection since the rPI itself can only manage about 2 frames/s.

Re: Ask HN: Self-hosted open source IP security cameras?

#8

Post by the-smug-one » Thu, Mar 03, 2022, 9:55 PM UTC

Axis cameras aren't open source, but they're just Linux running systemd and Axis (or other) software. You can ssh into them, write your own apps, etc. They're not particularly locked down. They support ONVIF and VAPIX, which are API:s that VMS's such as Milestone and Genetec target.

> poorly secured IoT devices will get repurposed for.

Don't let it have access to the outside net then?

Re: Ask HN: Self-hosted open source IP security cameras?

#9

Post by mustava » Thu, Mar 03, 2022, 9:59 PM UTC

AgentDVR in docker is a great alternative to blueIris if you don't want to run Windows. You can plug any onvif camera into it easily enough. Works with home assistant too.

Re: Ask HN: Self-hosted open source IP security cameras?

#10

Post by larsla » Thu, Mar 03, 2022, 10:00 PM UTC

larsla wrote: post #7

I use Frigate ( https://frigate.video/ ) on a rPI for recording and doing person detection for 3 Reolink cameras. Connecting that to HomeAssistant for dashboard and notifications. It works great! I boot the rPI (model 4 with 8gb RAM) from a USB-SSD to not worry about SD-cards. I connected a Coral USB device for the person detection since the rPI itself can only manage about 2 frames/s.

And here's the video that introduced me to Frigate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqDCEZSVeRk&t=1834s

I also forgot to mention that the Reolink cameras are not connected to any cloud and work locally.