Advice for remote camera monitoring and playback from analog/BNC cameras while keeping existing NVR devices reddit / selfhosted ---------------------------------------------------------------------- rajjak · 2023-12-25 18:47 I'm involved with my local VFW and trying to find a good way to make all our security cameras easily accessible for our older board members to access remotely from their phones (but preferably with a desktop client remote access option as well). We're a nonprofit with relatively limited means and a number of limiting factors: * Most of the people needing access aren't tech savvy so a simple iOS & Android option is required * As such, using a VPN to connect is probably out of their reach * I don't believe getting a static public IP is an option so we'd have to figure out some kind of DDNS or cloud-based service * I have a decade+ of generalist IT experience so have passing familiarity with security camera systems but am no expert. I can handle setting up a Windows or Linux server and figuring out how to provision the devices and any related network requirements, but I obviously don't know much about CCTV systems * I have an old-ish Dell Optiplex 7060SFF (D11S) desktop with an i7 6700 3.4Ghz processor and 8GB RAM on hand that I could use for this, though we could afford to pick up a newer SFF desktop to use as a server, but probably not anything with a dedicated GPU * Our cameras are set up on two separate NVR devices, one labeled as Honeywell and the other as an alhua N41B1P2 (though both showing a Honeywell logo on the interface and with basically identical UIs). The cameras themselves are connected to the NVRs via BNC connectors so presumably not IP cameras themselves * We'd have a couple folks viewing live video a few times a week so light requirements there, but the option to download recordings remotely once every few months when something comes up would be extremely helpful Our needs are pretty basic: no PTZ, no audio, no object detection or even particularly accurate motion detection (1-3 weeks of 24/7 recording would probably be fine), maybe 12 cameras and 4-5 users? I've been looking at ZoneMinder, Shinobi, Blue Iris (I could swear a year or so ago they became persona non grata around here due to a buyout or something, though I'm not finding much on that here), and now Frigate (though its AI capabilities would be wasted on us). The more we can set it and forget it, the better. So: 1. Is self-hosting some kind of NVR server **in addition to** the current NVR devices even possible? Like a way to pass through the video streams to a secondary software-based NVR server? One of our two NVR devices was provided by our video gaming (i.e., slot machines) vendor so not sure we have the option to remove it entirely, even if we have full access to it. 2. If so, what would your recommendation be for a self-hosted server be that doesn't require a paid subscription? 3. If DDNS is required for remote access to our dynamic public IP, what would you recommend? 4. How hefty of a server would be required for this? 5. Am I thinking about this all wrong? If there's a better way to do this, I'm all ears! Thank you for any advice. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- rajjak · 2023-12-25 19:19 I should probably have included in the post the impressions I've gotten so far from a little reading about different software. I've had **Shinobi** on my "Check this out" list for awhile now, and it looks really good except for the fact that the mobile app appears to require a paid subscription, which is really strange to me that it's structured that way. The developer appears to be super helpful and it looks like a good product that would otherwise fit our needs, but I just don't see the board being okay with $5-30 monthly for a mobile app. **Blue Iris** is well reviewed around here and I have no problem setting up a Windows machine for it, but I've caught a couple comments saying it's not really license-free and not as FOSS as I would prefer. Plus I could swear that they made some big change in direction a year or two ago that caused folks around here to swear it off, but I'm not finding anything more about that in my searches. **ZoneMinder** looks almost definitely to be my best option for remote mobile access in addition to a desktop client that I could set up a VPN for (for myself) if needed. It sounds like it has a steep learning curve for setup, but I've got time on my side and am used to struggling with learning curves with new technology. **Frigate** I brought up only because so many recent posts and comments appear supportive of it, but it sounds like it's for specific use cases (more object detection with AI/machine learning) that don't really apply to us, and likely greater hardware requirements than we'd really need for our limited uses. The big thing is I'm not super familiar with any of these so if one of them stands out for being able to overcome one of our various hurdles, even if it has other drawbacks that we can work with, I'm all ears. There's just so much more to understand than I trust myself to comprehend that I figured I'd ask here. Too many moving parts even including stuff I should be fairly comfortable with. Thanks again! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- revereddesecration · 2023-12-26 01:01 Frigate also does object detection, but you certainly don’t need to use that feature. It’s a great program for camera viewing and recording. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- mcc0unt · 2023-12-26 11:44 TLDR: Frigate seems to be problematic, but did not cross check as I don’t do monitoring! Just stumbled upon your post, while scrolling through my start page. There came a post out [written on the GitHub blogs](https://github.blog/2023-12-13-securing-our-home-labs-frigate- code-review/), and it seems there are a few vulnerabilities. Just a heads up as you mentioned that software. Not sure if that’s even a real problem, but maybe it helps you finding a decision! ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Haliphone · 2023-12-26 14:49 Patched out vulnerabilities though