Linux NVR software - Home "enthusiast" use

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chevrolux

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#237829 19-Jun-2018 20:07

So after years my old Hikvision NVR has died... it's had a hard life, but now it just does a bunch of stupid stuff and isn't reliable.

I run a little server with a bunch of storage and then Proxmox for virtualization.

I thought great, spin up a new VM (debian), will finally try Zoneminder properly - dumbest platform I have ever used. I like the camera set up, but the storage method is just stupid!!

So then I go to one called Shinobi - great UI, motion detection is OK-ish, viewing on mobile is OK-ish... there were just lots of "ish's"

After much more googling, it was time to turn to the dark side and do the unthinkable... run up a Windows VM! Windows 10 Pro actually.

First one I tried Blue Iris - free edition is just too limited, didn't like their mobile app, and the configuration just feels very 1990 (actually last time I tried Blue Iris was 2010-ish but it hasn't changed since then).

Then I ran up Milestone XProtext Essentials. Very powerful config options, love the alarms, actions etc. Clearly designed for the enterprise space. Great little mobile app. Very cool and impressive software! One very minor thing was you can't record direct to network storage (I can understand the reasoning though). But now that VM has crashed and I'm currently trying to work out why - apart from... stupid bloody windows!!... hence coming here for a quick vent.

But anyway, after coming from the insanely easy to use and functional Hikvision app, what are people using for their home NVR solutions? Preferably Linux based and open source - don't mind paying a license for something decent though. I am close to just buying a new Hikvision NVR and being done with it!

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#2040746 19-Jun-2018 20:27

Have a google for *motion*. I have been running it for years and find it pretty good. No UI so all config files and command line, but it seems to work pretty well and is very configurable. Nice and easy to trigger custom scripts when motion is detected. As an example I have openHAB configured to arm/disarm cameras via HTTP requests. Then when motion is detection I trigger Slack messages with a snapshot of the motion to my private Slack channel etc.

chevrolux

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#2040749 19-Jun-2018 20:35

Yes I came across Motion in my googling.

I should have mentioned, the most important thing I am after is decent live view on Mobile, and just a sensible recording scheme with decent timeline playback - whether that's a native app or just web based I don't mind. I see there are a number of UI's built for Motion, maybe time to get in a bit deeper rather than just install and go.

neb

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#2041332 20-Jun-2018 20:35

chevrolux:
But anyway, after coming from the insanely easy to use and functional Hikvision app, what are people using for their home NVR solutions? Preferably Linux based and open source - don't mind paying a license for something decent though. I am close to just buying a new Hikvision NVR and being done with it!

I wanted to go with an open-source NVR and spent ages looking at the ones that were available, but in the end decided the level of pain just wasn't worth it and bought an Amcrest (rebranded Dahua) NVR. For the price of the complete NVR with software, Android app, and whatnot, I couldn't even put together the hardware for a Linux-based homebrew, let alone the massive amount of time and effort it'd take to get it all up and running.

Unless you're really, really fanatical about going open source, I'd buy off-the-shelf.

chevrolux

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#2041335 20-Jun-2018 20:39

neb:
chevrolux:

But anyway, after coming from the insanely easy to use and functional Hikvision app, what are people using for their home NVR solutions? Preferably Linux based and open source - don't mind paying a license for something decent though. I am close to just buying a new Hikvision NVR and being done with it!

I wanted to go with an open-source NVR and spent ages looking at the ones that were available, but in the end decided the level of pain just wasn't worth it and bought an Amcrest (rebranded Dahua) NVR. For the price of the complete NVR with software, Android app, and whatnot, I couldn't even put together the hardware for a Linux-based homebrew, let alone the massive amount of time and effort it'd take to get it all up and running. Unless you're really, really fanatical about going open source, I'd buy off-the-shelf.

Im dead close to just replacing the Hikvision NVR with a new one.

The only reason I'm trying is because I have the server hardware/storage already available. But like you say, starting to really not be worth the time for the cost of an NVR.

Motion has some promise. Just playing with a few different front ends for mobile viewing.

SumnerBoy

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#2041338 20-Jun-2018 20:49

Would be keen to hear what you discover in terms of mobile apps for motion.

I am a bit like you, I had a big server (running Proxmox) which was sitting there ready to run this sort of thing, with a nice big NAS attached. And motion _just works_, is very configurable, and is quite simple.

YMMV

shrub

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#2041339 20-Jun-2018 20:49

Just went from BlueIris to sighthound myself. The detection works and the mobile app works. I also tried ispy but the mobile app is a nightmare to configure.

BlueIris is a waste of time now the devs have not updated the android app in 4 years so notifications are still broken.

sbiddle

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#2041361 20-Jun-2018 21:18

RIght now I have my cameras recording back to my Synology NAS but use Sighthound for motion detection and notifications. Nothing else I've found comes close to that especially if you want notifications and accurate people detection.

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chevrolux

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#2041362 20-Jun-2018 21:20

Do you like Sighthound? I skipped it purely due to it being Windows based... but worth a try?

Found out why the windows VM stopped worked... turns out a drive dropped out of the zfs pool that I had set up for the storage... so not Windows' fault at all. My fault for shoving in old drives.

sbiddle

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#2041422 20-Jun-2018 22:02

Sighthound just works.. I only use it for the motion detection and push notifications, not the recording capabilities (but it is recording all the time).

PANiCnz

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#2041462 21-Jun-2018 07:58

If you progress with Motion have a look at Motioneye and/or Motioneyeos for a web GUI that is pretty functional.

Resnick

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#2041546 21-Jun-2018 10:05

sbiddle:

RIght now I have my cameras recording back to my Synology NAS but use Sighthound for motion detection and notifications. Nothing else I've found comes close to that especially if you want notifications and accurate people detection.

Is the Synology Surveillance Station software worth a look? Or not.....

CJC

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#2041767 21-Jun-2018 15:37

I use Sighthound for just one camera on an older Windows laptop at the moment. Licensing can be a bit pricey for more than 2 cameras ($250 or so). At first it seems a bit limited in options, then you realise you don't need most of that crap found in Blue Iris and Milestone (which never really worked for me). It still has a decent amount of features, just hides them under simple settings..

The mobile app is OK although I had to turn off 'HLS/H.264 live streams' to be able to view the feed (and clips). A recent update has meant that could turn back on and the difference is pretty damn impressive.

JaseNZ

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#2041775 21-Jun-2018 15:54

PANiCnz: If you progress with Motion have a look at Motioneye and/or Motioneyeos for a web GUI that is pretty functional.

I use Motion eye and its fantastic and so easy to install and setup. You can use ip camera's or what I did was use a bunch of raspberry pi's and plugged decent usb camera's into them.

Live stream and motion activated recording and even scheduling. It really is worth a look.

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chevrolux

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#2041798 21-Jun-2018 16:21

Mspec:

PANiCnz: If you progress with Motion have a look at Motioneye and/or Motioneyeos for a web GUI that is pretty functional.

+1

I use Motion eye and its fantastic and so easy to install and setup. You can use ip camera's or what I did was use a bunch of raspberry pi's and plugged decent usb camera's into them.

Live stream and motion activated recording and even scheduling. It really is worth a look.

Yep got the Motion daemon running very easily, next step is to try Motioneye for a front-end.... I'm away at the moment though so doing it all remotely... also means I can't fix my storage drives haha!

I'm quite keen to try Sighthound out now too though. I like how they say how they do their detection... far less useless footage of a leaf blowing across the screen etc.

Edit: The other huge thing here is the final product must have a high WAF. A native app goes a long to achieve this, but just doing a chrome tab shortcut on the home screen has worked in the past to trick this.

afe66

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#2041807 21-Jun-2018 16:32

The licence fee for multiple cameras on the synology is painful.

Ive got some rasp3 running motioneyeos. Use the inbuilt email me to send me photos when motion detected.

Not as nice as the surveillance station software in synology though.

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