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Smart home & gadgets

Frigate

Records your home security cameras and uses AI on your own hardware to spot people, cars and other objects.

What it does

Frigate is an NVR (network video recorder): software that records footage from IP security cameras. It adds AI object detection that runs locally, so it can tell when a person, car or other object appears instead of alerting on every bit of motion.

It is designed to work closely with Home Assistant, a smart-home platform, and can record around the clock or keep clips based on what was detected. It has a live dashboard, a screen for reviewing events and an editor for marking zones and areas to ignore. A graphics card or a small AI accelerator chip is strongly recommended.

Who it's for

Home-automation enthusiasts and anyone who wants private, local camera monitoring.

Can I use it without coding?

With some setup. Needs a computer or home server to run on, some configuration and IP cameras; an AI accelerator is recommended. New to this? Start here.

Can I run it?

Cost
FreeNothing to pay or sign up for.
Computer
Works best on a powerful computer or one with a graphics card (GPU)
Privacy
Runs on your own device: your data stays with you
API key
Not needed

Try it

  1. Follow the installation guide in Frigate's documentation to set it up on a home computer.
  2. Connect your IP cameras, and optionally link Frigate to Home Assistant.

Using Claude Code, Cursor or another AI coding assistant? Paste the prompt and it will walk you through the setup.New to this?

Before you install

  • Only download from the official GitHub page. Copies with similar names exist for many popular projects.
  • License (MIT): Very permissive: free to use, change and share, including for business.
  • More on staying safe

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