CheapSecurity: A self-hosted CCTV system for Linux computers

Adafruit is reporting on CheapSecurity, a self-hosted CCTV system that runs on spare single-board computers—Raspberry Pis, Orange Pis, anything Linux-based. The appeal is data sovereignty: your video stays on hardware you own, with no cloud subscription and no handoff to a third party. The system delivers live streaming, motion detection, automatic recording with a pre-motion buffer, and email or Telegram alerts with snapshots attached. It also includes a software night mode for video enhancement. The creator is candid about limitations—true night vision requires an IR-capable camera and illuminator, since most USB webcams don't have infrared, and the docs recommend running behind a reverse proxy. It's open-source under AGPLv3 with setup instructions on GitHub.

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