CheapSecurity
This project provides a lightweight, self-hosted CCTV solution designed for Linux-based single-board computers (SBCs) and standard USB webcams. It offers an affordable, privacy-focused alternative for home monitoring by keeping your video data entirely under your control.
Project Philosophy
Privacy-First: By storing all footage locally, this system eliminates the need for third-party cloud subscriptions and ensures your data never leaves your network.
Cost-Effective: Leverage existing hardware—such as a spare Linux board and a USB webcam—to build a fully functional surveillance system without recurring fees.
Minimalist Architecture: The software is optimized to run efficiently on low-power devices, ensuring high performance even on entry-level hardware.
Key Features
Hardware Agnostic: Highly compatible with a wide range of standard USB webcams.
Resource Efficient: Optimized specifically for Linux-based boards (e.g., Raspberry Pi, Orange Pi, or similar SBCs).
Data Sovereignty: Full control over your storage path, retention policies, and access methods.
Simple Deployment: Designed for quick setup and easy maintenance.
Features
Live MJPEG stream with a web dashboard
Motion detection with frame differencing
Automatic recording with a pre-motion buffer
Email alerts with a snapshot picture when motion starts
Telegram integration:
Automatic video upload after motion is recorded
Bot commands: /snapshot, /video <seconds>, /help
Automatic video upload after motion is recorded
Bot commands: /snapshot, /video <seconds>, /help
Night mode low-light enhancement (software CLAHE + brightness/contrast boost)
Recordings bulk actions: select all, send to Telegram, download ZIP, delete
Storage cleanup by age, total size, and emergency low-disk cleanup
systemd autostart ready
Licensed under GNU AGPLv3
Requirements
Python 3.10 or newer
OpenCV with V4L2 support (see installation options below)
A USB webcam (/dev/video0 by default)
Optional: a Telegram bot token for Telegram notifications
Optional: SMTP credentials for email alerts
Quick start
Verify OpenCV is available:
python3 -c "import cv2; print(cv2.__version__)"
If OpenCV is not installed, you have two options:
Option A — use a system OpenCV package (recommended on ARM boards such as the Odroid XU4, where a pre-built system package is usually optimized for the board).
Option B — install OpenCV via pip (convenient on x86/amd64 machines or when no system package is available). Use opencv-python-headless because the app does not need a GUI.
Verify OpenCV is available:
If OpenCV is not installed, you have two options:
Option A — use a system OpenCV package (recommended on ARM boards such as the Odroid XU4, where a pre-built system package is usually optimized for the board).
Option B — install OpenCV via pip (convenient on x86/amd64 machines or when no system package is available). Use opencv-python-headless because the app does not need a GUI.
Create and activate the virtual environment and install the app:
Option A: system OpenCV (recommended for ARM)
This creates a venv that can see the system site-packages, so the system cv2 is available inside the venv.
cd $HOME/CheapSecurity
python3 -m venv venv --system-site-packages
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -e .
Option B: install everything via pip
Use this if you do not have a system OpenCV or prefer a self-contained venv.
cd $HOME/CheapSecurity
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install opencv-python-headless
pip install -e .
Note: On some older ARM boards the pip opencv-python-headless wheel may not be available or may be slow. If that happens, install OpenCV from your distribution’s package manager instead and use Option A.
Create and activate the virtual environment and install the app:
Option A: system OpenCV (recommended for ARM)
This creates a venv that can see the system site-packages, so the system cv2 is available inside the venv.
Option B: install everything via pip
Use this if you do not have a system OpenCV or prefer a self-contained venv.
Note: On some older ARM boards the pip opencv-python-headless wheel may not be available or may be slow. If that happens, install OpenCV from your distribution’s package manager instead and use Option A.
Find your webcam device (usually /dev/video0):
v4l2-ctl --list-devices
Find your webcam device (usually /dev/video0):
Copy config.json.example to config.json and edit it:
cp config.json.example config.json
nano config.json
Set camera device, resolution, and frame rate
Fill in SMTP credentials if you want email alerts
Fill in Telegram bot token and chat ID if you want Telegram uploads
Security: config.json is listed in .gitignore and must never be committed. It contains passwords and tokens. Always edit config.json, not config.json.example. If you add a new setting, update both files so the example stays in sync.
Copy config.json.example to config.json and edit it:
Set camera device, resolution, and frame rate
Fill in SMTP credentials if you want email alerts
Fill in Telegram bot token and chat ID if you want Telegram uploads
Security: config.json is listed in .gitignore and must never be committed. It contains passwords and tokens. Always edit config.json, not config.json.example. If you add a new setting, update both files so the example stays in sync.
Run the app:
./venv/bin/python -m cheapsecurity.app
Run the app:
Open the dashboard in a browser:
http://<odroid-ip>:5000
Open the dashboard in a browser:
Configuration
Edit config.json:
Telegram setup
1. Create a bot
Open Telegram and message @BotFather.
Send /newbot and follow the prompts to choose a display name and username.
Copy the bot token (looks like 123456789:ABCdefGHIjklMNOpqrsTUVwxyz).
Keep this token secret — anyone with it can control your bot.
2. Get your chat ID
Start a private chat with your new bot and send any message (for example, /start).
Open this URL in a browser, replacing <YOUR_BOT_TOKEN> with the real token:
https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_BOT_TOKEN>/getUpdates
Look for "chat":{"id":123456789. The number is your chat ID.
If getUpdates is empty, send another message to the bot and refresh.
If you want to use a group chat, add the bot to the group first and send a message there; the chat ID will be negative for groups.
If getUpdates is empty, send another message to the bot and refresh.
If you want to use a group chat, add the bot to the group first and send a message there; the chat ID will be negative for groups.
Copy the chat ID exactly, including the - sign if it is a group.
3. Configure the app
Fill in the telegram section of config.json:
Then restart the service:
Automatic uploads
After a motion clip is saved, the video is uploaded to your Telegram chat. Uploads are rate-limited by min_interval_minutes.
Bot commands
From your configured chat, send:
/snapshot — receive the current camera picture
/video 10 — record and send a 10-second video (1–60 seconds, default 10)
/help — list commands
The bot only responds to your configured chat_id.
Motion has priority: if the system is already recording because motion was detected, a /video request will not interrupt it. The bot will reply that a motion video is in progress and will be uploaded automatically.
Email alerts
Configure the notifications section in config.json. A picture from the moment motion starts is attached. Alerts are rate-limited by min_interval_minutes.
Gmail / Google Workspace setup
Google no longer allows "less secure apps" to use your regular Gmail password. You must create an App Password.
Enable 2-Step Verification on your Google account:
https://myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/two-step-verification
https://myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/two-step-verification
https://myaccount.google.com/signinoptions/two-step-verification
Create an App Password:
Go to https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
Select app: Mail
Select device: Other (Custom name) — type "CheapSecurity"
Click Generate and copy the 16-character password (for example, abcd efgh ijkl mnop).
Go to https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
https://myaccount.google.com/apppasswords
Select app: Mail
Select device: Other (Custom name) — type "CheapSecurity"
Click Generate and copy the 16-character password (for example, abcd efgh ijkl mnop).
In config.json, set:
"notifications": {
"enabled": true,
"smtp": {
"server": "smtp.gmail.com",
"port": 465,
"username": "you@gmail.com",
"password": "abcdefghijklmnop",
"use_tls": true
},
"from": "you@gmail.com",
"to": "you@gmail.com",
"subject": "CheapSecurity motion alert",
"min_interval_minutes": 5
}
Use the App Password (no spaces) in the password field, not your Google account password.
For Google Workspace accounts, the username is usually your full email address.
The app uses implicit TLS (SMTP_SSL) on the port you configure. Gmail accepts this on port 465.
Use the App Password (no spaces) in the password field, not your Google account password.
For Google Workspace accounts, the username is usually your full email address.
The app uses implicit TLS (SMTP_SSL) on the port you configure. Gmail accepts this on port 465.
Multiple recipients
Night mode
Night mode combines:
Software enhancement (CLAHE on the L channel)
Camera brightness/contrast boost
Attempts to lower FPS and raise gain/ISO if the camera supports it
Toggle it from the dashboard. It is applied to the live stream, recordings, and alert pictures.
Important: most USB webcams do not expose ISO/gain/exposure controls via V4L2, so FPS/gain adjustments may be ignored. True night vision requires an IR-sensitive camera and an IR illuminator.
Storage and cleanup
Recordings are saved in recordings/.
Recordings older than max_age_days are deleted during periodic cleanup, not on startup (unless delete_old_on_startup is true).
If free disk space drops below emergency_free_space_gb, the oldest emergency_delete_count recordings are deleted before starting a new clip.
Recordings older than max_age_days or exceeding max_size_gb are removed during periodic cleanup.
Web interface
Live stream
Status panel (resolution, FPS, recording state, motion state)
Settings toggles: night mode, email notifications, Telegram uploads, built-in basic auth
Recordings list with per-row checkboxes and bulk actions:
Select all
Send to Telegram
Download selected (ZIP)
Delete selected
Select all
Send to Telegram
Download selected (ZIP)
Delete selected
Production deployment
Do not expose Flask's development server to the internet. Use Gunicorn behind the built-in auth or another reverse proxy you trust.
1. Install Gunicorn
It is already defined in pyproject.toml:
2. Run with systemd + Gunicorn
Copy the service template and enable it from a user shell:
This binds Gunicorn to 0.0.0.0:5000 with one worker and four threads, so the dashboard and stream are reachable directly on your network. Only one worker is used because the camera must be opened by a single process.
Security: if you expose this to the internet, put a reverse proxy with HTTPS and authentication in front of Gunicorn. If you only access it locally, keep the built-in auth enabled.
View logs:
Project structure
Troubleshooting
If recordings stop appearing:
Check the service is running:
sudo systemctl status cheapsecurity@$(whoami).service
Check logs:
sudo journalctl -u cheapsecurity@$(whoami).service -f
Run the diagnostic script:
source venv/bin/activate
python -m cheapsecurity.diagnose
Try lowering motion.min_area if no motion is detected.
License
This project is licensed under the GNU Affero General Public License v3.0 or later (AGPLv3). See LICENSE.