Hi everyone,
I’m currently planning a video surveillance system for my camper that integrates with Home Assistant (HA) and Frigate. The goal is to manage four external AHD cameras (front, rear, left, right) and optionally one interior camera – all powered entirely by the 12V leisure battery.
What I’ve planned so far:
- 4x AHD cameras, permanently installed around the camper
- Mini PC running Frigate, powerful enough for real-time object and motion detection
- Home Assistant running separately on a Raspberry Pi
- Conversion of AHD signals to RTSP streams using either a DVR or a custom setup (e.g., USB grabbers + ffmpeg)
- Connecting the camera streams to Frigate via RTSP and integrating them into HA using the Frigate integration
My goals with Frigate:
- Detect people, vehicles and possibly animals around the camper
- Record events (clips, snapshots)
- Trigger automations in HA (e.g. notifications, light control)
- Entirely local operation, no cloud, privacy-friendly
Open questions & challenges:
- Which technologies or components are best suited to convert multiple AHD camera feeds into RTSP streams?
- Has anyone successfully implemented a custom grabber solution (e.g., USB capture or PCIe card with ffmpeg/motioneye)?
- Are there any compact and energy-efficient DVRs or NVR alternatives that reliably provide RTSP output?
- Any recommendations for low-power mini PCs suitable for running Frigate reliably?
- Tips for safe 12V DC power supply (e.g., via DC-DC converters with fuse protection) for DVR and mini PC?
I’d greatly appreciate any advice, product tips or shared experiences. My goal is a robust, low-maintenance, privacy-conscious system for mobile use.
Thanks in advance! 
Micha