Local backup of live security camera streams

As a rule, most IP cameras and security cameras are compatible with CloudlessCam if they provide a directly accessible video stream over a common protocol. These include, for example, ONVIF, RTSP, HTTP, HTTPS, or other stream addresses. If the camera stream can be opened in a video player such as VLC Media Player, it can usually also be recorded with CloudlessCam.

CloudlessCam supports many IP cameras, network cameras, and security cameras. Cameras with ONVIF or RTSP are particularly suitable. Cameras can be searched for automatically on the network or added manually using a stream address.

First, check whether ONVIF or RTSP is enabled in the camera settings. On some cameras, this feature must also be enabled in the associated smartphone app. Also check whether the camera and computer are on the same network and whether a firewall is blocking the connection. If automatic discovery does not work, you can enter the stream address manually.

No. CloudlessCam was designed for local, self-controlled video recording. Your camera streams and recordings are not uploaded to CloudlessCam servers. If you configure a cloud storage destination such as Google Drive, OneDrive, Dropbox, S3, or WebDAV yourself, recordings are transferred only to the storage destination you choose.

Yes. CloudlessCam can be used entirely locally. You can store recordings on a local hard drive, a network drive, or your own server. Cloud storage is only an optional possibility.

CloudlessCam supports local folders, network drives, WebDAV, SFTP, FTP, S3-compatible storage, Backblaze B2, OneDrive, Dropbox, and Google Drive. Alternatively, you can store recordings in a local folder that is then synchronized by another program.

Yes. CloudlessCam can be downloaded and tried for free. Without a purchased license, a free license is active automatically. It allows one active camera recording or one active recording stream at a time.

A recording slot allows one active camera recording or one active stream at a time. If you want to record multiple cameras simultaneously, you need correspondingly more available recording slots. Multiple recording configurations for the same camera can use the same slot.

Yes. The number of active camera recordings at the same time depends on the available license and your system’s performance. For multiple cameras, you need enough recording slots as well as sufficient storage space, network bandwidth, and processing power.

CloudlessCam is available for Windows, Linux, and macOS. For Windows, an installer and a portable ZIP version are available. Corresponding packages are available for Linux and macOS. The feature set is largely the same across platforms, although individual differences may occur depending on the operating system.

Yes. CloudlessCam can run on a Raspberry Pi 4 or newer with a 64-bit operating system. For continuous operation, limit the number of simultaneous streams and store recordings on external storage, a NAS, or a server whenever possible.

A permanent internet connection is not required for normal recording of local cameras. However, an internet connection may be required for online license activation, updates, or certain cloud storage services. Offline activation is available for systems without direct internet access.

Windows SmartScreen may display a warning for new or not-yet-widely used installation files. In this case, you can click “More info” in the SmartScreen window and then “Run anyway.” This message does not automatically mean that the file is dangerous; it often only means that Windows has not known this version of the program for long enough.

Yes. CloudlessCam can be used for continuous background operation. A CLI daemon is available for this purpose. For stable 24/7 operation, the Pacemaker background service can also be used; it monitors the background process and restarts it if problems occur.

Yes. CloudlessCam includes a recordings view with a calendar, video player, and timeline. In addition, CloudlessCam Player is available as a standalone desktop application, as is CloudlessCam Web Player, which allows recordings to be viewed in a browser. You can also access your storage directly and play recordings saved in a common video format with a standard video player.

Yes. CloudlessCam includes a video wall where multiple live camera feeds can be displayed simultaneously in a grid view.

Yes, if the camera supports PTZ functions and they are accessible via ONVIF. Pan, tilt, and zoom can then be controlled in CloudlessCam. Depending on the camera model and ONVIF implementation, individual PTZ functions may work differently.

Stuttering can be caused by high resolution, a high frame rate, too many simultaneous streams, a slow network connection, or high system load. For live viewing, use the camera’s substream whenever possible, reduce the resolution or frame rate, and check the network connection.

Check whether the recording configuration is enabled, whether an active storage location has been assigned, and whether any configured schedule currently allows recording. Also check whether the camera is reachable and whether enough recording slots are available. See the event log for further information.

New recordings are first cached locally and then transferred to the destination storage according to the configured transfer interval. Depending on the storage destination, network connection, and file size, it may therefore take some time before new recordings are visible in the destination storage.

Yes. You can configure the retention period and storage limits. This allows CloudlessCam to automatically remove old recordings when they are too old or when a defined storage limit has been reached.

Yes. CloudlessCam supports encrypting recordings and configurations.

Credentials are stored locally in the CloudlessCam configuration. If needed, you can encrypt the configuration to provide additional protection for sensitive credentials. Do not share configuration files with unauthorized persons.

The term depends on the license package purchased and begins immediately after purchase. After a purchased license expires, CloudlessCam remains usable with the free license, but only with the free recording slot.

Yes. A license can be activated on multiple computers, but simultaneous use is limited by the purchased license package and the available recording slots. The license page shows which slots are available and which cameras or streams currently occupy slots.

First, consult the documentation and the event log in CloudlessCam. If you encounter technical problems, you can create a support ZIP containing log files and system information and send it to support together with a detailed description of the problem, if possible.

Information about using CloudlessCam with AI agents can be found in the MCP.md file and in the CloudlessCam documentation. The MCP.md file contains instructions for setting up and using the CloudlessCam MCP server. Depending on the operating system, the MCP.md file is located directly in the CloudlessCam installation folder or in the downloaded ZIP package. AI agents, developers, and power users should read MCP.md or the documentation to configure MCP appropriately for their environment.