This is a basic guide on how to use Frigate NVR.
I’ve already managed to install Frigate NVR on my Ubuntu desktop, and it turned out to be pretty straightforward. If you follow my guide on how to install Frigate on Ubuntu Linux, I’m confident you can get it up and running on your own system, too. Frigate is a virtual NVR that runs on your own server. Think of it as turning your PC into an NVR.
In this article, you’ll learn how to use Frigate NVR, including how to add your first camera, playback recordings, and configure other basic settings.
Main View of the Frigate NVR and the List of Menus Available Within It
You can access Frigate NVR through your web browser.
Simply enter your server’s IP address followed by its port number, such as 192.168.1.11:5000, in your web browser. Frigate NVR has a clean, user-friendly interface, with several menu options displayed as icons on the main page.
Frigate NVR’s main menu includes:
- Live
- Home
- Edit Camera Groups
- Review/Playback
- Explore
- Export
- Clasification
- Settings
- Account
Under Settings, you’ll find the following options:
- System
- System Metrics
- System Logs
- Configuration
- Settings
- Configuration Editor
- Appearance
- Language
- Dark Mode
- Theme
- Help
- Documentation
- Github
You can explore the other options by navigating through Frigate NVR. The Settings menu also contains several submenus, including:
- UI Settings
- Global Configuration
- Camera Configuration
- Enrichments
- System
- Users
- Notification
- Frigate+
- Maintenance
How to Change the Language in Frigate NVR?
Frigate NVR uses English as its default language. If you’re not comfortable using English, you can change it to your preferred language.
Frigate NVR supports 21 languages, including:
- English
- Spanish
- Portuguese
- Brazilian Portuguese
- French
- German
- Italian
- Catalan
- Romanian
- Dutch
- Norwegian Bokmål
- Swedish
- Simplified Chinese
- Traditional Chinese
- Cantonese
- Korean
- Japanese
- Vietnamese
- Thai
- Hebrew
- Persian
To change the language, click the gear icon or select Settings on the Frigate NVR home page.
Next, select Languages.
Choose your preferred language from the available options, and the interface will switch to your selected language and the interface will switch to your selected language.
How Do I Add a Camera to Frigate NVR for the First Time?
When you open Frigate NVR for the first time and haven’t connected any cameras yet, the Live page will display the message “No Camera Configured. Get started by connecting a camera to Frigate.”
You can click the Add Camera button to start the process of adding your camera to Frigate NVR.
You’ll then be taken to the Manage Cameras page.
Click + Add New Camera.
Frigate NVR works with IP cameras that support ONVIF and RTSP. For this guide, I’ll be using a Bardi camera. Bardi cameras are smart Wi-Fi cameras that connect wirelessly to your network without the need for a LAN cable.
There are four steps to adding a camera to Frigate NVR.
1. Add Camera
On this page, you’ll find several camera details that you need to fill in:
- Camera Name
- Host/IP Address
- Username
- Password
- Stream Detection Method
- Probe – Automatically detects cameras on the same network and attempts to find their RTSP URLs.
- Manual Selection – Allows you to enter the RTSP URL manually.
- ONVIF Port
Here’s what I entered in the first step:
- Camera Name: Indoor
- Host/IP Address: Leave blank
- Username: Leave blank
- Password: Leave blank
- Stream Detection Mode: Select Manual Selection
- Camera Brand: Other
- Custom Stream URL: rtsp://admin:admin123@192.168.1.12:8554/stream0 — this is the RTSP URL for the Bardi camera.
Note: I left the Host/IP Address, Username, and Password fields blank because I chose to add the camera by entering its RTSP URL manually.
The RTSP URL I entered already includes the username and password.
Once you’ve filled in all the required fields, click Continue to proceed to the next step.
2. Live Preview
This page displays a live preview of the camera you’re about to connect to Frigate NVR. There’s nothing you need to do here.
The page shows the following details:
- Resolution
- FPS (Frames Per Second)
- Video
- Audio
Once you’ve checked the preview and camera details, click Continue to proceed to the next step.
3. Configure Camera Roles
Configure the stream roles and add any additional streams for your camera. On this page, you can set the roles based on your needs.
For this guide, I configured the following roles:
- Detect: Enabled
- Record: Enabled
- Audio: Enabled
Leave the other settings at their default values, then click Next to continue.
4. Stream Validation
This page shows whether the camera you’re connecting is working properly.
Don’t worry if you see the message “Stream Preview Unavailable.” The important thing is to make sure the status shows “Connected.”
There’s nothing else you need to do on this page.
Click Save New Camera to finish adding your camera to Frigate NVR.
And that’s it! I’ve successfully connected my first camera to Frigate NVR. For this guide, I used a Bardi camera, and it’s now connected and ready to use.
Note: For smoother live viewing and playback, I recommend connecting your camera and Frigate NVR server to the same network using Ethernet cables. In this guide, I connected the camera over Wi-Fi, which occasionally caused lag in the live feed.
How Do I Playback Camera Recordings in Frigate NVR?
By default, cameras added to Frigate NVR won’t record videos until recording is enabled. You’ll need to turn it on manually. Here’s how to do it:
Go to Settings > Settings > Global Configuration > Recording.
Enable Enable Recording.
Under Global Retention, set the following values:
- Continuous Retention: 1
- Motion Retention: 1
Click Save to apply the changes.
After that, wait a few moments for Frigate NVR to start recording.
To play back your recordings, click the camera on the main page, then select History.
You’ll see the recorded footage available for playback. You can also fast-forward through the footage by dragging the timeline on the right side of the screen to the part you want to watch. All recordings are stored on the hard drive installed in your PC.
How to Remove a Camera from Frigate NVR?
Removing a camera from Frigate NVR will prevent you from accessing its live view and playback through Frigate. However, the recordings may still be available in the Frigate folder stored locally on your PC. This means removing a camera doesn’t necessarily delete its recordings.
How to Remove a Camera from Frigate NVR
Go to Settings > Settings > Global Configuration.
Select Camera Management.
Click Delete Camera.
Select the camera you want to remove.
Click Delete.
That’s it! The camera has been removed from Frigate NVR. You can always add it again later if needed.
Common Issues I Encountered While Using Frigate NVR
Stream Offline
A Stream Offline status appears in Frigate NVR when a camera loses its connection. The camera window will show no video, along with the message: “No frames have been received on the Indoor detect stream, check error logs.” Here, Indoor is the camera name.
How to Fix It:
- Check that your camera is connected to the same network as your Frigate NVR server.
- Make sure the camera is powered on.
- Verify that the RTSP URL is correct.
No Preview Found
If you try to play back camera recordings in Frigate NVR but see the message “No Preview Found for Indoor” (where Indoor is your camera name), it usually means you haven’t enabled the recording feature yet.
How to Fix It:
- Check the recording settings and make sure recording is enabled.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Which Cameras Can Be Connected to Frigate NVR?
Almost all IP camera brands that support RTSP and ONVIF can be connected to Frigate NVR. Check your IP camera’s specifications to find out.
Is this Frigate NVR free?
Yes, this Frigate NVR can be used for free, forever.
Which Camera Brands Have Been Successfully Connected to Frigate NVR?
Frigate NVR is already used by the vast majority of security camera users worldwide. It successfully integrates with various camera brands—such as Reolink, Lorex, Tapo, Hikvision, Dahua, IMOU, and EZVIZ—as well as any other cameras that support RTSP and ONVIF.
Can Frigate NVR Be Used Alongside an Existing NVR?
Yes. If you already have an NVR, you can also connect your cameras to Frigate NVR. This gives you two separate places to store your recordings.
Can You Install Frigate NVR on Windows?
No. You cannot install Frigate NVR directly on Windows as a native application. However, you can still run it on a Windows PC using Windows Subsystem for Linux 2 (WSL2) and Docker Desktop. This setup allows Frigate to run in a Linux environment on your Windows computer.
Conclusion
See? It’s pretty easy, isn’t it?
If you are using a virtual NVR—such as Frigate NVR—for the first time, you might feel a bit confused, as it operates differently from traditional NVR hardware. I experienced the same thing when I first started using virtual NVR software. However, after experimenting with various camera software solutions, I realized that the underlying concepts are actually quite similar. The more you explore and use it, the more quickly you will grasp how a virtual NVR works.
Software Similar to Frigate NVR:
I hope you find this guide helpful. Give it a try, and have fun exploring Frigate NVR!