CamWatch, Self-Hosted RTSP Security Camera Recorder Software—How I Installed on Linux Ubuntu and Used It

I first came across CamWatch in a Reddit post, which made me curious enough to give it a try.

Yes, there are developers who have created virtual video recorders, commonly known as self-hosted NVR or VMS software. Since I had some free time on the evening of October 30, 2026, I decided to try installing and using CamWatch on my Ubuntu Desktop PC. It took me around 40 minutes to get everything installed and running. I spent most of that time going through the documentation provided by the developer to understand the installation process and how the software works.

Fortunately, I managed to install it successfully. You can use my experience as a guide to help you install CamWatch on your Ubuntu PC.

What Is CamWatch?

CamWatch caught my attention because it functions as a self-hosted virtual NVR that you can run on your own PC or server.

What’s great is that you can add almost any security camera that supports the RTSP protocol. This means you don’t need to replace your existing cameras to try out CamWatch; you can simply connect them to the software and explore the various additional smart features it offers, effectively giving your standard IP cameras expanded capabilities.

Here are the features that the developer claims CamWatch offers:

• Sends push notifications to your phone when it detects a person, vehicle, or animal.
• Learns to recognize the faces of people you add to the system.
• Sends silent notifications when members of your own family are detected.
• Reads license plates and identifies vehicles it recognizes.
• Keeps track of who comes and goes, with a weekly activity report.
• Lets you view live footage and recorded clips through a web browser or smartphone.
• Backs up alarm recordings to iCloud, Google Drive, a NAS, and other storage destinations. All backups are encrypted.
• Integrates with Home Assistant through MQTT.
• Allows you to update the software directly from the settings page. If an update fails, it automatically rolls back to the previous version.

The PC I’m Using

Here are the specifications of the Ubuntu PC I used to install and run CamWatch:

• PC: Dell OptiPlex 3060 Micro x64
• RAM: 8 GB
• Storage: 500 GB
• Processor: Intel Core i3-8100T @ 3.10 GHz

How Do I Install CamWatch on a PC Using Ubuntu Desktop?

To try out CamWatch, I’ll install it on my Ubuntu Desktop PC.

According to the developer, CamWatch can run on Linux-based PCs. The developer also explains that Windows users can install it using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux). WSL is an official Microsoft feature that allows you to run a Linux environment directly on Windows without installing a traditional virtual machine, such as VirtualBox, or setting up a dual-boot system.

This means you don’t necessarily need a dedicated Linux PC to try CamWatch. You can also use a Windows computer with WSL installed.

macOS users can install CamWatch using Multipass.

1. Install MariaDB Server

Before installing CamWatch, I needed to prepare my Ubuntu Desktop PC by installing MariaDB, which CamWatch uses as its database system.

To install MariaDB Server on my Ubuntu Desktop PC, I opened the Terminal and ran the following command:

sudo apt install mariadb-server

If the prompt “Continue? [Y/n]” appears, type Y and press Enter to continue.

To be honest, I’m more familiar with security camera installation, network configuration, and troubleshooting than with server administration or database management.

So, I had to spend some time understanding what CamWatch needed before I could get started. From what I learned during the installation, MariaDB plays an important role in storing the data CamWatch needs to operate. In other words, I couldn’t just install CamWatch and expect it to work without preparing its database first.

2. Creating a Database

After installing MariaDB Server, my next step was to create a database for CamWatch.

To create a database for CamWatch, simply open the Terminal and enter the following command:

sudo mariadb -e "CREATE DATABASE camwatch; CREATE USER 'camwatch'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'choose-a-password'; GRANT ALL ON camwatch.* TO 'camwatch'@'localhost';"

Note: Replace choose-a-password with a password of your choice. For example, I used admin123 as the password for the database I created.

At first, I wasn’t entirely sure how to do this because I don’t work with databases very often. I’m more familiar with configuring security cameras and NVR systems than managing database servers. However, after following the instructions in the CamWatch documentation, I was able to figure it out.

4. Copying/Downloading Source Code from Git

Once I had finished preparing the database, the next step was to get the CamWatch source code.

I did this by cloning the project from Git directly through the Ubuntu Terminal.

If you’re following along with my installation, you can do the same by opening the Terminal and running the following command:

git clone https://github.com/johanhoel/amplitude.git && cd amplitude/CamWatch

Once the CamWatch code has been cloned, the next step is to run the following command in the Terminal:

cp .env.example .env

The above command to copy the .env file.

4. Installing CamWatch

To start the CamWatch installation process, open the Terminal and enter the following command:

sudo ./deploy.sh

When I ran the command for the first time, I encountered an error message:

sudo: cannot execute ‘/home/pstv/amplitude/CamWatch/deploy.sh’: Permission denied (os error 13)

If you run into the same issue, don’t worry. I encountered it during my installation too. You can fix this by entering the following command in the Terminal:

chmod +x deploy.sh

After that, I ran the installation command again in the Terminal:

sudo ./deploy.sh

After running the command, the following message should appear in the Terminal:

Copying files to /opt/camwatch
Edit RTSP_URL in /opt/camwatch/.env first (notifications can be set later on the web UI's Settings page)

This message explains that I need to update some of the settings in the .env file before I can proceed with the CamWatch installation. Please type this command in the terminal to edit the file:

sudo nano .env

If you run the previous command and receive an error message such as Cannot read .env: Permission denied, it means you do not have the necessary permissions to access or serve the .env file. I also encountered this issue during installation. To resolve it, you need to change the file’s permissions by entering the following command in the Terminal:

sudo chown $(whoami) .env

After changing the file permissions, I tried running the previous command again in the Terminal:

sudo nano .env

At this point, I was able to open and edit the .env file successfully. Here are the settings I needed to update before continuing with the CamWatch installation:

• RTSP_URL
• DB_PASSWORD

According to the instructions in the .env file, I needed to update all the lines marked REQUIRED before continuing with the installation. Once I had finished making the changes, I pressed Ctrl+C and then Y to save the file and exit the editor.

Tuliskan kembali perintah:

cp .env.example .env
sudo ./deploy.sh

At this point, the CamWatch installation process began.

It took around 15 minutes on my Ubuntu Desktop PC, so I took a little break and grabbed a cup of coffee while waiting for everything to finish. You can do the same and let the installation run in the background.

Once the installation is complete, you can access CamWatch via a web browser on your PC.

How to Access CamWatch Through a Web Browser After Installation?

To access CamWatch, I opened a web browser on my PC and entered the IP address of my Ubuntu server or PC, followed by the port number. You can do the same using the IP address of the computer where you installed CamWatch.

For example:

192.168.1.11:8080.

A login window should then appear on the screen, asking you to enter your password. Since I had already configured the password in the .env file during installation, I simply entered my login credentials to access CamWatch.

And here’s what the CamWatch dashboard looks like on my Ubuntu PC.

Since I had already configured the RTSP_URL in the .env file, the CamWatch dashboard automatically displayed the live feed from my Bardi security camera, which supports RTSP.

How to Use CamWatch: Adding Faces and Vehicle License Plates

As explained by the developer, CamWatch includes facial recognition and vehicle license plate recognition features.

To use these features, you first need to add photos of the faces you want CamWatch to recognize and enter the corresponding vehicle license plate numbers. Once these details have been added, CamWatch can identify those people and vehicles when they appear in front of your security cameras.

Adding a Face to CamWatch

1. Scroll down the dashboard page.
2. Select People.
3. Enter the person’s name.
4. Select a photo of their face.

Once you’ve filled in all the details, click Add Person to save the information.

Adding a Vehicle License Plate to CamWatch

1. Select Plates on the dashboard.
2. Enter the vehicle’s license plate number and the owner’s name in the fields provided.

Click Add Known Plate to save the information

Creating a Detection Zone Line

1. Select Zones on the dashboard.
2. Enter a name for the zone and select the Trigger Zone option.
3. Click Draw New Zone.
4. On the camera preview, draw an outline around the specific area where you want CamWatch to detect activity. For example, you can select your front gate, driveway, or entrance.

Once you’ve finished drawing the zone, click Save Zones to save your settings.

Now that the basic setup is complete, it’s time to explore what CamWatch can really do!

You can use Timelapse to review recorded footage, Search to find specific recordings, and try out the other features available on the dashboard. Take some time to click through the different menus and see what each one offers. Most menus include helpful descriptions, so you can easily learn how each feature works. Don’t be afraid to explore and experiment with CamWatch!

Final Thoughts

You can follow the same steps I used in this guide to install CamWatch on your Ubuntu PC.

Unfortunately, I don’t have a Windows PC, so I haven’t been able to test the installation process and create a step-by-step guide for Windows users. If you’re using Windows or macOS, you can find the installation instructions for both operating systems in the official CamWatch documentation on the developer’s website. I’ve included a link to the documentation below.

I hope you find my CamWatch installation guide helpful. Give it a try, and have fun exploring CamWatch!