See everything. Own your footage.
IP camera systems for small businesses — from straightforward Reolink installs to open-source Frigate NVRs with AI detection. Remote viewing from your phone, recorded evidence when you need it, and hardware that stays under your roof.
More than surveillance. Peace of mind.
A well-placed camera system is one of the highest-return investments a small business can make — deterring problems before they happen and giving you evidence when they do.
Physical deterrence
Visible cameras are one of the most effective theft and vandalism deterrents. The presence alone changes behavior before anything happens.
Remote viewing
Check in on your shop from your phone from anywhere — whether you’re off-site, on a delivery run, or just want peace of mind after hours.
Recorded evidence
Continuous or motion-triggered recordings mean you have real footage for insurance claims, police reports, or employee disputes — not just a story.
Motion alerts
Get a push notification the moment activity is detected after hours. Know about an incident while it’s happening, not the next morning.
Historical playback
Scrub back through days or weeks of footage to piece together a timeline — who was there, when, and what actually happened.
Hardware you own
Your cameras, your recorder, your footage. No mandatory cloud plan, no foreign-owned servers. The recordings stay on your property.
Reolink or Frigate — both on hardware you own.
I offer two approaches depending on your budget, technical appetite and how much control you want. Both record locally, both support remote viewing, and neither depends on a foreign-owned cloud.
Reolink
Off-the-shelf PoE (Power over Ethernet) cameras and NVRs from Reolink — a US-operated company — give small businesses reliable HD or 4K coverage at a sensible price. Simple to use, solid app for remote viewing, and no mandatory ongoing subscription.
- PoE cameras — one cable per camera for power and video
- 4K or 1080p options depending on your needs and budget
- Local NVR storage — footage stays on-site
- Reolink mobile app for remote live view and playback
- US-operated company, straightforward privacy policy
Best for: A single-location shop that wants solid coverage at a sensible price and a simple, familiar phone app.
Frigate
Frigate is a fully open-source Network Video Recorder (NVR) with on-device AI object detection — it knows the difference between a person, a car, and a cat before it sends you an alert. It runs entirely on your own hardware, keeps footage local, and integrates with Home Assistant for smart-home-style automations. No cloud. No subscription. No foreign-controlled software.
- Open-source NVR — no vendor lock-in, no surprise price changes
- AI object detection: person, vehicle, animal — far fewer false alerts
- Runs entirely on hardware you own, footage never leaves your property
- Works with RTSP-compatible cameras from many manufacturers
- Home Assistant integration for alerts, automations and dashboards
Best for: A business that wants maximum control, the sharpest alerts, and a system with no ongoing subscription to any vendor.
US-based software. Your footage stays yours.
The most widely installed security cameras in the world — Hikvision and Dahua — are manufactured by companies with documented ties to the Chinese government and have been banned from US federal procurement under the National Defense Authorization Act. Their software phones home. Their cloud services store footage outside US jurisdiction.
Reolink is a US-operated company with a straightforward privacy policy and no government procurement ban. Frigate is fully open-source — you can read every line of code, and it runs entirely inside your building. With either option, your footage goes nowhere you haven’t approved.
It’s a small decision with a long tail. I won’t install hardware that creates a risk you didn’t know you were taking on.
Case studies in the works.
Installs are underway — check back for before/after photos and write-ups once clients have signed off.
Local fitness business
Reolink PoE install covering the entrance, training floor and parking lot. Client approval to publish pending.
Bell’s Delites, Parkesburg
Migrating from a proprietary non-US system to a locally hosted Frigate NVR. Write-up will follow once the conversion is complete.
Straight answers.
How many cameras do I need?
It depends on your layout. Most small shops cover their bases with two to four cameras: entrance/exit, register, stockroom and parking. I walk the space with you, map the blind spots, and spec exactly what your building needs — no upsell.
Do I need an internet connection for the cameras to work?
No. Both Reolink NVR systems and Frigate record locally, so footage is captured and stored on-site even if the internet is down. Remote viewing and motion alerts do require an internet connection, but recording never stops without one.
Why does it matter whether the hardware and software are US-based?
Some of the most widely installed camera hardware — Hikvision, Dahua — is manufactured by Chinese state-connected companies and has been flagged by US government agencies for security concerns. Foreign-owned cloud systems can also store your footage in jurisdictions outside US law. I only spec systems where you know whose hands your footage is in.
What is Frigate and why would I choose it over a standard NVR?
Frigate is an open-source NVR that runs AI object detection on every frame locally — on a small computer in your building. Standard NVRs trigger on any pixel change, which means wind-blown leaves and headlights set off alerts constantly. Frigate only alerts on people, vehicles or whatever you configure. You get alerts worth reading. It also has no cloud dependency and no vendor who can change pricing or shut down.
Is there a monthly fee?
Not for the core system. Both Reolink NVR and Frigate-based setups record locally with no mandatory subscription. There are optional cloud backup add-ons for Reolink if you want off-site redundancy, but they’re never required. Your quote separates one-time setup and hardware from any optional ongoing support.
What if I already have cameras installed?
It depends on what you have. RTSP-compatible cameras (most PoE cameras) can often be folded into a Frigate setup. Proprietary systems that only work with their own app are harder to reuse. Tell me what you have and I’ll let you know what’s salvageable.
Get on the list.
Security camera installs are launching soon. Reach out now and I'll follow up with availability and a free walk-through quote.