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Show HN: Open-source private home security camera system (end-to-end encryption)

(github.com)
551 points arrdalan | 2 comments | 30 Nov 24 22:13 UTC | HN request time: 0.614s | source

I needed a security camera inside my house, one that would send motion notifications to my smartphone and would allow me to livestream remotely. However, I could not find one that I could trust due to privacy concerns. Many of them upload the plaintext of videos to their servers and none is fully open-source as far as I know. Therefore, I decided to use my spare time to build one from scratch. Called Privastead (as in Private Homestead), it uses OpenMLS for end-to-end encryption (between the camera local hub and the smartphone) and is mostly implemented in Rust (except for part of the Android app that is implemented in Kotlin). The system is functional now and I've been using it in my own house for the past couple of weeks.

Based on some of the discussions I've seen online, it seems like there are other users who are also concerned with the privacy implications of home security cameras. Therefore, I decided to open source my solution for everyone to use. If you need a privacy-preserving home security camera, please give it a try and provide feedback. Note that trying out the system requires you to have a supported IP camera, a local machine connected to the IP camera, a server, and an Android smartphone. I have put together detailed instructions on setting up the system, which I hope makes it easier for others to get the system up and running.

In addition, consider contributing to the project. The prototype currently has a lot of limitations: mainly that it has only been tested with one IP camera, only allows the use of one camera, and only supports Android. I'll continue to improve the prototype as time permits, but progress will be much faster if there are other contributors as well.

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KetoManx64 ◴[01 Dec 24 01:11 UTC] No.42285332[source]▶
Wow!! Very cool project. The reasons you mentioned above are the exact reason that I have not setup security cameras at my house, but this makes me reconsider. Combined with the OSS firmware: https://github.com/openmiko/openmiko this would make a killer combo for privacy conscious individuals.
replies(2): >>42285367 #>>42285442 #
ranger_danger ◴[01 Dec 24 01:18 UTC] No.42285367[source]▶
The best time to have security cameras is yesterday. Same for a dash cam. Please protect yourself and your loved ones.
replies(5): >>42285466 #>>42285537 #>>42289441 #>>42293791 #>>42298514 #
1. nothrabannosir ◴[02 Dec 24 06:59 UTC] No.42293791[source]▶
Against what does a security camera protect you? I understand for a business that can afford a human being monitoring the feed, it offers protection by reducing response time to potential threats. But for individuals? I thought it was about justice, not protection.

Or did you mean as a deterrent? Which is fair enough (although a fake camera would achieve the same)

replies(1): >>42293831 #
2. ranger_danger ◴[02 Dec 24 07:07 UTC] No.42293831[source]▶
It can be all of that and more. And in my case, if someone breaks into your house and steals your stuff, the police will not care because you don't have any evidence. And then your insurance doesn't believe you either and threatens to drop you.

And if someone is trespassing and about to commit a crime, you can be notified (yes even as an individual, with your own private self-hosted solutions even) immediately so that you can call police or deal with it however you want, especially if you're not home.