# NextNVR

A lightweight, self-hosted video recorder for IP cameras. Records 8 RTSP streams into 5-minute MP4 clips with near-zero CPU usage. Built for the **Casa Alba Mindelo** guesthouse.

---

## Quick Install

Copy and paste this single line into your terminal:

```bash
curl -sSL https://git.lohmar.co.uk/cclohmar/NextNVR/raw/branch/main/setup.sh | bash
```

That's it. The script installs everything needed and starts NextNVR automatically.

Once done, open the web interface in your browser (the script prints the URL).

---

## Supported Systems

| Distro | Package Manager | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Debian 12+ / Ubuntu 22.04+ | `apt` | ✅ Tested |
| Fedora 40+ / RHEL 9+ | `dnf` / `yum` | ✅ |
| Arch Linux | `pacman` | ✅ |
| Alpine Linux | `apk` | ✅ |
| Other (systemd) | auto-detect | ✅ |
| Other (no systemd) | fallback to `nohup` | ✅ |

- **ARM64** (Raspberry Pi, etc.) — auto-detected
- **Root or sudo** — handles both

---

## What It Does

| Feature | Detail |
|---|---|
| 📹 **Recording** | 8 cameras simultaneously, 5-minute MP4 clips |
| 💾 **Storage** | Saves to `/mnt/recordings/` — keeps 18 days, auto-deletes older |
| 🖥️ **Live Wall** | 4×2 grid showing all cameras at once. Click one to enlarge. |
| 🔍 **Playback** | Browse recordings by camera and date with presets (Today, Yesterday, Last 7 Days) |
| ⚙️ **Setup Wizard** | Scans your network for cameras and helps you name them |
| 🔒 **Local Only** | Everything runs on your own hardware. No cloud, no subscriptions. |

---

## Server

| What | Detail |
|---|---|
| Web interface | `http://<server-ip>:8080` |
| Config file | `/opt/nextnvr/config.yaml` |
| Recordings | `/mnt/recordings/` |
| Logs | `sudo journalctl -u nextnvr -f` (systemd) or `tail -f /opt/nextnvr/nextnvr.log` (nohup) |

### Useful Commands

```bash
sudo systemctl status nextnvr     # is it running?
sudo systemctl restart nextnvr    # restart after changing config
sudo systemctl stop nextnvr       # stop recording
sudo journalctl -u nextnvr -f     # watch live logs
```

---

## How It Works

```
IP Cameras                    NextNVR                        Your Browser
───────────                 ──────────                      ─────────────
192.168.1.201 ─┐                                          
192.168.1.202 ─┤   RTSP      FFmpeg -c copy      .mp4     http://192.168.1.10:8080
192.168.1.203 ─┼──────────►  (no re-encoding) ────────►   Live Wall + Playback
    ...        ┤              5 min segments               Settings + Setup
192.168.1.209 ─┘              auto-delete >18d
```

- **Zero transcoding** — FFmpeg copies the video stream directly. CPU stays under 5%.
- **Crash-proof** — if a camera disconnects, it auto-reconnects after 5 seconds.
- **Atomic files** — recording in progress uses `.part.mp4`. Only renamed to `.mp4` when complete. No corrupted files.

---

## Adding or Changing Cameras

1. Open the web interface in your browser
2. Click the **Settings** tab
3. Click **🔍 Scan Network** to find your cameras
4. Give each camera a name and description
5. Click **💾 Save Configuration**
6. Restart: `sudo systemctl restart nextnvr`

Or edit the config file directly:

```bash
sudo nano /opt/nextnvr/config.yaml
sudo systemctl restart nextnvr
```

---

## Updating

```bash
curl -sSL https://git.lohmar.co.uk/cclohmar/NextNVR/raw/branch/main/setup.sh | bash
```

The script pulls the latest version and restarts the service automatically.

---

## Troubleshooting

| Problem | Check |
|---|---|
| Can't open the web page | Is NextNVR running? `sudo systemctl status nextnvr` |
| No cameras showing | Check `config.yaml` — are camera IPs and passwords correct? |
| Recordings not saving | Does `/mnt/recordings/` exist? Is the disk mounted? (`df -h`) |
| Disk full | Recordings older than 18 days are auto-deleted. Check `df -h /mnt/recordings` |

---

Built with ❤️ in Mindelo, Portugal. 🇵🇹