Representative Architecture
SmartCam
Edge pipeline overview
Architecture Diagram
SmartCam
Edge-computing surveillance system with MediaMTX streaming, WebRTC live view, local recording pipeline, and mobile monitoring application.
Overview
SmartCam is a comprehensive edge-computing camera system that processes video locally, streams via WebRTC, records to local storage, and provides mobile monitoring — eliminating cloud dependency and subscription costs.
Problem
Cloud-based surveillance systems create privacy risks, introduce latency, and incur ongoing subscription costs. Organizations and homeowners need local-first alternatives with professional capabilities.
Hardware
Raspberry Pi 4 (4GB) with official camera module. PoE HAT for single-cable deployment. Optional IR module for low-light environments. Weatherproof enclosure for outdoor deployment.
MediaMTX
MediaMTX serves as the streaming backbone — ingesting RTSP from camera modules, transcoding to H.264, and distributing via WebRTC and HLS. Handles multiple concurrent viewers with minimal CPU overhead.
WebRTC
WebRTC provides sub-500ms live view in the web dashboard and mobile app. STUN/TURN configuration for NAT traversal. Adaptive bitrate for varying network conditions.
Storage Pipeline
Segmented MP4 recording with configurable retention (7/14/30 days). Motion-triggered event clips stored separately. Automatic cleanup based on storage thresholds. RAID-1 NAS for recording redundancy.
Recording Architecture
Continuous recording to local NAS via NFS mount. Motion events trigger clip extraction and notification. Thumbnail generation for event browser. Export functionality for incident review.
Mobile App
React Native application for iOS and Android. Live view via WebRTC. Push notifications for motion events. Event timeline with thumbnail preview. Remote arm/disarm functionality.
Monitoring
Prometheus metrics for stream health, storage usage, and CPU temperature. Grafana dashboard for multi-camera overview. Alertmanager integration for offline camera detection.
Future Roadmap
ONVIF camera support for third-party IP cameras. AI object classification (person, vehicle, animal). Face recognition for access control integration. Multi-site federation for distributed deployments.
Architecture Visuals
Representative architecture diagrams. Actual facility photographs and confidential diagrams are not published.
Representative Architecture
SmartCam Architecture
Edge pipeline overview
Architecture Diagram
Representative Architecture
Live View Dashboard
WebRTC multi-camera view
Dashboard
Representative Architecture
Mobile App
iOS/Android monitoring
Mobile App
Representative Architecture
Streaming Pipeline
MediaMTX data flow
Network Topology
Lessons Learned
- MediaMTX provides production-grade streaming without the complexity of custom RTSP servers
- WebRTC is essential for low-latency live view but requires careful NAT traversal planning
- Local storage retention policies must be designed before deployment, not after