NeuroWatch is a self-hosted security camera recorder for Linux and Windows that keeps recording offline, with NeuroWatch Cloud, a browser portal for live view, playback and recorder health that needs no open ports and does not store your recordings.
| NeuroWatch | Typical cloud camera service | Recorder with a forwarded port | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where recordings are kept | On your recorder's own disks | On the provider's servers | On the recorder |
| Video sent over your internet connection | Only while someone is watching | Every recorded camera, around the clock | Only while someone is watching |
| Ports opened on your network | None: the recorder connects out | Usually none | At least one, or a VPN |
| When the internet goes down | Recording carries on; the portal shows the recorder offline | Cloud recording stops until it is back | Recording carries on; remote access stops |
| Who can read camera passwords | Only your recorder; the portal relays them sealed | Usually the provider | The recorder, reachable through that port |
The two other columns describe typical setups; individual products vary.
NeuroWatch is free for up to 16 cameras, with no account required for local use. NeuroWatch Unlimited is now USD 0 (normally USD 50), with sign-up required before downloading and no software camera limit; capacity depends on your hardware. Unlimited includes a support response within 24 hours at [email protected]. Download either edition from the downloads page. Optional NeuroWatch Cloud plans are separate.
NeuroWatch is a self-hosted video recorder for security cameras. It records IP, ONVIF and USB cameras on a Linux or Windows machine at your site and keeps working without internet. NeuroWatch Cloud is its web portal: once a recorder is linked, your team can watch live, review recordings and check the recorder's health from a browser.
No. Recording happens on your own machine and footage stays on its disks. NeuroWatch Cloud lets people watch and manage linked recorders from a browser, but it does not store your recordings. Clips you export from the portal are kept in the cloud for 7 days so you can download them, and some plugins may save data in the cloud: check the plugin's information for details.
Yes. Capture, recording and playback all run on the recorder, so they carry on without internet. The portal shows the recorder as offline until it reconnects.
No. Recordings stay on the recorder's own disks. NeuroWatch Cloud only knows when recordings exist, to draw the timeline. When someone plays footage, the recorder streams it while they watch and the portal does not store it. Clips you export from the portal are kept in the cloud for 7 days so you can download them, and some plugins may save data in the cloud: check the plugin's information for details.
No. The recorder makes outbound connections only, so nothing on the internet connects into your network.
Network cameras over RTSP or RTSPS, RTMP and MJPEG over HTTP(S), V4L2 devices such as USB cameras, and local video files. ONVIF cameras can be found by searching the recorder's network and added by IP address.
Windows 10 and 11 (64-bit), Ubuntu 22.04 or newer, Debian 12 or newer, Fedora 43 or newer and Arch Linux, plus ARM64 on recent Ubuntu, Debian and Fedora. A package for 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS is available but has not been tested on Raspberry Pi hardware yet. It can also run headless or in Docker. Either way, a linked recorder can be set up from the portal while it is online.
No. When you add a camera from the portal, its address and password are encrypted in your browser for that one recorder. The cloud relays ciphertext it cannot read, holds it for at most a minute and never writes it to its database.
Owners and admins can link recorders, change settings and open diagnostics. Viewers can watch live and review recordings, but cannot change anything.
On the Recorders page, create a one-time enrollment code; it is shown once and is valid for five minutes. On the recorder, open Settings → Cloud Link, paste the code and press Link. Its cameras appear in the portal within a minute.
NeuroWatch Cloud keeps no backup of your recordings. If the recorder's disks fail, footage on them is lost, so plan disk redundancy on the recorder. Live view and playback from the portal need the recorder to be online. Alerts cannot be sent by email yet: they go to the desktop, ntfy, Telegram or a webhook. NeuroWatch itself has no AI object detection: analysis comes from plugins, and the included plugin detects motion. There are no macOS or 32-bit builds. NeuroWatch is in beta: release checks install it and play generated video on each supported system, but they do not qualify physical cameras, graphics cards or displays.