Frigate NVR: ONVIF & RTSP Camera Support
Frigate, the open-source NVR built around local AI detection, is brand-agnostic by design: cameras integrate over standard RTSP streams, and Frigate's official configuration uses ONVIF for the parts where a protocol is needed — PTZ control including autotracking. There is no vendor allow-list at all; if the camera speaks RTSP, Frigate records it.
How to add a third-party camera
- Add the camera in Frigate's config by RTSP stream URL (main and sub stream).
- For PTZ cameras, add the onvif section with host and credentials to enable control and autotracking.
- Point Frigate's detector (e.g. Coral/GPU) at the sub stream for AI detection — Frigate's AI runs locally, so third-party cameras get full detection regardless of brand.
- No allow-list exists: any RTSP source is valid.
What works vs what breaks on third-party cameras
- Recording for any RTSP camera
- Local AI object detection independent of camera brand
- PTZ and autotracking via ONVIF
- Vendor cloud features (by design — Frigate is local-first)
- Anything requiring the camera maker's proprietary protocol
Common questions
Frigate is brand-agnostic: video comes in over RTSP for essentially any IP camera, and ONVIF is used for PTZ control and autotracking. There is no camera allow-list.
Yes — unlike brand NVRs, Frigate's object detection runs locally on your hardware against the camera's sub-stream, so detection quality does not depend on the camera's own analytics.
Vendor cloud apps and their proprietary features. In exchange you get local-first recording, hardware-accelerated AI detection on every camera, and zero lock-in.
Sources — Frigate NVR's own documentation
Policies change with firmware generations — always confirm against the vendor's current documentation before buying hardware for a mixed fleet. Check any camera's ONVIF certification record in our database.