How to Set Up a Local Security Camera System for Under $300

You do not need Ring, Nest, or any subscription service to have a solid home security camera system. For under $300 one-time, you can build a 3-camera local NVR setup that records 24/7, sends smart alerts, and never charges a monthly fee.

The $300 Parts List

• Beelink EQ12 mini PC (or similar): $150
• 3x Reolink RLC-810A PoE cameras: $120 ($40 each)
• TP-Link TL-SG1005P 5-port PoE switch: $30
• Total: $300

This list uses the mini PC as the NVR server with internal storage (most mini PCs include 256GB+ SSD, enough for 1–2 weeks of motion-triggered recording from 3 cameras). If you want more storage, add a USB hard drive ($30 for 1TB).

Step 1: Set Up the Mini PC

Install Home Assistant OS on the Beelink EQ12 following the standard x86 installation process. This gives you the full Home Assistant environment including the add-on store for Frigate. If you prefer a dedicated NVR without Home Assistant, install Ubuntu Server 24.04 and run Frigate via Docker.

Step 2: Install the Cameras

Plan your camera positions before drilling. Consider the front door (most important location, mount at 8–10 feet height), back door or garage (second priority entry point), and driveway or side yard (wider coverage). Run Ethernet cable from each camera location to the PoE switch.

Step 3: Connect to the PoE Switch

Plug each Reolink camera into a PoE port on the switch. Connect the switch to your router with another Ethernet cable. The cameras will appear on your network as they power on — find their IP addresses in your router admin panel.

Step 4: Configure Frigate

Install the Frigate add-on in Home Assistant and configure each camera with its RTSP URL. The Reolink RLC-810A uses:

rtsp://admin:YOUR_PASSWORD@CAMERA_IP:554/h264Preview_01_main

Set up motion detection zones to reduce false positives. Configure recording retention — for 3 cameras on 256GB storage, 10–14 days of motion-triggered recording is realistic.

Step 5: Enable Person Detection

With an Intel-based mini PC, use OpenVINO for hardware-accelerated detection:

detectors:
  ov:
    type: openvino
    device: AUTO

Step 6: Set Up Notifications

In Home Assistant, create an automation: trigger when Frigate detects a person on any of the 3 cameras, condition it to when the home is in Away mode, and send a push notification to your phone via the Home Assistant Companion app including the latest camera snapshot.

Ongoing Costs: $0

After the initial setup, this system costs nothing to run beyond electricity (~$15–20/year for the mini PC). No subscription, no cloud, no expiring footage. Your recordings are yours, stored on your hardware, accessible only by you.

How much footage actually fits

Storage is the detail the parts list above skips. Frigate only keeps recordings tied to detected motion/events by default (not 24/7 raw video), which changes the math a lot. For 3 cameras at 1080p with motion-based recording, expect roughly 7–14 days of retention on a 256GB–512GB drive for a typically active household — quiet areas retain longer, high-traffic entries shorter. If you want guaranteed continuous 24/7 recording instead of motion-only, budget for a 1–2TB drive and expect closer to 5–10 days at that same camera count.

Scaling past 3 cameras

The $300 build has headroom: the Beelink EQ12 handles up to about 4–6 cameras total (see the mini PC guide for hardware acceleration details), so adding a 4th or 5th camera is mostly just the ~$40 camera cost plus an extra port on the PoE switch — the 5-port switch in the parts list already has room for 2 more before you’d need to upgrade it.

Mounting outdoor cameras properly

Even PoE cameras rated for outdoor use benefit from basic precautions: mount under an eave or add a small sun/rain shield to extend lens and housing life, and run the Ethernet cable through conduit or a wall entry point rather than leaving it exposed, which protects both from weather and from being an obvious cut-and-disable point.

Infrared vs. color night vision

The Reolink RLC-810A in this build uses traditional infrared (IR) night vision by default — reliable, but black-and-white footage that makes identifying clothing color or vehicle color impossible after dark. Stepping up to a spotlight-equipped model (like the RLC-823A, roughly $20 more per camera) triggers a visible light on motion for full-color night footage — genuinely useful for identifying a person or car color, at the cost of announcing the camera’s presence and a small increase to the parts budget.