Recommended cameras & hardware
A curated, opinionated list. Not exhaustive — Fregata works with anything that exposes RTSP, and any Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 13+ — but if you’re starting from scratch, these are the brands and models that we recommend.
What to look for
Section titled “What to look for”The right Mac depends on how many cameras you’re running and whether you’re using Fregata’s optional GenAI / semantic-search features. For most users, a base Mac mini M4 (or newer) is WAY more than enough.
- Apple Silicon. M1 or newer. Intel Macs lack the Neural Engine and aren’t supported.
- macOS 13 (Ventura) or later for the CoreML APIs Fregata targets.
- Wired Ethernet between the Mac and your camera VLAN, where practical. Wi-Fi can work, but will increase latency and could be a limiting factor.
- Storage Don’t spend extra on internal Mac storage. Recordings to an external drive works perfectly — Thunderbolt or USB-C 10 Gbps. A network share to a reliable NAS also works great.
Mac mini M4 (base) — many cameras
Section titled “Mac mini M4 (base) — many cameras”The sweet spot. M4 chip, 16 GB unified memory, 256 GB SSD, fits on a shelf, draws ~5 W idle / ~25 W under load. Eight cameras at 4K / 10 fps detection sit at ~10 % CPU.
Apple Mac mini M4 (16 GB / 256 GB) on Amazon →
Mac mini M4 (24 GB) — many cameras, GenAI features
Section titled “Mac mini M4 (24 GB) — many cameras, GenAI features”Same chip, more RAM. The extra 8 GB matters if you plan to run generative AI features like running models via ollama to describe what is seen on your cameras via text or plan to run other apps and services on the same Mac.
Apple Mac mini M4 (24 GB / 256 GB) on Amazon →
Mac mini M4 Pro — 16+ cameras, GenAI features, future-proofing
Section titled “Mac mini M4 Pro — 16+ cameras, GenAI features, future-proofing”The M4 Pro is overkill for pure NVR work but earns its keep if you’re enabling Frigate’s GenAI event descriptions, semantic search embeddings, face recognition, or LPR — those load the GPU separately from the ANE detector. Default config is 24 GB / 512 GB; the 48 GB / 1 TB SKU gives a huge amount of headroom.
Apple Mac mini M4 Pro (24 GB / 512 GB) on Amazon →
Apple Mac mini M4 Pro (48 GB / 1 TB) on Amazon →
Mac Studio, Mac Pro, MacBook Pro
Section titled “Mac Studio, Mac Pro, MacBook Pro”All work. The Studio and Pro are massive overkill for an NVR unless you’re doing other heavy work on the same machine. A MacBook Pro on AC power makes a perfectly capable NVR — Fregata holds a sleep-prevention assertion while running, so the laptop stays awake — but the lid-close-sleeps caveat still applies; if you’re using a laptop, run it in clamshell mode with an external display attached, or keep the lid open.
Visit the official Apple Store on Amazon
Cameras
Section titled “Cameras”- RTSP, with credentials in the URL. The protocol Fregata is built around. If a camera advertises RTSP, it’ll work; if it only does its vendor’s cloud app, it won’t.
- H.264 or HEVC, not MJPEG. VideoToolbox accelerates the first two on the dedicated media engine; MJPEG falls back to CPU and erases some of Fregata’s perf advantage.
- PoE over Wi-Fi. Power-over-Ethernet is more reliable, more secure, and removes RF interference as a class of failure mode. A small unmanaged PoE switch turns the cameras into one cable each.
- Sub-stream is nice but not required. Older Frigate-on-Linux installs needed a low-res sub-stream because CPU detection at full resolution was painful; Fregata runs detection at full resolution and full FPS on the ANE without breaking a sweat. See Cameras — Sub-streams: optional power saver.
- No cloud lock-in. Cameras that require a vendor account or monthly subscription to get RTSP turned on (Ring, Nest, most Wyze SKUs) are the wrong choice — even if you can technically get them working.
EmpireTech
Section titled “EmpireTech”A Dahua re-badge marketed for consumer / DIY install. Usually has high quality Dahua models in stock for American and European customers where Dahua can be harder to find. Most EmpireTech models work with the same RTSP URL shapes as Dahua.
Amcrest
Section titled “Amcrest”Mid-tier, prosumer. RTSP-first philosophy, often slightly higher build quality, often slightly higher price. The 4K PoE turret line is well-regarded; the 4MP line is a sensible budget pick.
Reolink
Section titled “Reolink”Affordable, RTSP works out of the box, broad lineup from indoor desktop cams to PoE bullet/turret to multi-camera kits with included NVRs (you’ll skip the NVR and let Fregata record). Most models support sub-streams if you want them. Some users report low night time image quality or weird RTSP compatibility quirks with some Reolink models. Quality varies from very poor to very good.
The OEM manufacturer behind EmpireTech, Amcrest, Lorex, and a long list of US-market re-badges. Bought direct, you get more options and slightly better pricing — at the cost of more research (firmware versions, regional variants) and less polished consumer-facing documentation.
Hikvision
Section titled “Hikvision”Premium feature set: ColorVu (color night vision without IR), AcuSense (on-camera object detection that’s separate from Fregata’s), high-end PTZ. Heavier consumer ecosystem than Dahua’s direct line. One caveat worth knowing about: Hikvision is on the US Commerce Department’s Entity List, which restricts use in some federal / critical-infrastructure contexts. For a home install this doesn’t apply, but check your situation if it might.
A Dahua re-badge marketed for consumer / DIY install. Better documentation than Dahua direct, bundled NVR/HDD kits, retail support. Price premium over the Dahua-direct equivalent. Most recent Lorex models work with the same RTSP URL shapes as Dahua.
Ubiquiti UniFi Protect
Section titled “Ubiquiti UniFi Protect”Premium ecosystem play. UniFi cameras are slick, well-built, and
integrate beautifully with the rest of UniFi’s network gear — but
RTSP is off by default and has to be enabled per-camera in
the Protect controller. Once on, they work fine with Fregata; the
URL shape is rtsps://<controller-ip>:7441/<random-key>. Pay the
ecosystem premium only if you’re already running UniFi for
networking. Many users report poor night time image quality and lack
of control over advanced settings.
Tapo (TP-Link)
Section titled “Tapo (TP-Link)”The “starter” tier. Sub-$50 indoor cameras, sub-$100 outdoor PoE options, RTSP support enabled via the camera-account setting in the Tapo app. Build quality and longevity aren’t comparable to EmpireTech/Amcrest, but for a one-camera test or a temporary install they’re hard to beat on price.
Storage for recordings
Section titled “Storage for recordings”The bundled 256 GB SSD on the Mac mini is plenty for the app and a small recordings buffer, but with motion-only retention a busy 4-camera install hits 60–140 GB / 14 days, and continuous all- segment recording hits 250–560 GB. Plan for one of:
- Bigger internal SSD at order time. Apple’s pricing is steep past 1 TB, but you avoid every external-storage failure mode.
- External Thunderbolt or USB-C SSD. Samsung T7 / T9, OWC, Crucial X9 — anything that holds a steady 500+ MB/s sequential write under sustained load. Avoid USB 2.0 enclosures and SD cards. Samsung T7 External USBC SSD on Amazon→
- External USB Spinning rust can work, but may make the Frigate WebUI feel sluggish due to the slower performance of spinning drives vs SSDs when loading many files at once (thumbnails, video clips, etc). Only use at least USB 3.0 drives.
- Network Attached Storage (NAS) are great, even with spinning hard drives and overcome many of the limitations of USB spinning hard drives due to multiple drives working together at once to improve speed. Allows for huge storage capacities and can be used for storage other than for Fregata. Hard drives are normally purchased separately from the NAS itself, unless you find a bundle deal. Shop NAS Systems on Amazon→
Networking gear (briefly)
Section titled “Networking gear (briefly)”Out of scope for this page, but two things worth flagging:
- Use a managed switch with VLAN support if you’re running more than a couple of cameras. Cameras have notoriously bad firmware practices; isolating them on their own VLAN is the easy answer.
- PoE switch with enough budget for every camera + 25 % spare. Cameras spike on infrared at night; budget a 25 % overhead. TP-Link Omada and Ubiquiti UniFi switches are the usual picks.
The links above may be affiliate links. If you make a purchase using them Fregata receives a small commission that funds future development without costing you extra.