Frequently asked.
Clearly answered.

What is HomesteadWatch?

HomesteadWatch is a self-hosted camera viewer for RTSP cameras, with live viewing, a motion timeline, snapshots, notifications, and family-friendly access.

It is designed to run on hardware you control rather than making a vendor-operated camera cloud the centre of your home camera system.

Who is HomesteadWatch for?

HomesteadWatch is primarily aimed at intermediate and advanced homelab users, self-hosters, and technically confident home users who are comfortable working with Linux, networking, RTSP cameras, and command-line tools.

The documentation will also try to make the tested reference setup approachable for people who are newer to self-hosting. It should not, however, be treated as a plug-and-play consumer appliance.

What cameras can I use?

HomesteadWatch is built around cameras that provide a local RTSP stream.

That includes many older IP cameras as well as newer cameras that still allow local RTSP access. A camera that works only through its manufacturer's cloud service and does not expose a usable local stream may not be suitable.

Compatibility information will grow as more cameras are tested and reported by Community Preview users.

Can I use an old laptop?

Yes. In fact, that is one of the setups HomesteadWatch is being designed around.

An unused laptop or small PC can be given a new job as a home camera server, running HomesteadWatch and the supporting services needed for your setup.

Rather than replacing perfectly usable hardware, the idea is to make good use of equipment you may already own.

Does HomesteadWatch use a cloud service?

No. Avoiding a mandatory camera cloud is one of the main reasons HomesteadWatch exists.

HomesteadWatch is designed to run on hardware you control, so you do not need a HomesteadWatch-operated cloud service to view and manage your camera system.

Some optional features may use separate third-party infrastructure. For example, browser push notifications may pass through a browser-vendor push service, and users can choose hosted Tailscale instead of self-hosted Headscale. Those services are separate from HomesteadWatch and are not a HomesteadWatch camera cloud.

Do I need to expose my camera to the public internet?

No — and that is not the intended setup.

HomesteadWatch is designed to let the camera and its supporting services remain private, with remote access provided through an appropriately secured private network such as Tailscale or Headscale.

Directly exposing an RTSP camera to the public internet is not recommended.

Do I need Tailscale?

No.

Tailscale is one convenient way to provide private remote access, while Headscale offers a self-hosted control-plane alternative for users who want that level of control.

The Community Preview documentation will describe a tested reference approach rather than assuming every user has the same network.

Does HomesteadWatch record video?

No. HomesteadWatch itself does not record video.

Continuous recording is deliberately kept separate from the HomesteadWatch application backend. A standard media tool such as FFmpeg can record the camera stream directly to storage you control, while HomesteadWatch handles viewing, events, users, snapshots, and notifications.

Keeping recording separate means the recorder can continue running independently if HomesteadWatch is restarted, updated, or temporarily unavailable.

The Community Preview documentation is planned to include guidance for setting up local recording alongside HomesteadWatch as part of the reference installation.

Can I use HomesteadWatch from my phone?

Yes. HomesteadWatch is designed to work through a web browser and can be installed as a Progressive Web App on supported devices.

The current design also includes notification support on compatible platforms.

There is no requirement to install HomesteadWatch from a traditional mobile app store.

Where is my camera footage stored?

That is controlled by your own installation.

HomesteadWatch does not provide a central camera-footage storage service. Recordings, snapshots, configuration, and application data are intended to remain on infrastructure chosen and controlled by the person running the system.

Exactly where data is stored will depend on how that installation has been configured.

Will HomesteadWatch work on every Linux distribution and every homelab?

No guarantee can reasonably be made about every possible combination of operating system, camera, network, proxy, firewall, storage device, and existing service.

The Community Preview will focus on a tested reference installation with documented steps. Other configurations may work, but users should expect that some setups will require adaptation and troubleshooting.

How much technical support will be provided?

The Community Preview is intended to be primarily self-service.

Documentation will cover installation, operation, backup, recovery, troubleshooting, camera setup, remote access, and other parts of the reference configuration.

Feedback, reproducible bugs, compatibility reports, and documentation problems are welcome, but individual remote administration, guaranteed one-to-one setup assistance, and a support SLA are not included with the free Community Preview.

What licence will HomesteadWatch use?

The Community Preview is currently intended to be released under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0 for permitted non-commercial use.

The source code is also intended to be made available with the release so users can inspect how HomesteadWatch works.

The exact licence terms will accompany the software when it is released.

Can HomesteadWatch be used commercially?

Commercial use is not intended to be granted by the Community Preview's PolyForm Noncommercial licence.

Anyone wanting to use HomesteadWatch commercially will need separate permission or licensing from the project.

Will donations or voluntary support buy extra rights?

No.

A future voluntary support contribution will help support development, but it will not by itself purchase a commercial licence, paid support, warranty, priority treatment, or additional software rights.

When can I download HomesteadWatch?

Not quite yet.

The Community Preview will be made available after the release package, documentation, security boundary, licensing material, and clean-install process have been properly reviewed and tested.

The goal is to publish something that other people can realistically install and understand rather than simply putting the current development environment online and calling it a release.