Frigate NVR setup on Debian with Docker and Coral TPU

This tutorial sets up Frigate NVR on a dedicated Debian OptiPlex using Docker and a USB Coral TPU for object detection. The presenter chooses separate hardware so the camera system can run independently of other homelab projects. The Coral is already installed; the guide covers its software setup rather than physical installation.

The walkthrough starts with Debian updates, Docker installation and Docker group membership. It then adds Google's Coral repository, fixes a malformed sources list entry and checks USB detection with lsusb. For footage storage, the presenter formats a dedicated 1 TB NVMe drive as ext4 and adds its UUID to fstab so it mounts after reboot. Formatting erases the drive's existing contents.

The Docker Compose and camera configuration examples use Reolink and Tapo RTSP streams. The presenter explains that cameras need RTSP support and says the Ring and Blink cameras discussed do not provide it. Main streams supply recording footage, while substreams serve live previews. The example tracks people, cars, trucks, dogs, cats and birds, with continuous recording disabled and motion recordings retained for seven days.

The final steps cover the generated admin password in container logs, the web interface, detector metrics and clip exports. Password changes require at least 12 characters. The presenter describes this self-hosted setup as storing footage locally without sending it to the cloud.