Cloud cameras are subscription machines that upload your backyard to someone else's computer. The local alternative is genuinely better — it's just less advertised.
The stack
PoE cameras (wired power + data, no Wi-Fi dropouts) → Frigate, an open-source NVR running on your own box, doing object detection locally — person vs possum, in milliseconds, no cloud inference.
What you get
24/7 recording to your own storage · AI detection without uploads · Home Assistant automations on camera events ("person in driveway → floodlight + phone ping") · footage that exists even when your internet doesn't · $0/month forever.
What it costs instead
More upfront thought: camera placement, a PoE switch, storage sizing, detection hardware. This is the part we're testing on our bench now — the Hassify no-cloud camera kit ships when our own driveway has been running it for a month.
Meanwhile
If you're buying cameras today: anything ONVIF/RTSP-capable keeps your options open; anything cloud-only doesn't. And if you'd rather skip the homework, the Premium install includes the camera stack done-for-you.
Skip the shopping list: the Presence Kit bundles the tested gear from this guide — cheaper than buying the parts separately.