Introduction
What OpticWatch does, what you need to run it, and where to install it.
What OpticWatch does
OpticWatch watches your IP cameras for you. On a schedule, it opens each camera's RTSP video stream, confirms that real video is coming through (it reads the codec, resolution and frame rate), and closes the stream again. When a camera stops delivering video, OpticWatch marks it Offline, opens an incident with the reason, and closes the incident by itself when the camera comes back. Pro and Integrator can also send an email or a signed webhook when that happens.
OpticWatch is not a video recorder or viewer. It never records, stores or shows your footage; it only checks that each camera is working.
It is self-hosted: it runs on a computer you control, on the same network as your cameras. Your camera addresses, passwords and history stay on that computer. OpticWatch has no telemetry and does not need the internet to monitor cameras.
How it runs: Docker
OpticWatch is delivered as a small set of programs that run inside Docker, free software that runs packaged applications the same way on any computer. You do not need to know Docker to use OpticWatch. You install Docker once, then start OpticWatch with a single command, and everything else happens in your web browser.
What you need
- A computer with a 64-bit Intel or AMD (x86-64) processor. OpticWatch 1.2.0 is distributed as an x86-64 (amd64) build, and Intel and AMD systems are what it is tested on. No native ARM64 build is provided. See ARM computers below.
- Docker with the Compose plugin, Docker Engine 24 or newer. On Windows and macOS this comes with Docker Desktop. Install Docker explains how.
- Network access from that computer to your cameras: their RTSP port (usually 554), and their ONVIF port if you want to use ONVIF setup.
- Internet access for the first start, to download the public images OpticWatch runs on.
- A modern web browser.
Pro and Integrator also need to reach the OpticWatch licensing service (cloud.opticwatch.dev, port 443) once, when you activate or deactivate the license. See Editions and licenses.
Server size
How much processor and memory OpticWatch needs depends on how many cameras it checks. For typical 1080p H.264 camera streams:
| Cameras | Processor | Memory |
|---|---|---|
| Up to 5 | 1 vCPU minimum; 1–2 vCPU recommended | 1 GB minimum; 2 GB recommended |
| Up to 100 | 2 vCPU | 2 GB |
| Up to 500 | 8 vCPU recommended | 4 GB recommended |
All three sizes use OpticWatch's default of 32 checks at a time, so there is nothing to configure. They come from testing with synthetic 1080p H.264 streams and are not a guarantee. Higher-resolution or H.265 streams, cameras reached over the internet or another slow or distant link, and slower processors make each check slower and may need more. See Large installations.
ARM computers: Apple silicon, Windows on Arm, Raspberry Pi
OpticWatch 1.2.0 is built for x86-64 (Intel and AMD) processors only; no native ARM64 version is provided. Docker Desktop on Apple silicon Macs, and in early access on Windows on Arm, can run x86-64 software through emulation, so OpticWatch may start there, but it has not been tested on any ARM computer. ARM computers, including Raspberry Pi and other ARM Linux devices, are therefore not a tested or supported configuration for this release. For anything you depend on, use an Intel or AMD computer.
Where to install it
OpticWatch is a monitoring service: it can only check your cameras while it is running. Where you install it depends on what you want.
- To try it out, your own Windows PC or Intel Mac is fine. Docker Desktop runs Linux programs inside a lightweight Linux virtual machine, so the same OpticWatch release runs there. Monitoring pauses whenever the computer sleeps, shuts down or leaves the camera network.
- For permanent monitoring, use a computer that stays on and stays connected to the camera network: a Linux server, a mini-PC, or a virtual machine on a server you already run. The release's own requirements name a 64-bit x86-64 Linux server, and that is the recommended home for a permanent installation.
Choose your operating system
Pick the computer you will run OpticWatch on to see how to set up Docker.
- WindowsDocker Desktop, on a 64-bit PC.
- macOSDocker Desktop. Intel Macs are the tested target.
- LinuxDocker Engine and the Compose plugin. Best for an always-on server.
Already have Docker? Skip ahead to Install OpticWatch.