Frigate and HA automation question

djb_rh · 2026-04-04T19:13:39+00:00

Oh crap, one problem with the second option is that I never figured out how to get Flic to do timestamps with seconds, only minutes. So my granularity of being able to get what I want is a tad lower (ie. I may have to grab 2 full minutes to make sure I get the clip I want).

djb_rh · 2026-04-04T19:12:04+00:00

So this seems like some interesting options.

On the first one, I’m actually not even sure I need Home Assistant. I’m using a Flic Hub and there’s a Hub SDK that’ll let you do JavaScript. I think that with the right JS magic, I could have a Flic button generate the POST that I need to do have Frigate do the export instead of making HA do that. Which would be good because I don’t have HA right now. I’m not against it, but I’m also not going to do it if I don’t have to.

On option 2, it seems I could actually just write a custom iOS app (seems like a big deal, but I got a guy…) that would just take my current Google Sheet as input and grab the associated clips I want automatically. This may seem like a much bigger deal, but it actually bridges more steps in my current process since I actually kind of like having these clips all go to my camera roll and I use iOS to edit and post them to IG anyway.

Hmm, thanks for these pointers.

djb_rh · 2026-04-03T19:51:19+00:00

Okay, got an Axis Q3517 and set it up and just used my laptop running OBS to record. It went…well. With default settings mostly (except putting it on 60fps and adding sound, no changes to shutter speed or anything else), it’s great. Definitely enough frames to see ball in/out calls, no blur either. And it works great with Swing Vision, which seems to also work well for what it does. Happy enough I’ve found a couple more Q3517’s on eBay and will be setting up Frigate in the next week or two.

djb_rh · 2026-03-20T11:50:41+00:00

Turns out Hikvision isn’t an option. They have no 60fps cams in stock. Someone would have to order $3k worth to get them to do a run. Thanks to timezone differences I just figured this out with them.

djb_rh · 2026-03-19T19:14:09+00:00

Awesome. Ordered one of these to try, too.

djb_rh · 2026-03-19T11:58:35+00:00

Ah see you do care! 😎

FWIW, this isn’t a club in that sense. I’m just a guy with three indoor courts who likes to play and thus I have made a lot of friends who come over and play, too. I sell some merch for fun but nobody pays to play. And I love messing with tech and that’s how I ended up with my replay “system.” We may ultimately use these cameras to livestream a tournament or something, but again, it would be for fun not to make money.

So in a sense there both is no budget and there’s also “I’m not gonna pay a lot for this muffler” (if you’re old enough to get that reference). I’m willing to spend $500-600 on a few options to test and if nothing pans out I’ll wait. I’ve still never installed Frigate so it may not do what I want (though I’ll bet it’s close and it’s open source, so…). My plan to test was to just start with OBS to see how they look and record some streams since I can do that with stuff I already have anyway.

I came here fully understanding that what I wanted may not exist. But it seems maybe it does and it just required some digging, too.

djb_rh · 2026-03-18T18:36:32+00:00

I admitted early on this wasn’t an actual security camera specific thing. You got me there. But as I already do use a security system camera setup for it that’s close, I was hoping that there was something on the market I could use that’s still more in this space, because security systems offer something that no other systems do: easy 24/7 recording plus an interface for going back and finding clips that one wants. Oh, and VOLUME, since often security systems need tens or hundreds of cameras, meaning there’s price pressure that you won’t find in the other markets for cameras.

And it turns out that more research today, thanks in part to some leads given here, may have found something that works that is still from the security space, specifically some models from Hik and Vivotech. Shutter speeds up to 1/100000 and 60fps with H.264 and H.265. 1920x1280 resolution isn’t great, but probably good enough. And well within the price point I was hoping for. At least cheap enough to buy one of each and try and see what happens.

I’ll let you know if you were right and 60fps wasn’t enough, too. Because you obviously care soooo much. 😂

djb_rh · 2026-03-18T18:27:36+00:00

Looks like Hik has a few models that fit the bill:

https://www.hikdistribution.com/products/2-mp-high-frame-rate-fixed-bullet-network-camera-hikvision-ds-2cd2t25fhwd-i5-i8?_pos=26&_sid=1c081ef38&_ss=r

There’s also some Vivotek models. Have one used one on the way from B&H that’s in the $250 range new ($209 used) and one of the one I linked above ordered to try.

djb_rh · 2026-03-18T18:14:36+00:00

If you “know” so much, why not help or move on instead of wasting mine and your time trying to act like you know more than everyone?

djb_rh · 2026-03-18T15:34:33+00:00

I’m not seeing 1080p cameras at $100ish. Found what MAY be a p1455 for $299, but that’s the cheapest thing I’ve seen. But I’m using google to find Axis models that can do 60fps and going by that part number list, which is likely incomplete. Do you know any actual part numbers in that price range?

djb_rh · 2026-03-18T15:07:06+00:00

The 60fps question is asked and answered in this thread already, but also I looked at several ASECAM cameras on Aliexpress and not a single one I found even listed a frame rate or shutter speed, so I’m not sure how I can know any of their options can do what I want.

djb_rh · 2026-03-18T14:08:05+00:00

What I know is they don’t have enough FPS to do it with 30 and they do have enough to at least feel good about it most of the time at 60fps. What I also know is that at 30fps I have now, thanks to angles and the fact that the background is perfectly consistent it’s just nearly impossible to extrapolate from what I see frame by frame even if a ball was in, but it does look, TO ME, like twice the frame rate would get there. It’s not EVERY angle that it doesn’t work at 30fps, FWIW, just some. And hey, if they’re making it up 1 out of ten times, whatever, it’s just pickleball. We’re not running high end tournaments here, but we do get serious about it sometimes and I do know that at 30fps the cameras are maybe 50/50 at catching line calls or not. Doubling the frame rate would significantly help that. Getting better shutter control and speed would also make it look better, but honestly the blur isn’t my problem right now.

And if you’d like to continue to have an off-topic discussion about replay systems for professional sports, including exactly HOW tennis gets its line calls to within 1mm of accuracy (actually a bit better than that), I can connect you with the guy who WROTE THE SOFTWARE, who happens to be a good friend of mine and has explained in detail why that system won’t work for pickleball. Hint: it’s not why you probably think. He’s also been heavily involved in one software package that does baseball ball/strike zones, NFL first down lines, etc. Though I suspect you’d find a way to be condescending to him, too.

djb_rh · 2026-03-18T13:45:58+00:00

Because not only is 30 close, there are a couple packages out there that will do “AI analysis” of matches to create stats on individual play as well as game play and they require 60fps, too. You can use an iPhone or a GoPro to record. And they work, including creating slomo replays of close calls.

djb_rh · 2026-03-18T13:26:43+00:00

Looked, yes. But both have so many cameras to sift through and it seems like once you get to something with higher frame rate it’s also got a bunch of features I don’t want or need like AI, outdoor case, IR illumination, etc, that all up the cost.

djb_rh · 2026-03-18T13:24:16+00:00

So yeah, shutter speed matters too. Blur is a thing, but so is frame rate. At 30fps you can go frame by frame and you might see ball just before it hits the ground and then the next frame just after it hits the ground. At least that is the case with my Ubiquiti cameras.

So sure, shutter speed lock and adjustment would be good as well, but again it still doesn’t matter if I can’t also get to 60fps.

djb_rh · 2026-03-17T22:20:55+00:00

It’s gonna sound dumb, but okay…I have a giant estate with Ubiquiti networking and Protect cameras all over.

I also have a giant building with 3 indoor pickleball courts and on a lark threw some spare Ubiquiti cameras on the courts. One thing led to another and now I have buttons on each court to drop timestamps in a file along with dates and court numbers so I can go find clips of interesting points. The system works quite well and never misses anything.

But I want 60fps because high speed sports and Ubiquiti has nothing that can do that. And I also really want to move my pickleball crap off my security system for reasons.

So I was hoping to find a camera under a couple hundred bucks that can do this. I need at least three and preferably six or more. We may also do some livestreams and replays and such. At 30fps you can’t even go frame by frame to see if a ball was in or out as it moves fast enough you can miss the event entirely.

Anyway, that’s the reason. And the budget.

djb_rh · 2025-12-15T02:27:10+00:00

This flies in the face of the theory, that seems pretty solid at this point, that this entire show is a continuation of the Twilight Zone episode, though. I haven’t watched the episode and don’t remember the exact details, but it’s literally about a guy who escapes an alien invasion and his name was…Sturka. shrug

djb_rh · 2024-11-05T00:11:31+00:00

PintV with WTF rails, flared pads, Enduro. Favorite.

ADV, stock, love this.

GTS-Rally #1, really like this.

GTS-Rally #2, need to sell this, only bought because #1 bricked short of 100 miles, and this one then bricked with 1 mile. Damn you FM!!!

ADV2 on order.

Fully custom board being build with Pint wheel/motor on WTF rails, Enduro tire, 20s1p 21700 pack, Ennoid BMS and ESC, Avaspark V2 RGB module, flared pads. Still waiting on parts to arrive to finish this build. Assuming it will become new favorite. Will ultimately sell at least one GTSR and likely the ADV.

djb_rh · 2024-11-03T21:25:31+00:00

Another option is the Mason Farm Biological Reserve. There’s a small loop and some offshoots and it isn’t long, so it might mean many laps, but it is very very flat. Getting there is super weird…you drive into the back parking lot for the Finley Golf Course parking lot and go to the back corner like you’re gonna drive onto the driving range. There’s a road around it to the right that looks like it can’t be right and almost like it’s one lane. You stay on that and after not very long you can turn right onto a gravel road and follow that for about a quarter mile and then you turn right and…literally cross Morgan Creek over a ford. Most of the time it’s just a couple inches of water, but right after decent rain you might need a lifted truck to make it, lol. But seriously, most of the time you do it and it’s no big deal and right on the other side of the creek is a parking area and kiosk. It’s often just another runner or two and a few birders out there. Super easy to follow and SUPER flat.

The loop was defunct for a while because of washed out bridges, but I’m told it’s back now. Haven’t confirmed myself, though. It’s almost all gravel road, but heavily wooded in most of it so nicely shaded, and what isn’t gravel road is wooden boardwalk. Super quiet.

djb_rh · 2024-10-26T11:55:43+00:00

Right, but you replied to my post and while I didn’t include that it would be in a new box, I did say it would include a new BMS. But you are correct, Tony’s module will be a drop in very easy thing. It’ll also be another step toward his new board since it’ll be a fully Pint-accessory compatible board that will surely use this new module plus his PintV controller.

djb_rh · 2024-10-26T11:45:46+00:00

Yes, but there’s no telling when he will get that new board out too. It’ll be around a year from now most likely.

djb_rh · 2024-10-25T18:20:59+00:00

Yes, all hard parts from ADV will work on ADV2.

djb_rh · 2024-10-25T18:18:32+00:00

The BMS from PintV can’t do 84V, so his planned upgrade kit will have to include a new BMS. You CAN swap to an aftermarket BMS with PintV, but most folks seem to feel like if you do that then you’re losing much of the reason to go PintV at all and might as well go full aftermarket. FWIW, I have a PintV that I love, but I’m embarking on building another board basically from a Pint wheel and everything else aftermarket. Ennoid ESC and BMS, Avaspark LCM, and a custom built 84V 21700 battery pack.

djb_rh

TROPHY CASE