AI software for security cameras: add AI to the ones you already have
You don’t have to rip out a working system to get AI. There are three ways: replace the cameras with AI cameras, send the video to a cloud service, or run AI software for security cameras on a PC at your business. Which one fits depends on your cameras, your budget and how you feel about footage leaving the building.
First, check what your cameras can do
Most IP cameras and recorders (the NVR or DVR box that stores the footage) can share their video over RTSP or ONVIF. These are standard ways for one device to hand its picture to another. If yours offer them, almost any AI software can use them.
The recorder’s manual or settings menu will say. Hikvision, Dahua and most other IP brands support at least one of the two. Some very cheap Wi-Fi and battery cameras work only with their own app.
Option 1: new AI cameras
Brands sell cameras with AI built in, such as Hikvision AcuSense and Dahua WizSense. Some recorders and add-on AI boxes do the same job for ordinary cameras.
- Good at telling people and vehicles apart, which cuts false alarms.
- Needs new hardware and usually an installer.
- Only knows the classes it was built for: person, vehicle, sometimes a line crossed. It can’t follow a rule like “the till is open and nobody is there”.
Option 2: cloud AI subscriptions
A cloud service takes the video from your cameras over the internet and runs the AI on its own servers.
- Nothing to install on site beyond a small box or app.
- Usually priced per camera, per month, so a ten-camera business pays ten times.
- Your footage leaves the building and sits on someone else’s servers.
- It needs steady upload speed for every camera, all day.
Option 3: AI software for security cameras on your own PC
Software on a Windows PC at the business reads the camera streams and runs the AI right there.
- No new cameras, no new recorder. The NVR keeps recording as before.
- The video stays on the PC. Nothing is uploaded unless you choose to send an alert.
- The PC has to stay on, day and night.
- A quiet shop’s ordinary PC can be enough. Busy cameras need more power, such as an NVIDIA graphics card.
The privacy side
Cameras at a business see customers, guests and staff. The fewer places the footage travels, the fewer places it can leak from. Local software keeps it in the building, the same as your recorder does today.
Ask any vendor whether it recognizes faces. Many owners don’t want that, and it brings its own rules in many countries. Keep cameras out of restrooms and changing areas, whatever system you choose.
Where Puw fits: option 3
Puw is a Windows 10/11 app that connects to the cameras or recorder you already have, over RTSP or ONVIF. The AI runs on that PC. Video, captions, search and reports stay there; only the alerts you choose go to your phone, plus a weekly license check with no footage.
Every event gets a caption describing what happened. Puw does not recognize faces or identify people.
- Alert rules in a sentence, camera by camera: “Tell me if anyone is in the stockroom after 10pm.” Your phone gets a Telegram message with a photo.
- Draw areas: a motion alarm that alerts within a second, a question about one spot, or an area to ignore.
- Scheduled checks like “09:05, shutter open”.
- Ask from your phone in plain words, and search the whole history.
- One yearly plan, unlimited cameras, up to 3 PCs. 30 days free, the full version, no card.
30 days free · full version · no card
Frequently asked questions
Can I add AI to my existing security cameras?
Yes, if your cameras or recorder offer RTSP or ONVIF, which most IP systems do. Then AI software or a cloud service can read the video without changing the cameras.
What is AI CCTV?
CCTV that understands what it sees, rather than just recording or reacting to any movement. It can tell a person from a shadow, and some systems can follow a rule written in plain words.
Is there AI security camera software without a monthly fee?
Yes. Software that runs on your own PC is usually paid once a year or once, not per camera per month. Puw is one yearly plan with unlimited cameras.
Does AI camera software need a powerful computer?
It depends on how busy the cameras are. A quiet shop can run Puw on an ordinary PC. For busy cameras, like a till or a reception, an NVIDIA graphics card is recommended so events are written up within a minute.
Hikvision, Dahua, Lorex, Reolink and other brands are trademarks of their owners. Puw is not affiliated with them.