After experimenting with various object detection solutions for my home security setup, I stumbled upon an innovative approach using the Axelera Metis AI hardware in combination with Home Assistant. My journey began with Frigate running on a Raspberry Pi 5, handling two 1080p RTSP cameras. While Frigate performed admirably, I quickly realized its limitations when it came to scalability. The constant fan activity was a clear sign that the system was under strain, especially with the added load of AI inference tasks.
Seeking a more efficient solution, I decided to offload the AI inference to the Metis Compute Board. This decision was driven by the board’s specialized hardware designed for AI tasks, promising better performance and scalability. The setup involved running YOLOv26s on the Metis AIPU for detecting people, cars, cats, and dogs. I configured zone-based filtering to ensure alerts were only triggered when motion was detected within specific areas, such as the property boundary, while ignoring activity on nearby roads.
The integration with Home Assistant was seamless. The Metis board sends webhooks to HA upon detecting motion, which then triggers high-resolution snapshots and notifications. The performance metrics were impressive: around 30 FPS, with a latency of approximately 196ms. The Metis board maintained a cool temperature of 31-32°C, even under continuous operation. All processes were handled locally, with only the notifications being sent to my smartphone.
One unexpected challenge was the system’s sensitivity. I had to introduce a slight delay in the snapshot capture to ensure that the camera had time to fully capture the subject before triggering the alert. This tweak significantly improved the accuracy of the detection system.
The scalability of this solution is a major advantage. With the Metis hardware in place, adding more cameras to my setup is now feasible without compromising performance. This upgrade not only enhanced my home security but also provided a robust foundation for future expansions.
For anyone looking to integrate advanced AI-powered object detection into their home security system, I highly recommend exploring the combination of Home Assistant and Axelera Metis. The setup guide and code examples provided by the Axelera community were invaluable in getting this project up and running smoothly.