Thingino firmware
Hacker ApprovedCamera firmware in Privacy & security
Open-source firmware for certain cheap Chinese cameras that keeps video local with no cloud. Critics note stability problems and that installation is hard for beginners.
12 people recommended Thingino firmware in Hacker News comments, 2 had mixed feelings and 4 criticized it, November 2025 to October 2026.
Summary written by Claude from 20 comments.
18 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 12
- mixed feelings
- 2
- warn against or regret it
- 4
The record
Recommended in 4 of 12 months
In 6 different threads.
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: not recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
Why it carries the badge
- 12 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, met.
- 3 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 4 of 12 monthsNeeds 4 or more, met.
- Recommended in 6 threadsNeeds 5 or more, met.
- The biggest thread supplies 42% of its recommendersNeeds half or less, met.
The same rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. Mixed feelings count toward neither side. How the badge works
What people say about it
Reasons grouped from a sample of 20 of the 25 opinions about it, picked in proportion to how many people recommend it, have mixed feelings and criticize it. Each mark is one comment in the sample. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Local only, no cloud
“I've installed Thingino on my cameras such as this. Cheap camera + custom (local only!) firmware is a good solution imo.”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “TP-Link Tapo C200: Hardcoded Keys, Buffer Overflows and Privacy” “works local only, no cloud, and supports mqtt etc.”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “TP-Link Tapo C200: Hardcoded Keys, Buffer Overflows and Privacy” More secure than stock cameras
“you can 'update' the firmware to a more secure (and FOSS) one”
Comment from 19 Dec 2025 in “TP-Link Tapo C200: Hardcoded Keys, Buffer Overflows and Privacy” “way more secure than anything consumer out there”
Comment from 21 Jul 2026 in “Motion Sensors and Home Security Gadgets Without Cameras” Easy install on SD-flash cameras
“The installation is straight forward if you choose a cam with SD-Card flashing support.”
Comment from 24 Jul 2026 in “My security camera shipped a GitHub admin token in its login page” “the thingino project has people among them who care deeply about ease of installation”
Comment from 20 Dec 2025 in “TP-Link Tapo C200: Hardcoded Keys, Buffer Overflows and Privacy” Works with MQTT and AI detection
“NVR for cameras (thingino) with local AI object detection”
Comment from 21 Nov 2025 in “Ask HN: What are some modern technologies that you refuse to adopt?”
What people warn about
Each mark is one comment
Stability and RTSP issues
“Frigate + Thingino has been a constant source of stability issues for me, I've given up on it.”
Comment from 27 Jul 2026 in “Show HN: CheapSecurity – Lightweight, Self-Hosted CCTV for Linux SBCs” “I'm running thingino cameras off wifi and the stability is kinda meh”
Comment from 19 Nov 2025 in “Adventures in upgrading Proxmox” “My Thingino camera seems to have some RTSP issues”
Comment from 19 Nov 2025 in “Adventures in upgrading Proxmox” Only supports certain chips and models
“thingino only supports one or two, it is very important to get the right chip”
Comment from 20 Dec 2025 in “TP-Link Tapo C200: Hardcoded Keys, Buffer Overflows and Privacy”
What people said
20 of the 25 opinions about it, picked in proportion to the three counts, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“Depending on the model, thingino might help.”
“It's an open source firmware you can flash on certain off-the-shelf chinese camera”
“Frigate + Thingino has been a constant source of stability issues for me, I've given up on it.”
“The installation is straight forward if you choose a cam with SD-Card flashing support.”
“way more secure than anything consumer out there”
“I still think thingino needs a lot, but it does the job so far.”
“it lacks many features that I won’t recommend it”
“The web interface is HTTP-only and it uses the same credentials as root SSH access on the camera”
“the thingino project has people among them who care deeply about ease of installation”
“thingino only supports one or two, it is very important to get the right chip”
“both are hard to install if you are a beginner”
“I think Thingino is great. But there are definitely still dragons lurking.”
“I’m more than happy to ditch the scrappy RTSP setup that I have to support these cheap cameras!”
“you can 'update' the firmware to a more secure (and FOSS) one”
“Good thing some tapos do have alternative firmware like thingino.”
“I've installed Thingino on my cameras such as this. Cheap camera + custom (local only!) firmware is a good solution imo.”
“works local only, no cloud, and supports mqtt etc.”
“NVR for cameras (thingino) with local AI object detection”
“My Thingino camera seems to have some RTSP issues”
“I'm running thingino cameras off wifi and the stability is kinda meh”
Counts come from 1,791,911 Hacker News comments labeled by Claude, November 2025 to October 2026, with data through October 31, 2026. Counts updated 2 Nov 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.