Your cameras. Your footage. Yours alone.
Beacon turns the security cameras you already self-host into a real family security app, without handing your video to anyone. Your footage stays on your own hardware, the software that runs it is open source, and even push notifications are built so we never see what your cameras see.
Private by architecture, not policy
Most home security cameras route your video through someone else's cloud. Beacon is built the opposite way, so your privacy holds even if you take our word for nothing.
Your footage never leaves home
Video is recorded and stored on the hardware you run at home. It never lives on Tarazel's servers, and no cloud subscription owns your recordings.
Open source you can verify
The gateway that runs your cameras and accounts is open source. You can read the exact code that touches your data, or run the whole thing yourself. Trust you can check, not a promise to believe.
Even our alerts stay blind
When we deliver a notification for you, it carries only an anonymous wake-up. Your device fetches the camera name and image from your own server, so we never see what your cameras see.
Our apps
Every Tarazel app follows one principle: your data stays yours. Beacon is the first - with more focused, private apps for the home on the way.
Beacon Available now
The family security app for your self-hosted cameras - give everyone their own sign-in and per-camera access, with real notifications, live view, and event history built in.
Learn more →More on the way
Beacon is the first of several apps we're building. New focused, privacy-respecting tools for the home are in development.
Meet Beacon
Beacon connects to the camera system you already run at home and turns it into the security app for your whole household - everyone gets their own sign-in and only the cameras you choose, and nobody ever shares your camera password. Real notifications, live view, and event history come standard.
Built for the whole household
Invite family with a single tap. Each person gets their own account and sees only the cameras you allow - no one shares a login, and no one touches your camera system's password.
Notifications that actually arrive
The person or package at your door reaches every family member's phone in seconds - even with the app closed. No polling, no missed alerts.
Live view & event history
Check in on your cameras in real time, and scroll back through everything they detected.
Built differently
Beacon is designed for people who want to own their home security - not rent it from a subscription that owns their video.
Works with your setup
Beacon runs on top of your existing self-hosted camera system - no proprietary hardware to buy.
Native apps
A fast, native iOS app today, with Mac and Android on the way - not a wrapped web page.
Open at the core
Beacon's gateway is open source. Run it yourself for free, or let us handle the notification relay for you.
Architecture & self-hosting docs →How Beacon compares
Beacon next to the popular apps for self-hosted Frigate cameras. Live view, event history, and clip playback are table stakes - what's below is what sets Beacon apart. We've tried to be scrupulously fair; if a detail is wrong, tell us and we'll fix it.
| Feature | BeaconiOS · Android soon | KapaliOS · Mac | LumeniOS | ViewuiOS | PhylaxAndroid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Family multi-user (roles & per-camera access) | ✓ | – | – | – | – |
| No shared camera login | ✓Each member has their own account | –Shares one Frigate login | – | – | – |
| Push notifications with the app closed | ✓Via managed relay - no push key needed | –Local camera-offline alerts only | ✓Hosted or self-hosted | ●Needs your own extra server | ●App must keep running in background |
| Live view (on-network & remote) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Event history & clip playback | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Multi-camera grid & Picture-in-Picture | ✓ | ✓ | ● | ● | – |
| Per-person alert rules (labels, zones, quiet hours) | ✓ | –No push to filter | ✓Server-side filters | ● | ● |
| Natural-language event search | ✓ | – | – | – | – |
| Private push - relay never sees your footage | ✓Managed and content-free | –No push | ●Private only in self-hosted mode | ✓You self-host it | ✓No cloud at all |
| What you self-host (beyond Frigate) | The gatewayOpen-source; the one service that runs it all | NothingPoints at Frigate directly | NothingHosted worker mode | A Viewu ServerRequired to get push | NothingBut the app must stay running |
| Open-source core | ✓Gateway is open source | – | – | ✓ | ✓ |
| One subscription covers the whole household, every platform | ✓ | – | – | – | – |
About this comparison. Compiled from publicly available information (the App Store, Google Play, and each project's own website and README) as of July 4, 2026. These apps update often, and competitor details can change after this date. Beacon's own Android app is in development and not yet released.
If anything here is inaccurate, out of date, or unfair, please let us know at [email protected] and we'll correct it promptly.
Beacon pricing
Start free. Upgrade for family multi-user and managed notifications - one subscription covers your whole household, with no extra infrastructure to run.
- Live view and event history
- Point the app at your own server
- Open-source gateway you control
- Community support
- Family multi-user & per-camera access
- One-tap household invites - no shared passwords
- Managed push notifications - we run the relay for you
- Privacy-preserving delivery
- Priority email support
Start free, then subscribe right in the app - no card needed to try it. Set up your gateway →
Contact
Questions about Beacon, Tarazel, or a subscription? We'd love to hear from you.
Reach the team at
[email protected]