Single Board Computers

Burger — Thu, 03 Sep 2026 21:52:01 GMT

General Tips

← Older revision		Revision as of 21:52, 3 September 2026
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	The following pages cover Single Board Computers with Zoneminder.		The following pages cover Single Board Computers with Zoneminder.

	Traditionally, these are ARM based; The Raspberry Pi, The Beaglebone, and others. For those not experienced with ARM these devices ~~perform at level below~~ an x86 based ~~motherboard~~, yet offer lower power consumption and ~~purchase~~ cost. When using an ARM board, it is recommended to run cameras at lower resolutions (e.g. 640x480 or 800x600), and lower frame rates. Additionally, zones should be smaller, as analysis of motion will use up CPU. Alternatively, you can avoid Modect and Mocord and use Record.		Traditionally, these are ARM/RISCV based; The Raspberry Pi, The Beaglebone, and others. For those not experienced with ARM these devices have less CPU ability than an x86 based computer, yet offer lower power consumption (and sometimes less cost, though used x86 laptops are very cheap). When using an ARM board, it is recommended to run cameras at lower resolutions (e.g. 320x240, 640x480, or 800x600), and lower frame rates. Additionally, zones should be smaller, as analysis of motion will use up CPU. Alternatively, you can avoid Modect and Mocord and use Record only, with camera passthrough direct to the hdd, which will be efficient.

	Single Board Computers ~~(ARM)~~ work well for a small home setup, or as an adjunct to a larger camera system. For large camera systems, they are not ~~usually~~ powerful enough.		Single Board Computers work well for a small home setup (maybe 4-8 cameras), or as an adjunct to a larger camera system. For large camera systems, they are probably not powerful enough. As an accessory to a larger system, you might setup an SBC to record only certain cameras, while being located in a different place from the main server, as a second source in case of theft/fire of the main server.


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	* [[Raspberry Pi 4 - Raspbian]] - Uses Buster. Applicable to other RPIs that have Buster.		* [[Raspberry Pi 4 - Raspbian]] - Uses Buster. Applicable to other RPIs that have Buster.

			* [https://wiki.alpinelinux.org/wiki/ZoneMinder_video_camera_security_and_surveillance Raspberry Pi 4 - Alpine] - Tested with 1.38.

	* [[Odroid - XU4 - Ubuntu Mate]]		* [[Odroid - XU4 - Ubuntu Mate]]
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	* [https://forums.zoneminder.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=27402 How to setup an Orange Pi PC2 with 3 USB cams as RTSP server]		* [https://forums.zoneminder.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=27402 How to setup an Orange Pi PC2 with 3 USB cams as RTSP server]

	==General Tips==		==Tips/Techniques==
			===General Tips===
	* Disable all logging and any data collection (''RECORD_EVENT_STATS'' - See ''Logging'' tab) on ARM boards if you are running a flash based HD.		* Disable all logging and any data collection (''RECORD_EVENT_STATS'' - See ''Logging'' tab) on ARM boards if you are running a flash based HD.

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	* Resolution		* Resolution
	* FPS (on camera only)		* FPS (on camera only)
	* Analysis zone size or change from Mocord to Record.		* Analysis zone size or change from Mocord to Record. See: [https://wiki.zoneminder.com/Dummies_Guide#Monitor_Settings_in_Zoneminder Link here].
	* Limit analysis FPS (motion detection uses the most CPU)		* Limit analysis FPS (motion detection uses the most CPU)
			* Use an external HDD for the DB and [https://wiki.zoneminder.com/Using_a_dedicated_Hard_Drive video storage.]
			* Alpine has a RAM only install that may wear down the sd card less.



	===GPU Memory===		===GPU Memory===
	User from the forum reports that adjusting GPU memory will improve RPI4 performance with ZM.		User from the forum reports that adjusting GPU memory will improve RPI4 performance with ZM (this is only needed when using motion detection. If you passthrough direct to the hdd, it can be skipped). [http://forums.zoneminder.com/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=28614&p=113082][http://forums.zoneminder.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=28706&p=112388]

	http://forums.zoneminder.com/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=28614&p=113082&~~hilit~~=~~gpu~~&~~sid~~=~~20dae3382577cc3019eac3b60d3bcfac#p113082~~

	'''piflipper''': ''I had the same issue, to solve it I upped the GPU memory to 512MB, via raspi-config and everything started working. Now have 3 cameras working without any issues.''		'''piflipper''': ''I had the same issue, to solve it I upped the GPU memory to 512MB, via raspi-config and everything started working. Now have 3 cameras working without any issues.''

	~~http://forums.zoneminder.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=28706&p=112388&hilit=gpu&sid=20dae3382577cc3019eac3b60d3bcfac#p112388~~

	'''fatboy''': ''Working great now! Increase GPU memory: ''/boot/config.txt'' - gpu_mem=512''		'''fatboy''': ''Working great now! Increase GPU memory: ''/boot/config.txt'' - gpu_mem=512''

Zoneminder 1.38.x on Supported Debian Versions

Bbunge — Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:02:35 GMT

← Older revision		Revision as of 13:02, 2 September 2026
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	I recommend rebooting at this point but a log out and back in also works.		I recommend rebooting at this point but a log out and back in also works.

			Debian 13 is now putting the /tmp directory into RAM which can cause issues. I recommend running this command to move yjr /tmp to the hard drive:

			systemctl mask tmp.mount

			A reboot is required.

	Timezone: it is recommended you set your specific timezone with:		Timezone: it is recommended you set your specific timezone with:

ZoneMinder Wiki - Recent changes [en]

Single Board Computers

Zoneminder 1.38.x on Supported Debian Versions