Viewu

The Viewu App is a compact, user-friendly iOS application designed to integrate seamlessly with Frigate NVR systems. Developed using SwiftUI, it provides a modern interface with features like notifications, a timeline with filtering, RTSP streaming, and customizable settings. SwiftUI enhances the app's design process with its declarative syntax, live previews, and automatic layout, making the app responsive and accessible across all Apple platforms. On the backend, Viewu Server is built using Rust, known for its safety, performance, and reliability, ensuring the server side remains robust and efficient. Together, these technologies provide a comprehensive solution that enhances user experience while maintaining high performance and reliability.

General Setup
The Viewu ecosystem consists of two main components: the iOS App and the Viewu Server. The Viewu iOS App can be downloaded from the Apple App Store, while the Viewu Server operates as a Docker container and is automatically downloaded when using docker-compose.

This guide provides detailed instructions on setting up both components. The setup process for the Viewu iOS App is relatively straightforward, requiring you to input some necessary information for Frigate and MQTT. If you do not wish to reveive notifications, then you do not need to setup of the MQTT configruation. Setting up the Viewu Server, on the other hand, is more involved.

Viewu Server is required if you want to receive Apple Push Notifications. Viewu Server needs an MQTT broker to be operational. If you are already using Home Assistant, you might have MQTT running with the Mosquitto add-on, which you can continue to use. If not, you will need to install and configure a separate MQTT broker.

Furthermore, to receive motion notifications with images, it is essential to secure the Frigate interface with an SSL certificate. This can be accomplished using NGINX in conjunction with Let's Encrypt. This guide will walk you through setting up NGINX with a free, genuine SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt.

For added security, setting up a VPN using tools like Tailscale is recommended. Users can register a domain (free or paid) and link it to their VPN's public address. Domain names are available at low cost from various vendors, or users can opt for a free domain from noip.com, though this may require payment for DNS services.

The preferred setup for installing the Viewu Server is on a mini PC or Raspberry Pi running Debian. This configuration has been thoroughly tested and confirmed to work seamlessly. Additionally, compatibility has been ensured with macOS. However, the Viewu development team has not yet conducted testing on a Windows operating system.

Privacy Assurance in Viewu App
Viewu is committed to user privacy. The app does not collect or store any personal information from its users. This commitment ensures that your usage of the app remains private and secure, aligning with Viewu’s dedication to complete user privacy.