Advanced Configuration#

This guide covers optional features and advanced setup options for Smart NVR.

Enabling AI-Powered Event Descriptions (GenAI)#

To enable Smart NVR’s GenAI capabilities for intelligent event descriptions:

1. Ensure VLM Service Availability#

Verify the VLM microservice is running and accessible at the configured endpoint.

VLM Serving Documentation

2. Set Environment Variables#

export NVR_GENAI=true
export VLM_SERVING_IP=<vlm-serving-device-ip>
export VLM_SERVING_PORT=<vlm-serving-port>

3. Run the Application#

Re-run the application after configuring the base environment.

Important

  • This feature is experimental and may be unstable due to underlying Frigate GenAI implementation.

  • Requires VLM microservice to be running.

  • Disabled by default for system stability.

  • NVR_GENAI is mutually exclusive with NVR_SCENESCAPE. If NVR_SCENESCAPE=true, NVR_GENAI is automatically disabled. Setting both to true will cause an error.

Custom Build Configuration#

If using custom build flags, ensure the same environment variables are set before running the setup script.