Upgrade Old CCTV With AI Alerts in 10 Min (No Coding Required)

Turn any old CCTV into a smart AI security camera that detects people at night, sends push notifications to your phone, and plays a police siren to deter intruders — all without writing a single line of code.

Hardware:

1. Raspberry Pi 4, Windows PC, Mac, or any Grablo-supported device
2. Camera — USB, CSI, ONVIF, or RTSP (not required for laptops with built-in webcam)
3. Speaker — 3.5mm, USB, or Bluetooth (not required for laptops with built-in speaker)

Software:

1. Grablo — No-Code IoT Platform (grablo.co)

Want to skip the build and get it running right away? Copy the ready-made project:

1. Download and install Grablo software on your device from grablo.co/download
2. Get this project from the Grablo Gallery
3. If using an ONVIF or RTSP camera, go to Settings → Camera and edit the camera address and credentials
4. Connect to your device and hit RUN
5. Install the Grablo mobile app on your phone and log in to receive push notifications

Want to test it first? Just install Grablo IoT Core on a laptop — the built-in webcam and speaker are all you need.

If you'd like to build it from scratch, follow the steps below.

Create a new project at app.grablo.co, give it a name, and select your device. Then create a dashboard and add a Camera widget for the live video feed. This widget shows the real-time camera stream with the AI detection overlay — you can monitor it from any browser or the Grablo mobile app.

This project uses 2 logics. The first logic, "Person Detection," runs once at startup. It starts the camera and adds an AI Object Detection analyzer that detects people with a 70% confidence threshold. The result is stored in a "Person Detected" variable.

The second logic, "Night Intruder Alert," checks two conditions: whether it's nighttime (midnight to 7 AM), and whether a person has been continuously detected for at least 3 seconds. The 3-second filter prevents false alerts from brief misdetections. When both conditions are met, it sends a push notification to your phone and plays a police siren sound through the speaker.

Launch Your Project

1. Open the Grablo app and select your project
2. Connect to your device
3. Hit RUN

Expected Results:

1. The camera feed shows real-time video with AI detection overlay
2. During nighttime, a person detected for 3+ seconds triggers an alert
3. Your phone receives a push notification — tap it to view the live stream
4. A police siren plays through the connected speaker

Now that you have a working AI security system, here are some ideas to take it further:

1. Add a Telegram bot to send a snapshot photo when an intruder is detected
2. Add RGB LED or relay to flash emergency lights alongside the siren
3. Add multiple cameras for full coverage
4. Use detection zones to focus on specific areas like doorways or windows
5. Add a voice warning using text-to-speech before playing the siren

Troubleshooting:

1. If person detection isn't working, check that lighting is adequate — consider an IR illuminator for dark areas.
2. If you get too many false alerts, increase the 3-second pending time filter.
3. For ONVIF/RTSP cameras, verify the IP address and credentials in Settings → Camera.