Outcome
Deploy Frigate in WSL with stable storage, acceleration options, and a clean upgrade/rollback path.
Audience and Scope
Audience: Home automation builder with intermediate Home Assistant and Docker experience
Estimated Time: 1-4 hours
Difficulty: intermediate
Before You Start
- WSL2 and Docker Desktop installed.
- Camera streams and storage paths planned.
- CPU/GPU acceleration strategy chosen.
Hardware and Software
Hardware
- Windows host with WSL2.
- Docker Desktop + Frigate container.
- Persistent volumes for config/media.
Software
- Windows host with WSL2.
- Docker Desktop + Frigate container.
- Persistent volumes for config/media.
Step-by-Step
Step 1: Prepare WSL and Docker integration
Objective: Enable WSL integration for Docker Desktop and verify container networking.
Actions:
- Implement prepare wsl and docker integration according to your environment.
Verification:
- Confirm expected state in Home Assistant and logs.
- Run a manual test to verify expected behavior.
Common failure and fix: If streams fail: test RTSP endpoints outside Frigate first.
Step 2: Create Frigate directories
Objective: Create persistent folders for config, recordings, clips, and database.
Actions:
- Implement create frigate directories according to your environment.
Verification:
- Confirm expected state in Home Assistant and logs.
- Run a manual test to verify expected behavior.
Common failure and fix: If streams fail: test RTSP endpoints outside Frigate first.
Step 3: Build compose stack
Objective: Create compose file with mapped volumes, ports, and resource constraints.
Actions:
- Implement build compose stack according to your environment.
Verification:
- Confirm expected state in Home Assistant and logs.
- Run a manual test to verify expected behavior.
Common failure and fix: If streams fail: test RTSP endpoints outside Frigate first.
Step 4: Configure camera streams
Objective: Add RTSP/stream configs and test ingest per camera.
Actions:
- Implement configure camera streams according to your environment.
Verification:
- Confirm expected state in Home Assistant and logs.
- Run a manual test to verify expected behavior.
Common failure and fix: If streams fail: test RTSP endpoints outside Frigate first.
Step 5: Enable acceleration (if supported)
Objective: Configure hardware acceleration according to Frigate docs.
Actions:
- Implement enable acceleration (if supported) according to your environment.
Verification:
- Confirm expected state in Home Assistant and logs.
- Run a manual test to verify expected behavior.
Common failure and fix: If streams fail: test RTSP endpoints outside Frigate first.
Step 6: Validate detections and retention
Objective: Confirm event detection, playback, and retention policies.
Actions:
- Implement validate detections and retention according to your environment.
Verification:
- Confirm expected state in Home Assistant and logs.
- Run a manual test to verify expected behavior.
Common failure and fix: If streams fail: test RTSP endpoints outside Frigate first.
Validation Checklist
- Frigate UI loads consistently.
- Cameras ingest without excessive drops.
- Recordings/retention work as configured.
Operations and Maintenance
- Document update cadence for packages and containers.
- Schedule backup verification.
- Record service health baselines and alert thresholds.
Troubleshooting and Rollback
- If streams fail: test RTSP endpoints outside Frigate first.
- If high CPU: lower frame rates and detector load.
- If upgrade breaks config: revert to previous image tag and config backup.