Loki Eye Local NVR Synology alternative
Surveillance Station is a solid recorder if you own a Synology NAS. Loki Eye runs on the computer you already have: your cameras detect motion, their streams are copied straight to disk, and there are no per-camera licences.
A Synology NAS includes two camera licences, and each extra camera needs one, at about $50 to $60 once. Eight cameras mean six licences. Loki Eye is free for two cameras, and as many as you need cost €29 + VAT a year or €99 + VAT once.
Surveillance Station is a package for Synology’s DSM operating system, so the recorder has to be a Synology NAS or NVR. Loki Eye is a desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux, so a Mac mini, an old laptop, or a small Linux box can be the recorder.
People and vehicle analytics run on Synology cameras and DVA-series recorders, and motion analysis on other models falls to the NAS processor. Loki Eye uses the motion, person, and vehicle events your cameras already send over ONVIF, and needed 3.0% of one CPU core to record eight 1080p cameras in our measurement.
| Feature | Loki Eye | Synology Surveillance Station |
|---|---|---|
| Runs on | Windows, macOS, and Linux, as a desktop app. | Synology NAS and NVR hardware only, as a package in the DSM operating system. |
| Price | Free for two cameras. €29 + VAT a year or €99 + VAT once for unlimited cameras. | Included with Synology storage, with two camera licences on a NAS. Each extra camera needs a licence, about $50 to $60 once. |
| Recording | H.264 and H.265 copied to disk exactly as the camera sends them. Continuous, or on motion with pre-roll and post-roll. | Camera streams stored on the NAS. Continuous, scheduled, or on motion and other events, with 5 to 300 seconds of pre-roll and post-roll. |
| Motion detection | Uses each camera’s own ONVIF motion events, so the recorder never analyses video. | Uses the camera’s own motion events, or analyses video on the NAS. Also reads smart events from Axis, Hikvision, and Dahua cameras. |
| Object detection | Records on the person and vehicle events of cameras that report them. No AI runs on the recorder. | People, vehicle, face, and licence plate analytics on Synology cameras and DVA-series recorders. Other NAS models rely on camera events. |
| Server load | About 0.1% of one CPU core and 19 MB of memory in our measurement. Video is only decoded for snapshots or on request. | Light when cameras report motion. Motion analysis on the NAS decodes video, which low-power NAS processors feel. |
| Retention | By age and by a hard storage cap across all cameras, plus a free-disk floor. Shows the days of footage the cap allows. | Per camera, by days and by storage size, whichever limit is reached first. |
| Setup | Install and add cameras in the browser. Stream probing and an ONVIF port test check each camera. | Install the Surveillance Station package in DSM, then add cameras with a wizard that searches the network. |
| Phones and remote access | With a licence, any browser on your network, behind a password. Away from home, use your own VPN. No native app yet. | DS cam apps for iOS and Android, and desktop clients for Windows and macOS. Remote access through Synology QuickConnect. |
| Integrations | Local HTTP API with an MJPEG stream and a still image for every camera, ready for Home Assistant and other home automation. | Web API and webhook action rules. Home Assistant’s official Synology DSM integration adds every camera. |
Synology details were checked in September 2026 against synology.com. Synology prices are in US dollars before tax. For Blue Iris, iSpy Agent DVR, and Frigate as well, see all five recorders compared.
Many cameras accept more than one stream connection, so you can usually keep Surveillance Station recording while you try Loki Eye on two cameras for free.
Download freeNo. Surveillance Station is a package for Synology’s DSM operating system and runs only on Synology NAS and NVR hardware. Loki Eye runs on any Windows PC, Mac, or Linux machine.
A Synology NAS includes two licences, Synology NVRs include four or eight, and Synology’s own cameras bring their own. Every other camera needs a licence, at about $50 to $60 once. Loki Eye has no per-camera licences: two cameras are free, and unlimited cameras cost €29 + VAT a year or €99 + VAT once.
When Surveillance Station uses the camera’s own motion detection, both do little work. When it analyses motion itself, the NAS decodes video. Loki Eye never analyses video: it relies on the motion events your cameras already produce and writes their streams to disk exactly as sent.
With a licence, in any browser on your network, behind a password. Away from home, use your own VPN. There is no native phone app yet, whereas Surveillance Station has the DS cam apps and remote access through Synology QuickConnect.
Yes. A local HTTP API serves an MJPEG stream and a still image for every camera, which Home Assistant’s built-in camera integrations can read without a cloud account. Home Assistant’s Synology DSM integration also adds Surveillance Station cameras.
You already own a Synology NAS and want native phone apps, a desktop client, and cameras and software from one vendor. On a DVA-series recorder it also runs people, vehicle, and face analytics, which Loki Eye leaves to cameras that report person and vehicle events.
Install Loki Eye, add your cameras, and it starts recording to your own disk.
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