Nakavision + SecuritySpy: the perfect macOS NVR solution

SecuritySpy (macOS): complete integration and setup guide

SecuritySpy (Ben Software’s professional video surveillance software for macOS) is the software NVR (network video recorder) officially recommended by Nakavision for the Mac. It offers full support for the dual-lens Nakavision C1 security camera, making the most of its two independent lenses and its parallel high-resolution streams.

Full Nakavision C1 support and quick setup

The Nakavision C1 uses the ONVIF Profile S standard and RTSP, both of which SecuritySpy supports natively. Through them, SecuritySpy can access both of the camera’s lenses, each with its own high-resolution main stream and lower-resolution substream.

Automatic network discovery

Setup takes only seconds, with no need to configure IP addresses or ports manually:

1. Connect the Nakavision C1 to your local network (wired LAN or a stable Wi-Fi connection).
2. Open SecuritySpy on your Mac and go to Settings → Cameras.
3. Click the + button at the bottom left and choose Add Network Device, then click Discovered Devices below the Address field on the Device tab.
4. The camera appears in the list automatically as ONVIF NVT-IPC Model.
5. Select the camera and SecuritySpy fills in its address. Enter the username and password set on the camera (default username: admin), and the live video appears straight away.

SecuritySpy’s ONVIF profile handling makes the dual-lens view, digital zoom and each lens’s full-resolution 3 MP main stream available in the monitoring interface straight away.

Turning older Macs and iMacs into an NVR (SecuritySpy 6.x)

SecuritySpy 6 runs on macOS 10.13.6 High Sierra or later and supports both Intel and Apple silicon Macs natively (its newest AI-powered motion detection needs macOS 10.15 Catalina or later). That makes it ideal for turning an older Mac you no longer use – especially an iMac from 2013 or later – into a reliable NVR workstation that runs 24/7:

• Runs on OCLP-patched Macs: Many users upgrade older iMacs to a newer version of macOS (e.g. Ventura, Sonoma or Sequoia) with OpenCore Legacy Patcher (OCLP), a community tool that Apple does not support. SecuritySpy runs reliably on these patched systems too.
• “Use OpenGL Instead of Metal for Video Previews” option: On older Intel Macs with legacy graphics (for example, older Nvidia or AMD GPUs), Apple’s Metal graphics drivers can sometimes cause screen flicker or high GPU load under OCLP. SecuritySpy’s developers have added OpenGL-based preview rendering to the SecuritySpy → Debug submenu, which uses the classic OpenGL API instead of Metal to display live video. This gives a smooth, stutter-free picture even on inexpensive hardware that is more than 10 years old.
• Direct stream recording (no re-encoding): SecuritySpy can write the H.264 and H.265AI streams encoded by the Nakavision C1 straight to disk without recompressing them, so CPU and GPU load stays minimal, even with several cameras.

Key security features with the Nakavision C1

SecuritySpy does more than record footage – it extends what your Nakavision cameras can do:

1. Privacy mask

For outdoor or street-facing installations, you can draw precise privacy masks in SecuritySpy (Settings → Cameras → Setup → Privacy Mask) as well as in the camera. They hide the windows of neighbouring properties, public areas or other sensitive private spaces, helping your system comply with data protection law such as the UK GDPR without compromising the recording of important security zones. Note that SecuritySpy applies its own mask to the live view only: to keep masked areas out of recordings too, set the mask in the camera itself (recommended) or turn on Recompress video data, which uses extra processing power and reduces video quality.

2. AI detection and alerts

The neural network built into the software analyses the camera’s video in real time and classifies movement in the picture (people, vehicles, animals), minimising false alarms caused by plants swaying in the wind or by rain. When it detects something, it can send an instant push notification to the SecuritySpy iOS app, email you with images attached, or play a sound.

3. Apple HomeKit and Home Assistant integration

With HomeHelper, a free companion app from Ben Software (built with Mac Catalyst; requires macOS 11 or later), SecuritySpy links up with Apple Home (HomeKit) and Home Assistant:

• Motion detection can switch on HomeKit-compatible garden floodlights or indoor lights.
• Alarm states can be synchronised with your smart home hub.

4. AppleScript and shell script automation

System integrators and advanced users can run their own scripts. When motion or another event is detected, SecuritySpy can run an AppleScript or a Terminal shell command:

• Start automatic backups to an FTP/SFTP server, a local NAS or cloud storage.
• Trigger custom webhooks, or control alarm communicators or relays.

Recommended settings for 24/7 operation

If you run your Mac as a dedicated NVR for your Nakavision cameras, we recommend the following settings:

Together, the hardware precision of the dual-lens Nakavision C1 and the software flexibility of SecuritySpy deliver a top-tier, no-compromise security solution on macOS, for home users and businesses alike. You can try the full version of SecuritySpy free for 30 days, or buy it directly from Ben Software.