Rook Guard

Rook Guard turns old or current devices into a private local security camera system. One device acts as a camera node. Another device acts as the hub and viewer.

The first version should be simple: one camera node, one hub, local pairing, and local video streaming. Multi-device support can grow after the one-device path is reliable.

The project is for people who cannot afford dedicated security cameras, do not want cloud cameras inside their home, or already have spare phones, laptops, and tablets available.

Rook Hub is the viewer and control surface. It pairs with camera nodes locally, shows live video, switches sources when more than one node exists, and stores local snapshots or clips.

The Hub should not require an account, analytics, subscription, or cloud dashboard to perform its core job.

Rook Node is the camera endpoint. It turns a spare device into a camera node that can stream video to the Hub over the local network.

The Node should be easy to start, easy to pair, and clear about what is being captured.

Pairing should happen on the local network. The goal is to connect Hub and Node without creating an account or routing private video through a remote service.

The MVP should stay grounded. It is a local-first camera system, not a surveillance analytics platform.

These are not current MVP claims. If they ever appear, they should be presented as roadmap or research only until implemented and tested.

Rook Guard should make private monitoring possible without buying new hardware or accepting cloud cameras inside the home.

No account. No cloud required. No subscription. No analytics. Open source.