Scrypted NVR vs Frigate: Intel N100 vs Pi 5 Benchmarks

Scrypted vs Frigate hardware on low-power hosts comes down to whether your box can decode six 1080p RTSP substreams while running object detection without pegging CPU. As of August 2026, an Intel N100 mini PC with QuickSync plus Coral USB typically sustains Frigate on six cameras at under 35% CPU; a Raspberry Pi 5 with the same Coral stick is comfortable to four cameras before ffmpeg decode becomes the bottleneck. Scrypted NVR on N100 with OpenVINO iGPU is the better fit when you need HomeKit Secure Video and Smart Detections; Frigate-only on N100 wins when Home Assistant zones and MQTT automations are the contract.

Quick answer: Scrypted NVR or Frigate on N100 vs Pi 5 — which hardware wins?

Choose Intel N100 for six-plus camera Frigate or Scrypted NVR stacks—QuickSync decode is the differentiator. Choose Raspberry Pi 5 for four-camera Frigate or lightweight Scrypted rebroadcast when power and upfront cost matter more than headroom. Coral USB passthrough works on both; N100 leaves CPU cycles for dual-stack Scrypted-to-Frigate pipelines.

Source: Frigate hardware docs and Scrypted server buyer guide

~35% CPU — typical six-camera Frigate load on N100 with QuickSync + Coral USB versus ~85%+ CPU on Pi 5 at the same camera count without hardware decode (community planning classes, August 2026).

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Executive summary

Buyers searching scrypted vs frigate hardware in August 2026 are usually choosing a $180 N100 mini PC versus a $80 Pi 5 8 GB kit before they pick software. The stacks stress silicon differently: Frigate needs motion-gated inference plus ffmpeg decode; Scrypted NVR adds rebroadcast transcoding and OpenVINO Smart Detections on the same iGPU that QuickSync uses on Intel hosts.

Methodology: We cross-walked Frigate Recommended hardware and video acceleration docs, Scrypted Server hardware buyer guidance, and object-detection-benchmark script results (all accessed 17 August 2026)¹²³⁴, then normalized 22 community CPU and power reports from r/Frigate, r/Scrypted, and GitHub issues dated January–August 2026 into planning classes—not oscilloscope lab captures. Coral passthrough steps were verified against our Proxmox TPU passthrough guide patterns on both x86 and ARM64 Docker hosts.

Verdict: For Lena, a townhouse owner with six Reolink PoE cameras and Home Assistant automations, Frigate on a Beelink N100 with QuickSync + Coral USB is the right default—she gets ~10 ms inference and stays under 40% CPU with VLAN-blocked cameras. For Carlos, who keeps three Arlo Pro 5 units and watches HomeKit tiles on HomePods, Scrypted NVR on the same N100 with OpenVINO beats shipping a second Pi 5 for rebroadcast. For Aisha, a renter with four Wi-Fi cameras and a 15 W power budget, Pi 5 + Coral running Frigate-only is defensible until she adds camera five. Where I’m less sure—exact Scrypted NVR watt draw when Adaptive Bitrate transcodes four 2K streams simultaneously—the data is thin; your mileage will vary depending on substream resolution and glare-driven motion floods.

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Original research: host × stack benchmark matrix (August 2026)

This is the citable dataset for the article. Reuse requires attribution under CC BY 4.0 (see JSON-LD at section end).

Host	Stack	6×1080p sub decode	Inference path	CPU load class (6 cam)	Coral USB passthrough	Wall power (W)	Six-cam verdict	Source class
Intel N100	Frigate + QSV + Coral	QuickSync	Coral ~10 ms	28–38%	/dev/bus/usb + /dev/dri	14–18	Pass	Frigate doc + community
Intel N100	Scrypted NVR OpenVINO	QuickSync	iGPU yolov9t	35–50%	Optional TFLite Coral	16–22	Pass (tuned masks)	Scrypted doc34
Intel N100	Scrypted rebroadcast → Frigate	Shared QSV	Coral on Frigate	45–65%	Single Coral shared	18–24	Tight	Editorial
Raspberry Pi 5	Frigate + Coral USB	Software/V4L2	Coral ~10 ms	55–75% (4 cam) / 85%+ (6 cam)	USB3 /dev/bus/usb	10–14	Fail @ 6	Community N=22
Raspberry Pi 5	Frigate + Hailo-8L HAT	Software decode	Hailo ~11 ms	50–70% (4 cam)	/dev/hailo0 on HAT	11–15	Tight @ 4	Frigate doc1
Raspberry Pi 5	Scrypted NVR only	Software	OpenVINO CPU	70–90%	Rare	12–16	Fail @ 6	Scrypted doc3
Raspberry Pi 5	Scrypted rebroadcast (3 cams)	Software	N/A detect	40–55%	N/A	9–12	Pass @ 3	Community

How to read CPU classes: Percentages assume 720p detect substreams at 5 fps, motion masks tuned, and H.264 main streams for record. H.265, 4K main streams, or untuned glare can add 15–25 percentage points without changing detector hardware.

Quick Sync Video (Intel QSV) offloads H.264/H.265 decode in ffmpeg—it does not run Frigate’s MobileDet graphs. Coral TPU passthrough maps the USB accelerator into Docker or LXC via /dev/bus/usb so inference stays on-LAN; decode and detect remain separate budgets on both N100 and Pi 5¹⁵.

Power and three-year energy cost

Neither host changes your electric bill dramatically versus cloud subscriptions, but Pi 5 wins on watts while N100 wins on cameras-per-watt.

Build	Idle (W)	Six-cam load (W)	Annual @ $0.16/kWh	3-year energy	Hardware (Aug 2026)
N100 + Frigate + Coral	8–10	14–18	~$20–25	~$60–75	~$245–315
N100 + Scrypted NVR	9–11	16–22	~$23–28	~$70–85	~$245 + NVR license
Pi 5 + Frigate + Coral	5–7	10–14	~$14–18	~$42–55	~$145–175
Pi 5 + Hailo-8L AI Kit	6–8	11–15	~$15–19	~$46–58	~$155–195

Street prices checked 17 August 2026: Beelink EQ13 N100 $179–219 on Amazon; Pi 5 8 GB board $80 plus active cooler and case ~$35; Coral USB $59–65 secondary market⁶.

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Intel N100: the six-camera default

Frigate’s own buyer table lists Beelink EQ13 (N100) as a reference mini PC as of August 2026¹. The value is not raw CPU GHz—it is gen12 QuickSync on Alder Lake-N:

# docker-compose.yml excerpt — N100 Frigate + QuickSync + Coral
services:
  frigate:
    devices:
      - /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb
      - /dev/dri/renderD128:/dev/dri/renderD128
    environment:
      LIBVA_DRIVER_NAME: iHD

# config.yml excerpt
ffmpeg:
  hwaccel_args: preset-intel-qsv-h264
detectors:
  coral:
    type: edgetpu
    device: usb

On six Reolink RLC-810A substreams, community reports through July 2026 cluster around 28–38% total CPU with Coral inference steady at 9–11 ms—headroom for Home Assistant on the same box if RAM is 16 GB¹⁵.

Scrypted NVR on N100

Scrypted’s August 2026 server buyer guide ranks Intel iGPU OpenVINO above legacy Coral USB for new Scrypted NVR installs³. The public benchmark script reports ~25 seconds for 2,000 yolov9t detections (eight concurrent) on N100 iGPU versus ~20–21 seconds on Coral USB in the same harness⁴—aggregate ~80–100 det/s, adequate for six cameras when motion masks suppress glare bursts.

Steel-man for Scrypted NVR on N100: A Scrypted advocate would argue one $180 box should run rebroadcast, HKSV publishing, Smart Detections timeline, and OpenVINO without a Coral eBay hunt. QuickSync handles camera decode; the iGPU runs yolov9t; you skip Frigate YAML entirely for Apple-first households.

Rebuttal: That position holds for James (HomePods, Arlo bridges). It weakens for Lena (MQTT automations, zone masks)—Frigate’s ~10 ms Coral path with auditable YAML still wins when HomeKit is unused. Stacking full Scrypted NVR plus full Frigate on one N100 without shared substreams duplicates decode and commonly lands in the 45–65% CPU tight zone in our matrix.

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Raspberry Pi 5: watts-first, cameras-second

The Pi 5 8 GB is the cheapest way to run local-only detection when camera count stays at four or fewer. Frigate documentation supports Coral USB and Hailo-8L HAT paths on ARM64¹; the limiter is decode, not TPU ms.

Pi 5 constraint	Impact on Frigate	Impact on Scrypted NVR
No QuickSync	ffmpeg decode on CPU cores	Same—rebroadcast transcodes burn CPU
USB3 shared bus	Coral OK on dedicated port; avoid NVMe+TPU contention	Arlo plugin pulls add USB Wi-Fi dongle traffic
8 GB RAM ceiling	Fine for Frigate-only	Tight with Scrypted + multiple plugins
Thermal throttle	Sustained 85%+ CPU reduces clock	Smart Detections batch slower

Anecdotally, Pi 5 + Coral owners who jump to six cameras report frame skips and MQTT alert delays until they move decode to an N100 or drop to 640×360 substreams—I haven’t tested every Pi 5 cooler variant, but passive cases fail first.

Coral TPU passthrough on Pi 5 vs N100

Passthrough mechanics are nearly identical:

devices:
  - /dev/bus/usb:/dev/bus/usb

Friction differences:

Factor	Intel N100	Raspberry Pi 5
USB topology	Dedicated rear port typical	Shared with Ethernet controller
Decode pairing	Must add /dev/dri for QSV	No iGPU—CPU decode only
Docker platform	linux/amd64 default images	linux/arm64 Frigate tags
Dual-stack headroom	Moderate	Poor beyond three cloud bridges

For Hailo-8L on Pi 5, use the AI Kit HAT path with /dev/hailo0 and Frigate type: hailo8l—inference ~11 ms per Frigate docs, but decode still runs on CPU¹.

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CPU, GPU, and dual-stack overhead

Neither Scrypted NVR nor Frigate removes ffmpeg work. The GPU on N100 serves QuickSync decode and OpenVINO inference—different engines, same silicon contention risk.

Pipeline stage	N100 Frigate-only	Pi 5 Frigate-only	N100 Scrypted → Frigate
RTSP ingest (per cam)	Low	Low	Duplicated if not rebroadcast
ffmpeg decode	QSV ~3–8 ms	CPU ~25–40 ms	QSV on both if shared
Motion + queue	~5–15 ms	~5–15 ms	~5–15 ms
Detector inference	~7–10 ms	~7–10 ms	~7–10 ms
Editorial load score (1–5)	2	4	4

Hardware efficiency — same six-camera workload (August 2026)

Product	Cloud required	Local storage	Mandatory account	Offline control	Score / 10
Frigate on Intel N100 + QSV + Coral	No	Full local clips	None	Excellent	9.2
Frigate on Pi 5 + Coral (4 cam)	No	Full local clips	None	Excellent	8.1
Scrypted NVR on N100 OpenVINO	No for LAN inference	NVR plugin retention	NVR license	Good	7.8
Dual stack on one N100 (untuned)	No	Split across apps	NVR license if used	Moderate	6.4

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Worked examples

Example 1 — Lena, six PoE bullets, Frigate on N100

Profile: Lena runs Home Assistant 2026.8 on the same Beelink EQ13 (N100, 16 GB) as Frigate in Docker. Six Reolink RLC-810A on VLAN 40, WAN denied. Stack: Frigate 0.16.x with preset-intel-qsv-h264, Coral USB, five-day retention on 1 TB NVMe.

Expected benchmarks (August 2026 planning class): CPU 30–35% average afternoon load; Coral inference 9–11 ms; wall power 15–17 W. Scrypted not installed—no HKSV requirement.

Lena’s decision: N100 is non-negotiable over Pi 5; six cameras on Pi 5 failed a weekend trial with frame skips. Pi 5 remains her Zigbee coordinator host on a separate board.

Example 2 — Carlos, Arlo + HomeKit, Scrypted NVR on N100

Profile: Carlos owns three Arlo Pro 5 and one Reolink doorbell. Watches feeds on HomePod displays. Stack: Scrypted with Arlo plugin, Scrypted NVR with OpenVINO on N100, HomeKit plugin for HKSV. Optional Frigate ingesting Scrypted RTSP for HA automations—not yet deployed.

Expected benchmarks: OpenVINO batch class ~25 s / 2,000 det⁴; CPU 35–45% with rebroadcast; wall power 17–20 W. Temporary WAN exception for Arlo OAuth refresh documented in OPNsense.

Carlos’s decision: Pi 5 could rebroadcast two Arlo units but stuttered on the third; N100 was the cheapest fix without a second cloud subscription.

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Pros and cons by host

Intel N100 — pros

• QuickSync decode for six-plus 1080p substreams.
• Runs Frigate and Scrypted NVR OpenVINO on one box.
• Coral USB passthrough with mature linux/amd64 images.
• 16 GB RAM models common; headroom for HA colocation.

Intel N100 — cons

• Higher idle power than Pi 5 (approx. 8–10 W vs approx. 5–7 W).
• About $100 more upfront than Pi 5 8 GB kit.
• Dual full stacks without rebroadcast tuning peg CPU.
• No fanless guarantee—check EQ13 thermals in summer closets.

Raspberry Pi 5 — pros

• Lowest wall power for four-camera Frigate.
• Hailo-8L AI Kit native path for ARM Frigate builds.
• Coral USB passthrough works on dedicated USB3 port.
• Compact—fits beside router in apartment installs.

Raspberry Pi 5 — cons

• No QuickSync—CPU decode caps near four 1080p cams.
• Scrypted NVR at six cameras is a planning fail in our matrix.
• USB/Ethernet contention when stacking NVMe HAT + Coral.
• arm64 Docker tags occasionally lag x86 Frigate releases.

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Decision flow

Start
  │
  ├─ Six or more 1080p cameras?
  │     └─ YES → Intel N100 (Frigate or Scrypted NVR)
  │
  ├─ Need HomeKit Secure Video?
  │     └─ YES → Scrypted NVR on N100 (not Pi 5 @ 6 cams)
  │
  ├─ Four or fewer cameras + tight power budget?
  │     └─ YES → Pi 5 + Coral USB Frigate
  │
  ├─ Cloud Arlo/Ring bridges required?
  │     └─ YES → N100 Scrypted rebroadcast; add Frigate only if HA zones needed
  │
  └─ Already own Pi 5 and adding camera five?
        └─ Migrate decode host to N100; keep Pi 5 as coordinator

Checklist

• ✓ Count cameras and label RTSP-native vs cloud-only.
• ✓ Pick host: N100 for six-plus streams; Pi 5 for four or fewer.
• ✓ Enable QuickSync on N100 before buying Coral or Hailo.
• ✓ Map /dev/bus/usb and /dev/dri in Docker; verify lsusb sees Coral.
• ✓ If Scrypted NVR + Frigate, rebroadcast RTSP—do not duplicate pulls.
• ✓ Measure wall power with a Kill-A-Watt during peak glare hour.
• ✓ Block camera VLAN WAN; hardware choice does not replace firewall rules.

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FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Intel N100 or Raspberry Pi 5 better for Frigate in 2026?

Intel N100 with QuickSync and Coral USB is the six-camera default. Pi 5 with Coral works for four cameras at 5 fps detect; beyond that, CPU decode becomes the bottleneck.

Can Scrypted NVR run well on a Raspberry Pi 5?

Rebroadcast for two to three cloud cameras is viable. Six-camera Scrypted NVR Smart Detections on Pi 5 is a planning fail in our August 2026 matrix—use N100 instead.

Does Coral TPU passthrough work the same on N100 and Pi 5?

Both map /dev/bus/usb into Docker. N100 pairs Coral with QuickSync decode; Pi 5 lacks hardware decode, so the same TPU ms does not imply the same camera ceiling.

How much power does Scrypted NVR vs Frigate use on N100?

Frigate-only typically draws 14–18 W at six-camera load; Scrypted NVR with OpenVINO runs 16–22 W. Pi 5 Frigate stacks often land 10–14 W with fewer cameras.

Should I run Scrypted and Frigate on one N100 mini PC?

Yes with rebroadcast RTSP into Frigate and shared QSV. No if both apps independently pull six main streams—expect 45–65% CPU and stutter.

What is the cheapest six-camera local NVR hardware stack?

Used N100 ($180) plus Coral USB ($65) and 1 TB NVMe under Frigate Docker. Pi 5 saves upfront cost but usually needs a second host before camera six.

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Primary sources

#	Source	URL
1	Frigate — Recommended hardware	https://docs.frigate.video/frigate/hardware
2	Frigate — Hardware accelerated video decoding	https://docs.frigate.video/configuration/hardware_acceleration_video/
3	Scrypted — Server hardware buyer guide	https://docs.scrypted.app/buyers-guide/servers.html
4	Scrypted — object-detection-benchmark script	https://github.com/scryptedapp/scripts.scrypted.app/blob/main/object-detection-benchmark.md
5	Privacy Smart Home — Proxmox TPU passthrough for Frigate	/guides/proxmox-tpu-passthrough-frigate-lxc-hailo-coral-2026/
6	Google Coral — USB Accelerator product page	https://coral.ai/products/accelerator/
7	Privacy Smart Home — Scrypted NVR vs Frigate detection	/guides/scrypted-nvr-vs-frigate-local-object-detection-2026/
8	Privacy Smart Home — Build local NVR on Ugreen NASync	/guides/build-local-nvr-ugreen-nasync-frigate-2026/

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Verdict

For scrypted vs frigate hardware decisions in August 2026, host choice precedes app choice. Intel N100 is the right silicon for six-camera local NVR workloads whether you run Frigate with QuickSync + Coral or Scrypted NVR with OpenVINO—Pi 5 cannot hardware-decode enough ffmpeg paths to match. Raspberry Pi 5 remains the watts-and-cost winner for four-camera Frigate-only installs like Aisha’s, or as a Zigbee coordinator while an N100 handles video.

Choose N100 + Frigate when PoE RTSP cameras, MQTT automations, and auditable YAML define success. Choose N100 + Scrypted NVR when HomeKit Secure Video and Smart Detections timeline are non-negotiable. Choose Pi 5 + Coral only when camera count, power, and rack space are capped—and budget an N100 migration before you buy camera five.

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Dataset (JSON-LD)

Footnotes

1. Frigate Recommended hardware — detector and host guidance, accessed 17 August 2026. https://docs.frigate.video/frigate/hardware ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴ ↩⁵ ↩⁶ ↩⁷

2. Frigate Hardware accelerated video decoding — QuickSync presets, accessed 17 August 2026. https://docs.frigate.video/configuration/hardware_acceleration_video/ ↩

3. Scrypted Server hardware buyer guide, accessed 17 August 2026. https://docs.scrypted.app/buyers-guide/servers.html ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

4. Scrypted object-detection-benchmark script, accessed 17 August 2026. https://github.com/scryptedapp/scripts.scrypted.app/blob/main/object-detection-benchmark.md ↩ ↩² ↩³ ↩⁴

5. Privacy Smart Home — Proxmox TPU passthrough for Frigate LXC. /guides/proxmox-tpu-passthrough-frigate-lxc-hailo-coral-2026/ ↩ ↩²

6. Google Coral USB Accelerator product page, accessed 17 August 2026. https://coral.ai/products/accelerator/ ↩

Related guides

• Hailo-8 vs Google Coral TPU: Local NVR AI Benchmarks
• Build a Local NVR on Ugreen NASync with Frigate
• Local NVR Hardware: Coral TPU vs QuickSync vs Hailo-8
• Scrypted NVR vs Frigate: Local Object Detection