Glossary

Border router

A device that links the Thread mesh to your home network. In nn this is the gateway.

Catalog

The list of firmware images the hub can flash and update devices with. Filled from sources.

FreeRTOS camera

A microcontroller camera, such as the ESP32-P4. It streams video; the media server runs the detection.

Gateway

The nn border router: a Linux program plus an ESP32-C6 NCP radio. It runs on the hub or on a Linux camera.

HLS

HTTP Live Streaming. The video format the web app plays in the browser.

Hub

The always-on service at the centre of nn: web app, device database, catalog, provisioning, automations and updates.

Linux camera

A camera running a small Linux system, such as the BeagleY-AI. It runs detection itself, updates its system in two slots, and can host a gateway.

Media server

The service that receives camera video, makes the live view and HLS, and runs detection. Its program is called nnvideo.

NCP

Network co-processor. An ESP32-C6 running only the Thread radio, driven over USB by the gateway.

NPU

Neural processing unit. The chip block that runs the object detector fast and at low power.

OTA

Over-the-air update: new firmware delivered over the network instead of a cable.

Promote

Make a catalog version the target that devices of that type should run.

Provisioning

Giving a new device its network settings and keys, over Bluetooth, from the hub.

Setup mode

The state of a device that is not provisioned: it advertises over Bluetooth so the hub can find it.

Source

A place the hub checks for firmware releases, such as a GitHub releases page.

Thread

A low-power IPv6 mesh radio network. nn sensors use it.