Free software · Raspberry Pi
The noise nuisance log that keeps watch all night for you.
BarkDog listens, recognises barking, howling and other nuisances with an AI that runs on the box itself, and keeps only the episodes. Each one is timestamped, categorised and sealed. Human voices are silenced.
How it works
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It listens
A USB microphone plugged into the Pi captures sound continuously. A high-pass filter removes electrical hum, and a software gain can be adjusted from the web page.
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It recognises
Every half second, the YAMNet model scores each nuisance you selected. Above the threshold, an episode starts. Sounds to ignore, such as ducks, cancel the detection.
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It keeps the episode
The 10 seconds before the trigger are kept. The episode closes after an adjustable quiet time. The WAV file gets a per-category timeline and a SHA-256 fingerprint written to the log.
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You review
From your phone: playback with the howling timeline, day and night statistics, notes, trash and CSV exports for your records.
Pick your nuisances
Tick what bothers you in the settings. Each nuisance can have its own threshold.
Animals
- Barking
- Howling
- Growling, whimpering
- Rooster crowing
- Meowing
Human activity
- Music
- Bass, drums
- DIY, construction work
- Firecrackers, fireworks
Engines and alarms
- Lawn mower, chainsaw
- Motorbikes, scooters
- Alarms, sirens
- Horns
- High sound level
Sounds to ignore
- Ducks, geese
- Songbirds
- Wind, rain, thunder
- Traffic
on by default
Privacy
Human voices are silenced, by default.
In many countries, recording other people's private conversations without their consent is an offence. When the AI hears a voice, BarkDog erases that passage from the file and flags it on the timeline. An episode made up mostly of speech can also be discarded entirely.
The box talks to no online service. The web page is password-protected and stays on your network, or behind a VPN if you want to reach it from outside.
Hardware
| Recommended | Good to know | |
|---|---|---|
| Board | Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, 3, 4 or 5 | Raspberry Pi OS 64-bit; the Lite version is enough. |
| Microphone | USB microphone, or USB sound card and mic | Avoid conference mics with noise reduction: they erase distant barking. |
| Power supply | 5 V 2.5 A, or 5 V 3 A USB-C for the Pi 4 | A good-quality supply also keeps hum out of the recordings. |
| Storage | 16 GB microSD card | About 1.9 MB per recorded minute. |
| Time | Network at boot, or a DS3231 RTC module | The Pi has no battery-backed clock; the page warns when the time is not synchronised. |
Install
On the Pi, over SSH. The script installs the dependencies and the model, sets the time zone, asks for the web page password and creates the two services, started at boot.
sudo apt install -y git
git clone https://gitlab.com/lbstephane/barkdog.git ~/barkdog
cd ~/barkdog && TZ_NAME=Europe/London ./install.shReplace Europe/London with your time zone. Then open http://<pi-name>.local:8080 from your home Wi-Fi; the interface is available in English and French. To update: git pull && ./install.sh, your recordings and settings are kept.
Frequently asked questions
Do the recordings count as evidence?
BarkDog helps you build a factual record: dates, times, durations, repetition. It replaces neither a regulatory acoustic measurement nor an official report. Levels are relative, as the microphone is not calibrated. For any proceedings, seek advice from a mediator, a lawyer or your local authority.
Am I allowed to record?
Recording noise is generally not forbidden in itself, but other people's private conversations are protected in many countries. That is why voice masking is on by default. Point the microphone at the source of the nuisance, not at homes or public walkways. Turning masking off is your responsibility.
Does it need an Internet connection?
Only for installation and to set the Pi's clock at boot. Listening, the AI and the web page all work offline.
Can I check the page from outside my home?
Yes, through a VPN such as Tailscale or WireGuard. Do not open a port on your router: the page gives access to sensitive recordings.
What if the AI gets it wrong?
Test mode shows live scores against the thresholds, without recording. You adjust the sensitivity, the minimum number of detections and the sounds to ignore. In the episode list, a false positive is flagged in one click without touching the original log.
Why are some file names in French?
The project started in France, so recording and log file names (for example aboiement for barking, hurlement for howling) are in French. Their format is documented in the README.
Support the project
BarkDog is and will remain free, under the MIT licence. If it helps you, a coffee helps pay for the time spent and the test hardware.