Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
Turn your Unraid server into a 24/7 local AI bird-listening station with BirdNET-Go. In this month’s App of the Month, I install BirdNET-Go from scratch, build a simple outdoor microphone setup, add a network RTSP audio source, tune the container so it doesn’t waste CPU and power, and optionally move the AI inference onto an Intel iGPU with OpenVINO.
BirdNET uses AI to identify birds from their calls and songs. BirdNET-Go takes that a step further by continuously listening, saving detections and audio clips, and building up a history of the species visiting or flying over your home.
*Here’s what’s covered:*
--What BirdNET and BirdNET-Go actually do
--Installing the Unraid Sound Driver plugin for local microphones
--Onboard audio vs a USB sound card
--Building a weather-resistant outdoor microphone setup
--Using the Microseven M7WP-MIC with the Behringer UFO202
--Setting the UFO202 to LINE rather than PHONO
--Powering the microphone from 12V or PoE
--Passing /dev/snd into the BirdNET-Go container
--Adding an RTSP audio stream from a network camera
--Live audio, spectrograms, detections and confidence scores
--Fixing very high CPU usage on hybrid Intel CPUs
--Why limiting BirdNET from 32 threads to 4 made inference much faster
--Optional Intel iGPU acceleration using OpenVINO
--Location, weather, activity patterns, nocturnal activity and biodiversity
🔗 *Key Links*
BirdNET: https://birdnet.cornell.edu/
BirdNET-Go for Unraid: ca.unraid.net/apps/birdnet-go-0sh55p507xrqo5
BirdNET-Go GitHub: github.com/tphakala/birdnet-go
Unraid Sound Driver plugin:
raw.githubusercontent.com/ich777/unraid-sound-driver/refs/heads/master/sound-driver.plg
🛒 *Hardware used – Amazon US*
Microseven M7WP-MIC: amzn.to/4h0KNMJ
Behringer UFO202: amzn.to/4iEsCxG
Geekria 20mm furry windscreen: amzn.to/4qIEbG4
10m / 33ft DC extension:amzn.to/4y9NXDA
35ft RCA cable: amzn.to/45ZSk8t
Optional 12V PSU: amzn.to/4xB6k4O
Optional ANVISION 12V PoE splitter: amzn.to/4wZJ5Qy
⏱️ Timestamps
0:00 - BirdNET-Go App of the Month
0:13 - What is BirdNET?
0:41 - Turning BirdNET into a permanent listening station
0:57 - Microphones and audio sources
1:31 - Direct microphone vs network audio
2:35 - CPU efficiency and Intel iGPU acceleration
3:10 - Installing sound drivers on Unraid
3:38 - Checking onboard audio and BIOS settings
4:10 - Installing the Sound Driver plugin
4:53 - Why I prefer a USB sound card
5:26 - The outdoor microphone hardware
6:20 - Putting the microphone together
7:47 - Powering the microphone with PoE or 12V
8:21 - Installing the microphone outside
8:40 - Installing BirdNET-Go on Unraid
9:27 - Passing /dev/snd into the container
9:46 - Passing the Intel iGPU into BirdNET-Go
10:11 - Onboard sound problems and the USB sound card
11:25 - Our first bird detections
11:47 - Live spectrogram and listening to detections
13:06 - Using an RTSP network camera as an audio source
14:18 - Adding an RTSP stream to BirdNET-Go
16:36 - Performance tuning BirdNET-Go
17:41 - Fixing excessive CPU usage
18:19 - Optimising the BirdNET model
18:55 - Intel OpenVINO GPU acceleration
19:40 - Checking AI inference performance
20:13 - Returning CPU threads to automatic
20:54 - Setting location and weather
21:30 - BirdNET-Go dashboard tour
22:36 - Trends and nocturnal activity
22:49 - Detecting bats with BirdNET
23:04 - Biodiversity statistics
23:14 - Wrapping up
*What will you build with Unraid?*
Get Started with Unraid in 15 minutes or less: unraid.net/getting-started
Some links may be affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!
Turn your Unraid server into a 24/7 local AI bird-listening station with BirdNET-Go. In this month’s App of the Month, I install BirdNET-Go from scratch, build a simple outdoor microphone setup, add a network RTSP audio source, tune the container so it doesn’t waste CPU and power, and optionally move the AI inference onto an Intel iGPU with OpenVINO.
BirdNET uses AI to identify birds from their calls and songs. BirdNET-Go takes that a step further by continuously listening, saving detections and audio clips, and building up a history of the species visiting or flying over your home.
*Here’s what’s covered:*
--What BirdNET and BirdNET-Go actually do
--Installing the Unraid Sound Driver plugin for local microphones
--Onboard audio vs a USB sound card
--Building a weather-resistant outdoor microphone setup
--Using the Microseven M7WP-MIC with the Behringer UFO202
--Setting the UFO202 to LINE rather than PHONO
--Powering the microphone from 12V or PoE
--Passing /dev/snd into the BirdNET-Go container
--Adding an RTSP audio stream from a network camera
--Live audio, spectrograms, detections and confidence scores
--Fixing very high CPU usage on hybrid Intel CPUs
--Why limiting BirdNET from 32 threads to 4 made inference much faster
--Optional Intel iGPU acceleration using OpenVINO
--Location, weather, activity patterns, nocturnal activity and biodiversity
🔗 *Key Links*
BirdNET: https://birdnet.cornell.edu/
BirdNET-Go for Unraid: ca.unraid.net/apps/birdnet-go-0sh55p507xrqo5
BirdNET-Go GitHub: github.com/tphakala/birdnet-go
Unraid Sound Driver plugin:
raw.githubusercontent.com/ich777/unraid-sound-driver/refs/heads/master/sound-driver.plg
🛒 *Hardware used – Amazon US*
Microseven M7WP-MIC: amzn.to/4h0KNMJ
Behringer UFO202: amzn.to/4iEsCxG
Geekria 20mm furry windscreen: amzn.to/4qIEbG4
10m / 33ft DC extension:amzn.to/4y9NXDA
35ft RCA cable: amzn.to/45ZSk8t
Optional 12V PSU: amzn.to/4xB6k4O
Optional ANVISION 12V PoE splitter: amzn.to/4wZJ5Qy
⏱️ Timestamps
0:00 - BirdNET-Go App of the Month
0:13 - What is BirdNET?
0:41 - Turning BirdNET into a permanent listening station
0:57 - Microphones and audio sources
1:31 - Direct microphone vs network audio
2:35 - CPU efficiency and Intel iGPU acceleration
3:10 - Installing sound drivers on Unraid
3:38 - Checking onboard audio and BIOS settings
4:10 - Installing the Sound Driver plugin
4:53 - Why I prefer a USB sound card
5:26 - The outdoor microphone hardware
6:20 - Putting the microphone together
7:47 - Powering the microphone with PoE or 12V
8:21 - Installing the microphone outside
8:40 - Installing BirdNET-Go on Unraid
9:27 - Passing /dev/snd into the container
9:46 - Passing the Intel iGPU into BirdNET-Go
10:11 - Onboard sound problems and the USB sound card
11:25 - Our first bird detections
11:47 - Live spectrogram and listening to detections
13:06 - Using an RTSP network camera as an audio source
14:18 - Adding an RTSP stream to BirdNET-Go
16:36 - Performance tuning BirdNET-Go
17:41 - Fixing excessive CPU usage
18:19 - Optimising the BirdNET model
18:55 - Intel OpenVINO GPU acceleration
19:40 - Checking AI inference performance
20:13 - Returning CPU threads to automatic
20:54 - Setting location and weather
21:30 - BirdNET-Go dashboard tour
22:36 - Trends and nocturnal activity
22:49 - Detecting bats with BirdNET
23:04 - Biodiversity statistics
23:14 - Wrapping up
*What will you build with Unraid?*
Get Started with Unraid in 15 minutes or less: unraid.net/getting-started
Some links may be affiliate links. If you make a purchase, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thanks for supporting the show!
