Home Assistant Tutorial Part 3: IP Cameras (featuring Reolink)

This is part 3 in my video series on how to use Home Assistant. In this video I'll discuss the various ways to get cameras into Home Assistant from ONVIF to using the Generic Camera integration for RTSP, and also discuss other methods so you're aware of your choices. We'll also show how to configure the cameras and an NVR using the REOLINK software as a demo. Please note that you'll want to use your camera software or an NVR regardless to configure the cameras...Home Assistant will let you view them, but managing them is best left to dedicated software.
In this video I also show how to use the REST platform to add in a motion sensor for the Reolink cameras.
Below you'll find helpful links and further reading you'll want to do to understand some of these topics more deeply (Especially HLS and how it relates to latency)
Update: .h265 support is in progress at the time this video was made...it's coded up and going through the review system.
About my thoughts on the camera from Reolink:
I'm thankful for their sponsorship, and the cameras worked great for this video. They didn't require the cloud at all and had a great quality to them. They have a ton of models including PTZ, and the cameras are really nicely priced compared to say an Aarlo
This video was sponsored by Reolink (reolink.com/)
reolink.com/
Reolink cameras used in this video:
Reolink 410 5MP POE: amzn.to/3pDawOH
Reolink 410W 4MP Wifi: amzn.to/2H9ZsqW
An excellent post about different camera approaches and the pros/cons of each. Also the comment section is a great read as it discusses latency:
community.home...
Onvif device manager tool:
sourceforge.ne...
Link to home assistant known camera configs:
community.home...
Below is my binary sensor config for Reolink cameras using the REST service. This should make it easy to copy/paste. You'll want to change the IP, and the username and pasword. You'll also probably like to give it a good name to match the amera.
Binary Sensor for Reolink Cameras:
platform: rest
resource: 192.168.1.140/api.cgi?cmd=GetMdState&user=YOURUSERNAME&password=YOURPASSWORD
name: YOUR CAMERA NAME
scan_interval: 2
value_template: "{{ value_json[0].value.state }}"
device_class: motion
Home Assistant tutorial Series:
Part 5 - HACS and Themes - • Home Assistant Tutoria...
Part 4 - Automations BluePrints Scripts and Scenes
• Home Assistant Tutoria...
Part 3 - Cameras • Home Assistant Tutoria...
Part 2 - UI Walkthroughs, Integrations, Addons, and Cloud Backups • Home Assistant Tutori...
Part 1 - Installation - • Home Assistant Tutori...
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#homeassistant #tutorial

[@vincestechshop]

Another great video. Having the related terms next to each other really helps me understand them better. Thank you

[@geektoolkit]

Thankyou for that! I appreciate the feedback and am glad this is helping others understand the concepts!

[@kaushiksharma8390]

You solved all my Reolink integration issues with a single Video! Thank you! Subscribed! :)

[@geektoolkit]

Yay!! Glad it helped! Yeah took me a bit to figure out that rest trick for the motion but having it work is handy :)

[@kaushiksharma8390]

@@geektoolkit what’s your recommendation for an nvr to attach to HASS. I currently use synology but want something that can playback in HASS.

[@geektoolkit]

I actually don’t have one yet. I’m going to look into blue Iris though and will report back. It’s windows based and I’m going to have to setup a machine for it but as I get more serious about home automation I think it’s going to be worth the investment

[@kaushiksharma8390]

@@geektoolkit this has come up in my search too. And not expensive. I might look into this too! 👍

[@geektoolkit]

Yep! I tried motioneye and wasn’t terribly impressed. I’ve used a docker container running deepstack on an Intel NUC and that was a super impressive combo esp with reolink, but not a true NVR. The biggest cost of blue Iris for me is I would want a standalone PC to run it and that’ll cost a bit unless I run it on my Norma desktop (but I worry about if I’m gaming or something affecting the system)

[@madisonwentz1961]

This is what I NEEDED! Thank you :)

[@geektoolkit]

Glad it helped!!

[@JasonRasmussen]

How do you get the Reolink binary sensor to work if you have a NVR? Would the 'resource' be different to address the individual camera behind the NVR?

[@geektoolkit]

I’m not sure. I’d hope the NVR takes care of the motion triggers or as part of the integration understands how to talk to it. Motion eye appeared to use the stream and come up with its own motion alerts. I haven’t tried Blue Iris yet.

[@jamegrabham9992]

Thanks, Joe...this is exactly what I have been looking for...all my cameras are Reolink...best cameras for the value to date...:)

[@geektoolkit]

Yay! Yes I’m really enjoying them! I gave them feedback on the ONVIF support...if they can get the motion sensor into it the setup would be clean and absolute cake. I got deepstack working last night for AI based motion updates so once I’m confident that I’ve mastered that I’ll do a follow up. Having motion events that say “I saw a human” is super handy

[@jamegrabham9992]

@@geektoolkit Joe, that would be fabulous...I would still like to find a way to turn the motion on or off with the presence sensor in HA... I am so glad that I ran into your YT videos... watching more of them now...:)

[@jamegrabham9992]

Joe...quick question...as I mentioned all my cameras are Reolink (Ubiquity Poe switch and wireless)...would you bother with an NVR solution (like Blue Iris) or just use the Reolink software for your home (and HA)???

[@geektoolkit]

I’m figuring that out now actually. I am going to try Blue Iris to see what it offers. I like a tiered approach where if my HA box is down for some reason, my security system still functions, even at a reduced capacity. So I think I’d use the reolink app but I’d also want to back it with an NVR or HA (or both) as well to have added capabilities such as object detection or local video recording that could be expanded upon with other brands of cameras (basically keeping me out of having to make a brand choice of a better camera comes along). That being said if you’re all reolink and happy with it their softwares likely plenty. I’m hoping to release a video showing deepstack soon (now that I have the hacs video done) to show how cool that is with reolink :)

[@jamegrabham9992]

@@geektoolkit I run my HA in a VM (in Proxmox), it was on a raspberry pi3 at on time...I am now looking to move it to my QNAP as a VM...are you able to, or have you thought about running BI in a Windows VM, rather than having a dedicated machine for BI?

[@mikeyounge3530]

Hi , hope you can help/ advised, followed your installation by Onvif however, i have an configure authentication error fail to connect. The camera is running/ reading in Reolink client but i cannot get it load in HA motioneye. any idea what the problem is ? Thanks

[@geektoolkit]

I’d make sure the account your using is correct..double check the password and username. Also try a mew account, and try both an admin and user account type.

[@MaxGoddur]

Let me see if I understand this correctly the camera you show being installed and used under HA did not have to be reflashed or require a hub. Once set up as you show using the manufacturer's software you then can go into HA and finish setup as you show. I ask because I have burned while picking up plugs that supposedly work with HA but no longer do because some have moved away from the ESP device. Great video thank you.

[@geektoolkit]

Yep you saw correctly...Reolink supports RTSP which is a protocol, so anything that can talk RTSP (which is a standard) can talk to those cameras. that's one of the reasons they're highly valued for enthusiasts is they don't lock stuff down, you don't have to hack them, etc. And RTSP can be accessed locally, so you don't have to give them the ability to access the internet...you can control all options on the camera locally. Since it's just streaming a standard protocol, you can use a number of different software packages interchangeably. So you can use their app on your phone if you want to expose the camera to the internet, but also use HA. Or you can use a 3rd party app like Blue Iris as well. It gives you alot of flexability. One thing to note is sometimes to change settings you'll need either thier software or to use the website...for instance I can't change resolution or frame rate in HA..but honestly that's ok I think for most people

[@girardaquino]

@@geektoolkit really helpful series. I'm new to HA so your approach to clarifying terms, how to do things right, etc are really great. I wonder if you know whether dlink (looking to gamble on a used dcs-5030l) can still make use of the rtsp standard? I read they hid it but someone figured out the custom urls you showed and apparently was still accessible, so I'm hoping I can get it to work.

[@geektoolkit]

@@girardaquino Thanks! I really appreciate the feedback, I try to differentiate with that approach so glad it's appreciated. re: Dlink...I'm not sure as I don't have one. But if someone found the urls and they aren't encrypted somehow, then you may be good to go for at least getting the video. If you need to pan/tilt/zoom I think that part may be different however. If you can get them cheap enough or have them I'd say give it a go! But also keep in mind that security cameras are getting REALLY inexpensive now. I can find reolinks for 40-60 dollars all day long that support RTSP and even ONVIF, and Hikvision I've heard good things about as well. So just be aware of all that

[@girardaquino]

@GeekToolkit Thanks for the quick response. I know, I saw that I could get the E1 pro for that range, although I was looking at the Reolink add-on and those weren't supported. But yeah, it's one of those where used might not be worth it. Don't need PTZ at the moment, although it would be nice if I can get one working properly with HA.

[@geektoolkit]

I’m on like a mission to find an outdoor PTZ that has RTSP and ONVIF for a reasonable price. It’s tough! Everyone seems to be going to cloud services to subsidize. I keep hoping someone will jump in and provide a DIY friendly local only solution. Still looking for them :)

[@EngineerK]

well done. you deserve way more views

[@geektoolkit]

Thankyou!! I’m going to keep making and eventually they’ll find me. If you’d like please share links to the videos with others as that helps!

[@wonderingj13]

Great video. Very informative

[@geektoolkit]

Thank you!!!

[@steveshr3805]

Thanks for the reolink rest json, I have had a RLC 520 sitting on a shelf for last few months, but have been unhappy with the previous methods of getting motion detection into hass (ftp/email... way too slow and needed, in my set up, a whole new lxc just to host a mail/ftp server!), I don't currently use a nvr so its been quite useless! Having some issues with an automation now though... (i think you mentioned part 4 would cover some?)... I have setup an automation that will notify my phone with a 20 second video (ios), but it keeps running into problems as it gets triggered over and over and over, I need some sort of cool down I think.... Any ideas? Don't worry, If its coming in your next vid then I will wait and see! Thanks for the great video, I'm familiar with most of the concepts so happily skipped a few bits but spelling them out is good for the bits that I didn't understand - long form detailed videos are few and far between, so thank you for putting in the effort!

[@geektoolkit]

Thanks, and sorry for the slow replies, I'm catching up on a backlog. I definitely think you need a cooldown. I have part 4 out for automations, and cover the 'For' in triggers, but that won't help your case sadly. You'll definitely need a cooldown. If I were writing it I'd probably create a binary sensor that turned on for a set period of time if triggered, and then turned itself off. Then as part of my execution section I'd flip that on. In the condition you can check to see if it's on, so if a previous execution flipped it, it can just exit out. The timer of when that sensor goes back would likely be another automation, and can be controlled there. This article may also help: daltonf.com/cool-down-switch/

[@yeohkokcheow3781]

Great video and it is very informative. BTW, I have questions about the mjpeg. Can we actually use mjpeg integration with rtsp camera? Also, what kind of the trade-off if we use mjpeg integration in HA? I saw you mentioned in your video. I know FFMPEG is the heaviest one and CPU intensive.

[@geektoolkit]

From what I can see you need the camera to provide an MJPEG stream. I don’t believe every camera can. I was unable to get one from my camera directly. I believe an NVR may be able to do it, and am exploring that now. I’m not clear if FFMPEG can, or how you’d set the settings to tell it to transcode

[@yeohkokcheow3781]

Thanks for the reply. I have 3 rtsp camera and 1 onvif camera and i integrated them into HA with generic camera integration. I also display them with picture glance cards. Results are not good as the picture glance are dropping the images and streams has days delay.

[@geektoolkit]

Have you set the cards to preload and set the “live view” setting (vs auto)

[@yeohkokcheow3781]

That's why I was wondering if the MJPEG will improve the streams

[@yeohkokcheow3781]

@@geektoolkit I set it to auto now and I will try to set it to live. What's the auto does actually?

[@user-zr7kz4vs7c]

Are there any pros and cons of RLC 410 5mp? And does it work as a standalone camera(without any NVR or PC running 24/7)

[@geektoolkit]

It can work directly with the app via an SDcard if you’d like. My biggest plus is that it works entirely offline and the RTSP feed is available and documented. Quality is solid. The downside compared to others I’ve tested is that they’re bullet style vs PTZ, so you can’t move them remotely like the Soiliom I’ve reviewed. Also the motion detection uses image changes vs a PIR sensor so it can get a bit aggressive reporting motion during wind or rain. Price wise for what it is I really like them. Hope that helps

[@user-zr7kz4vs7c]

@@geektoolkit Is the RTSP stream stable on the RLC 410 5mp? Does it lag sometimes? I heard tons of users reported that the RTSP stream on RLC 410 is laggy sometimes, did you encounter this issue? Thank you for your great video!

[@geektoolkit]

So that depends on where you’re consuming it from. If it’s from a native RTSP stream then it was about 2 seconds of lag, if you’re converting it to HTTP (the way home assistant does it) then it’s 5-10 seconds. That’s the nature of the conversion and HTTP technology from what I’ve understood (I forget the HTTP stream acronym that HA uses). It doesn’t support MJPEG which would give you an lower latency stream in HA or over HTTP if needed. So I’m short in HA 5-10 seconds, via the app about 1-2 seconds. Thanks for the kind words and I hope that helps!

[@user-zr7kz4vs7c]

@@geektoolkit May I know how can I minimise the RTSP lag on Home assistant? Will ONVIF be more stable and “less lag”?

[@geektoolkit]

No sadly. From my experiments I never came up with a way in HA to lower it. MAYBE if you use an NVR that can quickly transcode it but I honestly don’t know if that’ll fix it. Let’s just say that for me HA isn’t my “live camera view” yet. I’m going to get an MJPEG camera and report back but right now the latency is due to the tech constraints.

[@FrankGraffagnino]

great video! would love to see you partner with "The Hook Up" where he recommends the devices to install and then you walk through how to set up those devices the way you like to in Home Assistant. Could be a neat partnership!

[@geektoolkit]

Aw thankyou, he's amazing and I'm a big fan of his. He's pretty big time so not sure I could offer him much in return, but I do plan on doing alot more walkthroughs for integrations this year. Videos which go over how to setup, what entities come up, what features light up, and then maybe 2-3 scenarios for a specific integration or addon. I'm jsut waiting for a remodel to finish and then should be getting those going!

[@lassef3692]

Why are my onvif always lagging with changing between picture and gray picture. Outside of ha everything is good

[@geektoolkit]

Because to get to the browser the video gets converted from RTSP to a browser friendly format. This causes about a 10sec lag. I think recently there is a way past that but I’ve not looked into it yet

[@lassef3692]

@@geektoolkit that sounds like it can be fixed with the right kind of buffer and converting. Thanks for the answer

[@rrrrrrrr290]

So how is the latency on the reolink addon

[@geektoolkit]

I couldn't get it functioning well enough to say. I had a video up that I believe had the same latency, however the buttons didn't work, and it was quite a bit of setup. The buttons were to control things like the email/FTP upload and such, but even running it as an admin account on the camera I had no luck. My plan is to move to an NVR solution, add in object detection, and then at some point I'll retroactively do a video on that if it solves the latency as well improves the usability of motion detection. I'm looking into Viseron and possibly Blue Iris for that part.

[@RACETOY101]

Awesome job

[@geektoolkit]

Thankyou! Glad you liked it!

[@parsifal8232]

Does hikvision cameras has this 'rest' for motion sensor state?

[@geektoolkit]

I've not tested a hikvision camera myself, so I can't speak to that. The rest API I mention is specific to the reolink, if hikvision happens to have it it'd be thier own implementation. I'd see if they have full onvif support which would save you from needing it.

[@parsifal8232]

@@geektoolkit Hikvision has it , thanks :) yout-> "How to enable onvif hikvision ipc"

[@ThanhBui-ve2fn]

You try to give the video more brightness it will be great if you do

[@geektoolkit]

I'll do what i can!

[@jk-zerv]

thx

[@kenmcmullan9330]

I love your videos, but I'm pissed off rewinding them 50 times just to try to figure out what you're saying. I'm a native English speaker of some 50 years. Could you slow the hell down, please? One example. "innernet" has a "T".

[@geektoolkit]

Thankyou that’s good feedback, and I’ll definitely work on it. I get very nervous when filming, and though I’ve gotten better (and also I work hard on my audio quality) I still get this stage fright when I record. I’ll try to see if I can slow my pace down and enunciate, it may help with clarity and maybe help me be less nervous.

[@kenmcmullan9330]

@@geektoolkit Don't get me wrong. I couldn't do it. It's admirable. :-)

[@geektoolkit]

Hey no worries I appreciate it and you! I do this to help people learn and if I’m failing at fundamentals then I just have to work on them. I think I’ve gotten better since I started and just hope that with time and practice I continue to improve (and get less nervous). Thank you so much for supporting my channel and bearing with me!

[@hristohristov5246]

Hello. I am following your instructions. I am using a Reolink E1 Zoom camera. When I went to test the motion sensor, nothing happened. The sensor is not active. And I get the following error in HA: Logger: homeassistant.components.webhook Source: components / webhook / __ init__.py:94"Received message for unregistered webhook ***********************. Can you tell me why this is happening ?

[@geektoolkit]

That camera is different than the one I used and may have a different rest address (or may not have one). Please message the reolink forums for the rest address for motion and that should help you get further

[@hristohristov5246]

@@geektoolkit Thank you for the reply. I got this address from a home assistant forum. They say it's for my camera model. I'll listen to your advice and talk to Reolink support. Keep making these great videos. They are very useful for toddlers like me😋👋😊