New WebRTC help

Configuration
1

So I have been using the WebRTC Camera from HACS. My cameras no longer work. Is there a native WebRTC with 2024.11? I can’t understand why my (Eufy) cameras were working before this update but not any more.

2 Likes
2

Hi Brian,

Always try a search before asking a question…
Paste this into your search engine…

site:home-assistant.io 2024.11 webrtc error

3

I’ll use this thread too. There are currently nearly 200 comments on the main release blog post, many about this WebRTC change, so a new thread seems appropriate. I had a similar question to one Brian asked in the big thread about replacement card for the custom component. I did a search too, SG, but I can’t find anything to help yet.

I have been using a go2rtc Docker container to stream my local Raspberry Pi webcams. I had the WebRTC integration from HACS and used the included card custom:webrtc-camera. I want to remove anything that’s now built into HA core, so I removed the WebRTC component, but now I don’t have the custom card.
My UI config YAML is like:

- type: custom:webrtc-camera
  url: rtsp://hawards.local:8554/dining

(Since starting this post) I have figured out that I can use the builtin Generic Camera integration to create camera entities for my go2rtc RTSP streams, which means I can use the picture-glance and similar cards to show them.

Does the new builtin WebRTC do away with needing go2rtc?
What’s the best way to stream local webcams in HA 2024.11+ now?

1 Like
4

So what is your code now to view your cams? I know Eufy aren’t the most easily compatible, but they shouldn’t be this hard if I have an RTSP stream address.

5

Searching this topic did not provide any answers, only more questions. I feel like the release notes were not explanatory at all. Just announcing that something is included but no description of how to use it (i.e. “if you were using X you can do Y now”) isn’t helpful. I have never been able to get my Eufy cams to work outside of the WebRTC integration from HACS. If I now remove that HACS integration, there is no WebRTC to use, so I don’t understand how it’s “…now included…”

Bottom line, can anyone give detail on how to view my cameras now? My prior cards do not work properly or, sometimes at all.

6

Alos to me it’s not clear how tu use the new feature in HA?

7

I came here looking for the same thing, and I agree on the release notes.

My cameras are still working, but I notice the delay the release notes reference, so was curious on how to use/upgrade to this new feature.

8

I myself am still trying to understand how this all works too, and others can correct me, but a couple of things I think are going on that may be helpful:

  • go2rtc,
    the Home Assistant core starts up a go2rtc server/daemon, and the core also manages the config file used by go2rtc. My guess is that HA Core gets information from its camera config (such as the camera’s rtsp url) and uses it to populate the go2rtc config file. In this implementation, HA has configured go2rtc to use different tcp/udp ports than the normal go2rtc config.
  • Lovelace Card
    The HA Frontend now contains WebRTC Client code (I believe it is called ha-web-rtc-player). I believe the javascript webrtc client code would be used/contained only by certain native HA Lovelace cards, like Picture-Entity card, Picture-Glance cards. Anyway, you don’t necessarily have to have a custom card for webrtc anymore, but if you did, I’m not certain what the config parameters would be. It seems HA core under the covers provides information to the card to tell the card what it needs to connect to a camera stream.

What I can say is that I have not used webrtc/go2rtc/customs with my cameras before, so a simple upgrade from 2024.10.x to 2024.11.x just automagically worked for me.

9

I am using the RTSPtoWeb - WebRTC addon. Not sure if I have to remove that before upgrading to 2024.11

10

You don’t need to remove it before you upgrade, but you should not need it anymore after upgrading. Remove it after you upgrade and see if the cameras still work nicely. That’s how I understand it.

1 Like
11

Thanks. I do see that go2rtc is now an integration and part of default_config. But the integration “connects to a go2rtc instance”, rather than being its own server.

It doesn’t really look like I can access this internal go2rtc so that I can turn off my extra go2rtc container (server). I’m happy to find out that this might be possible though…

12

Yes I think that is true… in addition the docs also say:
“If you using the go2rtc server managed by Home Assistant”
I believe this server is the go2rtc daemon running using a go2rtc binary in the homeassistant core container. As far as how to connect to it, for HassOS based systems, this is somehow being handled under the covers.

13

I’m also struggeling with the new included go2rtc and my Reolink doorbell.
Had a perfect lagfree image with full 20fps and highest quality showing up in the webrtc card before using this configuration:

  camera.doorbell_audio_mic:
    - "ffmpeg:https://192.168.20.157/flv?port=1935&app=bcs&stream=channel0_main.bcs&user=XXX&password=XXX#video=copy#audio=opus"

Had to uninstall because I got constant errors about default_config after updating, but the streaming is still awful, tons of lag, stopping/breaking etc.

14

I disabled the add on. Cameras seem to be working fine. I’ll delete in due course. Thanks for responding.

15

Could somebody post a step by step guide with the new webrtc and go2rtc addons?

16

This is very clear but it doesn’t work for me, i went back to previous backup.

https://community.home-assistant.io/t/2024-11-slick-dashboards-and-speedy-cameras/791375/243?u=lode1

17

Hello,
I still don’t managed to get the new WEBRTC to work, I have Nabu Casa, I have uninstalled the old WebRTC and go2RTC. I own 4 Eufy Cameras, but I have no plan how to implement this now?

Regards

Philipp

18

Maybe add some more info … such as: are there errors in the logs?, what kind of HA installation? … how are the Eufy camera’s configured in HA? What Lovelace card type are you using to display the stream?