Hello. From my reading on the topic so far, it seems there is little integration between Home Assistant and smart doorbells. I think mostly because of the video processing that needs to be done somewhere.
Would you recommend choosing a doorbell that can integrate with Home Assistant, even if with limited features; or one that cannot connect to Home Assistant but offers many useful features?
If you advise for an integration with Home Assistant, which doorbell(s) are the most recommended for integration with Home Assistant?
Thanks in advance for sharing your experience with smart doorbells.
I am in US and use the unify doorbell. It works great with HA and I get notifications when persons, cars or motion is detected. I use nabu casa and I can see the feed at anytime on my cell phone with HA.
By the way, did you find it quick and easy to set up? I’d like to set one up before going on holidays in a week time. By the time I order and it arrives, I won’t have much time left to set it up. Thanks.
Yes fairly easy. I have a Cloud Key Gen 2 that was all set up with my edgemax router and ubiquity switches so it was very easy for me to add the doorbell. HA has an integration to include the software to control the ubiquity environment. I also have 4 access points that are ubiquity for my wireless which allow me to have 3 networks - family, guest and one for HA. If I could do everything from scratch I would be a complete ubiquity installation. The hardware talks to each other and it makes it much easier for a homeowner to manage the network as it grows.
I am not an agent or do I have any affiliation with ubiquity or unifi. I just like their products.
I’m unfamiliar with Ubiquity and Unifi ecosystem. Would the doorbell work on its own? And can it be integrated within HA on its own? Or do you need additional hardware (Cloud Key Gen 2 mandatory?) or additional app install on phone?
The doorbell needs wifi and a place to store the files. The unfi software can be loaded on any computer in your home. The cloud key just makes it simpler when you are running ubiquity and it has a 1tb drive to store all the data. I use 14 days then recycle and it uses ~300gb. There is an app for the phone but it is for viewing live or recorded camera shots. It is not a ring doorbell that works more independently but it doesn’t come with a $X/month subscription.
I am however under the impression that most could be integrated to HA. Although, sure, the level of integration could be different - some locally, some via cloud, some offer extra detection and events, etc.
What are your nice-to-haves and must-haves? What are the use cases / scenarios?
I mean, are you looking for a button and a camera setup? Or are you trying to build some intercom system that talks to the gate in the front/downstairs, with a buzzer to open the gate for the visitor 22 stories below at the ground floor?
Also what’s your setup around the spot you plan to install such doorbell, as of today? How do you plan to power the doorbell?
Do you have a short list? Maybe we could start there.
doesn’t require additional hub or any proprietary technology
integrates with HA. Events: people detection
record videos to NAS (Synology DS224+, 4TB)
can watch live and recorded video on phone
night vision
wi-fi
Anything else would be bonus. It would be fitted on a terraced house, no gates, no high rise building. It could be wired or could work on battery - so long as battery life is good (over 12 months?).