Smart Microphone/Babymonitor but no camera needed

Hardware
1

Hi all,

So i’ve been working on various stuff in Home Assistant for the past couple of years, but i’m not really a DIY’er. I know stuff like ESP32 exists, but never really touched it. Nevertheless, i’m looking for something pretty simple (i think): i basically want to put a smart microphone (or babymonitor without the camera) in a room that i can listen to through HA (talkback is optional).

I don’t want to buy an expensive BabyMonitor because 9 out of 10 sucks anyway. Is this something you could do (inexpensively)?

2

So, what is your budget? “Expensive” is a relative term.
I don’t think you will find an audio only device. I have some Wyze Cams flashed with RTSP (from Wyze) that also do audio.

3

Don’t really have a budget to be honest. The reason mentioning real babymonitors is because i’ve used them for years and they just suck (in my opinion). Just took a look at those Wyze Cams and they seem great value. $20-25 for a camera is not expensive if you ask me.

May i ask what you exactly mean with “flashed with RTSP”. I already have 2 Unifi Camera’s outside where i’m pulling the RTSP stream towards Frigate. Would i have to custom flash those Wyze Cams to get a RTSP stream?

4

Personally, I would stay away from Wyze products after their recent security problems. Especially their cameras. Wyze may be inexpensive, but it doesn’t seem they take security very seriously. There’s no way I would put one of their cameras inside my house after 3+ security breaches in the past 2 years.

TP-Link Tapo cameras (https://www.amazon.com/smart-indoor-security-camera-tapo/dp/B09YL5G1Y8/) are just as inexpensive and I trust TP-Link a lot more than Wyze. There’s a HACS based Tapo integration as well.

Just my $0.02 :slight_smile:

5

WyzeCams don’t have RTSP, but they provide firmware for adding RTSP to the WyzeCam2 and the WyzeCam3.

What cloud service hasn’t had security issues lately? Wyze had a server problem where people were seeing random images from stranger’s homes. If you use the RTSP firmware, the camera doesn’t use the cloud. It’s completely local.

6

True. But 4 major incidents in 2 years? That’s a bit excessive imho. I know that if you flash the RTSP firmware, it disables the cloud functionality. But my point is that I refuse to give money to a company that is seemingly so lax when it comes to investing in security.