Time for my next phase of SmartHome adventures ... and I immediately get confused. I see a Hubitat article on video doorbells and then they are not in the compatible list. I may be thinking too naively about the whole video thing, doorbell and cameras. I need some help cutting through the noise and pointing me in the right direction, please.
I'd like a solution that doesn't not have a cloud dependency for the chime, for real-time video and for recorded "events".
I have HomeKit working reasonably well.
I don't have any other SmartHome ecosystem deeply integrated .. yet; e.g., Amazon or Google.
I've not yet started thinking about cameras more generally, but I suspect the video doorbell device is opening a Pandora's box. I do have a Google Video Doorbell (wired) that I can access via Google Home. Figuring out how to integrate Google is problematic. I get confused on what they are continuing, discontinuing and the SDM that stopped working for later doorbells.
I could accept a solution that doesn't need a subscription, causes an event that Hubitat sees and it can then pull video down near-realtime; e.g., the pressing of a virtual button by a non-habitat solution that invokes Hubitat reaching out to download a video clip. That's for non and near-realtime interactions. I'll accept a solution that needs a proprietary app for real-time interaction if I can have that near/non-realtime download capability.
It seems like what I am looking for does not exist or is still in the realm of custom/expensive unique solutions that are out of reach. That, or I am simply formulating the problem and its solution incorrectly.
Pointers to existing pages that help explain options would be helpful. Part of my problem is that searches yield pages that are sometimes 4 or 5 years old.
If you're just doing the camera, I would recommend blue iris and a Reolink Doorbell (100 % local). With just 1 device Blue Iris will be free. You can stream the feed to a local NAS for storage and review and you can redirect button pushes as triggers (as well as movement). I have the Reolink POE doorbell which I love. I however use Camect not blue iris. (Also 100% local)
Thank you. I'll read up on Blue Iris. First thing I notice is that it is Windows-based, not MacOS. Not a deal breaker (I'm largely a Apple ecosystem at the house) but I'd have to run a virtual machine on my MBP that travels with me when I am away ... and that's a problem. This is one of those moments I need to decide if I want to open that Pandora's box or be content with the several recently opened that have plenty to still give me challenge.
I don't have HA. I had this thought that I could find a good balance between functionality for a SmartHome and the complexity of the supporting infrastructure required. Maybe that's an illusion, ha!
HA requires a dedicated device to be a server; either a RasberryPi (which I'd have to physically build, configure and administrate along with a server to host HA) or a more standard computer running a server able to host HA. I travel with my MBP and don't have another computer running 24/7 at the house.
I have a mostly Apple ecosystem, so putting an AirPod Mini in the mix to enable HomeKit working with HE was acceptable. I have an Android phone that is a required component, but HE has reasonable support there (including the Community). I've avoided adding hubs for Google, Amazon and others, though I may end up getting there before I am done.
I picked up a Google Video Doorbell early in my SmartHome journey without fully understanding what'd I could or could not do with it. I thought I could make things work without a Cloud dependency, You can, but it's limited. Integration with HE is via an Android phone running. (is there something else short of buying a Google Hub?)
HA though ... need to think hard about choosing to go there and adding the complexity/drain on my time. I'm open to be convinced. It's been a slippery slope to resist slowly adding more and more infrastructure complexity. I picked up enough insight to realize adding video of any kind could be a significant bump in complexity and time on me to administrate things. This is part of why I posted asking for some starting points.
I've got a bunch of the reolink cameras attached to a synology nas (not the cheapest solution). I've got some integration using the maker API. It works for what I need, but isn't a very polished solution.
Blue Iris needs to run on an always-on Windows PC on the same local network as your cameras and Hubitat. I don’t think it’ll run that acceptably in a VM under MacOS.
Cameras need a server to record to, so that has to be available locally or in the cloud.
I've just recently started getting into Apple World, but what little I read, just now, is that HomeKit does seem to have a cloud solution. Seems like my cheapo Roku setup, but the dashboard is HomeKit and the server is touted to be 'secure'. This is the one article I looked at:
edit: Bear in mind, I can't look at my Roku from my MacBook Pro, just the Roku app on the phone. It would be nice to see It on the laptop, as in, Home.
Appreciate confirming it's Windows-based. Setting up to run VMs I knew was going to add new complexity and yet another layer in my infrastructure architecture. I don't really want to go there for a basic home setup if I can avoid it. Now, if I didn't have my normal workweek job where I get to think about all kinds of architecture/software/system of system/infrastructure/etc. stuff, then I might take it on. Thanks.
