Video doorbells that work with Home Assistant
Video doorbells are where subscriptions sting most — Ring and Nest want a monthly fee just to keep your clips. Home Assistant flips that: pick a doorbell with local streaming and you get press events, person detection and recorded video with no ongoing cost. We've covered the local heroes and the popular cloud options alike, with honest notes on what each integration actually delivers.
Frequently asked questions
Which video doorbell works best with Home Assistant?
The Reolink Video Doorbell is the standout: local RTSP streaming, instant press events through Home Assistant's built-in reolink integration, and no subscription for recording. The Aqara G4 is a solid alternative that integrates locally over HomeKit — both leave Ring's cloud-tied integration looking limited.
Do Ring doorbells work with Home Assistant?
Yes, via the built-in cloud integration — you get ding and motion events, battery status, and clip playback if you pay for Ring Protect. What you don't reliably get is a live stream for your dashboards. It works, but you're automating around Ring's cloud rather than owning the device.
Can my doorbell press trigger automations, like announcing on speakers?
Yes — that's the point of putting your doorbell in Home Assistant. A press event can announce over your speakers, flash lights, snapshot the camera to your phone, or pause the TV. With local doorbells the press-to-notification time is under a second; cloud doorbells add noticeable delay.