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Best camera and doorbell setup for home security? (lemmy.world)

submitted 5 days ago by gedaliyah@lemmy.world to c/homeassistant@lemmy.world

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I'm looking into adding a video doorbell and some security cameras and want to integrate with HA. I have some cameras that came with the house, but I don't think they will work. The system has been discontinued and I don't have the "base unit" that connects them. If there is a way to use them, I'd be happy to find out if they are operational and use them. Web search has not helped.

My first priority is a video doorbell. I don't really understand much about how it works, and there is a lot of conflicting information out there. I have a wired doorbell, and I could probably manage to figure out how to run a data line if needed.

I want it to play nicely with any future system. The current camera system is wired, and I'm happy to run new wires if needed. I have plenty of storage on my home PC server, and I'd prefer to use it.

Any guides out there that really cover the overall process?

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[–] WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works -2 points 4 days ago (2 children)

Nobody but you can verify it. also others who commented implied that they control the cameras with the manufacturer's app, and that the camera has not been blocked from the internet, so selfhosting brings almost no benefits in that cadse, but definitely not any for privacy

[–] gedaliyah@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

Okay, so don't set up cameras in your house?

For everyone else: I've found on other forums that reolink can be set up without connecting to the manufacturer, and likely others. It's relatively trivial for experienced users to insulate any given device from the internet while using HA.

[–] WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works -2 points 3 days ago* (last edited 3 days ago)

Okay, so don't set up cameras in your house?

don't set up cameras that see public area. other than that you do what you want, but if a camera could see a neighbour's yard then they have a say too.

I've found on other forums that reolink can be set up without connecting to the manufacturer, and likely others. It's relatively trivial for experienced users to insulate any given device from the internet while using HA.

most IP cameras can be set up that way, yes. all you need is the camera to serve the video feed over RTSP, that's a direct connection.
but that's not everything. if you just connect it to your main network it'll connect to reolink servers without issues, and reolink can do whatever they want with it, including stealing the video feed, or if they turn greedy they can remotely upgrade your camera and disable the RTSP feed.

to prevent that, you should either create a separate VLAN for cameras, and configure your router (routing-wise) so that other networks (incl the internet) are not accessible from it. you need managed switches for that, or routers that allow you to configure VLANs.
alternatively get a dedicated dumb switch for cheap, and build a physically separate network for the cameras, and only connect the cameras and the server into it, without connecting it to the main network.

finally, what I meant with my first sentence in the last comment is that a passerby cannot verify your setup, and they shouldn't need to (or be able to) either. anybody can just claim "its self-hosted", so it does not really matter with respect to your neighbors and all the people who may pass by

[–] Pappabosley@lemmy.world 3 points 4 days ago (1 children)

I have ubiquiti cameras and doorbell at home, all stored locally and i can access them through home assistant.

[–] WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 0 points 3 days ago (1 children)

and did you take measures so that ubiquiti does not access them?

[–] Pappabosley@lemmy.world 1 points 3 days ago (1 children)

I chose to enable cloud access cause my home assistant died and I wanted to continue having external access, but it was not mandatory.

I agree with your point for most providers, like ring and eufy, but I don't think it's impossible to achieve.

[–] WhyJiffie@sh.itjust.works 1 points 2 days ago

the question is not whether it's possible, but whether people subject the public near them to online surveillance systems. sorry, but other than being accessible from HA (which is something too) this is not better than how most people do it. at least to me it is more important than convenience to not leak strangers lives to whoever.