Reolink makes some great security cameras that integrate nicely with Home Assistant. With onboard AI processing, Reolink's customers don't have to worry about setting up potentially complicated software such as Frigate, and they don't have to worry about video being analysed on someone else's computer. Home Assistant Core 2023.2 introduces new features to the integration that will make it infinitely more usable.
Updates coming the Reolink integration with Home Assistant
The most exciting change hasn't to do with video or audio, but binary sensors. After updating Home Assistant, your Reolink security camera will be able to report the following:
- Motion detection
- Doorbell presses
- AI person detection
- AI vehicle detection
- AI pet detection
- AI face detection
A Reolink camera with AI object detection can enhance your security and convenience by providing advanced surveillance capabilities. It can detect and identify objects or people in real-time and trigger alerts or perform specific actions based on the detection. With this information being fed into Home Assistant, you can create automations and scripts, involving any other compatible device. For example, if you work with noise-cancelling headphones on, you could change the colour of a nearby light whenever someone is detected or the doorbell is pushed.
What we don't know yet is which cameras will be able to do what. Some of Reolink's models will send ONVIF push events to Home Assistant for immediate updates. Other models need to be polled, which Home Assistant will do every minute. The latter option will make the integration unusable for motion activated automations.
Not every Reolink camera is equal
There is also the issue that not every Reolink camera is capable of integrating with Home Assistant. The most popular model being the E1 Pro, as it is lacking the HTTP webserver API. All battery-powered models are currently also unsupported. The integration's support page lists cameras that are confirmed to be working, but doesn't yet mention whether they also support ONVIF push notifications.
We know for certain that the Reolink Video Doorbell, available in both PoE and Wi-Fi versions, will have the ability to notify you of doorbell presses. Like all other Reolink security cameras on your network, it will be seamlessly discovered in Home Assistant Core 2023.2. A new addition to all compatible cameras is the inclusion of support for FLV streaming.
