Integrating Dahua Doorbell with HomeAssistant: A Step-by-Step Guide

General
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As someone who’s relatively new to HomeAssistant, I’ve been diving into the world of smart home integration. One of my recent projects has been getting my Dahua doorbell system up and running within HomeAssistant. While there are a few resources out there, I wanted to share my experience in case it helps others avoid some common pitfalls.

First off, I explored the two main GitHub repositories for Dahua integration: rroller/dahua and myhomeiot/DahuaVTO. Both seemed promising, but I found myself struggling with the initial setup. The YAML configuration was a bit overwhelming at first, but breaking it down into smaller parts made it manageable.

One of the key features I wanted was real-time notifications when someone rings the doorbell. After some trial and error, I managed to set up a binary sensor that triggers when the doorbell is pressed. Here’s a snippet of the configuration that worked for me:

yaml
binary_sensor:

  • platform: event
    event_type: dahua_vto
    event_data:
    Code: BackKeyLight
    name: Doorbell Status
    device_class: door

  • platform: event
    event_type: dahua_vto
    event_data:
    Code: DoorStatus
    name: Door Status
    device_class: door

This setup not only detects when the doorbell is pressed but also monitors the door’s status. It’s been incredibly useful for keeping an eye on things even when I’m not home.

However, I ran into a bit of a snag when trying to visualize the doorbell activity on my dashboard. The events were being logged correctly, but I couldn’t figure out how to display them in a user-friendly way. After some research, I discovered that using templates and triggers was the way to go. Here’s how I structured it:

yaml
template:

  • trigger:

    • platform: event
      event_type: dahua_vto
      event_data:
      Code: BackKeyLight
      binary_sensor:
    • name: vto_doorbell
      state: “{{ trigger.event.data.Data.State | int in [1, 2] }}”
      device_class: door

  • trigger:

    • platform: event
      event_type: dahua_vto
      event_data:
      Code: DoorStatus
      binary_sensor:
    • name: VTO Door Status
      state: “{{ trigger.event.data.Data.Status | string == ‘Open’ }}”
      device_class: door

This configuration now allows me to see the doorbell activity and door status directly on my HomeAssistant dashboard. It’s a huge improvement over the default setup!

One thing I’m still working on is automating the camera to take a picture or focus on the door when the bell rings. I’ve got some ideas, but I’m open to suggestions from the community. If anyone has a tried-and-true method for this, I’d love to hear about it!

Overall, integrating the Dahua doorbell with HomeAssistant has been a rewarding experience. It’s added a whole new layer of convenience and security to my home. I hope this guide helps others navigate the process smoothly. Happy automating!