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Home Assistant Security Camera Integration

Viewtron AI security cameras integrate with Home Assistant via MQTT auto-discovery. The camera runs all AI processing on-device — license plate recognition, human detection, vehicle detection, and face detection — then sends events to a lightweight bridge that publishes them as native Home Assistant sensors. No Frigate, no Coral TPU, no cloud API, no subscription.

Viewtron IP Camera → HTTP POST (XML) → Viewtron Bridge → MQTT → Home Assistant

The bridge is built on the Viewtron Python SDK and handles both IPC (v1.x) and NVR (v2.0) event formats automatically.

What Home Assistant Receives​

Viewtron LPR camera in Home Assistant

When a license plate is detected, two sensors appear on the Viewtron device in Home Assistant:

SensorWhat It ShowsExample
License PlateThe plate number that was readABC1234
Plate StatusWhether the plate is in the camera's databaseAuthorized

The Plate Status sensor has four possible values:

StatusMeaning
AuthorizedPlate is on the camera's allow list
BlacklistedPlate is on the camera's block list
TemporaryPlate is on the temporary list and within its valid date range
UnknownPlate is not in the camera's database, or a listed plate with an expired date range
Date Range Validation

Date range validation applies to all list types — not just temporary plates. An allow list or block list plate with an expired end date will also come through as Unknown. The camera validates dates internally and simply omits the vehicleListType field when a plate is outside its valid range.

Supported Detection Types​

DetectionHA EntityStatus
License Plate Recognition (LPR)sensor.viewtron_*_plate + sensor.viewtron_*_plate_statusTested and supported
Human / Vehicle Detectionbinary_sensor.viewtron_*_intrusionComing soon
Face Detectionbinary_sensor.viewtron_*_faceComing soon
Object Countingsensor.viewtron_*_countingComing soon

All detection types use the same bridge architecture. Entities auto-discover via MQTT — no manual YAML configuration in Home Assistant.

What You Can Automate​

  • Gate and garage access — open gates and garage doors when an authorized license plate is recognized
  • Unknown vehicle alerts — send a phone notification with the plate number when an unrecognized vehicle arrives
  • Person detection lighting — turn on driveway or porch lights when a person is detected at night
  • Intrusion alarms — trigger sirens or alarm panels when someone enters a restricted zone after hours
  • Face-based access control — unlock doors when a recognized face is detected
  • Vehicle counting — track how many vehicles enter and exit a parking area throughout the day
  • PTZ camera presets — move a PTZ camera to a preset position when an event triggers

Installation​

docker run -d --name viewtron-bridge --restart unless-stopped \
  --network host \
  -e BRIDGE_PORT=5002 \
  -e MQTT_BROKER=localhost \
  ghcr.io/mikehaldas/viewtron-bridge
VariableDefaultDescription
BRIDGE_PORT5002Port the bridge listens on for camera HTTP POST events
MQTT_BROKERlocalhostMQTT broker hostname or IP
MQTT_PORT1883MQTT broker port
MQTT_USERNAME(empty)MQTT username (if broker requires auth)
MQTT_PASSWORD(empty)MQTT password
SAVE_IMAGESfalseSave event images to disk

Manual Install​

git clone https://github.com/mikehaldas/viewtron-home-assistant.git
cd viewtron-home-assistant
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt
cp config.yaml.example config.yaml
# Edit config.yaml with your MQTT broker address
python3 viewtron_bridge.py

For boot persistence, create a systemd service — see the full setup guide on GitHub.

MQTT Broker​

The bridge requires an MQTT broker. Most Home Assistant users already have Mosquitto running.

Home Assistant OS: Settings > Add-ons > Add-on Store > search "Mosquitto broker" > Install > Start.

Docker / Linux: Run Mosquitto in Docker:

docker run -d --name mosquitto --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 1883:1883 eclipse-mosquitto:2 \
  sh -c 'echo -e "listener 1883\nallow_anonymous true" > /mosquitto/config/mosquitto.conf && exec mosquitto -c /mosquitto/config/mosquitto.conf'

Then add the MQTT integration in Home Assistant: Settings > Devices & Services > Add Integration > MQTT.

Camera Setup​

1. Configure AI Detection​

Enable the detection type you want on your camera. For LPR cameras, enable License Plate Detection and draw the detection zone. For AI cameras, configure intrusion zones with person/vehicle filters.

See the application guides for detection-specific setup instructions, or the HTTP POST Setup guide for webhook configuration.

2. Point HTTP POST at the Bridge​

In the camera's web interface, go to Network > HTTP POST > Edit > Add:

  • Server IP: the machine running the Viewtron bridge
  • Port: 5002 (or your configured BRIDGE_PORT)
  • Path: /API

Select the detection types you want forwarded to Home Assistant and click Save.

3. Verify in Home Assistant​

The first time a camera sends an event, a Viewtron device appears automatically in Home Assistant under Settings > Devices & Services > MQTT. No restart required.

Example Automations​

Open garage door for authorized plates:

- alias: "Open garage for authorized plates"
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: sensor.viewtron_ipc_plate_status
      to: "Authorized"
  action:
    - service: cover.open_cover
      target:
        entity_id: cover.garage_door

Send phone notification for unknown vehicles:

- alias: "Alert on unknown vehicle"
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: sensor.viewtron_ipc_plate_status
      to: "Unknown"
  action:
    - service: notify.mobile_app_phone
      data:
        title: "Unknown vehicle detected"
        message: "Plate {{ states('sensor.viewtron_ipc_plate') }} detected"

Turn on lights when person detected at night:

- alias: "Driveway lights on person detection"
  trigger:
    - platform: state
      entity_id: binary_sensor.viewtron_ipc_intrusion
      to: "on"
  condition:
    - condition: sun
      after: sunset
  action:
    - service: light.turn_on
      target:
        entity_id: light.driveway

How the Bridge Works​

The Viewtron bridge is built on the Viewtron Python SDK (pip install viewtron). The SDK parses the camera's XML events into Python objects, and the bridge translates those into MQTT messages with Home Assistant auto-discovery payloads.

  1. Camera detects an event (plate read, person, face) and sends an HTTP POST with XML data
  2. Bridge receives the XML and parses it using the viewtron SDK — version detection is automatic
  3. Bridge publishes the event to MQTT with HA discovery config
  4. Home Assistant creates/updates sensors automatically
  5. Your automations trigger based on sensor state changes

The bridge handles both IPC direct (v1.x) and NVR forwarded (v2.0) event formats. You can connect cameras directly to the bridge, or have an NVR forward events from all connected cameras.

Viewtron vs. ONVIF in Home Assistant​

Home Assistant's built-in ONVIF integration provides video streaming and basic motion detection. Viewtron cameras support ONVIF for video streams, but the Viewtron integration goes further:

CapabilityONVIFViewtron Integration
Live video streamYesUse ONVIF for video
Basic motion detectionYesYes
License plate recognitionNoYes — plate number, authorization status, plate image
Human vs. vehicle classificationNoYes — AI classifies person, car, motorcycle
Face detectionNoYes — with attributes (age, sex, glasses, mask on NVR)
Vehicle attributesNoYes — brand, color, type, model (NVR v2.0)
Object countingNoYes — entrance/exit counts by line or area
Plate database managementNoYes — via Python SDK

Use both: ONVIF for video streaming in your HA dashboard, and the Viewtron integration for AI detection events and automations.

Managing the Plate Database​

The LPR camera maintains an on-camera plate database with allow list, block list, and temporary entries. You can manage plates through:

  1. Camera web interface — add plates manually or bulk import from CSV
  2. Viewtron Python SDK — manage plates programmatically:
from viewtron import ViewtronCamera

camera = ViewtronCamera("192.168.0.20", "admin", "password")

# Add an authorized plate
camera.add_plate("ABC1234", owner="Mike", list_type="whiteList")

# Query the database
plates = camera.get_plates()

# Remove a plate
camera.delete_plate("ABC1234")

See the LPR Config API reference for the full plate database API.

Compatible Cameras​

Any Viewtron IP camera or NVR with HTTP POST support works with this integration. Recommended models:

ModelDetection TypesBest For
LPR-IP4License plate recognitionDriveways, gates, parking entrances
AI security camerasHuman, vehicle, face detectionPerimeter security, access control
NVRsAll types (forwarded from cameras)Multi-camera systems

All Viewtron products are NDAA compliant.

Resources​

Video Guides & Blog Posts​

Questions & Development Inquiries​

Mike Haldas is available for questions, consultation, and custom software development for Viewtron API related projects. Email details about your project to mike@viewtron.com.