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KNOOP edited this page Jun 26, 2026 · 3 revisions

Camera

Ava streams live camera video and snapshots directly to Home Assistant via the native ESPHome protocol. No intermediate server, no HTTP bridge, no browser rendering — just a direct binary stream from the Android camera to HA.

Compatible with Android 5-16.

Why Ava's Camera Is Smoother Than WallPanel

WallPanel is a popular Android kiosk app that also streams camera to Home Assistant. But users consistently report lag, stuttering, and frame accumulation on WallPanel. Here is why Ava does not have these problems:

The Lag Problem in HTTP-Based Camera Apps

WallPanel and similar apps stream camera frames over HTTP. This approach has a fundamental flaw:

  1. HTTP buffering — Each frame is sent as an HTTP response. Both the server and HA's client buffer the data. When the network is slow, frames queue up in multiple buffers
  2. No backpressure — The camera produces frames at a fixed rate. If the network cannot keep up, frames accumulate in memory. The stream falls further and further behind real-time
  3. Multiple layers of latency — The frame passes through HTTP, TCP, HA's HTTP client, HA's camera component, and the browser canvas. Each step adds delay
  4. Result — After a few minutes, the "live" stream is showing frames from 10-30 seconds ago. The only fix is to restart the stream

Ava's Approach — No Buffers, No Lag

Ava uses a fundamentally different streaming architecture:

Aspect WallPanel (HTTP) Ava (Native ESPHome)
Transport HTTP multipart stream Native ESPHome protocol
Buffering Server + client buffers No intermediate buffer
Backpressure None — frames queue in memory Smart frame dropping — old frames are discarded
Frame dropping No — every frame is queued Yes — only the latest frame is kept
Lag accumulation Yes — buffers grow over time No — the stream always shows current frames

The key difference: Ava never lets frames accumulate. If the network is slow, the frame rate drops gracefully, but the frames you see are always current — never seconds behind. The stream self-corrects automatically. There is no growing delay, no need to restart.

Features

Static Photos

Capture single photos on demand from Home Assistant.

  • Configurable image size (Original, 500px, 720px, 1080px square crop)
  • Auto rotation correction based on device orientation
  • Manual orientation override (Portrait, Portrait Flipped, Landscape, Landscape Flipped)
  • Front or back camera selection
  • Works on old devices with legacy camera hardware

Video Stream

Live video streaming via native ESPHome protocol.

  • Frame rate: 1-15 FPS (configurable)
  • Resolution: 240p-720p (configurable)
  • Smart frame dropping — never accumulates lag
  • Automatic orientation handling with manual override
  • Video recording state persists across app restarts

Face Detection

On-device face detection. No cloud, no external API — all processing happens locally on the Android device.

  • Draws bounding boxes around detected faces on the video stream
  • Reports person detected as a binary sensor to HA
  • Smoothing algorithm for stable detection (no flickering)

Gender Detection

On-device gender classification for each detected face.

  • Counts male and female faces separately
  • Reports as separate sensors to HA
  • Smoothing to prevent flickering
  • Only runs when face detection is enabled

Settings

Go to Settings -> Advanced

Setting Description Default
Remote Camera Allow HA to control camera remotely Off
Camera Mode Snapshot or Video mode Snapshot
Camera Selection Front or back camera Front
Video FPS Video stream frame rate (1-15) 2 fps
Video Resolution Video stream resolution (240-720) 240p
Image Orientation Auto, Portrait, Portrait Flipped, Landscape, Landscape Flipped Auto
Image Size Original, 500px, 720px, 1080px 500px
Face Detection Detect faces in video stream Off
Show Face Box Draw bounding box around detected faces Off

Camera Mode

Mode Description
Snapshot Mode HA triggers a snapshot on demand via button press
Video Mode HA toggles recording on/off via switch; live stream while recording

Camera Selection

Camera Description
Back Camera Rear-facing camera
Front Camera Front-facing camera (default — better for kiosk/dashboard use)

Frame Rate Guide

Frame Rate Use Case Bandwidth
1 fps Static monitoring, lowest bandwidth ~30 KB/s
2 fps Default, general monitoring ~60 KB/s
5 fps General surveillance ~150 KB/s
10 fps Motion monitoring ~300 KB/s
15 fps Maximum smoothness ~450 KB/s

Actual bandwidth depends on resolution, scene complexity, and JPEG compression. These are estimates for 480p.

Resolution Guide

Resolution Pixels Bandwidth Use Case
Smooth 320x240 Lowest Low-bandwidth, battery saving
SD 480x360 Low General monitoring
HD 640x480 Medium Clear image, good balance
FHD 960x720 High Maximum detail

Image Orientation

Orientation Description
Auto Use device sensor to determine rotation
Portrait Force 0° rotation
Portrait Flipped Force 180° rotation
Landscape Force 90° rotation
Landscape Flipped Force 270° rotation

Image Size (Snapshot)

Size Description
Original No crop, full sensor image
500px Center square crop, 500x500
720px Center square crop, 720x720
1080px Center square crop, 1080x1080

Device Compatibility

Ava's camera works across a wide range of Android devices, from modern flagships to decade-old tablets.

Standard Devices (Android 7+)

Full CameraX support with hardware-accelerated JPEG encoding. Works on:

  • Google Pixel (all generations)
  • Samsung Galaxy (all generations)
  • Xiaomi / Redmi / Poco
  • OnePlus / Oppo / Vivo
  • Most modern Android devices

Legacy Devices (Android 5-6)

Devices with older camera hardware are automatically detected and handled with special care:

  • Retry logic for camera initialization failures
  • Automatic fallback to closest available resolution

Tested on:

  • Samsung Galaxy Tab S2
  • Samsung Galaxy Tab A (2016)
  • Amazon Fire Tablet (5th gen+)
  • Various Android 5-6 era tablets

Kiosk Devices (Meta Portal, etc.)

Some kiosk devices block background camera access. Ava automatically handles these restrictions:

  • Meta Portal (all models)
  • Other kiosk devices with similar camera restrictions
  • Automatically detected — no manual configuration needed

Devices Without Camera

Ava auto-detects camera availability. If no camera is present, camera entities are not created in HA.

Home Assistant Integration

Camera Entities

Entity Description Mode
camera.your_device_name_camera_snapshot Snapshot camera Snapshot
camera.your_device_name_video_camera Video stream camera Video
button.your_device_name_take_snapshot Trigger snapshot Snapshot
switch.your_device_name_video_recording Toggle video recording Video

Face Detection Entities

Entity Description
binary_sensor.your_device_name_face_detected Person detected (occupancy class)
sensor.your_device_name_male_count Number of male faces detected
sensor.your_device_name_female_count Number of female faces detected

Dashboard Card

type: picture-entity
entity: camera.your_device_name_video_camera
camera_view: live
show_name: false
show_state: false

Picture Glance (with quick actions)

type: picture-glance
entity: camera.your_device_name_video_camera
camera_view: live
entities:
  - entity: switch.your_device_name_video_recording
    name: Recording
  - entity: binary_sensor.your_device_name_face_detected
    name: Person

Snapshot to File

service: camera.snapshot
target:
  entity_id: camera.your_device_name_camera_snapshot
data:
  filename: /config/www/snapshots/front_door_{{ now().strftime('%Y%m%d_%H%M%S') }}.jpg

Scenarios

Security Camera with Person Detection

Combine video stream + face detection + notifications for a complete security camera:

automation:
  - alias: "Person Detected - Send Snapshot"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.ava_face_detected
        to: "on"
    action:
      - service: camera.snapshot
        target:
          entity_id: camera.ava_camera_snapshot
        data:
          filename: /config/www/snapshots/detection_{{ now().strftime('%Y%m%d_%H%M%S') }}.jpg
      - service: notify.mobile_app
        data:
          message: "Person detected"
          data:
            image: /api/snapshot_proxy/camera.ava_camera_snapshot

Occupancy-Based Lighting

Turn on lights when a person is detected on camera, turn off when no one is there:

automation:
  - alias: "Camera Occupancy - Lights On"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.ava_face_detected
        to: "on"
    action:
      - service: light.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: light.living_room
      - service: input_boolean.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: input_boolean.room_occupied

  - alias: "Camera Occupancy - Lights Off"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.ava_face_detected
        to: "off"
        for:
          minutes: 5
    action:
      - service: light.turn_off
        target:
          entity_id: light.living_room
      - service: input_boolean.turn_off
        target:
          entity_id: input_boolean.room_occupied

Doorbell Simulation with Snapshot

Use a physical button or HA dashboard button to simulate a doorbell — capture a snapshot and send it to your phone:

automation:
  - alias: "Doorbell Press"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: button.ava_take_snapshot
        to: "unavailable"
    action:
      - delay: 2
      - service: camera.snapshot
        target:
          entity_id: camera.ava_camera_snapshot
        data:
          filename: /config/www/doorbell.jpg
      - service: notify.mobile_app
        data:
          title: "Doorbell"
          message: "Someone is at the door"
          data:
            image: /local/doorbell.jpg

Motion-Activated Recording

Start recording when motion is detected by a separate PIR sensor, stop after 5 minutes of no motion:

automation:
  - alias: "Motion - Start Recording"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.hallway_pir
        to: "on"
    action:
      - service: switch.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: switch.ava_video_recording

  - alias: "No Motion - Stop Recording"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.hallway_pir
        to: "off"
        for:
          minutes: 5
    action:
      - service: switch.turn_off
        target:
          entity_id: switch.ava_video_recording

Time-Lapse Capture

Take a snapshot every hour and store it for time-lapse:

automation:
  - alias: "Hourly Snapshot"
    trigger:
      - platform: time_pattern
        hours: "/1"
    action:
      - service: camera.snapshot
        target:
          entity_id: camera.ava_camera_snapshot
        data:
          filename: /config/www/timelapse/{{ now().strftime('%Y%m%d_%H') }}.jpg

Combine with Proximity Sensor — Smart Display

When someone approaches (proximity), turn on the display and start the camera. When they leave, turn everything off:

automation:
  - alias: "Approach - Smart Display On"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.ava_proximity
        to: "on"
    action:
      - service: switch.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: switch.ava_display
      - service: switch.turn_on
        target:
          entity_id: switch.ava_video_recording

  - alias: "Leave - Smart Display Off"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.ava_proximity
        to: "off"
        for:
          minutes: 2
    action:
      - service: switch.turn_off
        target:
          entity_id: switch.ava_video_recording
      - service: switch.turn_off
        target:
          entity_id: switch.ava_display

Combine with Voice — Snapshot on Wake Word

When Ava detects a wake word, capture a snapshot to see who is talking:

automation:
  - alias: "Wake Word Snapshot"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: assist_satellite.ava
        to: "listening"
    action:
      - service: camera.snapshot
        target:
          entity_id: camera.ava_camera_snapshot
        data:
          filename: /config/www/wake_{{ now().strftime('%Y%m%d_%H%M%S') }}.jpg

Combine with Bluetooth Presence — Known vs Unknown Person

If Bluetooth presence shows a family member is home, suppress the person detection alert. If no one is home, treat it as an intruder:

automation:
  - alias: "Intruder Alert"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.ava_face_detected
        to: "on"
    condition:
      - condition: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.ava_bluetooth_presence
        state: "off"
    action:
      - service: camera.snapshot
        target:
          entity_id: camera.ava_camera_snapshot
        data:
          filename: /config/www/intruder_{{ now().strftime('%Y%m%d_%H%M%S') }}.jpg
      - service: notify.mobile_app
        data:
          title: "Intruder Alert"
          message: "Person detected but no family member is home"
          data:
            image: /local/intruder_latest.jpg
            priority: high

Combine with Audio Events — Sound + Camera

When an audio event (glass breaking, alarm, baby crying) is detected, capture a snapshot to see what happened:

automation:
  - alias: "Audio Event - Capture Camera"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: sensor.ava_audio_event
        to: "glass_breaking"
    action:
      - service: camera.snapshot
        target:
          entity_id: camera.ava_camera_snapshot
        data:
          filename: /config/www/audio_event_{{ now().strftime('%Y%m%d_%H%M%S') }}.jpg
      - service: notify.mobile_app
        data:
          title: "Glass Breaking Detected"
          message: "Audio event triggered camera capture"
          data:
            image: /local/audio_event_latest.jpg

Gender-Based Automation

Count people by gender for analytics or adjust behavior:

automation:
  - alias: "Log Visitor Count"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: sensor.ava_male_count
    action:
      - service: input_number.set_value
        target:
          entity_id: input_number.male_visitors_today
        data:
          value: "{{ states('input_number.male_visitors_today') | int + 1 }}"

Multi-Camera Dashboard

Place multiple Ava devices in different rooms and view all cameras on one dashboard:

type: grid
columns: 2
cards:
  - type: picture-entity
    entity: camera.living_room_ava_video_camera
    camera_view: live
  - type: picture-entity
    entity: camera.kitchen_ava_video_camera
    camera_view: live
  - type: picture-entity
    entity: camera.bedroom_ava_video_camera
    camera_view: live
  - type: picture-entity
    entity: camera.garage_ava_video_camera
    camera_view: live

Performance Tips

For Best Video Quality

  1. Use 5G WiFi if available
  2. Keep device close to router
  3. Start with 480p, increase if stable
  4. Use 5 FPS for smooth motion, 2 FPS for static scenes
  5. Keep the device plugged in — video streaming is CPU-intensive

For Low Bandwidth

  1. Use 1-2 FPS frame rate
  2. Use 240p resolution
  3. Use snapshot mode instead of video stream
  4. Only enable video recording when needed (use switch entity)

For Battery Life

  1. Use snapshot mode — camera only activates on demand
  2. Lower FPS to 1-2
  3. Lower resolution to 240p
  4. Turn off face detection when not needed
  5. Use proximity or Bluetooth presence to trigger recording only when someone is present

FAQ

Camera not showing in HA?

  1. Check if camera permission is granted
  2. Check if Remote Camera is enabled in Settings -> Advanced
  3. Confirm Home Assistant is connected
  4. Check if the device has a camera (Ava auto-detects)
  5. For kiosk devices, ensure overlay permission is granted

Video stream laggy?

Ava's stream should not accumulate lag. If you experience lag:

  1. Lower frame rate (try 1-2 fps)
  2. Lower resolution (try 240p)
  3. Check WiFi signal strength
  4. Check if another app is using the camera
  5. Restart the Ava service — the stream will resume fresh

Video stream shows "camera off" placeholder?

The video recording switch is off. Turn it on via:

  • HA: switch.turn_on on the video_recording entity
  • Ava app: Settings -> Advanced -> Camera Mode -> Video

Face detection not working?

  1. Enable Face Detection in Settings -> Advanced
  2. Ensure camera mode is Video (face detection only works on video stream)
  3. Check lighting conditions — the TFLite model needs reasonable light
  4. Ensure the face is clearly visible and not too small in the frame
  5. Face detection runs on-device — no internet needed

Gender count keeps flickering?

Gender detection uses a 5-frame median smoothing window. If it still flickers:

  1. Increase FPS to 5+ for more samples
  2. Ensure good lighting
  3. Faces at extreme angles may confuse the model

Camera fails to start on old device?

  1. Ava has legacy HAL support with retry logic — it should work on Android 5-6 devices
  2. If the camera still fails, try switching to the front camera
  3. Some very old devices may not support CameraX — try Snapshot mode instead of Video
  4. Check if another app has exclusive camera access

Camera works but video is dark?

  1. This is normal on devices without auto-exposure in ImageAnalysis mode
  2. Try a different camera (front vs back)
  3. Ensure the scene is well-lit
  4. Some devices limit exposure in background camera mode

Can I use camera and voice at the same time?

Yes. Camera streaming and voice satellite run independently. The camera uses ImageAnalysis which does not conflict with audio recording.

Can I use camera and Bluetooth media at the same time?

On most devices, yes. Camera and Bluetooth audio use different hardware paths. On some very low-end devices, heavy camera usage may cause Bluetooth audio stuttering.

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