Camera

Camera

Ava's camera feature provides video streaming to Home Assistant, with support for face detection and gender detection.

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Features

Static Photos

Capture single photos on demand.

Technical Implementation:

• JPEG compression with configurable quality
• Auto rotation correction based on device orientation
• Configurable image size (original, 500px, 720px, 1080px square crop)

Video Stream

Live MJPEG video streaming via native ESPHome protocol.

Technical Implementation:

• Chunked binary transfer
• Flow-based reactive streaming
• Automatic frame rate adjustment based on network
• Smart frame dropping prevents lag accumulation

Face Detection

Detect faces in video stream and draw bounding boxes.

Gender Detection

Count male and female faces detected in video.

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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	Back
Video FPS	Video stream frame rate	5 fps
Video Resolution	Video stream resolution	480p
Image Orientation	Portrait (Flipped) or Landscape (Flipped)	-
Image Size	Original, 500px, 720px, 1080px	Original
Face Detection	Detect faces in video	Off
Show Face Box	Draw bounding box around detected faces	Off

Camera Mode

Mode	Description
Snapshot Mode	Trigger snapshot and get image
Video Mode	Toggle recording, get video stream

Camera Selection

Camera	Description
Back Camera	Rear-facing camera
Front Camera	Front-facing camera

Frame Rate Guide

Frame Rate	Use Case
1 fps	Monitoring, lowest bandwidth
5 fps	General use, balanced
10 fps	Need to see motion
15 fps	Highest quality

Resolution Guide

Resolution	Pixels	Bandwidth
Smooth	320x240	Lowest
SD	480x360	Low
HD	640x480	Medium
FHD	960x720	High

Image Size

Size	Description
Original	No crop, full image
500px	Square crop, 500x500
720px	Square crop, 720x720
1080px	Square crop, 1080x1080

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Home Assistant Integration

Camera Entity

After enabling, a camera entity appears in Home Assistant:

• camera.your_device_name

Dashboard Card

type: picture-entity
entity: camera.your_device_name
camera_view: live

Snapshot Service

service: camera.snapshot
target:
  entity_id: camera.your_device_name
data:
  filename: /config/www/snapshot.jpg

Face Detection Entities

Entity	Description
binary_sensor.your_device_name_person_detected	Face detected
sensor.your_device_name_male_count	Male count
sensor.your_device_name_female_count	Female count

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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

For Low Bandwidth

1. Use 1-2 fps frame rate
2. Use 240p or 360p resolution
3. Use snapshot mode instead of video stream

Troubleshooting Lag

1. Frame dropping is automatic when network is busy
2. No buffer overflow issues
3. If lag occurs, it self-corrects quickly

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FAQ

Camera not showing in HA?

1. Check if camera permission is granted
2. Check if Remote Camera is enabled in settings
3. Confirm Home Assistant is connected

Video stream laggy?

1. Lower frame rate (try 1-2 fps)
2. Lower resolution (try 240p)
3. Check WiFi signal strength
4. Ava auto-adjusts, lag should self-correct

Face detection not working?

1. Enable Face Detection in Settings -> Advanced
2. Ensure camera mode is Video
3. Check lighting conditions
4. Ensure face is clearly visible to camera

No camera available?

1. Check if device has a camera
2. Check camera permission
3. Some devices may have camera disabled by system policy

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