TRUST. It’s what certificates are all about. How do we know that we can trust a server? We verify that the server has a certificate, and that the certificate is signed by someone we trust. That can be a well-known third party like Let’s Encrypt, or our own certificate authority. In this video, I’m going to cover the basics of setting up a root private key and signing certificates using OpenSSL, and running a certificate authority server.

Of all of the doors in a normal US McMansion, the garage doors are the biggest, and are almost always motorized. This means they are an easy target for automation, since most of the hardware is already there, we just need to bridge it to the virtual space. The cheapest way to do this is to use a door contact switch and dry contact relay which are compatible with Home Assistant, and some YAML magic to bridge them together.

As I expand the reach of Home Assistant, I continuously try to build automations that make life generally easier for the users of the home. To me, automation isn’t about being able to control anything from my phone - in fact, the less I have to get my phone out, the better. I will still enjoy tracking history entries and status of nodes with both the web UI and app, but I shouldn’t have to, the house should just work.

A number of years ago, my dad subscribed to Comcast / Xfinity’s security system to get a discount on internet, then un-subscribed when the promotional period ended. Their system relied on a Technicolor touchscreen which acted as a Zigbee hub, connected to a number of Zigbee door switches and a Zigbee wall moounted keypad. They wanted their touchscreen back, but didn’t care about all of the dirt cheap sensors or the keypad, so they’ve been sitting in place in the house for many years now.

Previosly, I built a home security camera system using ZoneMinder. Somewhat dissatisfied with the status quo of ZoneMinder, I set out to try a brand new security NVR - Frigate - and see if an NVR written specifically to integrate into Home Assistant could be used for more than just recording and viewing camera footage. The Old System I am using the same Dahua cameras I installed in the ZoneMinder System.

This project describes my process of building a home security camera system using Dahua PoE cameras and ZoneMinder. Overall the system is functional, but Zoneminder leaves a bit to be desired. I will revisit this project in the future. The Beginnings of a Camera System The real OG camera system was installed by my dad a decade ago using analog ‘960H’ cameras (which are grossly misleading in their advertising since they market the horizontal resolution instead of the usual vertical resolution, they are actually 480x960 at best).