Swann Home Assistant Problems? A Troubleshooting Guide

Troubleshooting Swann and Home Assistant Integration Problems

Integrating your Swann security system with Home Assistant opens up powerful automation possibilities. However, getting the two systems to communicate perfectly can sometimes be a challenge. If your Swann cameras are showing as 'unavailable' or you're struggling to get a stable video stream, this guide will help you diagnose and solve the most common problems.

Successful integration relies on a stable network configuration, the correct Swann device settings, and a valid Home Assistant configuration.

## Problem 1: Entities are 'Unavailable' or Integration Fails to Load

This is the most frequent issue and is almost always caused by a connectivity or authentication problem.

• Verify IP Address: Your Swann NVR or DVR must have a stable IP address on your local network. Log into your router and find the IP address assigned to your Swann device. It's highly recommended to set a static IP address or a DHCP reservation for the Swann system in your router's settings. If the IP address changes, Home Assistant will lose its connection.
• Check Credentials: Double-check the username and password you have entered in your Home Assistant configuration.yaml file. These are the credentials you use to log into the Swann device's local web interface, not your Swann cloud account.
• Confirm the Port: The standard port for Swann's API is 85. Ensure you have specified this correctly in your configuration if it differs from the default.
• Test the Connection: From a computer on the same network, try to access the Swann device by typing its IP address into a web browser. If you can't log in there, Home Assistant won't be able to either.

Here is an example of a basic configuration in configuration.yaml:

swann_dvr:
  host: 192.168.1.105 # Replace with your Swann's static IP address
  port: 85
  username: admin # Replace with your Swann's username
  password: your_password # Replace with your Swann's password

## Problem 2: Camera Stream Fails to Load or is Unstable

If the camera entities appear in Home Assistant but the video stream doesn't work, the problem is likely with the RTSP (Real Time Streaming Protocol) settings.

• Enable RTSP on the Swann Device: The live stream is accessed via RTSP. You must enable this protocol within the Swann NVR/DVR's own settings.
  1. Log into your Swann device's interface (usually via a connected monitor or web browser).
  2. Navigate to the Network or Stream settings.
  3. Find the RTSP settings and ensure it is enabled.
  4. Note the RTSP port number (commonly 554).
• Enable the Stream Component: Make sure the stream: component is enabled in your Home Assistant configuration.yaml file. This is required for Home Assistant to process and display live video feeds efficiently. Simply add stream: on its own line in the file if it's not already there.
• Firewall Issues: Ensure that no firewall on your network (or on the Home Assistant machine itself) is blocking the RTSP port (554) between Home Assistant and the Swann device.

## Problem 3: Missing Features like Motion Detection or PTZ

It's important to understand the limitations of the native Home Assistant integration for Swann.

• Core Functionality: The primary function of the default integration is to provide a live camera entity for viewing the video feed.
• Sensors and Controls: Support for binary sensors (for motion detection) or controls (for PTZ cameras) is not guaranteed and varies greatly between Swann models. Many newer models may not expose these features through the API that the integration uses.
• Alternative Integrations: If you require more advanced features, you may need to explore custom integrations available through HACS (Home Assistant Community Store), which often have broader device support.

After making any changes to your YAML configuration, remember to go to Developer Tools > YAML in Home Assistant and click 'Restart' for them to take effect.