Integrating a Tend Camera with Home Assistant: Common Problems
Integrating all your smart devices into a single, unified Home Assistant dashboard is a primary goal for many smart home enthusiasts. However, when you try to add a camera from a brand like Tend, you can quickly run into roadblocks. This is because Tend cameras are designed as a closed ecosystem, and there is no official support for third-party platforms like Home Assistant.
This guide will explain the common problems you might face and outline the potential (but often challenging) methods for getting your Tend camera's video stream to appear in Home Assistant.
## The Core Problem: No Official Integration
It's important to set realistic expectations from the start. Tend does not provide an official Home Assistant integration. Unlike some brands that openly offer APIs or support standard protocols, Tend cameras are meant to be used exclusively with the Tend Secure mobile app.
This means any attempt to connect them to Home Assistant relies on unofficial, community-driven workarounds. These methods can be unstable, may stop working after a firmware update, and often require a higher level of technical comfort.
## Method 1: Searching for a Custom Integration (HACS)
The Home Assistant Community Store (HACS) is a repository for custom integrations developed by the community. This is the first place you should look.
- The Challenge: A working integration may not exist. Even if one does, it might be outdated or abandoned by its developer.
- How to Check:
- Install HACS if you haven't already.
- In HACS, go to the "Integrations" section.
- Search for "Tend" or "Tend Secure."
- Potential for Failure: If a developer created an integration by reverse-engineering the Tend API, it is very fragile. If Tend changes anything about their login process or how the app communicates with their servers, the integration will break. You may see errors like "Authentication Failed" or "Unable to connect." Your only recourse is to check the developer's GitHub page for the project, see if others are reporting the same issue, and hope for an update.
## Method 2: The Hunt for an RTSP Stream
This is the most common approach for unsupported IP cameras. RTSP (Real-Time Streaming Protocol) is a standard method for accessing a direct video feed from a camera. If you can find the RTSP URL for your Tend camera, you can add it to Home Assistant easily.
- The Challenge: Most cloud-focused cameras like Tend do not have an RTSP stream enabled by default, and many do not have one at all. They are designed to stream video directly to the manufacturer's cloud servers, not locally on your network.
- How to Find the URL: This is a process of trial and error.
- Find the Camera's IP Address: First, you need to find the local IP address of your Tend camera from your router's device list.
- Use Common URL Formats: You can try to access the stream using common RTSP URL formats in a program like VLC Media Player. These URLs often look something like this:
rtsp://<IP_ADDRESS>:554/live/ch0rtsp://admin:<PASSWORD>@<IP_ADDRESS>/stream1(The username and password might be printed on the camera's label or be a default like "admin").
- Use a Port Scanner: Advanced users can use network scanning tools (like
nmap) to scan the camera's IP address for open ports. If you see port 554 (the standard RTSP port) open, it's a good sign an RTSP stream might be available.
- Likely Outcome: For most modern, cloud-based cameras, this search will unfortunately not yield a working stream URL.
## What This Means for You
Connecting a Tend camera to Home Assistant is not a straightforward task and has a high chance of failure. The ecosystem is locked down, making it difficult for the Home Assistant community to create stable, long-term solutions.
If having all your devices in Home Assistant is a primary requirement for you, the most reliable path forward is to choose camera brands that are known for their open compatibility, such as those that officially support ONVIF or provide public RTSP streams. While it's worth trying the methods above, be prepared for the possibility that your Tend camera may have to remain within its own app.