Camera Bridge

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Live View and Motion Events ​

Live View ​

View your cameras in real time across all your Apple devices.

Viewing in Home ​

  1. Open the Home app on iPhone, iPad, or Mac
  2. Tap the camera tile to see full-screen live video
  3. Pinch to zoom in/out (iPhone/iPad)
  4. Rotate your device for landscape (full width on iPad)

Sub Streams and Speed ​

Live view uses your camera's sub stream (if available) for faster playback:

  • Sub stream (640×360 or similar): Fast, lower quality, better for quick checks
  • Main stream: Used for HomeKit Secure Video clips and detailed viewing

If live view is slow:

Snapshot for the Home Tile ​

The tile image shown in Home updates periodically when a camera is not being viewed. Camera Bridge pulls a fresh snapshot every few seconds.

Motion Events ​

Motion detection works in two ways: using your camera's built-in events (if it supports ONVIF) or Camera Bridge's automatic detection.

Using Camera Motion Events (ONVIF) ​

If your camera supports ONVIF and has motion detection enabled:

  1. The camera detects motion and sends an event to Camera Bridge
  2. Camera Bridge forwards it to Home
  3. You get a notification: Motion detected on [Camera Name]

To use the camera's events:

  • Make sure ONVIF is enabled and connected (see ONVIF Setup)
  • Enable motion detection on the camera itself
  • Verify in Camera Bridge that it shows the camera as "Connected" to ONVIF

Built-in Motion Detection ​

If your camera doesn't support ONVIF or motion events:

  1. Camera Bridge analyzes the video stream and detects when pixels change significantly
  2. When motion is detected, Camera Bridge sends an event to Home
  3. You get a notification just as if it were from the camera

Built-in detection:

  • Works on any camera with an RTSP stream
  • Uses your Mac's CPU to analyze the video
  • Can be tuned in Camera Bridge settings

Motion Notifications ​

Turning Notifications On or Off ​

In the Home app:

  1. Go to Home Settings › Notifications › Cameras
  2. For each camera, toggle notifications on or off
  3. Choose which notifications: All motion, People only (with HomeKit Secure Video), or Off

Notification Behavior ​

  • Motion detected: Usually within 5–30 seconds of actual motion (depends on your camera and network)
  • Grouped notifications: Home may group multiple motion alerts from the same camera to avoid spam
  • No activity zone: If your camera is facing a busy street, consider setting up an Activity Zone to ignore movement outside your property

Notification Sound and Options ​

Home's notification settings control whether you get sound, vibration, or banner alerts. Configure in iOS:

  1. Settings › Notifications › Home
  2. Choose your alert style and options

Doorbell Presses ​

If you have a video doorbell with ONVIF support:

  • When someone presses the doorbell button, Camera Bridge receives the event
  • You get a doorbell notification (different from motion notifications)
  • The doorbell appears as a real doorbell camera in Home with a dedicated tile

For doorbell presses to work:

  • Camera must be added as a Doorbell type (not a regular camera) in Camera Bridge
  • Camera must support ONVIF doorbell events

Activity Zones ​

Activity Zones let you ignore motion in areas you don't care about (like streets or neighbors' properties).

Setting Up Zones ​

  1. In Home, tap the camera › Edit › Activity Zones
  2. Draw polygons to include or exclude areas
  3. Save your zones

Zones apply to:

  • Motion notifications
  • HomeKit Secure Video detection (if available)
  • Timeline clips

Troubleshooting ​

Not getting motion notifications?

  • Check that notifications are on in Home Settings › Notifications › Cameras
  • Make sure Camera Bridge is running and the camera shows as "Connected"
  • See Network & Permissions

Too many false alerts?

  • Set up Activity Zones to ignore busy areas
  • Adjust motion sensitivity in Camera Bridge (for built-in detection)

Doorbell presses aren't working?

  • Verify the camera is set as a Doorbell camera (not a regular camera)
  • Check that ONVIF is connected and the camera supports doorbell events
  • See Diagnostics

Learn More ​