Tristam R.'s ESP32-CAM-Powered Home Assistant Doorbell Keeps Guests' Privacy Preserved

Semi-anonymous product manager and maker Tristam R. has blended convenience with privacy in his latest creation: a Home Assistant-linked smart doorbell, driven by an Espressif ESP32-CAM board.

"Privacy-focused 'smart' doorbells seem to be few and far between," Tristam explains, "so I decided to build one that integrates with Home Assistant via ESPHome and is easy to build. This project is aimed at being simple while allowing a ton of customization and flexibility."

Tristam's doorbell is based on the Espressif ESP32-CAM, an all-in-one development board which combines an ESP32 Wi-Fi-capable microcontroller module with an on-board camera sensor. To this, he added a momentary push-button switch for visitors to press, an RGB LED ring light — though this can be swapped out for the LED on board the ESP32-CAM, Tristam says, noting it's "surprisingly bright" — and a 3D-printed enclosure.

The three-part enclosure, looking a lot like commercial off-the-shelf equivalents, places the camera at the top and the push-button switch below. When the switch is pressed, the microcontroller is triggered — turning the LED lights on, taking a snapshot with the camera, and sending it to the user's mobile through the Home Assistant mobile app.

Key to Tristam's promise of a privacy-focused implementation, imagery from the doorbell is kept within the user's Home Assistant ecosystem — rather than relying on third-party servers which may or may not keep users' data fully protected against disclosure.

Tristam's full write-up, including 3D-printable STL files for the enclosure, firmware for the ESP32-CAM, and the automation configuration for Home Assistant, is available on his website.