Hikvision or Dahua doorbell?

B

bestbeast

Young grasshopper
Dec 4, 2019
89
9
UK
Hello guys,

I was currently checking to buy a new doorbell and saw these 2:

DS-KD8003-IME1/Flush

Hikvision DS-KD8003-IME1/Flush KD8 Series Pro Modular Door Station
www.hikvision.com www.hikvision.com
www.dahuasecurity.com

VTO2202F-P - Dahua Spain

VTO2202F-P
www.dahuasecurity.com www.dahuasecurity.com

I was currently checking what sort of experiences you got from those models. I see also many people complaining about apps and different stuff around and have at the moment 2 questions for these models:

Some people just saying that night vision IR, is just activated, when someone presses the button, and that the doorbell light is not activated either, until someone presses the button. Can that be changed in any of the models?
About the hikvision one I would like to know if there is anyway to integrate it to Home assistant without needing the Hikvision p2p service.

Thanks for the help in advance.

Kind regards
 
I'm no expert, but I currently have Dahua VTO2211G-WP on my test bench getting ready to install.

I do not use any of the apps (other than config tool to upgrade the firmware on it).
It is on its own VLAN with the rest of the security cams with access blocked to the internet and only access allowed to specific machines and ports.
For communication, I have installed a freePBX SIP server to communicate through the LAN only (freePBX is not setup for outside access). I have SIP softphone apps on my phones and tablets for testing.
For notifications, I use HomeAssistant (and the call to the softphone on my phones/tablets).

I have been working on this project for a few months (not much time or knowledge when it comes to SIP), but I think I finally have a workable solution that I would not be afraid to install.

What you read about the IR is true. I have not figured out how to turn on the IR or even the LED ring around the doorbell manually, even through a Home Assistant Integration

It's a lot more work going this route than something like a Ring doorbell, but the lack of cloud requirements, easy integration to Blue Iris and the ability to use MQTT for trigger events I am hoping will pay off in the end.
 
Hello,

Yes, I was currently thinking about SIP options also, but not looking at the for the moment. But just some basic stuff, like people seeing during night, where the button is, as well as myself seeing the camera even if someone has not pressed the call button.
I guess a ring doorbell is much simpler in that sense, but not even having cabling ethernet option, which is a must for my setup. Do you know if maybe Hikvision has these problems solved, or any firmware update for the Dahua? if not, will see if someone else can through some light on this.
 
No experience with Hikvision other than their consumer doorbell that is being replaced by the VTO (only lasted a year).

IR not as big of a deal for me as it is not the only camera in the courtyard, but the led ring around the doorbell button not being lit until pressed bothers me.

My firmware is from November 2021, and nothing changed in that regard.

External SIP is not required. My first test involved using a SIP softphone (had good results with GS Wave Lite and Zoiper; Linphone would not work for me) installed on my phone and tablet and using the built in SIP server on the VTO to call. That was pretty easy once I setup the correct Vlan routes. freePBX adds to the complexity, but I've been wanting to setup intercoms in the house (that do not resemble something from the 70s and have more functionality), so either asterisk or freePBX were going to be needed for that project.

As an FYI, I only bought the door station unit itself (no VTH unit), so setting up a softphone or other communication method was necessary. I will be using an external esp32 relay to trigger the existing wired doorbell through Home Assistant, but still have the notifications through SIP as a phone call.
 
thewolf56 said:
No experience with Hikvision other than their consumer doorbell that is being replaced by the VTO (only lasted a year).
Click to expand...
Let's see if anyone can help on this.

thewolf56 said:
IR not as big of a deal for me as it is not the only camera in the courtyard, but the led ring around the doorbell button not being lit until pressed bothers me.
Click to expand...
Yep, it makes literally no sense, why the button light will turn on, after someone has pressed the button....
 
thewolf56 said:
I'm no expert, but I currently have Dahua VTO2211G-WP on my test bench getting ready to install.

I do not use any of the apps (other than config tool to upgrade the firmware on it).
It is on its own VLAN with the rest of the security cams with access blocked to the internet and only access allowed to specific machines and ports.
For communication, I have installed a freePBX SIP server to communicate through the LAN only (freePBX is not setup for outside access). I have SIP softphone apps on my phones and tablets for testing.
For notifications, I use HomeAssistant (and the call to the softphone on my phones/tablets).

I have been working on this project for a few months (not much time or knowledge when it comes to SIP), but I think I finally have a workable solution that I would not be afraid to install.

What you read about the IR is true. I have not figured out how to turn on the IR or even the LED ring around the doorbell manually, even through a Home Assistant Integration

It's a lot more work going this route than something like a Ring doorbell, but the lack of cloud requirements, easy integration to Blue Iris and the ability to use MQTT for trigger events I am hoping will pay off in the end.
Click to expand...
for HA, remember...there is the Dahua Integration. Unsure which has better purpose. MQTT or the integration.
 
Holbs said:
for HA, remember...there is the Dahua Integration. Unsure which has better purpose. MQTT or the integration.
Click to expand...

Good point. I'm using the Dahua Integration (also have the VTOtoMQTT running to see which I like better) for the doorbell presses which sends a notification, but had hoped that there would be a way to set the back key light on somehow.

Also trying to setup the Asterisk Integration through HACS which will setup SIP extensions as cards (there is also a custom add-on for asterisk if not using another SIP server). Once fully implemented, I will be able to use that as an intercom in the house and for answering the VTO directly from HA. Need something in that regard as I do not have the VTH.
 
thewolf56 said:
Good point. I'm using the Dahua Integration (also have the VTOtoMQTT running to see which I like better) for the doorbell presses which sends a notification, but had hoped that there would be a way to set the back key light on somehow.

Also trying to setup the Asterisk Integration through HACS which will setup SIP extensions as cards (there is also a custom add-on for asterisk if not using another SIP server). Once fully implemented, I will be able to use that as an intercom in the house and for answering the VTO directly from HA. Need something in that regard as I do not have the VTH.
Click to expand...

Sounds like you've had a lot of experience with this unit. Can you comment on the sound quality? Can you hear what is being said into the external unit? And when you use the SIP phone to speak to the person at the front door, is the speaker adequately loud? Do you think it's loud enough to enable someone standing on the sidewalk to hear you?

There's a couple of good videos of people using this unit, but they don't give a good feel for how well the audio work, just that it works.
 
camviewer43 said:
Sounds like you've had a lot of experience with this unit. Can you comment on the sound quality? Can you hear what is being said into the external unit? And when you use the SIP phone to speak to the person at the front door, is the speaker adequately loud? Do you think it's loud enough to enable someone standing on the sidewalk to hear you?

There's a couple of good videos of people using this unit, but they don't give a good feel for how well the audio work, just that it works.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't say I have a lot of experience with it, yet. I have had it for a few months, but on a test bench. I'm testing it with freePBX as the SIP server and have done some fun things such as custom ringbacks that automatically change with holidays, events, etc. Also using SIP softphones to answer, and using HomeAssistant to send notifications to my wife's and my phone when the button pressed (which I will use for further automations). The ringbacks sound pretty good (haven't heard any clipping). Voices are clear enough with the softphone use, and noticeably less lag than with my previous WIFI video doorbell.

There are many Pros to the unit in general:
  • POE
  • Can setup door opening function (I don't use)
  • RFID compatible (I also don't use)
  • compatible with SIP on it's own (don't need to use the kit with VTH, but will take more work)
  • customizable
  • good video quality
  • integrates into BI easily and HomeAssistant with additional integrations.

Main Cons for me are:
  • Physical design (wider than I would have liked for the planned installation location)
  • cannot hookup a doorbell directly (will be using ESP32 board with relays to ring the doorbell)
  • Main Stream is 720p, sub-stream is 1080p, but video quality was not noticeably better using the sub-stream with BI
  • It has been mentioned that the IR only works with a button press, but I am able to see b&w video without a button press with the lights off.
  • the led ring around the button is only lit up upon an event (button press, call answered, door open, etc.)
I still need to run Cat 6 to the location and also plan on painting over the silver trim to match my door hardware before installing it.
 
thewolf56 said:
I wouldn't say I have a lot of experience with it, yet. I have had it for a few months, but on a test bench. I'm testing it with freePBX as the SIP server and have done some fun things such as custom ringbacks that automatically change with holidays, events, etc. Also using SIP softphones to answer, and using HomeAssistant to send notifications to my wife's and my phone when the button pressed (which I will use for further automations). The ringbacks sound pretty good (haven't heard any clipping). Voices are clear enough with the softphone use, and noticeably less lag than with my previous WIFI video doorbell.
Click to expand...

Thanks so much for the feedback. I really like the SIP phone app idea. Have you only been using it on your local LAN so far? Eventually, I'd like to setup VPN on my phone to my home network so the SIP phone app can be used when I'm not at home. I anticipate more lag, but hopefully it would still be functional for talking and listening to the person at the front door.

I didn't know about the VTO2211G-WP. I ordered the VTO2202F, which doesn't have a card reader. I kinda could see some cool you could do with RFID for automation if the RFID can be sent via MQTT and not automatically built into the door lock output of the doorbell camera.
 
thewolf56 said:
Also trying to setup the Asterisk Integration through HACS which will setup SIP extensions as cards (there is also a custom add-on for asterisk if not using another SIP server). Once fully implemented, I will be able to use that as an intercom in the house and for answering the VTO directly from HA. Need something in that regard as I do not have the VTH.
Click to expand...

I have a FreePBX phone system at my house. I've been running it for probably 10 years or more. The intercom feature is the most used thing. We still have home phone service - mainly to have e911 service - but we never actually answer the home phone. I can't tell you the last time I had a voicemail left either. We have an IVR set up which requires a person to press a number for the person they want to leave a message for (ie 1 for me, 2 for my wife, etc). This prevents robo calls from leaving messages which is wonderful.

We have a mix of digital phones around the house and all of them have the ability to answer an intercom call in speaker phone mode. This means that the phone(s) instantly answer on speakerphone so that you can communicate with someone in the room without them having to walkover and answer the phone. It's really nice to be able to press one call button on the kitchen phone and have it ring everywhere to announce that "dinner is ready" and be able to have the kids answer back "OK". My parents have one of those "70's intercom" systems that you mentioned and not only is the audio quality terrible but a person has to walk over to the unit and press "talk" in order to be able to reply to a call,

I have a mix of phones, but the most used model is the Yealink T46U that I have in the kitchen (wall mounted). These are great because of the 10 softkeys to the side of the screen. It's these softkeys that I have assigned to different intercom groups. Of course you can get models with more or less softkeys. Other decent phones are the Grandstream GS-GXP2135 (8 softkeys) or the Obi2182 which is a great wifi phone if you don't want to hardwire each phone (and might be the best "bang for the buck" out there right now). Personally most of my phone are hardwired and POE powered, although I do have one of the Obi phones in a location where it was just too much of a pain to run a network wire.

Anyway, I'm always happy to answer any FreePBX questions you might have.
 
Last edited:
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The Automation Guy said:
I have a FreePBX phone system at my house. I've been running it for probably 10 years or more. The intercom feature is the most used thing. We still have home phone service - mainly to have e911 service - but we never actually answer the home phone. I can't tell you the last time I had a voicemail left either. We have an IVR set up which requires a person to press a number for the person they want to leave a message for (ie 1 for me, 2 for my wife, etc). This prevents robo calls from leaving messages which is wonderful.
Click to expand...

That seems like a great setup. I don't have regular phone service, but would like an intercom system. The actual IP phone are a bit too much in terms of hardware. Have you tried using just a tablet and SIP softphone? Would that be able to accomplish some of the same functions you mentioned? In particular, the auto answer to speaker phone for "dinner time" announcement? With the video doorbell, it would be nice if the intercom function and the video function came together - where the button on the intercomm spawns a voice conversation on a kitchen tablet as well as display the video.
 
I haven't really used soft phones except to test a few things when I was getting started. I don't like the idea of running a soft phone on my regular cell phone (kills the battery), but I never thought about using devices around the house with soft phones installed to act as intercoms. I don't know if that would work with answering in speaker mode, but if it did it would be really cool.

I can try to test that out, but it will be Sunday at least before I can try.
 
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I installed a softphone app on my cell phone and got it working today. I could not get the soft phone to auto-answer any calls including intercom calls. This is even with choosing those options in the softphone's extension setup in FreePBX. I did not see any options to set up auto answer on the softphone app I used and I looked at a couple of different apps.

Perhaps you can find a softphone app that will give you this option, but I honestly doubt they build it in because it would be very rare that someone would want their phone to auto answer IMHO.
 
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thewolf56 said:
Good point. I'm using the Dahua Integration (also have the VTOtoMQTT running to see which I like better) for the doorbell presses which sends a notification, but had hoped that there would be a way to set the back key light on somehow.

Also trying to setup the Asterisk Integration through HACS which will setup SIP extensions as cards (there is also a custom add-on for asterisk if not using another SIP server). Once fully implemented, I will be able to use that as an intercom in the house and for answering the VTO directly from HA. Need something in that regard as I do not have the VTH.
Click to expand...

Could you show a screenshot of what the integration looks like in Home Assistant?
 
i have the Hikvision ds-kd8003 , with option mifare reader + keypad , quite pleased with it
Also 2 indoor panels
For SIP:
You can connected the devices as a regular extensions :> but you loose hikconnect/cloud , also no video anymore in early preview, only video after pickup
Or you can register asterisk as an extension on the primary indoor panel (the indoor runs a SIP server on port 5065) , so call gets forwarded to asterisk => advantage, if asterisk is down, everything still works, still video on indoor panels

For Home Assistant, there is an asterisk addon, and lovelace SIP card, so you can pickup the call from HA or just a regular softphone , for HA , i use the RTSP feed to fetch the camera

For Home Assistant, i also created addons , based on SDK from hikvision, this is a listener to get events like (doorpess / door motion / door open events )
There is also ISAPI, but its more limited, it has no listener, you can just open a door with a curl command, thats about it.. SDK is better
 
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Rosep said:
Could you show a screenshot of what the integration looks like in Home Assistant?
Click to expand...
Sorry I missed this. My Home Assistant VM took a dive (using VirtualBox on Windows 10 and using virtualbox as a service). I had the backups, but ended up using a fresh installation of HomeAssistant as a VM on an UnRaid microserver. Significantly more stable that way, but still have to add a few more things before I can start playing with the SIP client or the VTO2MQTT.
 
I have been evaluating using a fisheye camera with audio mounted by the door instead of installing a doorbell camera. The fish eye camera has much better video and optics compared to all the doorbell cams I have ever been exposed to as an installer. Its integrating a door bell button/ page intercom installation circuit has been my challenge across multiple manufacturers. But I do like challenges.
 
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