go2rtc/internal/homekit/README.md

Apple HomeKit

This module supports both client and server for the Apple HomeKit protocol.

HomeKit Client

Important:

• You can use HomeKit Cameras without Apple devices (iPhone, iPad, etc.), it's just a yet another protocol
• HomeKit device can be paired with only one ecosystem. So, if you have paired it to an iPhone (Apple Home), you can't pair it with Home Assistant or go2rtc. Or if you have paired it to go2rtc, you can't pair it with an iPhone
• HomeKit device should be on the same network with working mDNS between the device and go2rtc

go2rtc supports importing paired HomeKit devices from Home Assistant. So you can use HomeKit camera with Home Assistant and go2rtc simultaneously. If you are using Home Assistant, I recommend pairing devices with it; it will give you more options.

You can pair device with go2rtc on the HomeKit page. If you can't see your devices, reload the page. Also, try rebooting your HomeKit device (power off). If you still can't see it, you have a problem with mDNS.

If you see a device but it does not have a pairing button, it is paired to some ecosystem (Apple Home, Home Assistant, HomeBridge, etc.). You need to delete the device from that ecosystem, and it will be available for pairing. If you cannot unpair the device, you will have to reset it.

Important:

• HomeKit audio uses very non-standard AAC-ELD codec with very non-standard params and specification violations
• Audio can't be played in VLC and probably any other player
• Audio should be transcoded for use with MSE, WebRTC, etc.

Client Configuration

Recommended settings for using HomeKit Camera with WebRTC, MSE, MP4, RTSP:

streams:
  aqara_g3:
    - hass:Camera-Hub-G3-AB12
    - ffmpeg:aqara_g3#audio=aac#audio=opus

RTSP link with "normal" audio for any player: rtsp://192.168.1.123:8554/aqara_g3?video&audio=aac

This source is in active development! Tested only with Aqara Camera Hub G3 (both EU and CN versions).

HomeKit Server

new in v1.7.0

HomeKit module can work in two modes:

• export any H264 camera to Apple HomeKit
• transparent proxy any Apple HomeKit camera (Aqara, Eve, Eufy, etc.) back to Apple HomeKit, so you will have all camera features in Apple Home and also will have RTSP/WebRTC/MP4/etc. from your HomeKit camera

Important

• HomeKit cameras support only H264 video and OPUS audio

Server Configuration

Minimal config

streams:
  dahua1: rtsp://admin:password@192.168.1.123/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0
homekit:
  dahua1:  # same stream ID from streams list, default PIN - 19550224

Full config

streams:
  dahua1:
    - rtsp://admin:password@192.168.1.123/cam/realmonitor?channel=1&subtype=0
    - ffmpeg:dahua1#video=h264#hardware  # if your camera doesn't support H264, important for HomeKit
    - ffmpeg:dahua1#audio=opus           # only OPUS audio supported by HomeKit

homekit:
  dahua1:                   # same stream ID from streams list
    pin: 12345678           # custom PIN, default: 19550224
    name: Dahua camera      # custom camera name, default: generated from stream ID
    device_id: dahua1       # custom ID, default: generated from stream ID
    device_private: dahua1  # custom key, default: generated from stream ID
    speaker: true           # enable 2-way audio (default: false, enable only if camera has a speaker)

HKSV (HomeKit Secure Video)

go2rtc can expose any camera as a HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV) camera. This allows Apple Home to record video clips to iCloud when motion is detected.

Requirements:

• Apple Home Hub (Apple TV, HomePod or iPad) on the same network
• iCloud storage plan with HomeKit Secure Video support
• Camera source with H264 video (AAC audio recommended)

Minimal HKSV config

streams:
  outdoor: rtsp://admin:password@192.168.1.123/stream1

homekit:
  outdoor:
    hksv: true           # enable HomeKit Secure Video
    motion: continuous   # always report motion, Home Hub decides what to record

Full HKSV config

streams:
  outdoor:
    - rtsp://admin:password@192.168.1.123/stream1
    - ffmpeg:outdoor#video=h264#hardware  # transcode to H264 if needed
    - ffmpeg:outdoor#audio=aac            # AAC-LC audio for HKSV recording

homekit:
  outdoor:
    pin: 12345678
    name: Outdoor Camera
    hksv: true
    motion: api          # motion triggered via API

HKSV Doorbell config

homekit:
  front_door:
    category_id: doorbell
    hksv: true
    motion: api

Motion modes:

• continuous — MotionDetected is always true; Home Hub continuously receives video and decides what to save. Simplest setup, recommended for most cameras.
• detect — automatic motion detection by analyzing H264 P-frame sizes. No external dependencies or CPU-heavy decoding. Works with any H264 source and resolution. Compares each P-frame size against an adaptive baseline using EMA (exponential moving average). When a P-frame exceeds the threshold ratio, motion is triggered with a 30s hold time and 5s cooldown.
• api — motion is triggered externally via HTTP API. Use this with Frigate, ONVIF events, or any other motion detection system.

Motion detect config:

homekit:
  outdoor:
    hksv: true
    motion: detect
    motion_threshold: 1.0  # P-frame size / baseline ratio to trigger motion (default: 2.0)

The motion_threshold controls sensitivity — it's the ratio of P-frame size to the adaptive baseline. When a P-frame exceeds baseline × threshold, motion is triggered.

Scenario	threshold	Notes
Quiet indoor scene	1.3–1.5	Low noise, stable baseline, even small motion is visible
Standard camera (yard, hallway)	2.0 (default)	Good balance between sensitivity and false positives
Outdoor with trees/shadows/wind	2.5–3.0	Wind and shadows produce medium P-frames, need margin
Busy street / complex scene	3.0–5.0	Lots of background motion, react only to large events

Values below 1.0 are meaningless (triggers on every frame). Values above 5.0 require very large motion (person filling half the frame).

How to tune: set log.level: trace and watch motion: status lines — they show current ratio. Walk in front of the camera and note the ratio values:

motion: status baseline=5000 ratio=0.95  ← quiet
motion: status baseline=5000 ratio=3.21  ← person walked by
motion: status baseline=5000 ratio=1.40  ← shadow/wind

Set threshold between "noise" and "real motion". In this example, 2.0 is a good choice (ignores 1.4, catches 3.2).

Motion API:

# Get motion status
curl "http://localhost:1984/api/homekit/motion?id=outdoor"
# → {"id":"outdoor","motion":false}

# Trigger motion start
curl -X POST "http://localhost:1984/api/homekit/motion?id=outdoor"

# Clear motion
curl -X DELETE "http://localhost:1984/api/homekit/motion?id=outdoor"

# Trigger doorbell ring
curl -X POST "http://localhost:1984/api/homekit/doorbell?id=front_door"

Proxy HomeKit camera

• Video stream from HomeKit camera to Apple device (iPhone, Apple TV) will be transmitted directly
• Video stream from HomeKit camera to RTSP/WebRTC/MP4/etc. will be transmitted via go2rtc

streams:
  aqara1:
    - homekit://...
    - ffmpeg:aqara1#audio=aac#audio=opus  # optional audio transcoding

homekit:
  aqara1:  # same stream ID from streams list