Camera Monitoring: Motion Alerts and Snapshots
Configure your OpenClaw agent to watch your camera feeds, notify you of motion events, and send snapshots whenever you ask.
What You Will Get
After completing this guide, your OpenClaw agent will be connected to your security cameras and able to send you motion alerts with snapshot images. You can also request a live snapshot from any camera at any time by simply asking your agent in chat.
The integration works with cameras exposed through Home Assistant, RTSP streams, or any camera that provides a snapshot URL. Your agent polls for motion events or listens to webhook triggers, then packages the alert with a captured image and sends it to whatever channel you prefer.
You will have full control over which cameras trigger alerts, what times of day monitoring is active, and which zones within the camera frame count as motion areas. This means fewer false alarms and more relevant notifications delivered right to your conversation.
Step-by-Step Setup
Connect your cameras and configure motion alerting through your OpenClaw agent on RunTheAgent.
Add Camera Entities to Your Agent
Open the Integrations panel on RunTheAgent and navigate to the camera section. Add each camera by providing its snapshot URL or selecting it from your connected Home Assistant entities. Give each camera a friendly name like "front porch" or "backyard" so your agent understands natural commands.
Configure Motion Detection Sources
Specify how your agent receives motion events. If your camera supports webhooks, enter the webhook URL from your RunTheAgent dashboard. If you use Home Assistant, enable the motion binary sensor for each camera. Your agent will listen for state changes on these sensors to trigger alerts.
Define Motion Zones
If your camera supports zone-based detection, configure the active zones in your camera's own settings. Then map those zone names in your agent's camera configuration so alerts include zone information. For example, you can ignore motion in the street zone but alert on the driveway zone.
Set Alert Schedules
Define when motion alerts are active. You might want alerts only between 10 PM and 6 AM, or only when you tell your agent you are leaving the house. Use the scheduling panel to set time windows, or let your agent toggle monitoring on and off through conversation commands.
Choose Alert Channels
Select where motion alerts are delivered. You can route them to any connected channel, such as your chat window, a messaging app, or email. Each camera can send alerts to different channels if you prefer, so your front door camera alerts go to your phone while backyard alerts go to a shared family chat.
Test Motion Alerts
Walk in front of a configured camera and verify that your agent sends an alert with a snapshot image within a few seconds. Check the Logs tab to see the full event chain from motion detection to image capture to message delivery. Adjust sensitivity or zones if you receive too many or too few alerts.
Request On-Demand Snapshots
Send your agent a message like "show me the backyard camera" and verify that it returns a current snapshot. Test this for each camera to confirm the friendly names resolve correctly. On-demand snapshots work independently from motion alerts, so you can check any camera at any time.
Tips and Best Practices
Use Time-Based Scheduling to Reduce Noise
Motion alerts during busy daytime hours can generate excessive notifications. Set active monitoring windows for times when unexpected motion matters most, like overnight or when the house is empty. You can adjust these windows anytime through chat.
Combine Cameras with Door Sensors
Pair camera alerts with door or window sensors for richer context. When your agent detects that the front door opened and the porch camera sees motion simultaneously, it can send a combined alert that is more informative than either event alone.
Store Snapshots for Review
Configure your agent to save snapshots to a cloud storage folder so you can review them later. This creates a visual log of all motion events, which is useful for identifying patterns or reviewing incidents after the fact.
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Pages
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