Do you want a phone alert when someone walks through the gate, instead of a message whenever motion appears near the edge of the frame? The result depends on several connected stages: the video stream, Frigate detection, a zone, a Home Assistant event, and delivery to the phone.
This is a practical plan for that household task based on Frigate and Home Assistant Companion documentation. It is not a report of a tested installation: the result depends on the camera model, versions, and network. If you need a Russian-language Home Assistant interface, see our Habab Home build. Frigate, cameras, and notifications are configured separately.
Key facts
- Frigate must already be running and receiving video before you set up the Home Assistant integration. Configure Home Assistant MQTT first; many entities require Frigate and HA to use the same broker.
- Install the Frigate integration through HACS. It is a separate service and component, not a built-in Home Assistant feature.
- Frigate evaluates zone presence using the bottom-center point of an object's bounding box, not the percentage that overlaps the polygon.
- For notifications, Frigate recommends starting with a Blueprint and generally recommends the
frigate/reviewsMQTT topic. Messages include media IDs andbefore/afterstates. - The integration exposes paths to thumbnails, snapshots, and clips through the Home Assistant API. Android and iOS use different video formats.
The documents and examples on this page were checked on October 26, 2026. No specific camera or installation version was tested for this article.
The entrance scenario
Imagine a camera that sees a path to a house and part of the street. The goal is one clear alert with an event image when a person enters the path. A car beyond the property boundary and passers-by on the street are outside this rule. This describes a household task; it does not promise error-free detection.
Separate the check into three questions: did Frigate detect a person; did the object enter the required zone; and did Home Assistant receive the right event and could the phone display the message and attachment? If there is no Frigate event, changing an HA automation will not fix the stream or camera angle. If the event exists but the alert does not, check MQTT, conditions, and the automation trace.
What needs to be configured
First verify that Frigate runs separately and that the camera appears in its interface. Configure MQTT in Home Assistant, enable MQTT in Frigate, and point both to the same broker. Install the Frigate integration through HACS, restart Home Assistant, and add Frigate under Settings → Devices & services. Fields depend on the installation; do not copy another home's addresses or passwords.
Verify that events reach MQTT before adding phone notifications. If the object appears in Frigate but there is no review event, check which topic and event type your scenario uses. For multiple Frigate servers, also check topic_prefix and client_id.
The Home Assistant app on the phone must connect to your server and have notification permission enabled. The action target usually starts with notify.mobile_app_; choose the actual phone in your system rather than guessing from an example.
Filter a person by zone
In Frigate camera settings, open Masks / Zones, draw a polygon on a recent frame, and enable zones in the debug view. Outline the part of the route you care about. Watch where the bottom-center point of the person's bounding box falls as they walk through it.
If the person looks inside the polygon but Frigate reports them outside, check perspective and boundaries. The bottom-center point must cross the line; the rest of the box overlapping is not enough. Then use required_zones for the alerts or detections you want to filter. Test one zone with a normal walk-through and check the resulting event. Do not change the zone, object list, and detector threshold at the same time.
Send an event to a phone
Start with the official Frigate Blueprint and confirm which review type it processes. For an alert, the documentation shows this MQTT trigger fragment:
trigger:
- platform: mqtt
topic: frigate/reviews
payload: alert
value_template: "{{ value_json['after']['severity'] }}"
This is a fragment, not a complete automation. Add a condition for the intended camera/zone and an action for notify.mobile_app_*. See the Frigate Home Assistant notification guide for the full Blueprint and current event fields.
frigate/reviews carries review-item updates, including after, the previous before, and an ID used to find media. Frigate shows how a notification with a tag can be updated when a better image arrives for the same event. Do not reuse one tag across unrelated events without checking your app's behavior.
If the trigger runs but there is no message, open the trace: is the right phone selected, did the conditions pass, and did the notify action run? Then check app and operating-system permissions.
Add a photo or clip
Use the event ID from Frigate and the path provided through the Home Assistant API. For one Frigate instance, these paths are documented:
| Media | Path through Home Assistant |
|---|---|
| Object thumbnail | /api/frigate/notifications/<event-id>/thumbnail.jpg |
| Object snapshot | /api/frigate/notifications/<event-id>/snapshot.jpg |
| Clip on Android | /api/frigate/notifications/<event-id>/clip.mp4 |
| Clip on iOS | /api/frigate/notifications/<event-id>/master.m3u8 |
Replace <event-id> with the event ID and use a Home Assistant address the app can reach. For multiple Frigate servers, add the instance identifier. These paths do not require exposing Frigate to the internet. Configure safe access to Home Assistant and test the attachment on the network you need.
If the text arrives without a photo, check whether after contains an event ID; the URL uses that ID and instance; the phone can open the path with normal access; the required media is saved; and the format suits the phone. Do not publish your hostname, a token-bearing URL, a face, or a persistent event ID.
Trace a delay
There is no universal Frigate delay figure: time may be spent processing video, creating a review event, sending MQTT, evaluating automation conditions, transporting a push, or displaying it on the phone. Measure your own path with one safe, controlled walk-through.
| Stage | Record | What to check if the next stage is missing |
|---|---|---|
| Frame and object in Frigate | Frame and object times | Stream, angle, detector |
| Review / MQTT | Event time and type | Zone, required_zones, broker |
| Home Assistant automation | Start time and trace | Trigger, conditions, camera |
| Notification action | Time and notify.mobile_app_* target |
Action and app permission |
| Phone and media | Display time and attachment result | Network, HA address, format |
Compare timestamps from one event. If the push is prompt but the image is missing, that is a media-access issue; changing recognition thresholds will not help.
Reduce false events
Start by identifying which event caused the alert. For a bounded area, check zone geometry during a normal walk-through and when there is motion outside the route. Verify that the automation really requires the zone.
Frigate recommends using zones and required_zones to restrict an area, and using masks sparingly for specific, fixed interference. Do not mask the entire yard or approach where people should be detected; a poor mask can hide useful motion or complicate tracking.
The integration FAQ notes that occupancy sensors can react faster but have fewer false-positive checks. For filtering, the documentation points to MQTT sensors on frigate/events or frigate/reviews. This does not guarantee all errors disappear; inspect the payload and the automation condition.
Do not copy a universal confidence threshold. Angle, light, obstacles, stream quality, and compute load all matter. Change one value at a time, inspect the debug view, and keep the original setting.
Limits and privacy
A zone narrows a scenario; it does not make object detection a security guarantee. For important security tasks, use an independent way to check what happened and do not rely on one push alert. Results depend on angle, light, obstructions, and video processing.
Before enabling snapshots and clips, check that the camera does not capture unnecessary parts of a neighbour's property and that messages go only to intended phones. Protect access to Home Assistant. Do not make images public unless needed or send private footage to open chats.
Checking a specific installation requires the camera model and firmware, Frigate and Home Assistant versions, MQTT setup, phone/app version, and remote-access design. Without those facts, we cannot name a compatible model or promise delivery speed.
Frequently asked questions
Is Frigate part of Home Assistant?
No. Frigate is a separate service; the integration connects it to Home Assistant. Configure MQTT and verify the video stream before adding the integration.
Why do I see a person in the video but receive no alert?
Check the path in order: object and review event in Frigate, required zone, MQTT message, automation trace, and phone notification action. This shows where the chain stopped.
Can I send a clip instead of a photo?
The integration docs list clip.mp4 for Android and master.m3u8 for iOS. Availability depends on the event, recording settings, Home Assistant access, and phone attachment support. Check with one controlled event.
What is a normal delay?
We do not give a universal number. Record the Frigate event time, automation start, and push display time on your own device.
Will any IP camera work?
There is no such guarantee. Compatibility depends on the stream, connection method, model, firmware, and system load. Check the exact model and the feature you need before buying.
If you already have a camera, send the model and software versions without secrets or private footage. Habab Home is our Russian-language Home Assistant build; Frigate, cameras, and a specific scenario are configured separately. Browse the home automation article catalog or compare the camera approach in our guide to Scrypted.
This article was prepared with AI assistance; technical claims were checked against the official documents below on October 26, 2026. No specific camera or installation was field-tested.
Sources
About the service "Frigate and Home Assistant 2026: zones, photos and phone alerts"
Connect a Frigate event to a Home Assistant zone and phone alert, add a photo or clip, and trace delays without assuming every camera is compatible.