Most smart home setups suffer from the same problem: too many apps. One for lights, one for cameras, one for the thermostat, one for the robot vacuum. You end up as a human router between disconnected systems.

OpenClaw can sit in the middle. Talk to it on Telegram or WhatsApp, and it talks to everything else. “Turn off the living room lights and set the thermostat to 20°C” becomes a single message instead of opening two apps.

What OpenClaw Can Control

OpenClaw doesn’t replace your smart home platform — it adds a natural language layer on top. Here’s what users are connecting:

Cameras (RTSP/ONVIF)

The camsnap skill captures frames from IP cameras on demand:

You: "Show me the front door camera"
Pica: [sends current camera frame]

You: "Is anyone at the door?"
Pica: [captures frame, analyzes with vision model]
"I see a delivery person with a package. They're at the front door."

Set up motion-triggered alerts via cron:

Every 5 minutes, check the front door camera.
If you see a person, send me a Telegram message with the frame.

Home Assistant Integration

If you run Home Assistant, OpenClaw can call its REST API:

# In a custom skill or via exec
curl -X POST http://homeassistant.local:8123/api/services/light/turn_off \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $HASS_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"entity_id": "light.living_room"}'

Wrap this in a skill, and you get:

You: "Goodnight mode"
Pica: Done. Lights off, doors locked, thermostat set to 19°C, cameras armed.

Network Monitoring

Run periodic checks on your home network:

You: "Who's on my WiFi?"
Pica: 12 devices connected:
- iPhone (Kai) — 192.168.1.101
- MacBook — 192.168.1.102
- Smart TV — 192.168.1.120
- 3 IoT devices (normal)
- 1 unknown device: 192.168.1.155 (MAC: xx:xx:xx)
  ⚠️ First seen 2 hours ago. Want me to block it?

Weather-Aware Routines

Combine the weather skill with automation:

Every morning at 7:30:
- Check today's weather
- If rain > 50%, send reminder: "Bring umbrella"
- If temp < 5°C, set thermostat to 22°C before I wake up
- If sunny and weekend, suggest outdoor activities

Setting Up a Home Automation Agent

1. Create a Dedicated Agent

Don’t mix home automation with your work agent. Create a specialized one:

{
  "id": "home",
  "name": "House",
  "soul": "agents/home/SOUL.md"
}

SOUL.md for your home agent:

# Home Agent

You manage the smart home. Be concise.

## Devices
- Living room: Philips Hue (4 bulbs), Sony TV
- Bedroom: Hue (2 bulbs), AC unit
- Front door: Reolink camera (RTSP: rtsp://192.168.1.50/stream)
- Kitchen: Smart plug (coffee maker)

## Routines
- "Goodnight": All lights off, lock doors, thermostat 19°C
- "Good morning": Kitchen light on, start coffee, thermostat 21°C
- "Movie mode": Living room lights 20%, TV on

## Rules
- Never unlock doors without explicit confirmation
- Camera feeds are private — never share outside DM
- Energy saving: Turn off forgotten lights after 4 hours

2. Camera Integration

Install the camsnap skill and configure your cameras in TOOLS.md:

### Cameras
- front-door → rtsp://192.168.1.50/stream (Reolink, 1080p)
- living-room → rtsp://192.168.1.51/stream (wide angle)
- backyard → rtsp://192.168.1.52/stream (night vision)

Now you can ask for any camera at any time via chat.

3. Scheduled Routines

Use cron jobs for recurring home tasks:

{
  "name": "Morning Routine",
  "schedule": { "kind": "cron", "expr": "30 7 * * 1-5", "tz": "Asia/Shanghai" },
  "payload": {
    "kind": "agentTurn",
    "message": "Execute morning routine: lights on, start coffee, check weather, report anything unusual from overnight cameras."
  }
}

4. Energy Monitoring

Track electricity usage patterns:

You: "How much power did we use this week?"
Pica: Based on smart plug data:
- Coffee maker: 2.1 kWh ($0.32)
- Server rack: 8.4 kWh ($1.26)
- Total tracked: 10.5 kWh ($1.58)
- Tip: The server draws 50W idle. Consider sleep mode when not in use.

Privacy & Security

Home automation touches sensitive data — camera feeds, door locks, presence detection. Keep it locked down:

  1. Local processing preferred — Use Ollama for camera analysis when possible. No cloud = no leaks.
  2. Never expose RTSP externally — Cameras should only be accessible on your LAN.
  3. Require confirmation for physical actions — Unlocking doors, disabling alarms, opening garage.
  4. Separate network — Put IoT devices on a VLAN, away from your main computers.
  5. Audit logs — OpenClaw logs all commands. Review periodically.

Advanced: Presence Detection

Combine phone location (via the nodes tool) with home automation:

When Kai leaves home (phone disconnects from WiFi):
- Set thermostat to eco mode
- Turn off all non-essential lights
- Arm cameras

When Kai approaches home (phone connects):
- Set thermostat to comfort
- Turn on hallway lights
- Disarm front door camera

What Users Are Building

Real setups from the community:

  • Security guard: Camera checks every 30 minutes, vision AI analysis, instant alerts for anomalies
  • Energy optimizer: Tracks all smart plugs, suggests off-peak usage, reports weekly savings
  • Pet monitor: Camera + AI checks if the dog is calm, sends treats via smart treat dispenser
  • Garden manager: Soil moisture sensors → watering schedule → weather-adjusted irrigation

Getting Started

The simplest starting point:

  1. Install OpenClaw on a Raspberry Pi or home server
  2. Connect one camera with camsnap
  3. Set up a “goodnight” routine
  4. Expand from there

You don’t need to automate everything at once. Start with the task you do manually every single day, automate that, then move to the next one. Within a month, your home runs itself.

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