# Pi doorbell PTT Turns a Raspberry Pi into a network speaker so a phone hitting `https://doorbell.yourdomain.com` can see/hear the front-door Frigate feed and hold a button to talk through a speaker mounted at the door. ## Hardware - Any Raspberry Pi (Zero W 1st gen is enough; Zero 2 W is better for live two-way; Pi 3A+ has a 3.5mm jack onboard and skips the OTG adapter) - Audio output, one of: - USB speaker + micro-USB-to-USB-A OTG adapter (simplest) - 3.5mm powered speaker (Pi 3A+ has the jack; Zero W does not) - I2S DAC HAT (best quality, requires GPIO header) - microSD card, power supply, WiFi or USB ethernet ## Install on the Pi ```bash # From your laptop/desktop: scp -r pi/ pi@PI_LAN_IP:~/doorbell-src # SSH to the Pi: ssh pi@PI_LAN_IP cd ~/doorbell-src chmod +x install.sh ./install.sh ``` The installer apt-installs ffmpeg + alsa-utils + Python deps, creates a virtualenv, drops `server.py` into `~/doorbell/`, installs and enables the systemd service, runs `speaker-test` to confirm ALSA output works, and starts the service. ## Verify ```bash curl http://127.0.0.1:5555/healthz # -> ok sudo journalctl -u doorbell -f # live logs ``` ## Wire it up 1. On the Caddy host, add the `doorbell.yourdomain.com` block from `../caddy/Caddyfile` and reload Caddy. 2. DNS: point `doorbell.yourdomain.com` at the Caddy host's public IP. 3. Open `https://doorbell.yourdomain.com` on an Android phone. 4. Grant the one-time microphone permission. 5. Tap **Unmute camera** if browser autoplay swallowed the audio. 6. Hold the big green button to talk. Add to home screen (Chrome menu -> Add to home screen) for an app-like experience. ## Choosing the camera Each Pi is hardcoded to one camera -- the one whose mic and speaker are physically co-located with this Pi. The PTT button on this page only talks to *this* Pi's speaker, so mixing cameras here would let a misclick talk into the wrong room. `server.py` near the top: ```python CAMERA_NAME = "front_door" ``` The name must match a `go2rtc.streams` entry in `frigate_config/config.yml` and the camera must be `enabled: true` in Frigate. After editing: ```bash sudo systemctl restart doorbell ``` ## Multiple doorbell Pis Run one copy of this app per Pi, each on its own subdomain (e.g. `frontdoor.yourdomain.com`, `backdoor.yourdomain.com`). Add a Caddy block per subdomain pointing at that Pi's LAN IP -- same shape as the existing `doorbell.yourdomain.com` block in `../caddy/Caddyfile`. To render quick-jump buttons to the other Pis at the top of the page, fill in `PEER_LINKS` near the top of `server.py`: ```python PEER_LINKS = [ {"label": "Back door", "url": "https://backdoor.yourdomain.com"}, {"label": "Squirrel", "url": "https://squirrel.yourdomain.com"}, ] ``` Leave it as `[]` (the default) and the row is hidden. Restart with `sudo systemctl restart doorbell` after editing. ## Audio stack ALSA-only -- no PipeWire/PulseAudio. Lighter on the Pi Zero. If you ever need PipeWire (e.g., to share the speaker with another app), change `'-f', 'alsa'` to `'-f', 'pulse'` in `server.py` and install the PipeWire/Pulse compatibility shim. ## Troubleshooting ### speaker-test fails USB/3.5mm output isn't the default ALSA card. Check: ```bash aplay -l ``` If your speaker isn't card 0, create `/etc/asound.conf`: ``` defaults.pcm.card 1 defaults.ctl.card 1 ``` (Replace `1` with whatever card your speaker is.) ### Video plays but talk button stuck on "Disconnected" The WebSocket isn't reaching the Pi. Most common: Caddy not proxying `doorbell.yourdomain.com` -> Pi correctly. From the Caddy host: ```bash curl -i http://PI_LAN_IP:5555/healthz # should return 200 ok ``` ### Feedback loop when talking The page auto-mutes the camera while the PTT button is held, so this should not happen. If it does, increase distance between Pi speaker and camera mic, or turn the speaker volume down.