HomeBoard might be one of the apps you can use to view live security camera feeds on an Android TV or Google TV.
Before recommending it, I wanted to try it out for myself.
The app is called HomeBoard, and it’s distributed as an APK file. Many people are understandably cautious about installing APK files from outside official app stores. In this case, I believe HomeBoard is worth trying, but you should still take precautions. To be on the safe side, I recommend using a secondary account rather than your primary account when setting it up. Here’s a look at my experience testing HomeBoard on my Android TV.
What Is the HomeBoard App?
Your apps, cameras, alerts, and Home Assistant—all in one clean, easy-to-use screen. No distracting banners and no account required.
HomeBoard works with security cameras that support RTSP streaming and use H.264 or H.265 video encoding. It also supports substreams for displaying multiple cameras in a grid view. If you own an EZVIZ, Hikvision, Reolink, Tapo, or any other camera brand that supports RTSP, you can connect it directly to HomeBoard.
HomeBoard features:
- HomeBoard appears immediately when I turn on the TV. It’s a native app, not a web page running in the TV’s browser.
- App shortcuts are displayed along the bottom of the screen, with the first app selected by default. This makes it easy to open whichever app I want.
- Instead of filling the screen with ads and movie recommendations based on what other people in the household watched last week, HomeBoard uses that space to display my security camera feeds. I can press the up button on the remote to switch between cameras.
- On the right side of the screen, I can display configurable information from Home Assistant, including weather forecasts and sensor readings that I’m interested in.
- Tabs at the top of the screen give me quick access to other views, including all my cameras and Frigate alerts.
- I can also add configurable Home Assistant scene buttons. For example, I use them to turn off lights that I don’t need while watching TV.
- The overall design is clean and minimalistic.
For now, HomeBoard is free to use on Android TV and Google TV. You don’t need to pay for a license or subscription to use the app.
How I Installed and Used HomeBoard App on My Android TV
I’m using an SPC Android TV, a local Indonesian brand.
I rarely watch TV these days, so I decided to put mine to good use by testing the HomeBoard app. For reference, my Android TV has a 50-inch screen. I was curious to see how HomeBoard would look and perform on such a large display. Would it work just as well on a screen this size?
First, I’ll download the HomeBoard APK file on my laptop.
I then copied the APK file to a USB flash drive.
Note: Although Android TVs usually come with a built-in web browser, I find it easier to download the file using a laptop and transfer it to the TV.
Plug the USB flash drive into an available USB port on your Android TV.
Use the File Finder app to access the files on your USB flash drive. If you don’t have it installed, you can download it from the Google Play Store on your Android TV.
Note: If Google Play Protect blocks the HomeBoard APK installation, you’ll need to temporarily disable Play Protect on your Android TV before installing the app. You can turn it back on once the installation is complete.
How to Disable Google Play Protect:
- Open the Google Play Store and click your profile icon.
- Select Play Protect.
- Turn off Scan apps with Play Protect.
Once Play Protect is disabled, click the HomeBoard APK file to continue with the installation.
Click Install to begin the installation.
How I Added a Security Camera to the HomeBoard App?
You can add any IP camera that supports RTSP to HomeBoard. For this guide, I’m using a Bardi camera which supports RTSP. You can follow the same steps with IP cameras from other brands, as long as they support RTSP.
Here’s how to add your camera:
Open the HomeBoard app.
A notification will then appear:
Allow HomeBoard to read all TV listings available on your device?
Click Allow to grant the requested permission.
Once you’re on the HomeBoard dashboard, go to the Camera tab and click Setup Cameras to add a new camera.
Click Add Camera.
Fill in the provided fields. Here’s an example of how I filled them out:
- Name: Front
- RTSP URL: rtsp://admin:admin13@192.168.1.10:8554/stream0
I left the Substream field blank.
Click Save to save your settings.
And here’s the result!
My Bardi camera is now successfully connected to HomeBoard. Make sure your camera and Android TV are connected to the same network.
Final Thoughts
Besides displaying live IP camera feeds, HomeBoard can also integrate with Frigate NVR and Home Assistant.
Since I’ve already uninstalled Frigate and don’t have Home Assistant set up yet, this guide focuses on installing HomeBoard and adding an IP camera. If you already use Frigate NVR or Home Assistant, you can connect them by entering the server address or IP address in HomeBoard.
I hope this guide helps you get started.
Give HomeBoard a try and see how it works with your own cameras. Thanks for reading!