Start record

Use this action to start recording a camera channel on your QVR Pro server. For example, start recording when motion is detected, or while you’re away.

Using this action from the user interface

If you prefer building automations and scripts visually, Home Assistant walks you through this action step by step. You pick what to target, tweak a few options, and save. No YAML knowledge required.

To start recording from an automation or a script:

1. Go to Settings > Automations & scenes.
2. Open an existing automation or script, or select Create automation > Create new automation.
3. If you’re setting up a new automation, add a trigger in the When section. Scripts don’t need a trigger. They run when something else calls them.
4. In the Then do section, select Add action.
5. From the search box, search for and select QVR Pro: Start record.
6. In GUID, enter the GUID of the camera channel. See the options below for where to find it.
7. Select Save.

This action does not support targets. You choose the camera channel with the GUID option instead.

Options in the UI

Using this action in YAML

If you work directly in YAML, or you want to know exactly what Home Assistant does under the hood, this section has the technical reference. It lists the field names you use in YAML, their types, and which ones are required.

In YAML, refer to this action as qvr_pro.start_record. A basic example looks like this:

action: qvr_pro.start_record
data:
  guid: "245EBE933C0A597EBE865C0A245E0002"

This starts recording the camera channel with that GUID.

Options in YAML

Good to know

• The recording is stored on your QVR Pro server, not in Home Assistant.
• To stop the recording, use Stop record.

Try it yourself

Ready to test this? Open Settings > Tools > Actions, search for this action, fill in the fields, and select Perform action. You see what happens on your actual entitiesAn entity represents a sensor, actor, or function in Home Assistant. Entities are used to monitor physical properties or to control other entities. An entity is usually part of a device or a service. [Learn more] without writing a line of YAML.

More examples

Real scenarios where this action shows up in automations and scripts. Copy any example and adapt it to your setup.

Automation: record the driveway when motion is detected

Start recording the driveway camera on your QVR Pro server as soon as the motion sensor detects motion.

• Trigger: State changed
  • Entity: Driveway motion (binary_sensor.driveway_motion)
  • To: Detected
• Action: Start record
  • GUID: The GUID of the driveway camera channel

alias: "Record the driveway when motion is detected"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: binary_sensor.driveway_motion
    to: "on"
actions:
  - action: qvr_pro.start_record
    data:
      guid: "YOUR_CHANNEL_GUID"

Automation: record the driveway while you’re away

Start recording the driveway camera when you arm your alarm in away mode.

• Trigger: State changed
  • Entity: Home alarm (alarm_control_panel.home)
  • To: Armed away
• Action: QVR Pro: Start record
  • GUID: The GUID of the driveway camera channel

alias: "Record the driveway while I'm away"
triggers:
  - trigger: state
    entity_id: alarm_control_panel.home
    to: "armed_away"
actions:
  - action: qvr_pro.start_record
    data:
      guid: "YOUR_CHANNEL_GUID"

Still stuck?

The Home Assistant community is quick to help: join Discord for real-time chat, post on the community forum with the action you’re calling and what you expected to happen, or share on our subreddit /r/homeassistant.

Related actions

Explore related actions:

• Stop record: Stops recording a camera channel on your QVR Pro server.