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First steps

This section is a practical path for using Toposync for the first time. It is intentionally simple: create a composition, add a visual base, draw the main structure, add one camera, then create the first basic pipeline.

Toposync is still alpha software. Use contained networks, test devices, non-critical Home Assistant entities, and the safety guidance in the Security Policy when evaluating the product.

  1. Create your first composition.
  2. Add a tracing image, such as a floor plan or robot vacuum map.
  3. Add walls and areas.
  4. Add a lightweight 3D model, if it helps the spatial view.
  5. Connect Home Assistant, if you want entities and states in the composition.
  6. Test without a real camera, if you need a development RTSP source from an image, video, or webcam.
  7. Add your first camera.
  8. Create your first pipelines.
  9. Review next steps when the first loop works.

Start small​

Do not start by importing everything you own. A good first test is:

  • one composition;
  • one floor or area of the home;
  • one tracing image;
  • a few walls or areas;
  • one camera;
  • one simple pipeline.

After that works, add more rooms, cameras, entities, and flows gradually.

What matters first​

The first goal is not visual perfection. The first goal is spatial meaning:

  • where each area is;
  • where a camera is;
  • what the camera can see;
  • which events belong to which area;
  • which Home Assistant entities are useful in that context.

Once this is clear, the interface becomes easier to improve.