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Building a Telegram Bot for Home Notifications

Robin te Hofstee6 min readViews1
Building a Telegram Bot for Home Notifications

Automate home notifications by building a Telegram bot that sends alerts from your smart home, scripts, or Python projects.

Building a Telegram Bot for Home Notifications

Automate home notifications by building a Telegram bot that sends alerts from your smart home, scripts, or Python projects.

Prerequisites

  • Python 3.8+
  • A Telegram account
  • (Optional) Home Assistant instance

Step 1: Create Your Telegram Bot

  1. Open Telegram and search for @BotFather
  2. Send /newbot and follow the prompts
  3. Choose a name and username (must end in bot)
  4. Copy the bot token — keep it secret!

Step 2: Get Your Chat ID

  1. Search for your new bot and send it a message (anything)
  2. Visit: https://api.telegram.org/bot<YOUR_TOKEN>/getUpdates
  3. Find "chat":{"id":...} in the JSON response — that's your chat ID

Step 3: Send Notifications with Python

import requests
 
BOT_TOKEN = "your_bot_token_here"
CHAT_ID = "your_chat_id_here"
 
def send_message(text):
    url = f"https://api.telegram.org/bot{BOT_TOKEN}/sendMessage"
    payload = {"chat_id": CHAT_ID, "text": text, "parse_mode": "Markdown"}
    response = requests.post(url, json=payload)
    return response.json()
 
if __name__ == "__main__":
    send_message("🏠 *Home Alert*: Front door opened!")

Install dependencies:

pip install requests

Step 4: Home Assistant Integration

Add to your configuration.yaml:

notify:
  - name: telegram_bot
    platform: telegram
    chat_id: YOUR_CHAT_ID
    token: YOUR_BOT_TOKEN

Send notifications from automations:

automation:
  - alias: "Front Door Alert"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.front_door
        to: "on"
    action:
      - service: notify.telegram_bot
        data:
          message: "🚪 Front door opened!"
          data:
            inline_keyboard:
              - "Silence:/silence"

Step 5: Advanced Features

Send Images

def send_photo(image_path, caption=""):
    url = f"https://api.telegram.org/bot{BOT_TOKEN}/sendPhoto"
    with open(image_path, "rb") as photo:
        files = {"photo": photo}
        data = {"chat_id": CHAT_ID, "caption": caption}
        requests.post(url, files=files, data=data)

Interactive Buttons

def send_with_buttons(text):
    url = f"https://api.telegram.org/bot{BOT_TOKEN}/sendMessage"
    keyboard = {
        "inline_keyboard": [
            [{"text": "Turn on lights", "callback_data": "lights_on"}],
            [{"text": "Status", "callback_data": "status"}]
        ]
    }
    payload = {"chat_id": CHAT_ID, "text": text, "reply_markup": keyboard}
    requests.post(url, json=payload)

Complete Example with Environment Variables

Create a .env file:

TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your_bot_token_here
TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID=your_chat_id_here

Update the script:

import requests
import os
from dotenv import load_dotenv
 
load_dotenv()
 
BOT_TOKEN = os.getenv("TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN")
CHAT_ID = os.getenv("TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID")
 
def send_message(text, parse_mode="Markdown"):
    url = f"https://api.telegram.org/bot{BOT_TOKEN}/sendMessage"
    payload = {"chat_id": CHAT_ID, "text": text, "parse_mode": parse_mode}
    response = requests.post(url, json=payload)
    return response.json()
 
def send_photo(image_path, caption=""):
    url = f"https://api.telegram.org/bot{BOT_TOKEN}/sendPhoto"
    with open(image_path, "rb") as photo:
        files = {"photo": photo}
        data = {"chat_id": CHAT_ID, "caption": caption}
        requests.post(url, files=files, data=data)
 
def send_with_buttons(text, buttons):
    url = f"https://api.telegram.org/bot{BOT_TOKEN}/sendMessage"
    keyboard = {"inline_keyboard": buttons}
    payload = {"chat_id": CHAT_ID, "text": text, "reply_markup": keyboard}
    requests.post(url, json=payload)
 
if __name__ == "__main__":
    send_message("🏠 *Home Alert System Active*")

Install additional dependency:

pip install python-dotenv

Use Cases

  • Motion detected → camera snapshot to Telegram
  • Washing machine finished → notification
  • Server down → immediate alert
  • Daily weather forecast at 8 AM
  • Power outage detection via smart plug

Home Assistant Automation Examples

Motion Alert with Snapshot

automation:
  - alias: "Motion Alert with Snapshot"
    trigger:
      - platform: state
        entity_id: binary_sensor.living_room_motion
        to: "on"
    action:
      - service: camera.snapshot
        target:
          entity_id: camera.living_room
        data:
          filename: "/tmp/motion_snapshot.jpg"
      - delay: "00:00:02"
      - service: notify.telegram_bot
        data:
          message: "📷 Motion detected in living room!"
          data:
            photo:
              - file: "/tmp/motion_snapshot.jpg"

Daily Weather Report

automation:
  - alias: "Morning Weather Report"
    trigger:
      - platform: time
        at: "08:00:00"
    action:
      - service: notify.telegram_bot
        data:
          message: >
            🌤 *Good Morning!*
            Temperature: {{ states('sensor.outdoor_temperature') }}°C
            Humidity: {{ states('sensor.outdoor_humidity') }}%
            Condition: {{ states('sensor.weather_condition') }}

Security Tips

  • Store tokens in environment variables
  • Use .gitignore to avoid committing secrets
  • Consider using a separate "home" chat for the bot
  • Regularly rotate your bot token via @BotFather
  • Don't hardcode credentials in your scripts

Troubleshooting

Bot not responding

  • Check that you've started a chat with the bot
  • Verify the token is correct
  • Ensure your bot isn't blocked

Messages not arriving

  • Confirm chat_id is correct
  • Check if the bot has permission to send messages
  • Verify your Home Assistant logs for errors

SSL Errors

If you encounter SSL errors, you may need to update certificates:

pip install --upgrade certifi

Conclusion

A Telegram bot is a simple yet powerful way to receive home notifications. Whether you're integrating with Home Assistant or building custom Python scripts, the Telegram API is beginner-friendly and reliable.

Start small with basic text notifications, then expand to images, buttons, and complex automations as you get comfortable.

Happy automating! The MDX file is ready at /Users/robintehofstee/telegram_bot_tutorial.mdx. It includes:

Frontmatter with metadata Step-by-step tutorial (bot creation, Python script, Home Assistant integration) Advanced features (images, buttons, environment variables) Automation examples (motion alerts, weather reports) Security tips & troubleshooting Upload it to your blog's blog/ directory and it should render correctly.

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Robin te Hofstee

Written by Robin te Hofstee

Technology enthusiast with a deep love for programming. Sharing practical guides on React, Next.js, Linux and self-hosting.

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