IFTTT trigger Smart Home Monitor

Hi - i use a SmartThings outlet to power-on a TrendNet camera when we set certain SmartThings “routines” (eg. Goodbye!). This camera has it’s own motion sensing which will automatically email/upload to FTP video/still images. When we arrive back the outlet kills power to the camera so no false-positives are triggered whilst we are home.

I would now like to extend this (using an IFTTT rule) so that when an email arrives in my dedicated gmail account sent by the camera following detected motion, it then triggers the “Smart Home Monitor” in my SmartThings app to the alert state but I believe to have hit a small wall.

The IFTTT channel only allows for a restricted set of actions and none of them can be used in the config for the SHM. I have tried creating various virtual switches and sensors but either IFTTT doesn’t support them or the app doesn’t recognise them when configuring the home monitor.

Any cool ideas to link the action of email arriving in a given mailbox to the triggering of the SHM?

Thanks.
James.

What you ultimately need to do is have IFTTT trigger a virtual switch (I’d use a momentary since you aren’t monitoring an on/off stare) then have that virtual switch ‘open’ an open/closed sensor which would trip the smart home monitor.

My thought would be create a virtual device that has the properties of both an open/closed sensor and a momentary switch.

You would then need the device type to send an open event every time an on event is triggered. IFTTT would trigger the on and SHM would monitor for the open event

OK - so essentially daisy-chain the virtual momentary switch to something that will, in-turn, trigger the open/close sensor thus triggering SHM.

Sounds cool, good thinking - will investigate, thanks…

Yes, since IFTTT can’t trigger an open event and SHM doesn’t monitor switches, you need to find a app/device to sit in the middle and convert one into the other

You might also take a look at the existing smart app “rule machine.” It is able to use SHM state as either an if or that within its own logic. So people use it for things like turning on a light when the SHM is armed. Or arming SHM when a particular switch comes on.

If you combine that with a standard virtual switch that gets flipped by IFTTT when your email comes in, you should be able to simplify your daisychain considerably.

The following is just one use case example, and I know it’s basically the reverse of what you’re looking for, but it shows you some screenshots and includes links to the actual rule machine topic.

Would it not just be easier to transition this discussion into a one where we just point out all the missing pieces in IFTTT right now?

Allowing for momentary button pushes via IFTTT would be great, as well as SHM or Mode control.

SmartThings staff, is there going to be any future “Love” given to expanding IFTTT capabilities?

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Made a new topic for you so we don’t hijack this one. Can’t guarantee any staff will respond, though, but at least it’s a place to put all the ideas. (This is a clickable link.)

@JDRoberts Will do, thanks for your input.

See this link for the conclusion of this topic - hopefully it may help anyone else interested in this type of solution.

Thanks for the input on this thread also.