Blue Iris Users, this is what we’ve wanted! BI Fusion now includes:
- Simplified setup – Only enter your password, IP, etc. ONCE! OAuth tokens only change when you want them too, and they can be found in multiple places to enable copy & paste!
- All the smartapp functions in one smartapp: SmartThings events trigger Blue Iris recording, SmartThings modes control Blue Iris profiles, PTZ to presets (and back) based on SmartThings events.
- Blue Iris Server Device – You can manually control Blue Iris mode’s and traffic light from SmartThings, monitor online/offline status, get alerts.
- Local LAN connection status updates and error notifications – no more need to use port forwarding, etc. But still works with external connections as before.
- Blue Iris Camera Devices – Act like switches so other automations can manually trigger recording, and like motion sensors so other automations (like SHM or Super Notifier) can react and alert you to motion sensed by your BI cameras. Plus you can manually trigger recording from the device’s page in the app.
- Works with webCoRE so you can create your own automations
Blue Iris Server Device Type:
Blue Iris Camera Device Type:
- No Limited live stream capability - limited by SmartThings’ live stream capabilities. No image capture due to the way BI Fusion builds all the capabilities into one set of smartapps and DTHs. I strongly encourage you to use the Blue Iris Mobile apps for video and image viewing. It has all the capabilities now and works better than non-SmartThings-branded video will ever work within SmartThings.
Plus BI Fusion still does (and now does better):
- Profile Integration – Sync’s ST Modes with BI’s Profiles so they match
- BI Triggers – Triggers BI camera’s to record based on motion/contact sensors/etc. This can now be done from other smartapps as well through the Blue Iris Camera DTH.
- WAN/External connection control if you need it.
How to Install:
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In the SmartThings API, Create a new Smartapp. Either from code and copy the code from the links below, or add my Github repository to your Github Integration settings:
Owner: flyjmz
Name: jmzSmartThings
Branch: master
This is a major update, hence the new thread. v3.0 will install non-destructively over your existing BI Fusion smartapp with 2 caveats:
- The notifications for BI Triggers changes, so please review your settings
- If you installed the Blue Iris Server DTH v1.0, you’ll need to manually uninstall it before installing this version of BI Fusion. I tried to prevent this, and you may get away with not needing to, but you could end up with 2 Server Devices fighting each other if not. Don’t worry though, BI Fusion will install a new one and you won’t have to repeat your settings if you had a previous BI Fusion install.
If you’re unfamiliar with Blue Iris (BI):
Blue Iris is an outstanding Video Security/Capture NVR (Network Video Recorder) program that works with virtually every IP camera out there, creating a web server that manages them all and monitors them for motion, triggering recording. http://blueirissoftware.com/ Big shout out to Ken, the program is great and his support is outstanding.
Updates for the future:
- Motion alerts via LAN instead of using OAuth – This will make the setup simpler and you won’t have to worry about expired tokens. Next on my list.
Clarification of the Camera DTH’s Intent & Purpose:
- The Camera Device can be selected as a switch to turn ‘on’ from other smartapps, this triggers the Blue Iris Camera to start recording for the preset length you setup in Blue Iris.
- The Camera Device can also be selected as a Motion Sensor, which becomes active/inactive based on the Blue Iris motion sensing settings you set up in Blue Iris.
- You don’t want to have your Camera Device’s motion sensing trigger the Camera Device’s switch to enable recording, because you’ll create an endless loop of recording… Treat the two function separately.
- Example: Front door contact opening triggers the Porch Camera Device’s switch ‘on’ to ensure the event is recorded. Separately, you can have SHM monitor the Porch Camera DTH’s motion and alert you when it is active.
FAQ:
What settings are important in Blue Iris?
Go to Blue Iris Options, the Web server tab, click Advanced, and make sure “Use Secure Session Keys and Login Page” is unchecked. This enables the login to work, but also uses a less secure method of login. If you are using it LAN only and do not port-forward or otherwise expose your Blue Iris server to the Internet, then there is no need to worry. If you do have it set up for external logins (i.e. to log into the BI server when you’re away), then please make sure you have secured that connection in another way. I recommend two different options:
- VPN. You can set up a VPN server on your computer, a network device like a Synology server, or on your router using DD-WRT firmware (which is a relatively simple and doesn’t cost anything if you have a good router already). The VPN will take care of all the security, it’s as if you don’t expose it to the internet but you can still reach the server! I have a not-yet-ready-for-publishing How-To, PM me if you want to know more.
- HTTPS. Blue Iris has stunnel integration. It’s not to difficult to set this up either. You port forward the BI server but secure the connection so your login and viewing are all encrypted. I have an extensive how-to in the initial post in the old BI Fusion Thread. You can also PM me. I also made this guide for setting it up.
What is the difference between WAN and LAN?
LAN = Local area network, WAN = Wide area network. For BI Fusion setup, LAN specifically means all traffic will stay on your home network, nothing out to the cloud (the SmartThings hub sends commands directly to the computer running Blue Iris). The WAN setup differs by having the SmartThings cloud send the commands to your Blue Iris computer.
With BI Fusion v3.0+, using the Blue Iris Server DTH is the best option, but if you don’t want to use it, there is a functional difference between the Local and External options in setup. The WAN option provides feedback if Blue Iris didn’t actually receive the command (no way to make this happen within this app alone when using LAN), and the WAN setup requires opening a port so the cloud can reach your Blue Iris computer. Again, the Blue Iris Server DTH does not have any limits to functionality, and it provides more.
I can think of few situations that WAN would be a better fit, primarily if you have your SmartThings hub on a different network than your Blue Iris computer. I would imagine most people would use LAN.
Updates are made regularly and uploaded to Github!
Current Version Changes:
- Custom Polling improved
- Added ability for triggers to move PTZ cameras to a preset, and then move them back (if desired)
History:
- Added triggers for door knocking and mode changes
- Added ability to set your own icon for the Server and Camera Devices
- Expanded error checking to lock status (hold/temporary profile change mode)
- Improved settings and operation when not using profile<>mode integration.
- Added ability to display motion URLs in API Live Logging so you can copy & paste into Blue Iris
- BI Fusion updated to allow user to change Camera Device Names after installation.
- Added triggers for: acceleration, presence, shock, smoke, carbonMonoxide, and water sensors.
- Added ability to send preset commands to cameras when triggering.
- Enabled full Camera Device DTH support even when not using Server DTH (works for both local and external connections).
(Thank You! Only if you want to, no guarantees this will work perfectly, but brew money helps keep me going!)
