Which motion detection camera works now with ST, As of May 2018?

Devices & Integrations
1

I was planning to buy Blink XT for motion detection and integration with ST. Now when I read all the posts around, to me it sounds like Blink has discontinued any support for ST. I have few questions around the same

  1. As of now, is it worth buying Blink if ST integration is discontinued ?
  2. If not Blink, which camera do you suggest that can work well with ST - my usage is for motion detection, alert notification and realtime streaming in case of alerts
2

You can still integrate Blink with ST via IFTTT.

Not nearly as customizable as @RBoy’s integration was before Blink blocked it. And for some people, IFTTT applets can add unacceptable lag to automations.

But you could still use a Blink cam as a motion sensor to trigger ST automations with IFTTT (as long as your blink sync module is armed and the camera’s motion detection is set to on, obviously).

For me, the IFTTT integration works fine, I primarily use it to arm/disarm my Blink system based on ST mobile presence, also when good morning/goodnight routines run. Neither of those requires super-fast responsiveness though, so YMMV.

3

Thanks for the quick response Mark… The way I was planning to use it was

  • Whenever a motion is detected or door is opened (during Armed or Away Mode)
  • Existing motion detector or door sensor will turn on my Smart switch
  • As soon as this switch is turned on, I am using an applet in IFTTT, which will initiate a phone call

The way I want to use this is

  • Whenever a motion is detected or door is opened (during Armed or Away Mode)
  • Existing motion detector or door sensor will turn on my Smart switch
  • As soon as this switch is turned on, I am using an applet in IFTTT, which will initiate a phone call. In addition the camera should start the realtime streaming
  • Using my ST app, I should be able to stream a the video realtime and see what’s happening

Is this still possible?

4

Sorry, that has never been possible with Blink cams.

They can only start recording when their internal motion sensors detect motion. And live streams/recorded videos can only be viewed in the blink app.

5

Hmmm… in ST, when I try to configure specific device - say my Patio Door Sensor - In the Custom Rule section, I do see option like
Alarm & Notifications

  • Text & Publish Notifications
    …
    …
  • Alert with Lights (where I can select my smart switch)

Capture Video from these cameras

  • Select Cameras

at this point, the BLink camera will not be visible is it?

6

ST supports initiating recording for a limited number of cameras as an action in smart home monitor.

Blink has never been on that list. Neither while the unofficial integration was functional, nor after it was shut down.

If that specific feature is important you should check the “works with SmartThings” list for cameras.

7

@marktheknife, what are the recipes or techniques for IFTTT to arm Blink with ST presence or switch?

All the canned IFTTT tiles I see, “arm when smartthings locks the door” or using IFTTT phone presence etc. Nothing about using smartthings presence.

8

You can always make your own IFTTT applet to link two services that support IFTTT.

IF presence sensor A arrives in ST (THIS)
THEN
Disarm Blink system B (THAT)

And vice versa for departure.

9

Is is possible to integrate Blink motion sensor with SHM (Smart Home Monitor)?

10

Probably not in the way you’re thinking.

By that I mean, it’s not possible for your Blink cam to be listed as a motion sensor in the ST app that can be selected as a trigger for an SHM alert. The now-defunct integration made that possible, but alas it’s gone (and probably never coming back IMO).

You can create an IFTTT applet such that if a Blink cam detects motion, it could activate a siren directly in ST. But that wouldn’t give you the other features of an SHM alert, like a push/SMS notification, lights turning on, red alert on the dashboard in the mobile app, etc.

Another option is to create a virtual switch, then have the IFTTT applet turn on that virtual switch when the Blink cam detects motion. Then you create a routine that’s triggered by the virtual switch, with various actions that could mostly replicate what happens when an SHM alert is triggered.

None of that is ideal, but with virtual switches especially, IFTTT sort of allows you to get various jobs done with Blink and ST.

11

Check out Foscams, they some very good options like hte R2 and C1. or even the older 98xx HD series. You can get motion detection, alert notifications and even configure the camera to record the video directly to the Foscam cloud, a SD card or a FTP server.

12

Here’s the official knowledgebase article. There are only a few camera models which will work with smart home monitor at the present time. I believe the Arlos are the most popular Of those that are officially supported.

13

Thanks for the responses… I think to seamlessly integrate with ST and also to be able to extend the features leveraging IFTTT, I will try both the cams - SmartCam from Samsung and Foscam.

14

All, I was able to Integrate samsung SmartCam C6417 into my smart things and everything is in one console/application.
First I had to download samsung’s smart cam app and follow the steps to get the camera recognized by smart cam app. Once that’s done, I was able to get the camera added to smart things. I can now use it with automation as well…
Overall good…