Does Blue Iris have any functionality to control cameras with floodlights?

[smokingcatnip]

I know there is a setting in the PTZ controls for turning IR on/off/auto.

Are there any cameras with floodlights that Blue Iris has the capability/compatibility to turn on/off, or is that functionality the cost of going with third-party control software?

If I'm mistaken, and Blue Iris can indeed do this, what camera brands are most compatible for this?

[YrbkMgr]

Yes, it does, but it depends on the mfr/model and fw capabilites. I don't know much about it in practice, but in theory, camera trigger->immediate actions -> Do Cmd. Check out the list. I'm not saying that's the solution, but it seems to me to be doable in the right circumstances. Just spitballin' here...

BI Alert Action DoCmd 1.jpg (46.06 KiB) Viewed 4083 times

[smokingcatnip]

Ah, okay, the DIO were missing from the PTZ menu in the last two cameras I tried.

Guess I'll just keep looking.

All I want is a 2K or better picture, two-way audio, and PTZ.

The floodlights are a nice touch, but if they're rarely compatible, I guess I could do without it.

[YrbkMgr]

Just to be clear, I didn't mean to imply that anything was rare, per se. I meant to imply that it takes work to figure it out, and it's not easy to do so - most folks go trial and error. Consider this - the floodlight IS a nice touch but it doesn't have to be controlled by BI. You should be able to activate IR sensing like you do any other generic motion activated Home Depot floodlight. You should be able to have your camera's flood do the same thing. In theory.

Thing is, security camera mfr's/vendors are like wild west and you can't tell the good guys from the bad guys - rife with deceit or misdirection. I refuse to be sexed into manufacturer features that they juiced up to get you to buy their hardware. I want specs that accomplish the mission - sensor size and type, focal length, night vision - distance, things like that. I'm soured like Joe Pesci in Lethal Weapon 2 - they **** you at the drive thru.

I came across the following from a security camera providers website. I'm not testifying to its accuracy, but anecdotally, it rings true.

Another note: We have seen cameras from other companies that worked fine, but suddenly stop being ONVIF compliant after their firmware update broke their camera’s compliance. We also have seen cameras that were not ONVIF compliant become so after updating the firmware. So, a model number can both be ONVIF compliant and not. What matters is the firmware on that camera and whether that firmware works correctly and is ONVIF compliant.

I am always wary of firmware updates because some manufacturers find it is easier to disable ONVIF features than fix security holes and there is no way to verify their ONVIF compliance claims - except to buy and try. ..... At the drive thru [/rant]

Gotta love standards, eh?

[smokingcatnip]

Yeah, it really is Wild West, huh?

Especially with all these tiny manufacturers all over Amazon and such.

Like I said, j just tried two cameras (a Genbolt and a Swann) that did not play ball with Blue Iris.

Next I will be trying a Hosafe camera. I preemptively contacted their support team about Blue Iris and they gave me the green light for everything except the spotlights, which I can control through the app.

As long as I can set them to come on when motion is detected, as you mentioned, I don't need Blue Iris to do that.

[YrbkMgr]

Before you go too far with trial and error, I offer the following. Review the Camera Connector - IP Config Dialog article on best practices for adding a camera. I always recommend starting with Step 2. Once connected and working, try step 1 to see if it'll recognize the MFR. Also, in the Configuration dialog for the camera, click the dropdown - those are custom drivers written by the folks at BI for specific cameras. That's a good "hint" list for manufacturers to focus on when shopping.

[GavinCampbell]

With my foscam floodlights they have an API where you can control the floodlights. I hijacked the PTZ settings to add a "Lights On" and "Lights Off" button that does the api call to the floodlight. You can look into doing something like this on your camera. It would be nice to have a dedicated button (similar to the IR button) but this will do.

Screenshot Controls.png (18.27 KiB) Viewed 4016 times

Screenshot Presets.png (15.24 KiB) Viewed 4016 times

[YrbkMgr]

You sir, rock. Thanks for that post!

[red_iris]

With my foscam floodlights they have an API where you can control the floodlights. I hijacked the PTZ settings to add a "Lights On" and "Lights Off" button that does the api call to the floodlight. You can look into doing something like this on your camera. It would be nice to have a dedicated button (similar to the IR button) but this will do.


Screenshot Controls.png
Screenshot Presets.png

Nice trick. I wanted to add a few requests but couldn't figure out how to call them easily. This fixes it.