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Agent DVR smart home integration, free and open source

Agent DVR integration for Gladys Assistant

Agent DVR cameras: images, motion, alerts, recording, arm and disarm, from your own server.

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Brings the cameras of an Agent DVR server (iSpyConnect, free for local use) into Gladys: their image, the motion detected, the recording going on, whether they are switched on, and whether the system is armed. Agent DVR's motion and alerts start scenes, with the image of the moment, which a scene can send you. Scenes can also arm or disarm Agent DVR, start a recording and switch cameras on or off.

Tested against a real Agent DVR server in Docker (7.0) with simulated network cameras, not yet on an installation in service with real cameras: feedback welcome on GitHub or on the Gladys forum.

What you need​

  • Gladys 5.1 or later.
  • Agent DVR installed on a computer of the local network (Windows, Linux, macOS, Docker), reachable from Gladys on its web port (8090 by default). No iSpyConnect account nor subscription: everything goes through the local API of Agent DVR.
  • The cameras already added in Agent DVR.

Installation​

  1. In Gladys, open Integrations, find Agent DVR and install it.
  2. In its Configuration tab, fill in:
    • Agent DVR address: the address of the computer running Agent DVR, e.g. 192.168.1.20. Without a port, 8090 is used; add :port if it was changed, or https:// behind a reverse proxy.
    • User name and Password: only if Agent DVR asks for a login on its API on your network (sent as HTTP Basic). Usually, leave them empty.
    • Motion check: how often motion, recording, the armed state and new alerts are read (2, 5, 10 or 30 seconds, 5 by default).
    • Image refresh: how often each camera image is sent to Gladys (from 10 seconds to 15 minutes, 1 minute by default). Motion or an alert also sends one at once.
    • Language of the names: the language of the feature names given when a camera is added.
  3. Save, then open the Discovery tab: one device per camera, and an Agent DVR device for the server. Add the ones you want.
  4. Check the connection shows what the integration reads: the Agent DVR version, whether it is armed, each camera, whether it receives images and records.

The Gladys devices​

Each Agent DVR camera becomes a Gladys camera, named as in Agent DVR, with:

FeatureWhat it is
ImageThe camera image, sent at the chosen pace and at once on motion or an alert.
Motion1 while Agent DVR detects motion on the camera, else 0.
Recording1 during a recording. A switch: starts or stops a recording.
Camera on1 when the camera is switched on in Agent DVR, 0 when it is switched off.

The Agent DVR device stands for the server:

FeatureWhat it is
Armed1 when Agent DVR is armed (alerts on), else 0.
Cameras recordingHow many cameras are recording right now.

Armed and Camera on are read only, on purpose: disarming or switching a surveillance camera off is a deliberate choice, made by a scene action or the widget, never a switch a voice assistant would flip by mistake. A camera switched on that sends no more images to Agent DVR shows as unreachable in Gladys.

Dashboard widget​

Agent DVR camera shows the image of a camera, motion, recording and the armed state, and three buttons: Record (or Stop recording; Switch the camera on when it is off), Disarm (or Arm) and New image.

Scenes​

Triggers​

  • Agent DVR: motion detected: a camera starts detecting motion, armed or not. Filter: the camera (empty = all). Variable: the camera name. The image of the moment is sent to Gladys first.
  • Agent DVR: alert: Agent DVR raises an alert. It only does when armed, for a camera whose alerts are on: motion, AI object detection, a command… Filter: the camera. Variables: the camera name and the alert message (e.g. Alert). The image of the moment is sent first.
  • Agent DVR: camera offline: a camera switched on sends no more images to Agent DVR for 30 seconds, or Agent DVR itself stops answering. Not fired for a camera switched off.

Actions​

  • Agent DVR: arm or disarm: arms the system (the cameras with alerts on raise alerts) or disarms it.
  • Agent DVR: record: Start starts a recording on a camera, Stop stops it. Refused on a camera switched off.
  • Agent DVR: switch a camera on or off: switches one camera on or off, or all of those added in Gladys when the camera is left empty. Output: how many cameras changed.

The core's Send a camera image action sends the last image of a camera: right after Agent DVR: motion detected or Agent DVR: alert, it is the image of that moment.

Scene ideas​

  • Leaving home: when everyone is gone, Agent DVR: arm or disarm on Arm, and Agent DVR: switch a camera on or off on Switch on for all; when someone is back, Disarm, and Switch off the indoor cameras.
  • Intrusion: Agent DVR: alert on the "Garden" camera → Send a camera image of that camera to your phone.
  • Door opened at night: an opening sensor opens → Agent DVR: record, Start, on the entrance camera; Stop two minutes later.
  • Camera lost: Agent DVR: camera offline → send a message with the camera name.

Troubleshooting​

  • "Agent DVR does not answer at this address": open http://<address>:8090 in a browser. Check the port (Server settings in Agent DVR) and that no firewall blocks Gladys.
  • "Something answers, but not like Agent DVR": the address or the port leads to another service. Enter the address of Agent DVR, without a page path.
  • "Agent DVR refuses the user name or password": check them, or leave them empty if Agent DVR asks for nothing on the local network.
  • No "alert" trigger: Agent DVR must be armed, and alerts on for the camera (in its settings, Alerts tab). Agent DVR: motion detected does not depend on arming.
  • A camera stays unreachable: Agent DVR receives no images from it. Check it in Agent DVR.
  • More details: the integration logs (Integrations → Agent DVR → Logs); set LOG_LEVEL to debug to see each request.

Limits​

  • No live video: Gladys shows images, sent at the chosen pace (Gladys keeps 12 images a minute per camera at most). The live stream is watched in Agent DVR.
  • Motion is read every few seconds (the motion check): a very short motion between two readings may go unseen. Alerts, on the other hand, are all read.
  • Agent DVR has no push state API usable without configuration: the integration polls it. With a 2-second interval and many cameras, that is many small requests.
  • Agent DVR microphones, PTZ, profiles and past recordings are not covered.
  • One Agent DVR server per integration.
  • Tested with Agent DVR 7.0 in Docker and simulated cameras, without a real installation: feedback welcome.

This integration is not affiliated with iSpyConnect nor Agent DVR.

Configuration settings​

These are the settings Agent DVR asks for in its configuration screen in Gladys.

SettingTypeRequiredDescription
Your Agent DVR serversectionNoAgent DVR by iSpyConnect, free for local use. Enter the address of the computer running it (port 8090 by default). Then open the Discovery tab: one device per camera, and one for the server.
Agent DVR addressstringYesWithout a port, 8090 is used. Add https:// for a reverse proxy.
User namestringNoOnly if Agent DVR asks for a login on your network. Usually empty.
PasswordsecretNo
Motion checkselectNoHow often motion, recording, the armed state and new alerts are read.
Image refreshselectNoHow often each camera image is sent to Gladys. An alarm or a new event also sends one at once.
Language of the namesselectNoNames given to the features when a camera is added (Motion, Recording…).

How to install Agent DVR in Gladys​

  1. In Gladys, open Integrations: Agent DVR appears in the catalog, next to the native integrations, with a community badge.
  2. Click Install. Gladys pulls the Docker image (ghcr.io/guim31/gladys-agentdvr:1.0.0), starts it in a sandbox isolated from the core, and generates the integration's interface (devices, discovery and configuration).
  3. Open the Configuration screen of the integration, fill in the settings, and save.
  4. You can also install it directly from its repository URL: https://github.com/guim31/gladys-agentdvr.

Agent DVR requires Gladys >=5.1.0. The catalog inside Gladys refreshes every hour, so a new version becomes available at most one hour after its release.

Not running Gladys yet? It is free and open source: follow the installation guide to get started.

About external integrations​

Agent DVR is an external integration: a community integration packaged as a Docker container and published on GitHub, that Gladys installs in one click and runs in a sandbox isolated from its core. It is published and maintained by guim31, not by the Gladys core team.

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