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Axis smart home integration, free and open source

Axis integration for Gladys Assistant

Axis cameras, door stations and speakers, locally: images, detections, rings, clips.

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Brings Axis network cameras, door stations (network intercoms) and network speakers into Gladys, locally, through their VAPIX API: camera images, motion, objects, persons and vehicles seen by AXIS Object Analytics, the PIR sensor, sound detection, tampering, day and night, the digital inputs, the ring of a door station, the infrared light, the audio clips of the speakers, and the outputs (relays) for your scenes. No cloud account, nothing leaves your network.

Developed without the hardware: feedback welcome. This integration was written from the public VAPIX documentation, the Home Assistant axis integration and the axis library by Kane610 (with their real device answers), without an Axis device at hand. If something does not work as described, please open an issue on github.com/guim31/gladys-axis/issues with the integration logs (LOG_LEVEL=debug).

This integration is not affiliated with Axis Communications. AXIS is a trademark of Axis AB.

What you need​

  • An Axis camera, door station or speaker reachable from Gladys on your network, its web page working (port 80, or 443 in HTTPS).
  • A local account of the device. An operator account is enough for everything (images, events, infrared light, outputs, clips); a viewer account can only read. The first account of an Axis device is root: creating a dedicated gladys operator account is better.
  • For the live events: AXIS OS 11 or later uses the WebSocket event stream over the web port; older firmwares use the RTSP metadata stream, so the RTSP port (554 by default) must be reachable too.
  • Gladys 5.1 or later.

Set up​

Settings​

In Gladys, open the integration, then its Configuration tab:

  • Device addresses: the IP addresses (or names) of your devices, separated by commas, e.g. 192.168.1.90, 192.168.1.91. Add :port if the web page is not on port 80, and https:// for HTTPS (the self-signed certificate of the device is accepted). Never put the password in the address.
  • User name and Password: the local account of the devices. The password is sent to the devices only, never to a cloud.
  • Other device addresses, Their user name, Their password: optional, for devices (a door station, for instance) with other credentials.
  • Camera images: how often the image of each camera added to Gladys is refreshed (every 5 minutes by default, or only on events). A person detected or a ring always sends a fresh image.
  • Allow driving the outputs: off by default. On a door station the outputs (relays) open the door or the gate: they are only driven by the scene action, once this setting is on, and are never a switch.
  • Language of the names: the language of the feature names (set when a device is added) and of the texts sent to scenes. French by default.

Then open the Discovery tab: each camera (each video source of a multi-sensor camera), door station and speaker is listed. Add the ones you want.

Configuration actions​

  • Test the connection: reads every device again and reports, one line per device, its model, its video sources and how its live events arrive (WebSocket or RTSP). After a refused password, it is the way to try again once the password is fixed.
  • Search the network: asks Gladys to look for the Axis devices of the network (mDNS _axis-video._tcp and UPnP), and lists them: configured, to add (copy its address into Device addresses), or found at a new address. Bonjour and UPnP must be on on the devices (they are by default).
  • Audio clips: lists the audio clips stored on each device, by number and name, for the Play an audio clip scene action.
  • Show the video stream address: the RTSP address of a camera, to use with the "RTSP camera" integration of Gladys. The password is replaced by PASSWORD: type it yourself.

The devices​

Cameras​

Each video source becomes a device. Its features, each one only when the camera has it:

FeatureWhat it shows
ImageThe camera image, refreshed as set in Camera images
OnlineThe camera answers
MotionAXIS Video Motion Detection, the guard profiles, the ONVIF motion rules
Object analyticsAn AXIS Object Analytics scenario is triggered
PersonAn object classified as a person (AXIS Object Analytics)
VehicleAn object classified as a vehicle (AXIS Object Analytics)
PIR sensorThe PIR sensor of the camera
Sound detectionThe sound level trigger of the camera
TamperingThe camera was moved, covered or blinded
Night modeThe camera is in night mode (infrared cut filter removed)
Infrared lightThe infrared illuminator: on or off from Gladys
InputEach digital input, named as on the camera (e.g. Garden gate), or "Input 1"

The detections a camera reports in its events add their feature (one sensor per event present): if a feature you expect is missing, trigger the detection once, then open Discovery again and update the device.

The outputs (relays) of a camera are never a feature: see the Drive an output (relay) scene action.

Door stations​

An Axis door station (A8105-E, A8207-VE, I8016-LVE, I8116-E…) is a camera with a Doorbell ring feature: it goes to 1 when someone presses the call button, then back to 0 after ten seconds, and fires the Someone rang the door station trigger with a fresh image. The call button is recognised when its input is named so (Call button, Doorbell, Appel…), or as the first input of an AXIS I8116-E. Its door relay is an output: see Drive an output (relay).

Network speakers​

An Axis network speaker (C1310-E, C1410…) becomes a device with the Online feature; it plays its audio clips through the Play an audio clip scene action.

Dashboard​

The Axis widget shows the devices online, the persons and rings of the last 24 hours, the latest ones with their image, and the state of each device. In its settings, choose one device, or leave it empty for all.

The camera images and every feature can also be added to the dashboard with the usual Gladys boxes.

Scenes​

Triggers​

  • Person detected by a camera: a camera saw a person (AXIS Object Analytics or a guard profile). Filter on the camera; the variables give the camera name and the name of the scenario. The camera image is fresh when the scene starts, so "send the camera image" sends the right one. One event per camera every 15 seconds at most.
  • Someone rang the door station: the call button was pressed. Filter on the door station; the variable gives its name. The image is fresh too.

The features (Motion, Person, Input…) can also start a scene with the usual "a device state changes" trigger.

Actions​

  • Refresh a camera image: takes a fresh image of a camera for Gladys, to send it in a message right after.
  • Play an audio clip: plays a clip stored on an Axis speaker, door station or camera, by its number or its name (empty: the first clip). The Audio clips configuration action lists them.
  • Drive an output (relay): a pulse of 1, 3 or 10 seconds, or activate or deactivate an output, numbered from 1 among the outputs of the device. On a door station, this opens the door: it only works once Allow driving the outputs is on, and the command is sent once, never repeated.

Scene ideas​

  • Ring at the door: when someone rang the door station, send the door station image in a message, and play a chime on the speaker of the living room with Play an audio clip.
  • Night watch: when a person is detected by the driveway camera between midnight and 6 am, turn on the garden lights, play the "Warning" clip on the horn speaker and send the camera image.
  • Opening the gate for a known arrival: when your phone arrives home, drive output 1 of the door station with a pulse of 1 second (only after allowing it, and only if you accept the risk of a scene that opens a door).

Live video​

Gladys shows camera images, not a live video stream. For live video, use the Show the video stream address action and add the RTSP address to the "RTSP camera" integration of Gladys.

Refresh and limits​

  • The live events arrive as they happen: WebSocket on AXIS OS 11 and later, RTSP metadata stream otherwise, always one connection per device opened by Gladys (nothing to open in your router). A stream lost is reopened (after 5 seconds, then up to 5 minutes between tries).
  • The integration reads the inputs and the infrared light every 5 minutes, every minute while an event stream is down. It never waits for Gladys to poll the devices.
  • The images are taken at 640 pixels wide at most, scaled by the camera (Gladys takes images of 150 KB at most), never more often than every 6 seconds per camera.
  • A value that does not change is sent again every 6 hours, so Gladys never shows it as old.
  • VAPIX has no quota. Axis devices block an address for a while after repeated wrong passwords: the integration stops at the first refusal and only tries again on a new configuration or with Test the connection.

Troubleshooting​

  • "User name or password refused": check them on the web page of the device, fix them in the configuration, then use Test the connection.
  • "This account is not allowed to do this": use an operator account.
  • The device does not answer: check its address, its port, and that Gladys reaches it (same network, no firewall in between).
  • "Live events are interrupted": on an older firmware, check that the RTSP port (554) is reachable and that RTSP is enabled on the device. Inputs and the infrared light are still read every minute.
  • A detection is missing: enable it on the camera (AXIS Object Analytics scenario, VMD profile, sound level trigger), trigger it once, then update the device in Discovery.
  • The ring of a door station is not seen: name the input of the call button Call button on the door station, then use Test the connection.
  • Details: set LOG_LEVEL=debug on the integration to see every event and every read in its logs. Passwords never appear there.

Limits​

  • Developed without the hardware: the topics, the event streams and the call button rule come from the documentation and from the work of Home Assistant, not from a test on a real device.
  • No live video in Gladys (camera images only), no pan, tilt or zoom.
  • The outputs are a scene action only, by design: never a switch, never available to a voice assistant.
  • The audio clips are played, not uploaded: record them on the device.
  • On a multi-sensor camera, the AXIS Object Analytics features first show on the first video source; the others gain them at their first detection.
  • The devices from the network search are not added by themselves: copy their address into the configuration.

Configuration settings​

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

SettingTypeRequiredDescription
Your Axis devicessectionNoAxis cameras, door stations (intercoms) and network speakers, on your network, through their VAPIX API. Use a local account of the device, ideally a dedicated operator account. Nothing goes through a cloud. The "Search the network" action lists the Axis devices it finds.
Device addressesstringYesIP addresses or names, separated by commas, with :port if not 80, https:// for HTTPS.
User namestringNo
PasswordsecretYesSent to the devices only, never to a cloud. Axis devices block an address after repeated wrong passwords: the integration stops at the first refusal.
Devices with other credentialssectionNoOptional: a door station or a camera whose user name or password differs from the ones above.
Other device addressesstringNo
Their user namestringNo
Their passwordsecretNo
Camera imagesselectNoHow often the image of each camera added to Gladys is refreshed. A person or a ring always sends a fresh one.
Allow driving the outputsbooleanNoLets scenes drive the outputs (relays): on a door station they open the door or the gate. Scene action only, never a switch. Off by default.
Language of the namesselectNoLanguage of the feature names and of the texts sent to scenes. Names are set when a device is added.

How to install Axis in Gladys​

  1. In Gladys, open Integrations: Axis 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-axis:1.0.1), 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-axis.

Axis 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​

Axis 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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