As of October 2017, abode users have the ability to turn your IP Cameras ON and OFF via your abode Web and Mobile Apps.
You can also control the state of your IP Cameras via abode Automations. This article describes how this can be accomplished and provides details on how the IP camera state affects an alarm scenario.
When an IP camera is turned OFF, this basically puts the camera into a sleep mode. When the camera is sleeping, you cannot access the live video and cannot record video clips from the device. By putting the camera to sleep rather than powering down the camera, you can wake it up quickly allowing you to see the Live Stream and record video clips as fast as possible.
You can toggle the camera ON and OFF via the abode Web and Mobile Apps.
To toggle the camera via the abode web app:
- Find the IP Camera in the device list.
- Click on the Edit Pencil next to the IP Camera.
- In the Device Edit Dialog, turn the camera ON or OFF.
When an IP camera is turned off, you’ll also be able to toggle it on quickly from the IP Camera section of the abode Web App.
To toggle your camera via the abode mobile App:
We’ve also exposed the ON/OFF functionality in the mobile app in the following places.
To toggle your camera via abode Automations:
You can control the ON/OFF state of an IP Camera using abode Automations. For example, you might create an abode Automation to turn your IP Cameras OFF when in standby mode and then automatically turn them ON in Away mode.
PLEASE NOTE: If you configure an automation to turn the IP camera ON when an alarm is triggered, your IP camera will turn ON, but it will miss the capture video event and thus a video clip may not be captured during your alarm. We say “may” because if there is another event during the alarm (motion captured, door opened, or any other event that would trigger an alarm) and the camera is active, it will record and upload a video clip for each subsequent event.
Alarm Events
When an abode alarm is triggered, your IP cameras are instructed to record video clips. If the camera is currently turned OFF, it will not be able to record a video clip. So please make sure you set up the abode Automations to turn your IP Cameras on when your system is in Away mode.
During an alarm, the Active Alarm UI will notify you that the camera is turned off and allow you to turn in on quickly to see the video feed.
Monitoring Center
If you have a subscription that enables professional monitoring and have an abode IP camera, the monitoring center will have a similar experience to what you see in the mobile app. We show an IP camera that is currently turned OFF but also provide a toggle to the operator that will allow them to turn in ON to access the Live Video Feed.
PLEASE NOTE: The monitoring center can only access your timeline during the alarm event. As soon as the alarm is disabled, the monitoring center loses access to your alarm timeline. In the event of an alarm, if the operator turns on your IP Camera to view the alarm, it will remain turned ON when the alarm has been disabled.
Troubleshooting
If you cannot control your IP Camera, you may need your firmware upgraded. Please contact us by clicking HERE and we will be happy to upgrade the firmware on your abode IP Camera.