Blink Cameras: Thumbnails in Dashboard Not Updating

Kaitech · September 29, 2020, 8:48pm

Hello, I’m looking for some assistance.

In short my dashboard images are not getting updated from two Blink Mini’s.

I am running Home Assistant 0.115.5: I have two Blink Mini’s and no Blink XT’s therefore no Blink Sync module. I have the following script which tells the camera’s to take a photo (blink_trigger_camera) and then runs an Update (blink_update).

cameras_take_dashboard_images:
  alias: Cameras:Take Dashboard Images
  mode: queued
  sequence:
  - data: {}
    entity_id: camera.blink_office_camera
    service: blink.trigger_camera
  - delay: '15'
  - data: {}
    entity_id: camera.blink_lounge_camera
    service: blink.trigger_camera
  - delay: '30'
  - data: {}
    service: blink.blink_update
  - device_id: ''
    domain: ''
    entity_id: ''
  max: 10

My expectation is that these new images would show in a view I have created:
Views, see below:

  - badges: null
    cards:
      - aspect_ratio: 0%
        camera_image: camera.blink_lounge_camera
        entity: camera.blink_office_camera
        image: 'https://demo.home-assistant.io/stub_config/bedroom.png'
        show_name: false
        show_state: false
        type: picture-entity
      - aspect_ratio: 0%
        entity: camera.blink_lounge_camera
        image: 'https://demo.home-assistant.io/stub_config/bedroom.png'
        show_name: false
        show_state: false
        type: picture-entity
    path: view
    title: View

However the image doesn’t change, they do however get updated if I restart Home Assistant. I have searched the various forums and I believe I am following the correct flow and adding in appropriate pauses.

I am very new so I apologise if this is the incorrect way to raise a question, and I am happy to resubmit if there is a correct way.

Peter

arch armv7l
chassis embedded
dev false
docker true
docker_version 19.03.11
hassio true
host_os HassOS 4.13
installation_type Home Assistant OS
os_name Linux
os_version 4.19.127-v7l
python_version 3.8.5
supervisor 245
timezone Europe/London
version 0.115.5
virtualenv false

Romes · October 5, 2020, 3:22pm

Hello,

I have the same issue with my new Blink mini. The blink_trigger service works fine (blue led flashes once in the camera indicating that it recording, then the picture is updating in the Blink app) but the blink_update has not effect. The dashboard picture do not change and the snapshot returns always the same image.

Here my script :

 blink_snapshot:
    alias: Blink snapshot
    sequence:
    - service: blink.trigger_camera
      data:
        entity_id: camera.blink_blink182
    - delay: 00:00:20
    - service: blink.blink_update
      data: {}
    - service: camera.snapshot
      data:
        entity_id: camera.blink_blink182
        filename: /tmp/blink/blink_camera.jpg

arch	armv7l
chassis	embedded
dev	false
docker	true
docker_version	19.03.11
hassio	true
host_os	HassOS 4.13
installation_type	Home Assistant OS
os_name	Linux
os_version	4.19.127-v7
python_version	3.8.5
supervisor	245
timezone	Europe/Paris
version	0.115.3
virtualenv	false

Kaitech · October 5, 2020, 3:45pm

I believe there is an issue in the underlying module used blinkpy, this was logged on GitHub back in August. https://github.com/fronzbot/blinkpy/issues/369

You can follow the progress there. I hope this helps.

Peter

Romes · October 6, 2020, 2:22pm

Thanks to you, we’ll have a fix
Nice work.

Romes · October 7, 2020, 12:53pm

Hi again,

Since I configure my Blink mini in Home Assistant, I receive an activation email each day at approximatly the same time.
Does anyone else have the same issue?

Uzirox · October 23, 2020, 8:52am

Me too, I don’t know if this is normal.

fronzbot · October 25, 2020, 2:59am

@Romes, @Uzirox - Known issue, no fix known yet. Those emails can be ignored, though.
You just need to enter the code once. https://github.com/fronzbot/blinkpy/issues/279 and https://github.com/home-assistant/core/issues/38717

sgrayban · November 5, 2020, 7:57am

Having the same issue… doesn’t seem to be fixed yet

NdR · November 21, 2020, 8:45pm

Same issue here, just bought a Blink Outdoor.

fronzbot · November 23, 2020, 4:43am

NdR · November 23, 2020, 10:21am

Cool, but I don’t have a mini. I have the same issue with an outdoor.

fronzbot · November 23, 2020, 4:01pm

The subject of this thread is non-updating thumbnails for blink mini cameras. If you have a separate problem, it’s best to create a new thread.

mikehaguy · December 20, 2020, 12:26am

Is this issue not supposed to affect regular blink xt cameras? I just installed the Blink integration and i run a script that triggers a new snapshot, which instantly shows in the Android App. However the camera doesnt update in HA even if I call the blink update service. Eventually it will update, but it takes a while and its usually not the most recent snapshot.

Is the force blink update service supposed to pull in the new snapshot right away? I’ve tried increasing the delay to 10 seconds and also tried a script that just runs the blink update service on its own, and it still doesnt work. No errors in the HA logs either.

EDIT: it seems my problem is trying to get a snap shot from 2 cameras in the same script. i had to put each snapshot service call in its own script and call them from a master script with a big delay in between.

it didnt seem to matter how much of a delay i put between the 2 snapshots, as long as they were in the same script only the first one would work.

mhbuzios · January 4, 2021, 10:31am

I have the same problem with XT model

mike1237 · January 30, 2021, 10:39pm

Me too with outdoor Blink XT – triggering a snapshot update from the blink app updates home assistant though.

jumon · July 20, 2022, 1:48pm

Similar issue here. I was getting half an image on my cards for the cameras. I triggered a snapshot update and a little bit later a complete and updated image is now shown.

ShawnGates · November 18, 2022, 6:40pm

If anyone needs help getting the thumbnails on blink mini cameras to update automatically (say at a specific time once an hour or with motion detected), I figured out how to do this with some help from the code above (Thanks @Kaitech @Romes ) - create an automation (use the visual editor to choose “blink camera … motion detected” as the preset guide, save it and then go to yaml to edit and add the code (save the device ID from the code that the visual editor created and camera name as you’ll need that below) - here is the complete code below - (may need to customize it to your specific device)

This one updates the thumbnail on motion - for some reason I couldn’t get it to work unless I tried trigger twice as below (once with device ID) and update. It’s probable the code below could be simplified - I’m really a noob at this (for example not sure you need to update after waiting 10 seconds). You’ll need to setup a separate automation like this for each blink mini (couldn’t combine into one for some reason) and now the blink app as well as home assistant have automatically updating thumbnails!! (Not sure why blink couldn’t build this simple thing into their app - why would I want to see a thumbnail from 3 days ago??). Likewise I made one to update every hour (at 55 minutes past the hour for example) - that automation is below as well.

===================================================================
update on motion

alias: New Automation
description: ""
trigger:
  - type: motion
    platform: device
    device_id: <<<your device ID goes here>>>
    entity_id: binary_sensor.blink_camera_motion_detected
    domain: binary_sensor
condition: []
action:
  - service: blink.trigger_camera
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: camera.blink_den_camera
  - service: blink.trigger_camera
    data: {}
    target:
      device_id: <<<your device ID goes here>>>
      entity_id: camera.blink_camera
- service: blink.blink_update
    data: {}
  - delay:
      hours: 0
      minutes: 0
      seconds: 10
      milliseconds: 0
  - service: blink.blink_update
    data: {}
mode: single

===================================================================
update on specific time

alias: Den Automation
description: ""
trigger:
  - platform: time_pattern
    minutes: 55
condition: []
action:
  - service: blink.trigger_camera
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: camera.blink_camera
  - service: blink.trigger_camera
    data: {}
    target:
      device_id: <<<your device ID goes here>>>
      entity_id: camera.blink_camera
- service: blink.blink_update
    data: {}
  - delay:
      hours: 0
      minutes: 0
      seconds: 10
      milliseconds: 0
  - service: blink.blink_update
    data: {}
mode: single

Blink Cameras: Thumbnails in Dashboard Not Updating

=================================================================== update on motion

=================================================================== update on specific time

===================================================================
update on motion

===================================================================
update on specific time