How to configure Blink XT 2 to take pictures or play a stream

Jaques-Ludwig · February 8, 2020, 9:32pm

Hello, I’m a new user. Until now I have read a much in forums about Home-Assistant but now I’m at the end.

I have configure my Blink XT 2 that’s not the problem. I can see it on my Home-Panel. But now I want to make two switches. One to take a picture, the second to play a stream from the camera.
I have no plan how I can do that. I know the description on home-assistant.io. But I don’t understand what I have to do and where I have to do that.

Could someone help me and tell a newbie what I have to do?

My version of Home-Assistant is 0.105.0

Thanks a lot,

Stephan

Salty · February 9, 2020, 3:16am

Unless something has changed recently, streaming Blink cameras isn’t possible in Home Assistant at this time. You can save motion-triggered video capture to a local file, however. It is possible to take a photo on a tap-action in something like a picture glance card. The tap-action would call a script that calls the blink.trigger_camera and blink.blink_update services. You also will need to whitelist the folder where it saves. If you still want to do this with the limitations, there are some examples in the forum. I have a Blink driveway cam, and use the still photo update, and I can show you my example if you’re interested.

Jaques-Ludwig · February 9, 2020, 10:49am

Thanks for you answer.
Of course I’m very interested of your example.

Thanks a lot

Jaques- Ludwig

Salty · February 9, 2020, 11:33am

I have my scripts broken out into a separate file like this in my configuration.yaml:
script: !include scripts.yaml
You also need to whitelist the folder where you plan to store your still image (and video images)

In configuration.yaml:

homeassistant:
  whitelist_external_dirs:
    - '/share'

script: !include scripts.yaml

In the scripts.yaml file I have:

'20200112215400':
  alias: Blink Camera Snapshot Driveway
  sequence:
  - data:
      name: Driveway  # IMPORTANT: name of camera as defined in the blink app not in Home Assistant
    service: blink.trigger_camera
  - delay: 00:00:05
  - service: blink.blink_update
  - data:
      filename: /share/blink/Driveway/blink_camera_still_image.jpg  # where you want to store still image
    entity_id: camera.blink_driveway  #entity id of blink camera as defined in Home Assistant
    service: camera.snapshot

I then have a picture glance card defined in lovelace like this:

type: picture-glance
aspect_ratio: 0%
camera_image: camera.blink_driveway
camera_view: live
entities:
  - entity: camera.blink_driveway
tap_action:
  action: call-service
  service: script.20200112215400

This will display a still photo of my driveway in my camera view page in lovelace. If I click the card, it will trigger the blink camera to take a new snapshot. But, just know that this update is slow. It can take some time before it updates the image in lovelace.

Our driveway is nearly 400 ft so I use my blink camera there mainly as a driveway sensor and use other cameras for real time monitoring.

An example for saving video is at the bottom of the blink documentation page. You could add that in your scripts.yaml file.

I hope that helps.

Jaques-Ludwig · February 13, 2020, 9:17pm

Hi,

sorry for my late response. I have tried your example today and it works like a charm. Thank you very much!

Salty · February 13, 2020, 10:50pm

Awesome!

omayhemo · April 29, 2020, 5:49pm

How does this work for you guys? For me, blink API is so slow as to make triggering the snapshot of video, useless as the action has already ceased by the time to motion detection is received.

sjmotew · August 12, 2020, 7:27pm

On script run, receiving error:

Blink Capture: Error executing script. Invalid data for call_service at pos 1: extra keys not allowed @ data[‘name’]

extra keys not allowed @ data[‘delay’]
extra keys not allowed @ data[‘name’]

Wonder if recent Blink integration update broke this?

Here is my script.yaml syntax:

blink_catch:
  alias: Blink Capture
  sequence:
  - data_template:
      name: Dog Door
    service: blink.trigger_camera
  - delay: 00:00:05
  - service: blink.blink_update
  - data_template:
      filename: /tmp/blink/Driveway/blink_camera_still_image.jpg
    entity_id: camera.blink_dog_door_2
    service: camera.snapshot
  mode: single

Viggy · September 13, 2020, 1:13am

Hiya,

I am having the same error as Steve,
extra keys not allowed @ data[‘name’]

'20200112215400':
  alias: Blink Camera Snapshot Front Garden
  sequence:
  - data:
      name: frontCamera  #IMPORTANT: name of camera as defined in the blink app not in Home Assistant
    service: blink.trigger_camera
  - delay: 00:00:05
  - service: blink.blink_update
  - data:
      filename: /share/blink/Front/blink_camera_still_image.jpg  # where you want to store still image
    entity_id: camera.blink_front_camera  #entity id of blink camera as defined in Home Assistant
    service: camera.snapshot

Which looks the same to me as Steve’s and John’s. I have run it through the developer service tool but same result. Each service on their own runs fine.

Interested to know your thoughts? I couldnt find any other threads where there was a error with data[‘name’]
Could it be from blink on how the name of the camera is stored?

I tried posting and it says that there is an error on the code and use ` marks but i am unable to find this error?

Thanks

giloris · September 17, 2020, 9:14am

Hi,
I had the same problem and i changed camera blink name by name of entity_ID camera in home assistant and it’s works very well.

snap_picture:
  alias: Snap picture
  mode: single
  sequence:
  - entity_id: camera.blink_camera_poulailler
    service: blink.trigger_camera
  - delay: 00:00:05
  - data: {}
    service: blink.blink_update
  - data:
      entity_id: camera.blink_camera_poulailler
      filename: /config/www/image.jpg
    service: camera.snapshot

Regards
Giloris

icaballero · October 21, 2020, 3:35pm

Hello all,

Sorry to use an old thread but I need some help with my set-up.
The script posted here works pretty well saving a picture.
But I always have the same first picture I took when I installed the Blink camera.
Even if I execute the services one by one from the developers tab in HA, the snapshot is not updating at all.
Any ideas?

EDIT: Some HA restarts may have solve the problem. The picture saved is now a new one. But it is true that the lovelace image card doesn’t refresh.
EDIT2: Not solved yet. I have realized that the script triggers the cam (blue led lights up) but the screenshot saved in HA remains the same until I restart HA.
EDIT3: I have just seen that my cam is Mini model and not XT2. Looks like it is almost not supported by HA. Sorry for the wrong posting.

mhbuzios · December 16, 2020, 7:36pm

I have a good news if you have Blink camaras like me the blink camaras is wornkinga again with the Hassio Plugin, I just install my Hassio and I It surprise me with the plugin
If you don´t know how to do, Yo just need to install the Hassio, goto configuration - Integration and find the Blink plugin: enter you username and password and it will send you one email with the PIN you need for setup and after this boom you will see all your Blink Camaras.
Thank you Blink for hear our community

fronzbot · December 23, 2020, 5:15pm

Just fyi Blink has nothing to do with the integration. It’s 100% driven by the home-assistant community: https://github.com/fronzbot/blinkpy

Blink is constantly changing APIs and making things generally difficult for us to keep the integration up and running so I wanted to point out that they deserve no thanks here whatsoever

mhbuzios · December 24, 2020, 3:40pm

Now it is clear, I hope the home-assistant community que make it work better and better… I like the camara however the blink support is useless and the integration is not friendly:( Is your script working for update the snap? Because mi it does not

mhbuzios · December 28, 2020, 9:30pm

My code is working only if I manualy run the script but is not updating automatically
Can someone tell me what is wrong? Thanks!

snap_picture_parking:
alias: Snap picture
mode: single
sequence:

entity_id: camera.blink_parking
service: blink.trigger_camera
delay: ‘00:00:15’
data: {}
service: blink.blink_update
data:
entity_id: camera.blink_parking
filename: /config/www/image_parking.jpg
service: camera.snapshot

ocenak · March 17, 2021, 12:31pm

Hello To all

I received the outdoor blink and I want to implement the click over the image to refresh the image get from the entity on the picture glace card but i need some help in order to configure the Script over the UI interface.

Can anyone please help me in order to get this configured in this UI?

What is the correct parameters to insert over this ?

Thank you and best regards

geidorei · January 11, 2022, 12:54pm

I do not have an entity called camera.blink-name only one called alarm_control_panel.blink_blink - am I missing something? Do you need the blink hub, as I have only got the camera?

Thanks folks.

geidorei · January 17, 2022, 1:27pm

Ah ha - got the hub, but as previous post as above is not updating unless I manually click the picture elements.

It was working until last HA update the other day.

Any ideas folks?

max8126 · January 24, 2022, 5:10pm

The script is working just fine for my Blink Mini. I don’t have a hub.
The click to update takes a few seconds to happen.

The only change I had to make was to replace the name key that was referencing the camera name in Blink app with ordinary entity ID, for the trigger_camera service. This avoids the extra keys not allowed error.

samehsameh · April 10, 2022, 4:34pm

The picture-glance is using

camera_image: camera.blink_driveway

meaning you have created and saved a local picture but not using it.

Wouldn’t it make more sense to save the file to /www and then in the picture-glance use

image: http://yourip:port/local/blink_camera_still_image.jpg

unless you have another use for your picture?