Blue Iris App... does it use Google/IOS push services for notification?

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Been dabbling with my Dahua VTO and push notifications to see how things shake up while watching with Wireshark. I need something to compare it to.
Does the Blue Iris Android/IOS app use cloud (google or ios) push notification services?
 

Mike A.

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Yes. if you select that way to notify you. Under Alerts tab, send push notification to app.
 
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Yes. if you select that way to notify you. Under Alerts tab, send push notification to app.
good to know. trying to figure out how to allow the VTO (and I guess now Blue Iris App) to send out push notification when I am trying to lock down my network. According to Google's push service (firebreak?), have to point firewall rules to a hostname, not IP. Most routers can not do that.
But now I am thinking... maybe the VTO just needs to send notification out to Google push services without anything coming back to the VTO itself.
More tinkering to do with my firewall...
 

Mike A.

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I use IOS. The only complication that I've had with push and my network relatively well locked down (i.e., no ports open other than VPN) is that I would not receive the thumbnail images if outside of my network. Even if on VPN still would not. I've tried many things to get that to work including opening some ports (escape me now which exactly) and for whatever reasons could not with my set up. Gave up on that one and haven't had time to revisit.

Edit to add: So I doubt that that you need to do anything special just to receive notifications. As you say, that will be outgoing traffic to their server. Assuming BI has access to the Internet, I think that you should be good. You may need to (apparently) do something to come back in to pull the images/video.
 
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I use IOS. The only complication that I've had with push and my network relatively well locked down (i.e., no ports open other than VPN) is that I would not receive the thumbnail images if outside of my network. Even if on VPN still would not. I've tried many things to get that to work including opening some ports (escape me now which exactly) and for whatever reasons could not with my set up. Gave up on that one and haven't had time to revisit.

Edit to add: So I doubt that that you need to do anything special just to receive notifications. As you say, that will be outgoing traffic to their server. Assuming BI has access to the Internet, I think that you should be good. You may need to (apparently) do something to come back in to pull the images/video.
this relates to the Dahua VTO. It is considered a camera along with all my other cameras which I block from the internet. But to get the push notifications from the VTO when someone hits the 'call' button, I have to allow access to the internet, specifically 'any' IP since google does not much publish their push service IP's and recommends using hostnames (my Ubiquiti UDM only gives option for IP's). This what what I am trying to avoid doing. Once I get the notification on my smartphone, it will have VPN always on while at home and out in the world so I can easily configure firewall for that part. It's the send packets out to 'any' IP that I have a problem with. The dang thing could call home.
Maybe this is where I can dabble with 'new, established, invalid, related' somehow for firewall rules
 

Mike A.

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Ahhh... understand better now.

If it thinks that it's a camera can you not have BI pick that up as an event somehow and use it to do the push?
 
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Ahhh... understand better now.

If it thinks that it's a camera can you not have BI pick that up as an event somehow and use it to do the push?
unsure of getting Blue Iris involved. Haven't thought of that, if even possible. I am using the GMSS dahua app to get notified on the VTO 'call' button being pressed to get notified. VPN takes care of the rest: answering and video/talking.
 

Mike A.

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I see. So you receive a standard Android notification and then launch the GMSS app? Or do you receive some sort of notification within the GMSS app?
 
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