We have 2 iphones using BI app. To setup geo and test I made their current location the server (which i placed coordinates for my work for the time being to test at home). Trying to get the profile to switch to profile 3 but can't. Can't even get notifications that our phones are "outside the geofence". Our location services for the app is set to "always". Attached is a screenshot of the settings page. Any ideas?
Geofencing
- Thread starter flyboy68
- Start date
jaydeel
BIT Beta Team
I’m an Android user, so YMMV.
1) Confirm that all device users have admin - required to set the ‘Geofence radius’ setting.
2) While testing the BI ‘Exit geofence’ action set, allow each action to work for all profiles. Once you get it working, then tweak for specific profiles.
3) The following might seem like overkill, but I do because the BI app does not provide any visual feedback of my actual BI geofence radius (i.e., on a map!)... I setup geofence in the app to use my device location (why not use the device‘s gps sensor for both setup and boundary detection?). I do this while outside my house under open sky (standing in my driveway). Before I do this, I first toggle the ‘Geofence radius’ setting off, exit the app, and restart the device. Then when freshly rebooted, I confirm my location in google maps (you want a small blue circle indicating an accurate gps location). And just because I can, I also confirm my location & accuracy using a real gps app (GPS Status). Only then do I select the desired ‘Geofence radius’, and turn on ’Geofence update notifications’... Having done this, I‘m now confident that the geofence configuration is as I expect It while testing.
4) When moving with my device (in a vehicle or on foot) while the BI app in the background, I’ve found geofence notifications to be maddeningly unreliable... As an experiment try keeping the BI app open while moving outside & inside the geofence. For me this usually results in the phone notifying the server of its geofence status... If this works, it’s a nice confirmation, but it’s not a practical day-to-day solution... Perhaps you can use IFTT to open the app on departure/ arrival events.
5) If you have some coding & automation skills, try sending a geofence JSON command to the server when you leave & depart your home location (for details, click here). I use Tasker to send the inside/outside commands when connected to my car’s Bluetooth AND disconnecting from, then nearing my home WiFi. This triggers the geofence actions sets I’ve assigned to the device... and gives me the most reliable “geofence” triggering.
1) Confirm that all device users have admin - required to set the ‘Geofence radius’ setting.
2) While testing the BI ‘Exit geofence’ action set, allow each action to work for all profiles. Once you get it working, then tweak for specific profiles.
3) The following might seem like overkill, but I do because the BI app does not provide any visual feedback of my actual BI geofence radius (i.e., on a map!)... I setup geofence in the app to use my device location (why not use the device‘s gps sensor for both setup and boundary detection?). I do this while outside my house under open sky (standing in my driveway). Before I do this, I first toggle the ‘Geofence radius’ setting off, exit the app, and restart the device. Then when freshly rebooted, I confirm my location in google maps (you want a small blue circle indicating an accurate gps location). And just because I can, I also confirm my location & accuracy using a real gps app (GPS Status). Only then do I select the desired ‘Geofence radius’, and turn on ’Geofence update notifications’... Having done this, I‘m now confident that the geofence configuration is as I expect It while testing.
4) When moving with my device (in a vehicle or on foot) while the BI app in the background, I’ve found geofence notifications to be maddeningly unreliable... As an experiment try keeping the BI app open while moving outside & inside the geofence. For me this usually results in the phone notifying the server of its geofence status... If this works, it’s a nice confirmation, but it’s not a practical day-to-day solution... Perhaps you can use IFTT to open the app on departure/ arrival events.
5) If you have some coding & automation skills, try sending a geofence JSON command to the server when you leave & depart your home location (for details, click here). I use Tasker to send the inside/outside commands when connected to my car’s Bluetooth AND disconnecting from, then nearing my home WiFi. This triggers the geofence actions sets I’ve assigned to the device... and gives me the most reliable “geofence” triggering.
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jaydeel
BIT Beta Team
Your screenshot does not show the action you are trying to accomplish (double-click it to show). From the icon, I assume it is to switch to profile #3. But per the profile control in the screenshot, it will be executed ONLY when the active profile is already #3 (see help pdf ~p99).
Hence my recommendation #2 above.
Hence my recommendation #2 above.
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I believe you're correct....here's the screenshot. I probably need to set the initial profile (normal is profile 1) then the second screen needs the "Set profile" checked and make that profile 3?
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jaydeel
BIT Beta Team
Yes. As shown, the action does nothing.
The panel at the top of the edit action dialog ONLY sets the conditions for the action.
And don’t forget you can always test the action set using the lightning bolt icon In the previous dialog.
The panel at the top of the edit action dialog ONLY sets the conditions for the action.
And don’t forget you can always test the action set using the lightning bolt icon In the previous dialog.
jaydeel
BIT Beta Team
Correct.
And you’ll probably want to leave unchecked ‘Only if ALL devices are inside’.
Ok so I got both phones going in and out of the geo. Problem is when both are out of the geo it's not switching to profile 3. I have both phones as admins and the commands on entering and exiting the geo are identical. And both are set to "only if ALL devices are set outside" on the exit, not on the entry. It worked with just one phone....adding another is stopped switching profiles.
Mike A.
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Easier solution... Just set your cams to record continuously and make sure that your system is locked down well.
Makes running BI so much easier than all of the complexity of changing profiles, motion and other triggered changes, and maintaining all of that. And more reliable in the case that you actually need to go back and see something. Storage is cheap these days. Less costly than your time.
Makes running BI so much easier than all of the complexity of changing profiles, motion and other triggered changes, and maintaining all of that. And more reliable in the case that you actually need to go back and see something. Storage is cheap these days. Less costly than your time.
fenderman
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Profiles are not only used for recording. For example if the OP has alerts being sent, he would not want those alerts sent for certain cameras while he is home. Also, while storage is cheap, at some point you have reached the max you are willing to spend. So one needs to decide, you I want 24/7 constant high res recording for say 30 or 60 days or do I want motion activated recordings for 300 days. Or choose to record substream 24/7 and motion events on a light trigger while alerts require more.
Mike A.
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Yeah, I understand and I've been there. There are some valid reasons why one might want to do such things in some cases. But for most home systems there's usually a better way to do it. Alerts from interior cameras typically aren't really necessary to begin with between alarm systems, exterior cam alerts, and good interior camera location(s). Not always but people new to BI tend to overcomplicate things. Because you can do something doesn't mean that you should.
Mike A.
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Don't you want that all the time anyway? e.g., You don't want to know if there's someone in your driveway or at the front door in the middle of the night when you're home?
fenderman
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The scheduling in blue iris is one of its best features. Even if you dont care about alerts. Some people dont want their interior cams on at all while they are at home. Or for example, they can set the indoor cameras to record only on motion while they are home, or while they are home, indoor cameras record to a folder that is deleted after one week. allowing longer retention for outdoor cameras where an event may take longer to notice.
The entire point of blue iris is customization. Otherwise you can get an NVR and review the footage once every 4 years when an event happens.
Mike A.
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You can do it. Really comes down to how much you want to put into getting it working right and whatever complications, reliability issue and maintaining it vs just living with some extra alerts that you can just ignore and a more simple/reliable system.
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fenderman
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There are zero reliability issues using profiles. It just works. It is not complicated.
Mike A.
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Yeah, again I understand all that. And most all of it is unnecessary at a practical level. You don't want recordings if someone breaks into your house while you're home? Who else is going to view the video if that's their concern? I didn't start wanting mine on all the time either but in the end realistically easier just to let things run and load up your disks. Sure there are exceptional cases but not for most.
With geofencing? Not real sure about that. I could never get mine to work all that well. I haven't tried it lately. And you can see the complications that he's running into now with the practical reality of how things need to switch and dependencies.
Again, I'm not saying that these aren't useful features. They definitely are where needed. Very useful. It's great that Bi provides that functionality. They just often aren't really needed at a practical level.
fenderman
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You are not making any sense. If all you dont want to bother with it, then simply use an NVR.
Personally I dont want recordings while I am home. However its irrelevant, I am giving you an example, there are many other reasons to use profiles. This is but one example. The primary example is alerts. For example, at my office, after closing I get alerts on all cameras including exterior cameras. There should be no one near my building. If I get an alert I know that someone has trespassed I can drive out there while calling the cops before he even attempts a break in. On the other hand you are notified after intrusion is already made on your property. The profile further allows me send audio to cameras with speakers to get the fuck off my property/out of the building.
You dont want them, many people like the OP do and that is why they choose BI. Why waste disk space on interior recordings when it could be used for exterior recordings.
I did not say there are zero reliability issues with geofence, that will depend on your phone and other factors. What I said was there are zero reliability issues with profile changes. If the geofence is only controlling the alerts there is no downside. So he gets an extra alert and then manually changes the profile via the app.
It seems like you have not really studied the ins and outs of BI and are simply afraid to touch the "complicated" settings. That is a shame.
Every single one of my BI setups uses profiles and you will find that most BI users on the forum use it as well.