Tasker and BlueIris

[devastator]

Still need to setup notifications, but this is how I am doing it within tasker:

If Launching app 'BlueIris' And Not profile active 'Home Wifi' then OpenVpnConnect.

This connect to my VPN whenever I open BI. However, it takes a while to initialize the VPN so BI will timeout the first time. Then I just have to tap the connect button manually to make it all work.

 

[Pirateghost]

Trying to avoid that second tap to connect. I tried inputting another activcation of bi when already active but it didn't seem to work.

 

[devastator]

I don't think there is anything you can do on that front ...

 

[devastator]

Unless having your VPN open 24/7 ..

 

[Pirateghost]

Avoiding 24 VPN as my play store doesn't work on VPN for some reason (stuck on downloading).

 

[jaydeel]

When you get a notification from BI, you can click on the notification and it will open BI. How can I make it engage the tasks you provided earlier?

Here's an approach that might meet your needs...
It will intercept a Blue Iris notification, and immediately 1) start OpenVPN, 2) wait a few seconds, and 3) "touch" the actual Blue Iris notification in Android’s notification tray (e.g., if the notification is an alert, Blue Iris should open at the alert).

// Btw, my personal preference would be to create a separate Tasker notification that would take no action until I touch it, then do 1-3 above. Unfortunately, I've not yet been able to make this work. //

Instructions...

1. Go to Google Play and install the Tasker AutoNotification plugin to your device. Please note that you MUST purchase the unlocked version to intercept notifications.
2. Create a new task called "Blue Iris Notification". After starting OpenVPN, it will pause, then simulate touching the actual Blue Iris notification in Android’s notification tray..
3. Create a new profile to intercept Blue Iris notifications. I've named it "Blue Iris *NOTIFY*". You will assign the new task from step #2 as its entry task.

Step 2. Touch the Tasker TASKS tab and create the Actions in image 2a. For Action 1, after touching the big plus icon, select Plugin>AutoNotification>Query. Press the pencil icon, then refer to image 2b for configuration. For Action 6, repeat but pick Plugin>AutoNotification>Actions, and configure per image 2c.

Image 2a


Image 2b


Image 2c



Step 3. Touch the Tasker PROFILES tab and create the profile in image 3a. After pressing the big plus icon, select State>Plugin>AutoNotification>Intercept. Refer to image 3b for configuration of the intercept. Finally, assign the newly created task in step 2 as the entry task.

Image 3a


Image 3b

 

[Pirateghost]

Thnks. I'll give it a try.

 

[Richdem]

You are correct. Another approach is needed. Try the following. It’s four steps (2 & 3 are optional):

1. Create a ‘Blue Iris Open’ task. This starts OpenVPN, waits a few seconds (you can tweak this), then opens Blue Iris.
2. Create a ‘Blue Iris App’ profile. This one is optional, but is handy for closing OpenVPN when you close Blue Iris. It has only an exit task. In addition to closing OpenVPN, it issues a nice flash notification.
3. Create a ‘VPN Connected’ profile. This one is optional. It has entry and exit tasks that flash nice notifications about the vpn state. In addition, it toggles a Tasker variable that can be used by future profiles & tasks.
4. Create shortcut to #1 on your Android Device home screen. Btw, this is harder than I remember as Oreo has apparently removed the ‘shortcuts’ selection from the context menu that pops up when you long-press on an open space on the home screen. Now you must change a setting in Tasker, then long-press Tasker and use its context menu to drag a shortcut to #1 to the home screen.

The following instructions and images should be enough to get you through.

Step #1. Touch the TASKS tab. Touch the big plus icon. Enter ‘Blue Iris Open’ for new task’s name. Add the three Actions shown below.
View attachment 33929

Now assign a screen icon to the task. At the bottom of the same screen, touch the center ‘checkerboard’ icon, then select ‘Application icon’, then select the Blue Iris app.
View attachment 33934

Step #2. Touch the PROFILES tab. Touch the big plus icon. Select ‘Application’ and choose Blue Iris, then touch the back arrow icon. Select ‘New Task +’, then touch the check mark icon. Add a 1 millisecond wait Action, then touch the back arrow icon. Long-press on green arrow icon, then select ‘Add Exit Task’. Select elect ‘New Task +’, then touch the check mark icon. Add the actions below, then touch the back arrow icon. It is not necessary, but you can now long-press the green arrow icon again and delete the entry task (unneeded). Finally, you can optionally rename the new profile by long-pressing the new profile’s name.
View attachment 33931

Step#3. Repeat above for Step #2, adding the entry and exit task Actions shown below.
Entry task...
View attachment 33932

Exit task...
View attachment 33933

Step #4. Touch Tasker’s 3-dot menu, then select ‘Preferences’. Touch the ACTION tab. Make sure ‘App Shortcut Tasks’ is checked. Touch any of the magnifier glass icons. Select your newly created ‘Blue Iris Open’ task.
View attachment 33935

Exit Tasker by touching the back arrow, then the check mark. Go to your home screen (or touch the Apps icon) and find, then long-press the Tasker icon. From the context menu, touch and drag the ‘Blue Iris Open’ task to your home screen.
View attachment 33936

That’s it. You can now use this shortcut to start OpenVPN, pause a while, then open Blue Iris.
View attachment 33937

This is brilliant,

Thank you for taking the time to post this

 

[jaydeel]

@Richdem - You're welcome.

// Btw, my personal preference would be to create a separate Tasker notification that would take no action until I touch it

Update: I have figured out how to use Tasker to totally replace the notifications created by the Blue Iris app, and provide additional functionality as well. I'm still testing. When I'm happy, I plan to share the profile, task and scene xml files that you can directly import into Tasker on your device.

 

[Pirateghost]

@Richdem - You're welcome.


Update: I have figured out how to use Tasker to totally replace the notifications created by the Blue Iris app, and provide additional functionality as well. I'm still testing. When I'm happy, I plan to share the profile, task and scene xml files that you can directly import into Tasker on your device.

Wow, that would be fantastic. Thanks.

 

[Richdem]

@Richdem - You're welcome.


Update: I have figured out how to use Tasker to totally replace the notifications created by the Blue Iris app, and provide additional functionality as well. I'm still testing. When I'm happy, I plan to share the profile, task and scene xml files that you can directly import into Tasker on your device.

Excellent,

I will look forward to reading more.

I also with the help of another thread was able to get Blue Iris to switch profiles based on being near my home wifi network. This is a major win for me as Geofence just stopped working when I switched to using open vpn on a Raspberry Pi. Now when I get home tasker automatically connects to my VPN, sends an http command to Blue Iris to switch to my home profile then disconnects the VPN. When I leave the profile gets switched to my away profile.

Very happy

 

[emersonvier]

Hi I have S9 SM-G965U Android 8.0.0, I cant instal the OpenVpn Tasker Plugin by Play Store, so I download the apk, but cant install too,

 

[Pirateghost]

Update: I have figured out how to use Tasker to totally replace the notifications created by the Blue Iris app, and provide additional functionality as well. I'm still testing. When I'm happy, I plan to share the profile, task and scene xml files that you can directly import into Tasker on your device

Jaydeel - Haven't heard from you in a while. How goes this project?

 

[Richdem]

Update: I have figured out how to use Tasker to totally replace the notifications created by the Blue Iris app, and provide additional functionality as well. I'm still testing. When I'm happy, I plan to share the profile, task and scene xml files that you can directly import into Tasker on your device

Jaydeel - Haven't heard from you in a while. How goes this project?

That's awesome news,

I'm still finding that when I sometimes leave the house the profile switch doesn't trigger. Not quite sure why at this stage. I'm still very much learning with tasker

Sent from my SM-G965W using Tapatalk

 

[jaydeel]

Jaydeel - Haven't heard from you in a while. How goes this project?

Just back from a holiday... The project is going very well. The latest version of Tasker added a capability to export an entire project to a URL so that others can import via that shared URL. I'm testing this as well. I will provide a link to the project soon.

 

[jaydeel]

That's awesome news,
I'm still finding that when I sometimes leave the house the profile switch doesn't trigger. Not quite sure why at this stage. I'm still very much learning with tasker.

I suffered this problem as well. I previously described my 'solution'. Here it is again. Perhaps it will help.

I use 3 Tasker 'Whereami' Profiles on my device: "Whereami Home", "Whereami Car" and "Whereami Away". None of them are Geofence-based, as I've also experienced reliability issues with geofencing. "Whereami Home" turns "on" if I am near or connected to my Home Wifi. "Whereami Car" turns 'on' if my device is connected via bluetooth to any of our cars and I am not near my Home Wifi (this avoids triggering the profile in my garage or driveway). "Whereami Away" turns 'on' if the home and car Profiles are both 'off'... The entry tasks for all 3 Profiles includes an action to set value of a global Variable named %WHEREAMI that I can use in any other Tasker Profile or Task... I still have issues in those rare events when my router is totally down for some reason (no Home WiFi).

You can watch a youtube video that inspired this approach by clicking <here>.

 

[jaydeel]

Hi I have S9 SM-G965U Android 8.0.0, I cant instal the OpenVpn Tasker Plugin by Play Store, so I download the apk, but cant install too,

Sorry to hear this. I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S9 SM-960U Android 8.0.0 without installation problems.

Can you confirm that this <link> is the plugin you are testing?

I see notes about the plugin having problems when used with older versions of 'Open VPN for Android'. My only other suggestion is to check that you are using the latest version <link> and have it correctly configured.

 

[Richdem]

I suffered this problem as well. I previously described my 'solution'. Here it is again. Perhaps it will help.

I use 3 Tasker 'Whereami' Profiles on my device: "Whereami Home", "Whereami Car" and "Whereami Away". None of them are Geofence-based, as I've also experienced reliability issues with geofencing. "Whereami Home" turns "on" if I am near or connected to my Home Wifi. "Whereami Car" turns 'on' if my device is connected via bluetooth to any of our cars and I am not near my Home Wifi (this avoids triggering the profile in my garage or driveway). "Whereami Away" turns 'on' if the home and car Profiles are both 'off'... The entry tasks for all 3 Profiles includes an action to set value of a global Variable named %WHEREAMI that I can use in any other Tasker Profile or Task... I still have issues in those rare events when my router is totally down for some reason (no Home WiFi).

You can watch a youtube video that inspired this approach by clicking <here>.

Thank you,

I think I follow what you did lol. I will give this a try when I have some time

 

[jaydeel]

Just back from a holiday... The project is going very well. The latest version of Tasker added a capability to export an entire project to a URL so that others can import via that shared URL. I'm testing this as well. I will provide a link to the project soon.

I just posted a new thread with the project. Here's the <link>.
BI Alert! - Enhanced Notifications for the Blue Iris Android App using Tasker

 

[emersonvier]

Sorry to hear this. I'm using a Samsung Galaxy S9 SM-960U Android 8.0.0 without installation problems.

Can you confirm that this <link> is the plugin you are testing?

I see notes about the plugin having problems when used with older versions of 'Open VPN for Android'. My only other suggestion is to check that you are using the latest version <link> and have it correctly configured.

I have SM-965U, Yes I have latest version of OpenVPN.