I’ve written about this great XBMC add-on previously here, however I have just updated two of my HTPC’s to OpenElec Gotham and have done a little more work with this add-on so thought it was worth writing an updated blog post about it all. You can find the Security CAM Overlay add-on thread here on the XBMC forum.
So what’s new for me in Gotham and with this add-on? I wanted to add a second IP security camera, the add-on at the moment only allows you to add one IP camera, however you can do a little hack and modify some of the add-ons files to effectively make it in to two different add-ons or more. One instance of the add-on for each IP camera you wish to add in to XBMC.
Also I have customised my Aeon MQ5 skin and added a CAMS menu so I will throw up a few screen shots of that as well.
Creating the Security CAM Overlay add-on instances
OK here is how I got two IP cameras in to XBMC with the Security CAM Overlay add-on. First you need to download the latest version from this link and select Frodo or Gotham version. The downloaded file is called script.securitycam.zip extract this in to a folder called script.securitycam. I am using Winrar.
Look inside the script.securitycam folder there is a file called addon.xml edit this in a text editor.
I ended up with two instance of the Security CAM Overlay add-on, one for my front garden CAM and one for my back garden CAM, so I called the first instance “Front Garden CAM”
Change the name of the add-on. “Front Garden CAM”
Also change the add-on id= from script.securitycam to something else, I named it “script.frontgardencam”
save and close the file.
Now edit the default.py file in the text editor
On this line: ADD_ON_ID =
Change the script.securitycam to the same thing as you named it in the addon.xml e.g. in my example its: script.frontgardencam
Save and close the edited file
Changing the add-ons icon image
If you plan to add the Security CAM Overlay add-on instances to a menu in XBMC, then I recommend you change the icon.png file to a screen grab of that particular IP camera.
Unless you want all your IP cameras to have this default icon ?
You should size your new icon.png file to 191×186
Now rename the folder script.securitycam to the same name e.g. script.frontgardencam
Now you need to ZIP up the script.frontgardencam folder into a zip file called script.frontgarden.zip
With Winrar installed I just right clicked the folder in Windows Explorer and from the menu I selected Add to Archive.
In Winrar I then selected ZIP rather than RAR and clicked OK.
I now have an add-on called script.frontgarden.zip that I can install in to XBMC.
I then repeated this whole process again to create a second instance of the Security CAM Overlay add-on called script.backgardencam
Installing the add-ons
XBMC Settings – Add-ons – Install From Zip File
Then browse to the folder where you put your two new zip files (hopefully some where your HTPC can access).
On this screen shot of XBMC you can see the two add-on instances I just created and I can select them from here to install them etc.
Once they are installed they will be listed in the Programs add-ons area of XBMC. You then configure the add-on as you normally would, entering the URL to your IP camera and user name and password, only you now need to do this in each instance of the Security CAM Overlay add-on for each IP camera etc.
Tip: For a Foscam camera I used this URL in the add-on settings and left the user name and password fields blank. The Foscam camera image loads faster if you do it this way.
If you are using Vera you can get Vera to tell XBMC to bring up an instance of the Security CAM Overlay add-on by using code such as below, in your Vera scenes.
Where 192.168.1.10 is the IP of the XBMC PC and 80 is the XBMC Webserver Port number.
So when someone presses my Z-wave enabled doorbell, my doorbell scene in Vera calls the script.frontgardencam add-on to bring up that cameras image in XBMC.
XBMC Aeon MQ5 Skin
Using the Aeon MQ5 menu customisation feature, I added a new main menu item called CAMS and added in both the Security CAM Overlay add-on instances.
I also created some .strm files for my IP cameras and some custom .nfo files to add them in to the Movies library, I then added them to favourites and in-turn added these favourites to the CAMS menu. When I click on these, I get a full screen live stream from the IP camera etc. Exactly how I did this is for another blog post maybe?
Movies Library – Genres – Security CAMS
Summary
Get tweaking and get your other IP Security cameras in to XBMC using new instances of the Security CAM Overlay add-on!
{"id":null,"mode":"button","open_style":"in_place","currency_code":"GBP","currency_symbol":"\u00a3","currency_type":"decimal","blank_flag_url":"https:\/\/thedigitallifestyle.com\/w\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/blank.gif","flag_sprite_url":"https:\/\/thedigitallifestyle.com\/w\/wp-content\/plugins\/tip-jar-wp\/\/assets\/images\/flags\/flags.png","default_amount":500,"top_media_type":"none","featured_image_url":false,"featured_embed":"","header_media":null,"file_download_attachment_data":null,"recurring_options_enabled":true,"recurring_options":{"never":{"selected":true,"after_output":"One time only"},"weekly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every week"},"monthly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every month"},"yearly":{"selected":false,"after_output":"Every year"}},"strings":{"current_user_email":"","current_user_name":"","link_text":"Leave a tip","complete_payment_button_error_text":"Check info and try again","payment_verb":"Pay","payment_request_label":"TheDigitalLifestyle.com","form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","general_server_error":"Something isn't working right at the moment. Please try again.","form_title":"TheDigitalLifestyle.com","form_subtitle":null,"currency_search_text":"Country or Currency here","other_payment_option":"Other payment option","manage_payments_button_text":"Manage your payments","thank_you_message":"Thank you for being a supporter!","payment_confirmation_title":"TheDigitalLifestyle.com","receipt_title":"Your Receipt","print_receipt":"Print Receipt","email_receipt":"Email Receipt","email_receipt_sending":"Sending receipt...","email_receipt_success":"Email receipt successfully sent","email_receipt_failed":"Email receipt failed to send. Please try again.","receipt_payee":"Paid to","receipt_statement_descriptor":"This will show up on your statement as","receipt_date":"Date","receipt_transaction_id":"Transaction ID","receipt_transaction_amount":"Amount","refund_payer":"Refund from","login":"Log in to manage your payments","manage_payments":"Manage Payments","transactions_title":"Your Transactions","transaction_title":"Transaction Receipt","transaction_period":"Plan Period","arrangements_title":"Your Plans","arrangement_title":"Manage Plan","arrangement_details":"Plan Details","arrangement_id_title":"Plan ID","arrangement_payment_method_title":"Payment Method","arrangement_amount_title":"Plan Amount","arrangement_renewal_title":"Next renewal date","arrangement_action_cancel":"Cancel Plan","arrangement_action_cant_cancel":"Cancelling is currently not available.","arrangement_action_cancel_double":"Are you sure you'd like to cancel?","arrangement_cancelling":"Cancelling Plan...","arrangement_cancelled":"Plan Cancelled","arrangement_failed_to_cancel":"Failed to cancel plan","back_to_plans":"\u2190 Back to Plans","update_payment_method_verb":"Update","sca_auth_description":"Your have a pending renewal payment which requires authorization.","sca_auth_verb":"Authorize renewal payment","sca_authing_verb":"Authorizing payment","sca_authed_verb":"Payment successfully authorized!","sca_auth_failed":"Unable to authorize! Please try again.","login_button_text":"Log in","login_form_has_an_error":"Please check and fix the errors above","uppercase_search":"Search","lowercase_search":"search","uppercase_page":"Page","lowercase_page":"page","uppercase_items":"Items","lowercase_items":"items","uppercase_per":"Per","lowercase_per":"per","uppercase_of":"Of","lowercase_of":"of","back":"Back to plans","zip_code_placeholder":"Zip\/Postal Code","download_file_button_text":"Download File","input_field_instructions":{"tip_amount":{"placeholder_text":"How much would you like to tip?","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How much would you like to tip? Choose any currency."},"invalid_curency":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please choose a valid currency."}},"recurring":{"placeholder_text":"Recurring","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"How often would you like to give this?"}},"name":{"placeholder_text":"Name on Credit Card","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter the name on your card."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please enter the name on your card."}},"privacy_policy":{"terms_title":"Terms and conditions","terms_body":null,"terms_show_text":"View Terms","terms_hide_text":"Hide Terms","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."},"unchecked":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Please agree to the terms."},"checked":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"I agree to the terms."}},"email":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email address"},"not_an_email_address":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Make sure you have entered a valid email address"}},"note_with_tip":{"placeholder_text":"Your note here...","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"empty":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"not_empty_initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Attach a note to your tip (optional)"},"saving":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Saving note..."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Note successfully saved!"},"error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to save note note at this time. Please try again."}},"email_for_login_code":{"placeholder_text":"Your email address","initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your email to log in."}},"login_code":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"success":{"instruction_type":"success","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"blank":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Check your email and enter the login code."}},"stripe_all_in_one":{"initial":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"empty":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"success":{"instruction_type":"normal","instruction_message":"Enter your credit card details here."},"invalid_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is not a valid credit card number."},"invalid_expiry_month":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration month is invalid."},"invalid_expiry_year":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is invalid."},"invalid_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is invalid."},"incorrect_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incorrect."},"incomplete_number":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card number is incomplete."},"incomplete_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incomplete."},"incomplete_expiry":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration date is incomplete."},"incomplete_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code is incomplete."},"expired_card":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card has expired."},"incorrect_cvc":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's security code is incorrect."},"incorrect_zip":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's zip code failed validation."},"invalid_expiry_year_past":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card's expiration year is in the past"},"card_declined":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The card was declined."},"missing":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"There is no card on a customer that is being charged."},"processing_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"An error occurred while processing the card."},"invalid_request_error":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"Unable to process this payment, please try again or use alternative method."},"invalid_sofort_country":{"instruction_type":"error","instruction_message":"The billing country is not accepted by SOFORT. Please try another country."}}}},"fetched_oembed_html":false}
Hi Stuart, how do we get in touch with you to find out some prices for some z-wave equipment?
You can get z-wave stuff at Home Depot or other hardware stores.