This Scrypted plugin shows the built-in camera of a Qolsys IQ Panel. You get fresh snapshots and a basic live view. Everything stays on your local network. It does not use Alarm.com.
I built it for my own panel. It works, but it has real limits. Please read them before you install it.
- I have only tested it on an IQ Panel 2+ running firmware 2.8.1. Other panels and firmware may not work.
- Live view is choppy. Expect about 3 to 5 frames a second, about 5 seconds behind. The picture freezes briefly every 6 seconds between clips.
- The panel pauses its camera motion detection while you watch. The plugin turns it back on when you stop, if it was on before.
- Live view only runs while the panel is disarmed, has no alarm, and is on AC power. One view lasts up to 5 minutes.
- Each snapshot takes about 2 to 3 seconds.
- Each snapshot writes a small file to the panel's flash storage. The plugin deletes it right after. To limit wear, it takes at most one snapshot every 30 seconds by default. You can change that in the settings.
- There is no continuous recording. Scrypted NVR and HomeKit Secure Video will not work with this camera.
- The panel must be paired as an IQ Remote. You confirm the pairing on the panel itself.
The panel has a local connection for IQ Remote touchscreens. This plugin pairs with the panel as one of those remotes and uses the same connection.
For a snapshot, it asks the panel to take one picture. It downloads that picture, then deletes the file and the request from the panel. The picture is never sent to Alarm.com.
For live view, it asks the panel to record a short 6-second clip. It downloads the clip while the panel is still recording it and sends the new frames to Scrypted. When the clip ends, it starts the next one, as long as someone is still watching. Each clip is deleted when it is done. If an alarm needs the camera, the panel's own recording always wins.
The plugin never arms or disarms the panel. It only uses the camera.
The panel protocol comes from the qolsys-controller Python library by EHylands. This plugin needs version 1.11.0 or newer, which Scrypted installs for you.
- Install the plugin from the Scrypted plugin list. Search for
@cbusillo/scrypted-qolsys. - Open the Qolsys Panel Camera device. Enter the panel's IP address.
- Select Pair IQ Remote. Then, on the panel, go to IQ Remote Devices and press Pair. When pairing is done, the panel lists the plugin as one of its IQ Remote devices.
- Snapshots work now.
- For live view, first open Extensions on the device and turn off Rebroadcast Plugin. Scrypted adds it on its own, and it would keep asking the panel to record.
- Turn on Experimental live preview. While the panel is disarmed, select Calibrate video. This records one 8-second clip to learn the video format, then deletes it.
The pairing keys are stored in the plugin's data folder under qolsys/pki.
Keep them if you move or reinstall Scrypted, or you will need to pair again.
You need Node.js and uv.
npm ci
npm test -- -k test_panel_client
npm run buildUse test selection for focused local tests and the complete CI requirement. Automated tests use made-up media and never talk to a real panel. CI tests both the minimum and newest allowed direct dependencies.
MIT. See LICENSE.
Qolsys and IQ Panel are trademarks of their owners. This project is not affiliated with Qolsys, Johnson Controls, or Alarm.com.