hsHomeSec

Helpful Scripts simple home security system.

Home Security System

A simple homebrew alarm system for OSX High Sierra

Written in Typescript to run on Node.

• supports cameras with built-in web api. Currently tested
  • WansView Q3S, K3
  • Foscam C1
• creates its own ftp server and configures devices to send snapshots and videos there
• communicates with users via OSX services Mail, Messages, and Facetime
• simple and universal UI: receives remote user commands via email

See documentation for more details

Installation

1. Create an install home folder, cd there, and clone the project: > npm i hshomesec

Setup

1. Move to the installation folder: > cd node_modules/hshomesec
2. create homeCfg.json from the template: > cp src/config/homeCfg-template.json src/config/homeCfg.json
3. configure homeCfg.json with server IPs and available devices (cameras, etc.)

   It may be a good idea to also configure your DHCP server to assign fixed addresses to the computer running the homeSec server, as well as to connected devices.

4. Configure a valid mail account in Mail
5. Optional: Setup your Mac as follows
   • select Desktop & Screen Saver, set Start after: to never
   • select Energy Saver; set Computer Sleep to never; deselect Put hard disk to sleep
   • install voice Allison
     • open panel Accessibility->Speech;
     • select System Voice: Custom and select Allison. Then close. Voice will be downloaded automatically.
   • Terminal->Preferences->Profiles->Shell:
     • When the shell exits: Close the window
     • Ask before closing: Never

Run

• From the install home folder, call > sudo node node_modules/.bin/hsHomeSec to start the system without starting an ftp server
• Or call > sudo node node_modules/.bin/hsHomeSec ftp to start the system with its own ftp server. The ftp server is needed by some devices to store snaphots and recordings in case an alarm is detected.

  You can try the calls without sudo, though it is likely needed since we start an ftp server (if selected). The webserver lets Mail (via Applescript) tell the system about incoming user commands.

Operations

• send an email to the mail account configured in step 4 above.
• ensure that the mail address you send it from is configured as User in homeCfg.json. A 403 error will be returned if not.
• issue commands via the mail's subject field. For example:
  • snap will return a snapshot from each attached camera
  • help will return a list of available commands.