https://github.com/owenrumney/webcam-watcher
Horrid webcam watcher to activate alexa lights
https://github.com/owenrumney/webcam-watcher
Last synced: 26 days ago
JSON representation
Horrid webcam watcher to activate alexa lights
- Host: GitHub
- URL: https://github.com/owenrumney/webcam-watcher
- Owner: owenrumney
- Created: 2022-11-30T19:24:01.000Z (over 2 years ago)
- Default Branch: main
- Last Pushed: 2022-11-30T19:26:48.000Z (over 2 years ago)
- Last Synced: 2025-02-07T13:18:35.831Z (3 months ago)
- Language: Go
- Size: 242 KB
- Stars: 1
- Watchers: 3
- Forks: 0
- Open Issues: 0
-
Metadata Files:
- Readme: README.md
Awesome Lists containing this project
README
### What it takes to achieve this dubious setup
- Amazon Alexa account
- An Amazon Echo Dot
- 4 x GU10 RGB bulbs
- A mkzense.com subscription ($5/yr)
- Some filthy code
- A couple of Alexa Routines
### Getting it started
#### Alexa Initial Setup
First things first, install the GU10s or whatever light bulbs you're going to be using and register them with Alexa. In my case, this required adding their associated app then discovering them in the Alexa app.
It's useful later if you've grouped them, mine are a group called `Owen Office`
Install the IFTTTTrigger Skill in Alexa and subscribe for a year. I looked at doing the same thing they're doing, but but I don't think its achievable to host the API Gateway and Lambda for sufficiently cheap enough to make it worth not subscribing.
When enabling the skill, you'll be asked for some Triggers, I've called mine `CallStart` and `CallEnd` but you can do whatever.
Now, got to [Mkzense Webhook](https://mkzense.com/webhook) to submit your email address and get sent a token.
The last thing to do is set up the routines;
**Name:** Anything sensible
**Trigger:** Smart Home -> CallStart
**Add Action:** Smart Home -> Groups -> Owen Office -> Select All
Now, I have set mine to turn on the lights, set the brightness to 12% and the colour to blue - you do you!!
It'll look something like this
### Triggering the endpoint
This is where it gets a bit niche - I briefly looked at if there was hooks in Zoom where I could get the start and end of a call, but that wasn't working so I looked a the webcam and if it had device hooks.
Eventually, I settled on tailing the the `log` on my MacBook. I used the work of [Max Schaefer](https://github.com/MaxSchaefer/macos-log-stream/blob/main/pkg/mls/logs.go) for inspiration.
Essentially, an external process is started with the `log` command to `stream` and read the entries looking for `Cameras changed` events.
The main logic of the stream processing is here
```golang
cmd := exec.Command("log", args...)
stdout, err := cmd.StdoutPipe()
if err != nil {
return err
}
stderr, err := cmd.StderrPipe()
if err != nil {
return err
}
go func() {
logs.m.Lock()
defer logs.m.Unlock()
cmd.Start()
defer cmd.Process.Kill()
// drop first message
bufio.NewReader(stdout).ReadLine()
dec := json.NewDecoder(stdout)
for {
select {
case <-logs.exit:
return
default:
log := Log{}
if err := dec.Decode(&log); err != nil {
continue
} else {
logs.Channel <- log
}
}
}
}()
```
And consuming that log data is my main monitoring function.
```golang
logs := newLogTail()
for {
func() {
defer func() {
if r := recover(); r != nil {
fmt.Println("Recovered ", r)
}
}()
if err := logs.StartGathering(); err != nil {
fmt.Println("Log gathering failed with error: %w", err)
return
}
for log := range logs.Channel {
if strings.Contains(log.EventMessage, "Cameras changed") {
switch log.EventMessage {
case "Cameras changed to []":
fmt.Printf("%s: Camera disconnected\n", log.Timestamp)
http.Get("https://mkzense.com/webhook/alexa//CallEnd")
default:
fmt.Printf("%s: Camera connected\n", log.Timestamp)
http.Get("https://mkzense.com/webhook/alexa//CallStart"
}
}
}
}()
}
```
There isn't a great deal to explain - the logs get polled, if the event has `Cameras changed` in it then the even message is looked at to see there is an empty slice - which means its a disconnect, otherwise its a camera coming to life.
Depending on the event, I either call the `CallStart` trigger or the `CallEnd` trigger and my Alexa routine is activated.
### Running as a service
The last thing to do is running `webcam-watcher` as a service. I have zero experience of this with a Mac so I Googled and found LaunchAgents are a way to go.
```xml
Label
com.owenrumney.webcam-watcher
Program
/Users/owen/code/owenrumney/webcam-watcher/webcam-watcher
RunAtLoad
StandardErrorPath
/tmp/com.owenrumney.webcam-watcher.stderr
StandardOutPath
/tmp/com.owenrumney.webcam-watcher.stdout
```
This launch agent goes in `~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.owenrumney.webcam-watcher.plist`
Then load and start it
```bash
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.owenrumney.webcam-watcher.plist
launchctl start com.owenrumney.webcam-watcher
```
You can check its actually running using
```bash
ps aux | grep webcam
```
### Getting the codez
If all that hasn't put you off - you can get the codez from the [GitHub Repo]()