Scrypted Reolink Battery Camera Plugin

Battery-friendly Reolink camera plugin for Scrypted with HomeKit Secure Video (HKSV) support.

Designed specifically for battery-powered Reolink cameras (Argus series, etc.) that need to sleep to conserve battery. Unlike the standard Reolink/rebroadcast plugins that maintain constant RTSP connections (draining battery in hours), this plugin only connects when needed.

How It Works

Reolink Battery Camera (sleeping)
     |
     | PIR triggers → camera wakes → connects WiFi
     |
     |── Webhook HTTP POST ──────────────→ Scrypted Plugin
     |                                          |
     |                                   MotionSensor event
     |                                          |
     |                                   HKSV starts recording
     |                                          |
     |←── RTSP connect (brief) ────────────────|
     |──→ H264 stream ───────────────────────→ |──→ HomeKit
     |                                          |
     |    (recording done, ~30s)                |
     |←── RTSP disconnect ─────────────────────|
     |                                          |
     | 💤 camera sleeps                         |

Key Features

• Zero battery drain — No persistent connections. Camera sleeps freely.
• PIR motion events via Reolink webhook (camera pushes to plugin)
• HKSV recording — Records only on motion, just like native HomeKit cameras
• On-demand RTSP — Video stream connects only when recording or live viewing
• Snapshot caching — Serves cached snapshots when camera is sleeping
• Battery monitoring — Reports battery level and charging state to HomeKit
• No rebroadcast needed — Replaces the rebroadcast plugin for battery cameras

Setup

1. Install the Plugin

Install via Scrypted's plugin management, or deploy manually:

npm install
npm run build
npx scrypted login <scrypted-ip>
npm run scrypted-deploy <scrypted-ip>

2. Add Cameras

1. Open the plugin settings in Scrypted
2. Click "Add Camera" for each battery camera
3. Configure each camera with:
   • Camera IP Address — The camera's IP on your network
   • Username — Usually admin
   • Password — Camera password

3. Configure Webhooks (Recommended)

For instant motion detection without polling:

1. Note the Webhook URL shown in the plugin settings
2. In the Reolink App:
   • Go to Device Settings → Surveillance → Push
   • Set the webhook URL to the one shown in the plugin
3. The camera will now POST motion events directly to the plugin

4. Enable HKSV

1. Install the HomeKit plugin in Scrypted
2. The camera will appear in the Home app
3. Enable HomeKit Secure Video recording in the Home app
4. Recording is triggered by PIR motion events — no constant stream needed

Motion Detection Methods

The plugin supports multiple event sources, configured per-camera via the Motion event source setting:

| Method | Battery Impact | Setup | Best For | |---|---|---|---| | ONVIF PullPoint | Low — long-poll, no constant stream | Set event source to onvif or auto | Cameras with ONVIF support | | Webhook | None — camera pushes events | Configure URL in Reolink App | Battery cameras without ONVIF | | Auto (default) | Varies | No setup needed | Tries ONVIF first, falls back to webhook |

ONVIF Events

For cameras that support ONVIF (most wired Reolink models and some newer battery models):

• The plugin subscribes to the camera's ONVIF PullPoint event service
• Uses long-polling (30s intervals) — only receives data when motion occurs
• Automatically re-subscribes if the subscription expires
• Configure the ONVIF port in camera settings (usually 8000)

Webhook Events

For cameras without ONVIF (most battery/Baichuan models):

Settings

Plugin Settings

| Setting | Default | Description | |---|---|---| | Webhook listen port | 18080 | Port for receiving motion push events |

Per-Camera Settings

| Setting | Default | Description | |---|---|---| | Camera IP Address | — | IP address of the camera | | Username | admin | Camera login username | | Password | — | Camera login password | | Channel | 0 | Camera channel | | Motion timeout | 30 | Seconds to keep motion active after PIR trigger | | Snapshot cache | 60 | Seconds to cache snapshots (avoids waking camera) | | Motion event source | auto | auto, onvif, or webhook | | ONVIF port | 8000 | ONVIF service port (for ONVIF event source) |

Compatible Cameras

Any Reolink battery-powered camera should work, including:

• Reolink Argus 3 / 3 Pro
• Reolink Argus 4 / 4 Pro
• Reolink Argus Eco
• Reolink Argus PT
• Reolink Go / Go Plus (4G models)
• Reolink E1 Outdoor (battery version)
• Reolink TrackMix (battery version)

Architecture

The plugin implements Scrypted's DeviceProvider interface:

• ReolinkBatteryPlugin — Main plugin, manages cameras and webhook receiver
• ReolinkBatteryCamera — Individual camera device implementing Camera, VideoCamera, MotionSensor, Battery
• ReolinkApi — HTTP API client for snapshots, battery status, device info
• OnvifEventClient — ONVIF PullPoint subscription client for motion events
• EventReceiver — HTTP server receiving webhook motion push notifications

Development

npm install
npm run build
npx scrypted login <scrypted-ip>
npm run scrypted-deploy <scrypted-ip>

License

MIT