@rhombussystems/n8n-nodes-client

This is an n8n community node for integrating with the Rhombus API. It lets you automate security camera management, access control operations, event monitoring, and IoT workflows using Rhombus Systems in your n8n workflows.

n8n is a fair-code licensed workflow automation platform.

Table of Contents

• Installation
• Operations
• Credentials
• Compatibility
• Usage Examples
• Resources

Installation

Follow the installation guide in the n8n community nodes documentation.

Quick Install

In n8n, go to Settings > Community Nodes and enter:

@rhombussystems/n8n-nodes-client

Operations

This node provides comprehensive access to the Rhombus API across 6 resource types with 25 operations.

Camera Operations

Manage security cameras and retrieve video content.

• Get - Retrieve information about a specific camera
• Get Clip URL - Generate a URL to download video footage for a time range
• Get Many - Get a list of all cameras (with optional detailed mode)
• Get Thumbnail - Get a thumbnail image from a camera at a specific timestamp
• Update - Update camera settings and configuration

Door Operations

Control access points and manage door/lock systems.

• Get - Retrieve information about a specific door
• Get Access Logs - Retrieve access log entries for a door
• Get Many - Get a list of all doors in the organization
• Lock - Lock a door immediately
• Unlock - Unlock a door for a specified duration

Event Operations

Search and filter security events across your organization.

• Get Alerts - Retrieve policy-based alerts with filters for time range and status
• Get Many - Get recent events with optional event type filtering
• Search - Advanced event search with multiple filters (camera, device, event type, user, time range)

User Operations

Manage users and access permissions.

• Create - Create a new user with email, name, and optional role
• Get - Retrieve information about a specific user
• Get Many - Get a list of all users (with optional inactive users)
• Update - Update user information, role, and status

Organization Operations

Manage organization-level settings and locations.

• Get - Retrieve organization information
• Get Locations - Get a list of locations in the organization
• Update - Update organization settings (name, retention days, timezone)

Webhook Operations

Configure webhooks for real-time event notifications.

• Create - Create a new webhook with URL and event types
• Delete - Delete an existing webhook
• Get - Retrieve information about a specific webhook
• Get Many - Get a list of all webhooks
• Update - Update webhook configuration (URL, event types, status)

Credentials

Rhombus API Key

You'll need a Rhombus API key to authenticate requests.

Getting Your API Key

1. Log in to the Rhombus Console
2. Navigate to Organization Settings
3. Select API Keys from the left navigation
4. Click Generate New API Key
5. Give your API key a descriptive name (e.g., "n8n Integration")
6. Copy the generated API key (you won't be able to see it again)

Configuring Credentials in n8n

1. In n8n, go to Credentials and create a new Rhombus API credential
2. Paste your API key into the API Key field
3. Click Save

The node will automatically include the required authentication headers:

• x-auth-apikey: Your API key
• x-auth-scheme: api-token

Note: Keep your API key secure. Anyone with access to your API key can control your Rhombus devices and access your data.

Compatibility

• n8n version: 1.60.0 or later
• Rhombus API: v2 (api2.rhombussystems.com)

Usage Examples

Example 1: Monitor Motion Events and Send Notifications

Create a workflow that checks for motion events every 5 minutes and sends a Slack notification.

1. Trigger: Schedule Trigger (every 5 minutes)
2. Rhombus Node: Resource: Event, Operation: Search
   • Start Time: {{$now.minus({minutes: 5}).toISO()}}
   • End Time: {{$now.toISO()}}
   • Event Type: Motion
3. Slack Node: Send message with event details

Example 2: Unlock Door on Calendar Event

Automatically unlock a conference room door 5 minutes before a scheduled meeting.

1. Trigger: Google Calendar Trigger (meeting starts in 5 minutes)
2. Rhombus Node: Resource: Door, Operation: Unlock
   • Door: Select from list
   • Duration: 300 seconds (5 minutes)
3. Notification: Send confirmation email

Example 3: Daily Security Report

Generate a daily summary of security alerts and camera activity.

1. Trigger: Schedule Trigger (daily at 8 AM)
2. Rhombus Node (Alerts): Resource: Event, Operation: Get Alerts
   • Start Time: Yesterday
   • End Time: Today
3. Rhombus Node (Cameras): Resource: Camera, Operation: Get Many
4. Code Node: Format data into report
5. Email Node: Send daily report to security team

Example 4: Webhook Integration for Real-Time Alerts

Set up a webhook to receive real-time notifications for person detection events.

1. Rhombus Node: Resource: Webhook, Operation: Create
   • URL: Your n8n webhook URL
   • Event Types: Person, Alert
   • Secret: Generate a secure token
2. Webhook Trigger: Configure with the same URL
3. Switch Node: Route based on event type
4. Action Nodes: Send notifications or trigger responses

Example 5: User Onboarding Automation

Automatically create Rhombus user accounts when new employees are added to your HR system.

1. Trigger: Webhook from HR system (new employee added)
2. Rhombus Node: Resource: User, Operation: Create
   • Email: {{$json.email}}
   • First Name: {{$json.firstName}}
   • Last Name: {{$json.lastName}}
   • Role: Viewer
3. Email Node: Send welcome email to new user

Best Practices

Video Clip Management

When retrieving video clips:

• Use specific time ranges to minimize data transfer
• Consider video retention policies when requesting historical footage
• Generate thumbnails first to verify camera angle and timing

Event Monitoring

For event search operations:

• Use appropriate time ranges to optimize performance
• Filter by specific cameras or devices when possible
• Implement pagination for large result sets using the limit parameter

Access Control

When managing doors:

• Always specify unlock duration to ensure doors automatically re-lock
• Log all access control operations for audit trails
• Implement approval workflows for sensitive areas

API Rate Limits

• Be mindful of API rate limits when designing high-frequency workflows
• Use appropriate intervals for scheduled triggers (typically no more than once per minute)
• Implement error handling for rate limit responses

Development

Building from Source

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build the node
npm run build

# Run linter
npm run lint

# Auto-fix linting issues
npm run lint:fix

Project Structure

@rhombussystems/n8n-nodes-client/
├── credentials/
│   └── RhombusApi.credentials.ts
├── nodes/
│   └── Rhombus/
│       ├── Rhombus.node.ts         # Main node class
│       ├── resources/              # Resource-based operations
│       │   ├── camera/
│       │   ├── door/
│       │   ├── event/
│       │   ├── organization/
│       │   ├── user/
│       │   └── webhook/
│       ├── listSearch/             # Dropdown list methods
│       │   ├── getCameras.ts
│       │   ├── getDoors.ts
│       │   └── getUsers.ts
│       └── shared/                 # Shared utilities
│           ├── transport.ts
│           ├── descriptions.ts
│           └── utils.ts
└── icons/                          # SVG icons

Resources

• n8n Community Nodes Documentation
• Rhombus API Documentation
• Rhombus Console
• Rhombus Systems

License

MIT

Support

For issues and questions:

• Node Issues: GitHub Issues
• Rhombus API Support: Rhombus Support
• n8n Community: n8n Forum