new project (Grandstream, PBX, NVR and HS3

[madmax2000]

Hi all,

i'm thinking about a new project, but before i start i wanted to gather input from the board experts.

The project/ idea is as follows :
i just bought a new home and thinking about making it a smart home with three components: Grandstream Ip PBX model (UCM 6102), Grandstream NVR and HS3.

the question is: how to integrate all three? or what is the best setup to integrate the three.
i didn't see any topics/ threads that talks about PBX integration or NVR integration but i did hear it was dooable.

did any did, try, thinking about doing so ?

please share, any guidance would be appreciated.

Thanks
Mazen

[madmax2000]

Anyone?

[Pete]

i didn't see any topics/ threads that talks about PBX integration

I think there is a want / need to Homeseer but mostly seen this with the DIY PBX stuff rather that a specific model of PBX.

Here I have gone to mostly Grandstream IP HD cams now and other related Grandstream stuff but not their PBX or VOIP telephones.

[LeoS]

I used to use the old Grandstream IP PBX, and have moved to YeaStar (Yealink) MyPBX and it's been an upgrade. I can connect to it with SCSIP HS3 plugin.

As for NVR, have you considered/looked into Blue Iris? That one has a HS3 plugin and the software has lots of feature too, especially for the crazy low asking price.

What is it (automation-wise) that you'd like to do with the three subsystem?

[madmax2000]

Thanks of sharing guys.

i did consider into Blue Iris but not in details. The thing is, the local provider here has grandstream so it would make more since to have the PBX and NVR from the same provider.
in terms of integration: well ... the ultimate goal is full integration between all . by that i mean ,all is controlled from one place. e.g when the NVR system record something then Homeseer reports and send the notification to me and i can log on the home seer and see a live stream and recordings.

also i can have scenarios based on that sound the alarm or open the door and so on). another example, i can ether link the PBX with the intercom and open the door or link it with Homeseer but not both?!! it would be nice that both of them can integrate and when someone presses the door bell then i can see them on the home phone and then i can ether open the door though the phone or the home seer system (mobile or iPad)

most important is controlling the Homeseer through phone (there is some info but not fully detailed) like when you call home and voice control home seer
these are some examples, but i thing you got the idea.

[mrhappy]

Thanks of sharing guys.

i did consider into Blue Iris but not in details. The thing is, the local provider here has grandstream so it would make more since to have the PBX and NVR from the same provider.
in terms of integration: well ... the ultimate goal is full integration between all . by that i mean ,all is controlled from one place. e.g when the NVR system record something then Homeseer reports and send the notification to me and i can log on the home seer and see a live stream and recordings.

also i can have scenarios based on that sound the alarm or open the door and so on). another example, i can ether link the PBX with the intercom and open the door or link it with Homeseer but not both?!! it would be nice that both of them can integrate and when someone presses the door bell then i can see them on the home phone and then i can ether open the door though the phone or the home seer system (mobile or iPad)

most important is controlling the Homeseer through phone (there is some info but not fully detailed) like when you call home and voice control home seer
these are some examples, but i thing you got the idea.

The best thing is to search this message board for the manufacturer names, if the updater has no suitable plugins and the board does not have any then it is unlikely (although not impossible) that there is any HS integration already in place. If you look around for the manufacturer to see what if any API they offer it may be possible to integrate some elements but you are going to potentially have to get involved in the programming yourself to some degree. Writing plugins is not the easiest thing to do and getting the three things to talk may be easier said than done unfortunately, especially when you are talking about reasonably complex pieces of equipment.

[JohnBoy70_99]

I would look towards other vendors, the Grandstream stuff has lots of bells and whistles but a lot of it is rather flimsy, and they don't support their items very long. I have a phone I bought 2 years ago that is no longer supported.

For PBX - I have asterisk running on a VM under the same ESXI host as my HS VM. I hooked it up to HS using the SIP connector, and have scripted a page that allows asterisk to look up entries in the HS phonebook.

Here is the thread which is pretty much just me talking to myself but hopefully gives you some ideas. Asterisk is so powerful there are probably a dozen different ways to integrate with HS.

http://board.homeseer.com/showthread.php?t=161423


For IP Phones - we have since bought a Panasonic DECT IP wireless and a Cisco IP phone which we like a lot more than the grandstream, we keep having to reboot the grandstream every month or so or else the calls get all garbled.

For cameras - I second using Blue Iris, it gives you a ton of functionality for very little money and again there are many ways you can integrate it with HS. I run it on the same VM as Homeseer. I bought a bunch of Axis cameras and to me are with the money, I tried a Foscam camera and it dropped dead on me a day after the 3 month warrantee expired.

[madmax2000]

Wow, thanks guys. i just took a deeper look at blue iris.

now this changes every thing.i believe i may end up dropping the grand-stream NVR

How about this setup then? home seer, CCTV (bule iris on a separate box). which leaves the question for the PBX, i'de like to keep away from SW base PBX and would rather go with dedicated PBX boxes.
but regardless , what are ideas of integration with IP-PBX?

on a side note. has any one heard any thing about yeastar MyPBX SOHO?
http://www.yeastar.com/Products/MyPBX-SOHO

again , Thanks

[ajgyomber]

We use a Grandstream UCM6102 in our office and it's great. I wouldn't shy away from it. That being said, you could probably run 3CX on the same system as your HomeSeer system. It has a TON of features although I don't love the company.

[madmax2000]

i've had my doughts regarding the GrandStream NVR from the beginning. i only considered it beacouse the i thought there would be a good integration with the Grandstream PBX (which i kinda like) .

i did i lot of searching and i didn't see/ find someone that had integration of the GrandStream NVR with HS or the GrandStream PBX .(which was the main reason for this thread)

and honestly , i'm kind of lening towrds the Blue iris now since it has good integration with HS (to say the least )

for the PBX, i think i might still keep the grandstream PBX ,since i don't really like SW PBX's i'de rather have it complete solution (HW and SW) it less maintenance IMHO.
---
so the current scenario is :
HS3 with Bule Iris on a separat box for the CCTV and a grandstream PBX.
what are your thoughts of a good integration?

i have one integration situation that is killing me but i can't find a solution for it ,and if it solved i would be happy man.

The station is :
for opening the front door:
one solution is : you link the from doorbell to the PBX (IP intercom ) as a part of the PBX, then one some one presses the intercom ,the phone rings (home phones ) and his picture get shown on the phone. them you have the option to speak with him, and open the door using the homophone.

the second solution is : you hook the doorbell to the HS, and open through HC

now the million $ question for the experts is :

how to have the best of both worlds (hooking the intercom with HC and the PBX) were when someone rings the doorbell , it appears on the homophone and HC and you can the option to open the door by both.

i'm 100% sure believe its doable.
is it?

[LeoS]

@madmax2000: Not sure of the current gen of grandstream ip pbx are, but the old one had horribly slow firmware updates and weren't exactly stable platforms. I use a couple of Yeastar MyPBX (Standard) and I'm happy with them. They even support IAX, which is a more robust protocol for roadwarriors; especially behind NATs.

As for integration.. you can trigger an event via a sip call placed from the (sip) intercom unit outside, or if it's not in public property you can even trigger it with a motion sensor... which will send you a picture of the front door (either to your tablet via HSTouch or maybe to your tv via Kodi/XBMC)... then you can have the system open a voice channel by making a 3-way conference call to the intercom at the door and also to the room you're in (phone will auto-answer to speaker phone w/ intercom feature code), and you can buzz him in with hstouch or maybe voice command to the system, or a call to a certain extension (sip plugin). Just an idea.

[JohnBoy70_99]

If you have a camera trained on the front door you can also have Blue Iris trigger events through a variety of mechanisms

[madmax2000]

JohnBoy70_99

if i understood you correctly , your suggesting to loose the intercom camera and use a camera on the front door instead.

LeoS

love your idea , lets build on it please, I've summarised it below with suggested modification (took the motion censor from the solution):

"trigger an event via a sip call placed from the (sip) intercom unit outside
which will send you a picture of the front door (either to your tablet via HSTouch or maybe to your tv via Kodi/XBMC)... then you can have the system open a voice channel by making a 3-way conference call to the intercom at the door and also to the room you're in (phone will auto-answer to speaker phone w/ intercom feature code), and you can buzz him in with hstouch or maybe voice command to the system, or a call to a certain extension (sip plugin)."

How can this be done please. what is the requirements (plug in , HW,SW, etc .. )
please elaborate.

[Pete]

Here utilize Zoneminder. I did purchase the Grandstream NVR but it is still in the box.

I am currently running HS3 Pro on Ubuntu 14.04 64 bit.

I can install Asterisk on either Zoneminder or the HS3 Pro box or on one of my tabletop tablets.

The tablet top tablets I use were VOIP / energy kiosks and currently have DECT for handset connections and a microphone and speaker for a kiosk connection.

A generic Homeseer 3 PBX plugin would be the best way to do this.

The doorbell button / outdoor motion sensor camera triggers video / stills events here today.