Feature Request: Don't update the thumbnail

[yphoenix]

I like my thumbnails, I set them up just how I want them.
I don't like them being randomly changed whenever motion is detected.
Please can we have an option to not update the thumbnail.
Config in the config file will work for me so you don't need to build more UI, or if you do on a system by system basis (I have two systems).
Thanks

[hunterpaul]

+1 for this feature. I’m really picky about my thumbnails and get annoyed when they change

[yphoenix]

Note: If you give me some pointers I'm happy to do the leg work and give you a pull request for the change.

[colinbendell]

it would be helpful for me to understand the flow you'd like to see. Can you clarify why you wouldn't want the thumbnail to update when motion is detected? If you don't want the thumbnails updated, do you really want the camera exposed? Would it be better to just have the motion sensor then since the thumbnails won't have meaningful new data? Or do you just want the live view?

I'm trying to extrapolate what the use case is here where you want a camera that doesn't act like a camera...

[yphoenix]

Sure. The thumbnail is one that I have chosen - for whatever reason (eg: room is tidy, well lit, etc). Thus when using the Blink app to review video or alter the Blink settings for the camera I recognise which camera is which by the thumbnail. In one of the thumbnails (over the frontdoor) it was of myself and my wife a few days after we moved in. I liked seeing that thumbnail whenever I used the Blink app, now it is gone.

Really I used the Homebridge interface to enable / disable whole sets of cameras (I have two different setups at home) on an automatic basis - like when the last person leaves home etc. I don't need it to notify me that motion has been detected as the Blink app already does that, but I don't mind if it does. Viewing video through the HomeKit interface doesn't seem to work anyway and I always go to the Blink app when there is a notification anyway.

So really my functionality is System Alarm / Disarm plus some useful information on each camera like: temperature, motion detection on / off, battery level.

Obviously others have other requirements, extra stuff is a bonus.

Thanks for all your hard work.

[hunterpaul]

My use case is exactly the same. The plugin allows me to set up automations for arming/disarming individual cameras at specific times or arming the system when I leave home. I chose the thumbnails so that they are easily recognisable. When they are changed automatically to say night vision versions, some of the cameras aren’t as easily identifiable. For me, it’s the automation side of things that make this such a great plugin so being able to disable the bits I don’t need would make it even better and more “lightweight”

[jackflem1]

did this go anywhere, I would like the option to just arm / disarm the system. I don't need see the camera's from within the home app..

[JorgenVonStrangle82]

Another +1 for having the option to leave thumbnails as I set them.

[colinbendell]

Interim solution (next release) will be to set the poll interval to -1. A better solution is in the works.

[yphoenix]

Thanks for working on this.

[JorgenVonStrangle82]

Sweet, thanks for working on this one!