Ajax Imou Bridge

A robust and reliable bridge that connects Ajax security systems with Imou cameras, automatically managing camera privacy settings based on the alarm's armed state.

This daemon listens for arming and disarming events from an Ajax Hub via the SIA DC-09 protocol. It then toggles the privacy mode on your Imou cameras accordingly: when the system is armed, camera recording is activated; when disarmed, privacy mode is re-enabled, ensuring cameras are active only when necessary.

Architecture

┌──────────┐      SIA Protocol       ┌──────────────┐      HTTPS API      ┌─────────────┐
│ Ajax Hub │ ──────────────────────► │  SIA Bridge  │ ──────────────────► │ Imou Cloud  │
│          │                         │   (Daemon)   │                     │   Cameras   │
└──────────┘                         └──────────────┘                     └─────────────┘
     │                                      │                                    │
     └─── ARM Event (CL/NL) ────────────────┼──── Disable Privacy Mode ──────────┘
     └─── DISARM Event (OP) ────────────────┼──── Enable Privacy Mode ───────────┘

Features

• SIA DC-09 Protocol Receiver
• Asynchronous & Lightweight
• Reliable and Robust

Prerequisites

• Python 3.9+
• An Ajax Hub with access to its configuration settings.
• One or more Imou cameras that support Privacy Mode.
• Imou Developer API credentials.

Create Imou API Credentials

1. Go to the Imou Developer Portal and sign in with your Imou account.
2. Navigate to Control Board and select "My Applications".
3. Create an application to obtain your App ID and App Secret. Store these credentials in a secure location.

Ajax Hub Configuration

Follow the official Ajax documentation to configure your Hub to send alarm events to the bridge.

To configure the Hub, you will need administrator privileges for the Ajax system.

1. In the Ajax mobile application, navigate to Hub Settings → Security Companies → Monitoring Station.
2. Set the following parameters:
   • Ethernet: Enable if the Hub can reach the bridge over a local network.
   • Cellular: Enable if the Hub can reach the bridge over the internet via a public IP address.
   • IP address: The IP address of the server where the bridge is running.
   • Port: The BIND_PORT you have configured (e.g., 12128).
   • Monitoring station ping interval: Set as required.
   • Object number: The SIA_ACCOUNT you have configured.
   • Encryption key: The SIA_ENCRYPTION_KEY if you are using one.
3. Click "< Back" to save the settings and wait for the "Monitoring station" status to show "Connected".

Configuration

Variable	Description	Validation	Default	Required
BIND_PORT	The TCP port for the SIA listener.	1-49151	12128	Yes
BIND_IP	The IP address to listen on for SIA protocol messages.	IPv4/IPv6 address	0.0.0.0	No
SIA_ACCOUNT	The SIA account identifier, as configured in your Ajax Hub.	3-16 hex chars	000	Yes
SIA_ENCRYPTION_KEY	The optional SIA encryption key. Must match the key in your Ajax Hub.	16 or 32 hex chars	None	No
IMOU_APP_ID	Your application ID from the Imou Developer Portal.		None	Yes
IMOU_APP_SECRET	Your application secret from the Imou Developer Portal.		None	Yes
LOG_LEVEL	Logging level.	DEBUG or INFO	INFO	No

Running as a Docker (recommended)

docker run -d \
    --name sia-bridge \
    --restart unless-stopped \
    -p 12128:12128 \
    -e BIND_PORT=12128 \
    -e SIA_ACCOUNT="000" \
    -e IMOU_APP_ID="<your_app_id>" \
    -e IMOU_APP_SECRET="<your_app_secret>" \
    ghcr.io/delgod/sia-bridge:latest

See configuration section above.

Running as a Service (not recommended)

Note: Using sudo pip is strongly discouraged as it can lead to system dependency conflicts.

• Install pip package

  sudo pip3 install --break-system-packages git+https://github.com/delgod/ajax-imou-bridge.git

• Deploy service files

  sudo cp /usr/local/lib/python3.*/dist-packages/sia_bridge/sia-bridge.conf /etc/sia-bridge.conf
  sudo cp /usr/local/lib/python3.*/dist-packages/sia_bridge/sia-bridge.service /etc/systemd/system/

• Open /etc/sia-bridge.conf with a text editor and provide your specific details. This file sets the environment variables used by the service.

  # /etc/sia-bridge.conf
  
  BIND_PORT=12128
  SIA_ACCOUNT=000
  SIA_ENCRYPTION_KEY=
  IMOU_APP_ID=
  IMOU_APP_SECRET=
  LOG_LEVEL=

  See configuration section above.

• Reload systemd and Enable the Service:

  sudo systemctl daemon-reload
  sudo systemctl enable --now sia-bridge.service

• Check the Service Status:

  sudo systemctl status sia-bridge.service

• View Logs: Follow the service logs in real-time to monitor events.

  sudo journalctl -u sia-bridge.service -f

Diagnostics

To enable verbose logging for troubleshooting, set LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG and restart the service/docker.

Common Issues:

• Connection Refused: Check your firewall rules and ensure the BIND_PORT is open on the host running the bridge, allowing inbound connections from your Ajax Hub.
• Authentication Failed: Double-check your IMOU_APP_ID and IMOU_APP_SECRET.
• No Devices Found: Ensure your cameras are online, controllable in your Imou Life application and support the privacy mode feature.

Reporting Bugs

Please report any bugs or issues on the GitHub Issues page.

When reporting bugs, please include:

• Steps to reproduce the issue.
• Your system configuration (OS, Python version).
• The complete error message and stack trace.
• Relevant log entries with LOG_LEVEL=DEBUG.