INSTAR Cloud
Alexa Support
The INSTAR Alexa Skill now combines a Smart-Home Skill that allows you to add your camera as IP cameras in Alexa, and the Cloud Skill, to can query alarm recordings from your INSTAR Cloud account - as well as some other filtering options for your recordings.
To enable your camera to connect with the Amazon Cloud, you need to create an INSTAR Cloud Account. Creating a test account is free of charge and gives you full access to all INSTAR Cloud functions for 30 days. After this trial period you will no longer be able to upload alarm videos - the account, and thus also the possibility to use the Smart-Home Skill, however, will remain active (and free of charge).
The Cloud Skill is used to manage your alarm recordings in the INSTAR Cloud and can be used to the full extent during this trial phase.
The Smart-Home Skill gives you access to a range of camera functions. For example, ask Alexa to show you the live video from camera XYZ, activate the motion detection of your camera, ask for the number of alarms for specific cameras or activate / deactivate the alarm email notifications and object detection for your cameras. The prerequisite is - due to the video function - an echo spot or echo show (Alexa device with display).
With the INSTAR Cloud Skill you can play back and filter alarm recordings from your cloud account directly on your Alexa device (only devices with displays are supported). To use this capability you must have an INSTAR Cloud Account, which you can register at (cloud.instar.de.
You can thus display all alarms of a specific camera. Or, for example, retrieve only the last 3 alarms, recordings with a person, a vehicle or an animal.
Once you have set up your camera to upload alarm videos to the INSTAR cloud, you can use Alexa to add your cameras found as smart home devices. You can then:
- View the camera live video
- Activate/deactivate the alarm
- Display alarm videos based on specific filters from the INSTAR Cloud
You can also retrieve some account relevant information such as the available storage space, the number of cameras in your account and other information.
- INSTAR Alexa Skill User Guide
- INSTAR Alexa Cloud Commands
- INSTAR Alexa Camera Commands
By adding your camera's P2P Information to your Account, you give your permission to the INSTAR Camera Skill to control your camera through the P2P protocol. The necessary access information will be stored inside your INSTAR Cloud Account and not be forwarded to third-parties.
Example Use Cases
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