How To Download Video From Yi Home Camera

Last fourth dimension we showed y'all how to hack the cheap little (and cute) Wyze Cam v2 with a Micro SD Card, some time and freely bachelor software from GitHub. This fourth dimension we hack the Yi Outdoor Security Photographic camera with Yi Hack v4.

Now nosotros are back again showing you how to hack the super cheap Yi Outdoor Security Camera. This device is under $50, has dark vision, and when you pair information technology up with Yi-Hack v4 y'all can add SSH, FTP, MQTT and even RTSP support (RTSP for a small donation to the software project). Best of all, you can enable privacy mode and keep the photographic camera from phoning home to the Yi servers in People's republic of china.

Stop letting your devices talk to their servers!

You're buying security cameras, end sending the information dorsum to their servers. Sure, they give you an app, they desire to sell you video recording services, simply would they back yous upwards in court if you needed them to? And Why carp paying them when yous can use software like MotionEye or Zoneminder to capture events and record yourself? Use the open source software people have put time into, take command of your destiny. To exercise so, you lot have to utilise the hack to the Yi Outdoor security camera. Thankfully, it'southward really easy to do.

Hacking the Yi Camera – What you'll need

• YI Outdoor Security Photographic camera, 1080P 2.4G Wireless IP Waterproof Nighttime Vision
• Micro SD Bill of fare – 32 GB – While the documentation suggested a 16 GB or less menu, I used this exact carte with success. Plus I had a two-pack laying around (and honestly, when finding the link I grabbed another considering the stock was running low).
• #1 Philips Screwdriver – The 1 you use to cleft open your PC is likewise big, you need a smaller 1!

Hacking the Yi Camera

How to hack the Yi Outdoor Security Photographic camera

As in the terminal hack you'll demand to format the SD Card with a FAT32 partition. Once more, I used my Linux desktop for this since I accept a on-board SD Bill of fare reader that's pretty fast. Since most cards come pre-formatted I simply fired up GParted to double check the file system blazon.

We're in luck, the SD Menu is already formatted for FAT32

If you were using Windows 10, you're in luck, Windows will either offer to format the menu or you lot tin can right click on it in This PC and format it. Just be certain, of course, to select FAT32.

Obtain the hacked firmware files

Jump on over to the GitHub releases folio for the Yi-Hack v4 site and take hold of the last release for the camera. In that location are others available, so exist sure you're grabbing the correct ane.

Make sure for the Yi Cam Outdoor 1080p you're grabbing the file marked outdoor. The file names may be unlike if there is a newer release, for this we're using version 0.ii.0

In one case you accept the nada file y'all simply demand to extract the files to the root of your fresh and empty SD Carte.

For me information technology was as easy as dragging and dropping the files from the aught into the root of the SD Bill of fare.

Once you have the files on the SD Menu, yous'll need to open a tiny door on the bottom, with tiny screws, to access the SD Bill of fare slot on the camera. This is where our trusty #one Philips screwdriver comes into play.

The tiny door with the tiny screws, the requires the tiny screwdriver and takes the tiny SD Bill of fare is easy to go off.

Inserting the SD Card into the Yi Camera Outdoor

Now, this is maybe the only hard part of the entire procedure. It took me about a minute of fiddling to ensure I had the SD Card in all the way. Rest assured, it's non hard at all. I just didn't desire to have to brand two attempts so I fabricated sure to button the bill of fare in all the way. It does have a push-to-snap-back mechanism, and don't worry, as long as you accept it in the slot, you're okay. The slot however is small and you'll want to have a close look before inserting.

This thing was a stupid little guy to get in, but information technology wasn't too difficult – just exist sure to push button all the way or not put the door back on until you exam it.

Finishing up the hack

You're set up, ability up the photographic camera and get to the webpage for it. At this point you'll be able to manage the settings and do what you need. Crypt0, the project atomic number 82, makes it really easy past setting the hostname for the camera to http://yi-hack-v4/. This works in most homes, merely if you're router won't find the hostname, you lot'll take to get on the router and detect the IP address and manually connect.

The first thing I did when I setup the camera is have information technology cease calling dorsum to Communist china. I'm going to make the donation for RTSP support then I don't need the app and I never intended to use it when I bought the thing.

Setting the privacy restrictions for the Yi Cam

You'll see higher up I am updating the hostname of the device, I'g going to install a second one after running through the hack again, on the back door. I want to exist certain they accept unique host names and I wanted to make them more familiar. Of course too, I've turned individual mode on by disabling the cloud support and am going to examination the "Recording without Cloud" part. Since I'm going to piping information technology into MotionEye, it's really simply an experiment.

Of course, if I wanted to use the Yi App, change Wifi, etc, I can re-enable the characteristic.

Yi Photographic camera Advanced Features

By default the FTP server isn't enabled and neither is the NTPD server (to sync the fourth dimension with the atomic clock servers worldwide, we'll assume this thing doesn't accept a RTC chip). If y'all scroll downward you can enable (or disable) these too.

Enable MQTT

Since I'm running Home Assistant at abode, Node Crimson and Mosquitto, I'yard going to likewise turn on the MQTT support and feed movement events into those systems (Mosquitto -> Node Red -> Dwelling house Banana most likely). Turning it on with Yi Hacks v4 is actually amazingly simple.

Omitted from the screenshot above is the section for security. Y'all can easily set the username and countersign for your MQTT server in one fell swoop. Be certain if you're running more than than one camera to update the Client ID so they are unique to your MQTT server.

MQTT testing – Using MQTTBox from the Windows Store I can run into the letters when there is movement on the camera.

RTSP Support on Yi Hacks v4

The skillful and bad news

The good news is – Yi Hacks supports RTSP output. You can pick up the camera from apps like VLC, MotionEye, Zoneminder, Abode Banana, et. al. The bad news, you lot'll have to donate a few British Pounds to do so. The good news, information technology'south going right to the GitHub project maintainer, so don't feel as well bad virtually being held ransom.

Obtaining the key simply takes a few steps and some fourth dimension for Crypt0 to electronic mail you a license key. Yous'll have to hop into the Discord server for the hack (where you tin can also get some back up) and asking a donation. From there yous'll be sent to the site to tie your camera to the RTSP software and yous'll exist skilful to go.

Concluding thoughts

Overall, the hack is easy, the camera is cheap – 1 of the easiest. At the same fourth dimension, it wasn't made abundantly clear upfront that I'd take to drib a few more basic to go the RTSP license fundamental. But I feel skillful about supporting a project and hope that means some of the 101 open issues currently start getting closed.

Don't wait, it'due south a corking camera, go grab one today.

Source: https://kindalame.com/2020/01/05/how-to-hack-a-yi-outdoor-security-camera-1080p-with-yi-hack-v4/

Posted by: lowewincert.blogspot.com

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