Open APIs for developers

[jerryk]

There are many developers that would like to extend the capabilites of the cameras specifically and the system in general.  If there was an open API that would let users access their local cameras and control them that would be great.  Also, if there was a documented RESTful API to get to the data on the servers that would allow incorporating the data into a whole host of applications.  I suspect both the camera and server APIs do exist since the original developers had to use something.  If other could get at these interfaces this system could be the go to system for developers.

[tinsheep]

Looks like from reading the forum that there is no API access which is sad.  Do you have some kind of widget i can embed on a web page perhaps? I know most people use Arlo for security but one of my cameras is monitoring a trap in a remote location. i would love to be able to take a picture every day and display that on a dashboard and submit the image for recognition/processing to alert me there is something in my trap as part of a broader solution for home automation. thanks!

[TheMuffinMan203]

It's likely that it supports UPnP and what their app is using to interface with the camera. You should grab a small script in your favorite language to scan for the device and discover its capabilities.

[JamesC]

We are excited to let the community know that IFTTT integration has been announced! For more information, take a look here: Introducing IFTTT Integration

[conso2]

Agreed with everyone here. I am an IT professional developing API for many customers and seeing Netgear not even realizing the huge marketing potential of open API for developers to build apps for FREE on top of their devices is embarrassing. Netgear managers please go to have a course of Web entrepreneurship from Google and Amazon!!!!

[jeffreydwalter]

I hacked together a little Arlo API package for personal use. It doesn't do everything and it's definitely a use at your own risk, but until Netgear produces a proper API, my library may give clues about how to interact with your Arlo.

[jeffreydwalter]

@JamesC, why would you remove a link to a github repo that solves your users problems? Pretty lame. Anyway, if anyone is looking for my library, search for my netgear username or "arlo" on github. Also, for all the supposed developers on here whining about not having a REST API to interact with, you should be ashamed of yourselves. It only took about 4 hours of reverse engineering to decode 90% of the Arlo api and turn that into a Python package. The REST API is there, being consumed by the web UI.

[elToro_]

@jeffreydwalter thank you very much for sharing your work with us. I totally agree with your argumentation and I am sure that many enthusiasts will be happy to buid upon your work and use it in your project. It gives people like myself a great starting point and I'm glad that not everybody needs to invent the wheel himself because of you sharing your findings. And YES Arlo should make their API public.

[jeffreydwalter]

@elToro_ thanks! I'm happy to hear that my work is useful to you! I hope you do lots of cool things with it and please feel free to make it better! 🙂 I wasn't insulting anyone for making legitimate requests for an API. I was insulting people that come onto this forum to say things like, "Agreed with everyone here. I am an IT professional developing API for many customers and seeing Netgear not even realizing the huge marketing potential of open API for developers to build apps for FREE on top of their devices is embarrassing. Netgear managers please go to have a course of Web entrepreneurship from Google and Amazon!!!!" I was also insulting all of the capable developers that see many people here wanting to simply satisfy some hobbiest desire and doing nothing to help out. That is all...

[conso2]

Hahaha that 's very funny, apparently I opened a vasps' nest without meaning it!
Thanks for your insults jeffreydwalter, unfortunately I don't have much time to investigate unofficial, unsecure and flaky, semi-hacked API. No, for my investors wouldn't be reasonable at all to spend money on developing off of a private API. Security and transparence are two conditions sine-qua-non for business usage and I can assure you that the investment on a top quality API would repay itself in exponential sales, if done well. But if business use I can do not, I have to spend my time for investigating someone else's API, getting paid for it instead. Time is money, developers know it well!
But hey, I didn't mean to insult your work - I don't know why you think that. It is who makes executive decisions in netgear lacking vision in my opinion and if God wants one day someone enlightened will read my comment and find a new vision!
Finally, chapeau for your effort and even more for the decision to open source it! I always appreciate who gives contribution to the community! My git hub login is conso, check my repos!

[jeffreydwalter]

@conso2 no offense intended. You in no way offended me or my work and my intent wasn't to insult you or to call you out personally, so my apologies for using your comment as my example. I was simply trying to highlight the tone with which your comment was written. I completely agree with your statement about Netgear but doubt that telling them to take a class on entrepreneurship will ever actually help. 🙂 Who knows! Anyway, my apologies again for dragging you into the fray like that!