Sending alert from BI on PC to BI mobile app clobbered zerotier remote access

Virga

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I got BI on PC to send an alert to the BI mobile app on my Apple mobile devices. But now access to BI from my iPhone and iPad does not work. I use zerotier for remote access and it has been working fine for months, prior to attempting to send alerts to mobile devices earlier today. Request help/input on:
- how to get BI alert notifications on mobile devices in a way that does not clobber remote access via zerotier
- get my zerotier remote access working again.

Here is what happened:
During 2023 I went from knowing little about ip cams to having a modest number of cameras operational on BI, and remote access operational using zero tier … thanks to this forum.
However, getting remote notification remained a to-do.

Recently I came across a post from a regular who answered a question about remote notification from another member, by saying “read the BI manual.” So I read the BI manual “Alerts and Actions” and it seemed straightforward.
First I turned on alerts on one camera on my BI PC.
Sure enough, I got an audible alert when somebody came up my driveway.
Then I got ambitious and wanted the alert sent to my iPhone, and added alerts on a second camera.
Came across a post at the BI software forum, from which I learned that under BI settings I needed to check off the boxes under “Mobile devices.”
A little while later I got my first alert on my iPhone and iPad. Very nice!
When I tried to remote connect to the BI mobile app from my iPhone or my iPad (using zerotier), it no longer connects.

So I started undoing step by step. Deleted the alerts I had set up on two cameras . One was local sound on the BI PC, and the other was a sound on BI PC, and a notification to mobile device.
Still no remote access from iPhone to BI.
Having deleted the alerts, I was hoping to have returned to original state, which was remote access working but no alerts.
How might I solve this problem?
It appears that BI mobile app just "hangs" upon launch now.
 

fenderman

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I got BI on PC to send an alert to the BI mobile app on my Apple mobile devices. But now access to BI from my iPhone and iPad does not work. I use zerotier for remote access and it has been working fine for months, prior to attempting to send alerts to mobile devices earlier today. Request help/input on:
  • how to get BI alert notifications on mobile devices in a way that does not clobber remote access via zerotier
  • get my zerotier remote access working again.

Here is what happened:
During 2023 I went from knowing little about ip cams to having a modest number of cameras operational on BI, and remote access operational using zero tier … thanks to this forum.
However, getting remote notification remained a to-do.

Recently I came across a post from a regular who answered a question about remote notification from another member, by saying “read the BI manual.” So I read the BI manual “Alerts and Actions” and it seemed straightforward.
First I turned on alerts on one camera on my BI PC.
Sure enough, I got an audible alert when somebody came up my driveway.
Then I got ambitious and wanted the alert sent to my iPhone, and added alerts on a second camera.
Came across a post at the BI software forum, from which I learned that under BI settings I needed to check off the boxes under “Mobile devices.”
A little while later I got my first alert on my iPhone and iPad. Very nice!
When I tried to remote connect to the BI mobile app from my iPhone or my iPad (using zerotier), it no longer connects.

So I started undoing step by step. Deleted the alerts I had set up on two cameras . One was local sound on the BI PC, and the other was a sound on BI PC, and a notification to mobile device.
Still no remote access from iPhone to BI.
Having deleted the alerts, I was hoping to have returned to original state, which was remote access working but no alerts.
How might I solve this problem?
It appears that BI mobile app just "hangs" upon launch now.
Your ZT issue is unrelated to the mobile app issue...if the app works locally there is something else going on....test local first...
There is an issue with the android app, where it responding really slow unless you clear the app data but the ios app is completely different..
 

Virga

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I see what you mean.
When I browse locally to the IP of the BI PC (two NICs), I am not connecting.
I suspect when I was trying to set up alerts, I may have accidentally checked or unchecked a property, which has resulted in clobbered local access.
If I can't access from another machine on LAN, ZT can't do anything.
Will investigate further, thanks for the insight.

Addendum:
- from the BI PC, can access BI with this address.

Also can browse to BI locally on BI PC using IP address of BI PC, with ":81" suffix added.

Solved:
Deleted the user account from BI.
Created a new user account with different credentials, this time allowing various permissions (chances are that in 2023 when I got into BI I would have been minimalist in this regard).
Now, BI remote access with ZT is working fine.

I had not found any setting that was changed and that I identified.
Everything looked fine at ZT.
Then it occurred to me that any problem was associated with a user account, so a simple solution was delete account, and start over.
It worked.
Thank you @fenderman for your input - it helped focus my problem shooting.
 
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Virga

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After appearing to be solved, the problem appeared again intermittently.
The new router arrived and is in service.
Intermittent connectivity from mobile devices continued.
At one point, I could connect from an iPad but not from an iPhone.
On a hunch I checked the ZT app on the iPhone, and it showed:
"Status = Access denied."
Logged on to account at ZT, and there the iPhone instance said "unknown".
So deleted all instances at the ZT website other than the BI PC and the iPad, which at that point were working.
Deleted ZT app from iPhone.
Re-installed the mobile app, authorized the new connection at ZT account.
As of now, everything is working.

Don't know how ZT got clobbered, possibly something I did.
But if these simple steps solve the problem, fine with me.

Addendum:
Remote access got clobbered again, for no apparent reason.
I deleted ZT app from phone, reinstalled ZT, and everything was fine .... for a few days.
It bothered me some not knowing why this was happening.
Then it happened yet again,
Logged on to ZT account at their website, and saw that for my mobile device in question it indicated that the last access was about an hour prior.
Thought through what had transpired in the prior hour, and realized there had been an OS update.
Loaded ZT app on mobile device, and sure enough ZT was switched off (somehow OS update did this).
Slid "Enable Default Route" button to "on" position, and all was well.
 
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