Wireless Peripherals with YourSix, Axis and Shelly

Johan Fagerstroem

YourSix recently announced the launch of the YourSixOS Peripherals offering. Peripherals are essentially digital inputs and outputs on Axis devices. Many Axis models come with IO ports. To these ports, an integrator may connect and install traditional alarm detectors such as PIR detectors, glass break detectors, door contacts, panic buttons, etc.

Typically, an integrator relies on these detectors being connected using hard wiring. In some situations, running wires might not be preferable, and a wireless option might be more convenient.

As a digital input port is nothing but an input that is grounded for activation, anything that can ground that input port can work as a peripheral (e.g., a dry contact or an open collector). The Axis device doesn’t know or care what’s being connected.

Shelly

Shelly is a manufacturer in the space of home and industrial automation. Their products have become very popular among integrators who need to do simple control logics. Their control products come in various shapes and forms. Some of them are made to be installed behind wall switches and sockets, others are made to be installed on DIN rails. Recently, they’ve come out with some that are powered by 12V (which is a common voltage in security installations).

Recently, Shelly launched their BLU product suite, which is a series of Bluetooth LE-capable buttons, switches, and sensors. These accessories can be connected to Bluetooth-capable control devices, such as the Shelly 1 Gen 4.

Using the Shelly 1 Gen 4 as an example, once connected, they can be programmed to control the dry relay. If that dry relay is connected to an input port of an Axis device, a wireless peripheral has been integrated.

Wiring

Using the Shelly 1 Gen 4 as an example, wiring is very basic. The Shelly 1 Gen 4 features a dry relay. By connecting the two terminals of the relay contact to ground and an input port of an Axis device of your choice, the Shelly 1 Gen 4 has been integrated with the Axis device.

Additionally, the Shelly 1 Gen 4 needs to be powered with 12V. Some Axis devices, e.g., the A9188, can deliver enough power while on PoE to drive the Shelly 1 Gen 4. For other models, a separate power supply may be needed. 

In the image below, a Shelly 1 Gen 4 has been installed on an A9188. Power is delivered by the A9188, which in turn is powered by PoE+.

Configuration and setup

YourSixOS

Assuming the Axis device has already been enrolled in YourSixOS, the only thing needing configuration in YourSixOS is the Peripheral. Go into Edit Device and create a new input peripheral:

  1. As we’re using a Shelly BLU Door Contact in this example, select the door contact icon.
  2. Select normally closed (NC) as the operation mode.
  3. Select alarming as severity level.

Shelly 1 Gen 4

  1. The Shelly 1 Gen 4 comes with a default configuration that runs as a WiFi access point. Connect to the WiFi access point named Shell1G4-AABBCC112233 or similar. Open the browser and go to http://192.168.33.1 to open the configuration interface of the Shelly 1 Gen 4.
  2. Once in the configuration interface, head over to Components and click on the plus button under the BTHome section. Click on the Scan button.
  3. On the door contact, press the command button for 10 seconds to pair with the Shelly 1 Gen 4.
  4. Head over to the Actions section. Click Create Action. Select the window sensor on the Shelly BLU DoorWindow component. The window sensor is the value of the actual door contact.
  5. Give the action a name, e.g., CLOSED.
  6. On the Conditions card, the selection condition is and value false.
  7. On the Then Do card, click Add action to execute and choose Control Output as the action. Expand the Set output state property section and set the state to on.
  8. Repeat steps 4-6 but with inverted logics (OPEN, true, and off).
  9. By now, the output relay should follow the door contact, so that the relay is closed when the door is closed.
  10. Once everything is verified working, head into the Settings section of the Shelly 1 Gen 4 to harden it by:
    1. Disable or password-protect the WiFi access point or let it join a WiFI network.
    2. Disable Bluetooth.

Note: Running in Normally Closed mode is more secure, but it induces more wear on the relay and consumes more power. If those are major concerns, consider running the integration with reversed logic.

Conclusion

Shelly’s product suite offers a cost-effective way to integrate wireless peripherals into the Axis Communications and YourSixOS ecosystem. However, Shelly may not be the only manufacturer with a product range that solves this problem. Essentially, all home- and professional automation solutions that come with wireless detectors and a controller that has a dry contact or open collector output should work with Axis devices’ IO ports.

YourSix has no affiliation or partnership with Shelly. This blog post is intended for inspirational purposes only. YourSix leaves no guarantee of Shelly products and their functionality.