This article describes how to toggle the white light on Uniview (UNV) cameras using the Uniview Local Application Programming Interface (LAPI).

Overview

You can control the lighting behavior of a Uniview camera by sending an HTTP PUT request to the camera's LAPI endpoint. This is useful for integrating camera lighting with third-party software or automation scripts, like our VMS.

Prerequisites

• Camera IP Address: The local IP of your Uniview device.

• Port: The HTTP or HTTPS port (default is usually 80 or 443).

• Authentication: Requests must be authenticated according to your camera's security settings (Digest or Basic authentication).

Endpoint

Use the following URL structure to target the lighting control system:

PUT https://<cameraIp>:<port>/LAPI/V1.0/Channels/1/System/LightCtrl

Turning the White Light On

To enable the white light and keep it on for a specific duration, send a request with the parameters below.

Request Body

{
 "Type": 1,
 "Action": 1,
 "Mode": 2,
 "Interval": 60
}

Parameter Definitions

Turning the White Light Off

To manually disable the light before the interval expires, or to ensure the light is off, use the following configuration.

Request Body

{
 "Type": 1,
 "Action": 0,
 "Mode": 2
}

Parameter Definitions

• 200 OK: The request was successful. No data is returned in the response body.

• 401 Unauthorized: Authentication failed. Check your credentials.

• 400 Bad Request: The JSON body is formatted incorrectly or missing mandatory parameters.

Note: The Interval parameter is only required when Action is set to 1 (Enabled). When disabling the light, the interval can be omitted.

DO HTTP(S) Request

You can integrate this API request directly into your VMS rules engine by utilizing the DO HTTP(S) Request action. This allows for seamless automation, as the request can be tied to any supported Event within the system, such as Soft Triggers, Analytics Events, or an external alarm input. By configuring the rule to send the specific JSON body to the LightCtrl endpoint upon a trigger, you can automate visual deterrents or provide auxiliary lighting for cameras exactly when an incident occurs.

By utilizing Generic Events, you can scale your automation to trigger multiple cameras and actions simultaneously from a single event. When the VMS receives a Generic Event, the rules engine can be configured to trigger multiple rules with the DO HTTP(S) Request actions to an entire group of cameras at once. This multi-action capability ensures that a single trigger can activate white lights across a specific zone while concurrently initiating other responses, such as recording or PTZ presets, providing a comprehensive and synchronized reaction.