If you have a Wi-Fi camera (like the Nest Cam) set up for security, it’s one thing to catch any person on video. But it’s also a good idea to scare them off by automatically turning on the lights when burglars are detected.
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Of course, you can use motion sensors connected to your smart lights, but if you don’t have them and you already have a Wi-Fi camera set up, you can use them as a kind of motion sensor — as long as you have there are some smart lights (like Philips Hue).
To make this happen, we will be using the If This Then That (IFTTT) service, which uses «applets» to connect various products and services to perform all sorts of automated tasks.
If you haven’t used IFTTT before, check out our getting started guide for information on how to create an account and connect apps and services. Then come back here to create the required recipe.
For this tutorial, we will be using Philips Hue and Nest Cam lights, but this can be done for several other products as long as they are supported by IFTTT.
Start by going to the IFTTT homepage and click on «My Applets» at the top of the page after logging in.
Then click «New Applet» on the right.
Click «This» highlighted in blue.
Type «Nest Cam» in the search field or scroll down and find it in the list of products and services below. Click on it when you find it.
