Category: Mobile

UniFi Talk – Use the UniFi Talk application

This article outlines key setup and configuration processes that can be completed in the UniFi Talk application.

Create users

To create new users in the UniFi Talk application:

  1. Open the Users tab and click the Add User button in the top-right corner of the screen.
  2. Type the user’s first name, last name, and extension in the respective text fields. If you do not assign an extension, the UniFi Talk application will do so automatically.
  3. Select the user’s phone number from the drop-down menu and click Save. If no phone number is selected, the user will only be able to make internal calls unless they are added to a group with a number assigned.

Assign phones to users

A user must be assigned to each phone managed by the UniFi Talk application. You can assign a phone to a user on the Devices page or in the user’s profile panel.

To assign a phone to a user on the Devices page:

  1. Click the Devices icon in the left navigation bar.
  2. Hover your cursor over the phone you’d like to assign to the user, then click the Assign link when it appears.
  3. Select the user from the pop-up window’s drop-down field, then click Assign.

To assign a phone to a user via their profile panel:

  1. Click the Users icon in the left navigation bar.
  2. Click the user that you’d like to assign a phone to.
  3. Click the Manage tab, then scroll down and click the Manage drop-down option.
  4. Select the phone that you’d like to assign to the user from the Reassign Device drop-down field.
  5. Click Save at the bottom of the panel.

Assign numbers to users

If you wish to purchase additional numbers in the UniFi Talk application before you start assigning, see UniFi Talk – Manage UniFi Talk subscriptions.

To assign a number to a user:

  1. Click the Users icon in the left navigation bar.
  2. Click the user that you’d like to assign a number to.
  3. Click the Manage tab, then scroll down and click the Manage drop-down option.
  4. Select the number that you’d like to assign to the user from the Change Number drop-down field.
  5. Click Save at the bottom of the panel.

Note: Users without a number assigned will not be able to make or receive external calls, but will still have an active extension that can make and receive unlimited internal calls.

Add a third-party SIP provider

Session Initiation Protocol (SIP) providers facilitate real-time video and voice communication (e.g., Twilio, Voxbone, 3CX, etc.). If you currently subscribe to a third-party SIP provider, you don’t have to purchase a UniFi Talk subscription to use your existing service in the UniFi Talk application.

To add a third-party SIP provider to your UniFi Talk application:

  1. Create and configure a new trunk in your SIP provider’s settings console: 
    1. Create a credential list and assign username and password credentials to the trunk itself. 
    2. Add an ACL IP and a new entry for your router’s public IP address (e.g., 1.2.3.4/32).
    3. Add an origination uri in the same format as your router’s public IP address (e.g., sip:1.2.3.4:6767).
    4. Ensure that the Direct Inward Dialing (DID) number(s) you want to use with UniFi Talk are assigned to the newly created trunk.
  2. Add your SIP provider’s information to the UniFi Talk application:
    1. Go to Settings > System Settings.
    2. Click the Add Third-Party SIP Provider button at the bottom of the screen.
    3. Enter your provider’s name.
    4. Enter your SIP provider’s required fields:
      1. Locate your SIP provider’s custom fields by referencing either the Providers ITSPs directory or your provider’s user documentation.
      2. Click the Add Field button in the UniFi Talk Settings menu.
      3. Type or paste the copied field into the Add Fields window and click the + icon. Repeat this process for multiple entries.
      4. Click Done once all fields have been added.
    5. Type the DID number(s) from your SIP provider in the Input Numbers field(s) in either E.164 format (e.g., +10123456789) or the format supported by your provider.
    6. Add your SIP provider’s media and signaling servers:
      1. Click the Add IP Address Range button.
      2. Type the address information in the corresponding fields and click Add.
    7. Enable the Static Signaling Port toggle located in the Network tab of the UniFi Talk Settings menu.
  3. Assign the new DID number(s) and phone(s) to users registered in your UniFi Talk application:
    1. Open the Users page of your UniFi Talk application.
    2. Click the desired user then click the Manage tab at the top of their profile panel.
    3. Select the phone that you’d like to assign the user from the Reassign Device drop-down menu.
    4. Select the DID number that you’d like to assign the user from the Change Number drop-down menu.
    5. Repeat this process as needed for additional users.

      Note: If you’re using a third-party SIP provider, said provider will be responsible for maintaining E911 compliance. Please contact your provider for more guidance on how to ensure that all requirements are met.
  4. Add or adjust port forwarding rule(s) for the UniFi OS Console hosting the UniFi Talk application:
    1. Open the UniFi Network Settings menu and click the Firewall & Security tab.
    2. Locate the Port Forwarding section and click the Create New Forwarding Rule button.
    3. Add all required information to apply the port forwarding rule(s) to your UniFi OS Console.

If you have another router upstream from your UniFi OS Console, forward incoming traffic to Port 6767 of your UniFi OS Console.

Set up a Smart Attendant

The Smart Attendant helps you create and execute custom call routing to ensure that all your calls are directed to the right extension or preferred language speaker.

To set up a Smart Attendant:

  1. Open the Smart Attendant tab in the UniFi Talk application. If you already have one or more Smart Attendants, click the Add New button. Otherwise, proceed with setup.
  2. Name your Smart Attendant and click Next.
  3. Select the number(s) you want the Smart Attendant to answer from the drop-down field.
    1. If you select None, your Smart Attendant will not be active until you assign it a number.
    2. You can also select multiple numbers for your Smart Attendant to answer.
  4. From this screen, you can also configure the Ringback and Hold Music that your Smart Attendant will use.
    1. Ringback: The audio that callers hear when dialing a Talk user or group via your Smart Attendant.
    2. Hold Music: The audio that callers hear when a Talk user places them on hold after being dialed via your Smart Attendant.
  5. Select if your Smart Attendant will behave differently based on business hours. When enabled, you can define custom call handling for business hours and non-business hours.
    1. If you select Yes, configure your business hours schedule. You can add multiple business hour segments within a single day.
  6. Select if you wish to have extension dialing enabled. When enabled, callers can dial an extension to connect with a user or group without going through Smart Attendant menus.
    1. If you select Yes, select an extension dialing method:
      1. All Users and Groups: All users and groups in your Talk application can be dialed by their extension.
      2. Custom List: Only the Talk users and groups added to the custom list can be dialed by their extension.
      3. Smart Attendant Ring Menus: Only the Talk users and groups added to the Smart Attendant with a Ring Phone(s) menu can be dialed by their extension.
  7. Configure your Smart Attendant’s greeting message:
    1. Select the voice your Smart Attendant will use for generated audio.
    2. Select the greeting type. You can generate audio from text or use custom audio by recording or uploading a file.
    3. Following the instructions to configure your greeting based on the type selected.
  8. Create your call routing tree:
    1. Enter the prompt message and select the user(s) and/or group(s) that each key press will direct to.
    2. If you don’t need a call routing tree or wish to configure this later, click No then Finish.

To add a new menu or user:

  1. Hover your cursor over the menu that you’d like to add a new block to and click the + icon when it appears.
  2. Choose between the two different types of blocks:
    • Keypress Prompt (e.g., Press 1 for Sales)
    • Ring Phone(s) (Dial a specific user or group)
    • Play Audio (Play an audio message)
    • Voicemail (Leave voicemail for a specific user)
    • Keypress to Return (Return to the previous menu)
    • Schedule (Configure call handling based on a schedule)

To delete a menu or user, hover your cursor over it and click the X icon when it appears.

Manage voicemails and call recordings

The UniFi Talk application collects voicemail by default. To listen to voicemails, click the Voicemail button on your Talk phone.

To automate call recordings:

  1. Enable the Automatic Call Recording toggle from Settings > Call Settings.
  2. Review the disclaimer text in the pop-up advisory window carefully, and click I Understand if you consent.

To disable voicemail:

  1. Open the Settings menu and click the Call Settings  tab.
  2. Open the Voicemail drop-down.
  3. Disable the voicemail toggle.

View call logs

To view your call logs:

  1. Open the Call Log tab to view a listing of every call made with a device managed by the UniFi Talk application.
  2. View the details of a specific call:
    1. Click the desired call’s entry or hover your cursor over its listing and click the View link when it appears.
    2. Review basic call information (e.g., caller, recipient, call experience score, length, date, and time) from the General section of the call log’s pop-up panel.
    3. Click the Recording tab at the top of the call log’s panel to listen to its recording.
    4. For voicemail messages, click the Voicemail tab at the top of the call log’s panel to listen to its recording.
  3. To delete a call log, hover your cursor over the log’s entry and click Delete, then click the Delete button in the confirmation pop-up window.

Set up groups

The UniFi Talk application allows you to create groups that allow multiple phones to share the same number and ring. Groups can utilize all UniFi Talk application features, including the Smart Attendant.

To create a new group:

  1. Click the Groups icon in the left navigation bar and click the Create New Group link in the top-right corner of the following page.
  2. Enter a group name, assign a number to the group (optional), and add an internal extension (optional).
  3. Select either Simultaneous or Sequential call handling.
    1. Simultaneous: When the group is called, all phones assigned to group members will ring. The first phone to answer will receive the call and the other phones will stop ringing.
    2. Sequential: When the group is called, phones assigned to group members will ring in the order you define.
  4. Manage the group’s members. You can add Talk users and global contacts to a group.
  5. Configure the Ringback for the group. This is the audio that callers hear when calling the group.
  6. Click Create.

Note: Groups without a number assigned will not be able to make or receive external calls, but will still have an active extension that can make and receive unlimited internal calls.

To assign a specific outgoing number to a user who is a member of several groups:

  1. Open the Users page, select the user, and click the Manage tab.
  2. Select the desired outgoing number from the drop-down field.

Troubleshooting

I can’t receive incoming calls

We recommend enabling the static signaling port feature if your UniFi Talk deployment can’t receive incoming calls. The instructions below describe how to implement this fix.

  1. In the Talk application, enable the toggle for static signaling port within Settings > System Settings > Create Static Signaling Port.
  2. Create a port forwarding rule that forwards port 6767 to your UniFi OS Console running the Talk application. If your routing tasks are being handled by UniFi, go to the Network application to create this rule within Settings > Advanced Features > Advanced Gateway Settings > Port Forwarding.
    Need help creating this port forwarding rule?
  3. Try making a call to one of your UniFi Talk phones from an external number to test if incoming calling is working.
  4. If the steps above did not work, try creating a firewall rule that allows Internet traffic destined for port 6767 of your UniFi OS Console running the Talk application. If your firewall rules are managed by UniFi, go to the Network application to create this rule within Settings > Traffic & Security > Global Threat Management > Firewall.Need help creating this rule?

I can’t make outgoing calls

For outgoing call failures, we recommend disabling the SIP ALG setting found in the router upstream from the UniFi OS Console running the Talk application (e.g., the router modem installed by your ISP). The SIP ALG setting is sometimes enabled by default on these devices and interferes with telephony.

I could previously make and/or receive calls, and now I can’t

In some cases, events like a network outage can result in degraded Talk application performance. This can be resolved by restarting the Talk application.

To restart the Talk application:

  1. From unifi.ui.com, select your UniFi OS Console, go to Settings > Updates, and locate the Talk application tile.
  2. Click on the three dots menu in the Talk application tile and select Stop.
    stop-application.png
  3. After the Talk application has stopped, click on the Start Talk button.

If you’re still having trouble making and/or receiving calls, please contact UniFi Technical Support.

Recovering Talk subscriptions and phone numbers

If you need to factory reset, replace, or migrate to a new UniFi OS Console, or reset the Talk application, you can recover your Talk subscriptions and phone numbers during the UniFi Talk setup process. This option is available when you’re logged in using the same Ubiquiti account that manages your Talk subscriptions.

To recover or migrate your Talk subscriptions:

  1. Log in to your Ubiquiti account at unifi.ui.com and select the UniFi OS Console you’d like to recover or migrate your Talk subscriptions to.
  2. Launch the UniFi Talk Setup Wizard.
    1. If you have multiple UniFi Talk deployments associated with your Ubiquiti account, you’ll see a list of previous deployments to select from. Hover over the information tooltip to view the phone numbers associated with each deployment.
    2. Select the deployment with the phone numbers that you want to recover or migrate.
      previous-install-detected.png
  3. Click the Next button to continue setup.
  4. On the Setup Device(s) page, you’ll now have the option to assign your recovered or migrated phone numbers to users and devices. These are available for selection from the Number / Area Code dropdown menu. Make your selections and click Next.
    setup-device.png
  5. Complete the UniFi Talk setup process to finish recovering or migrating your Talk subscriptions and phone numbers.

Notes: A Talk subscription can only be active on a single UniFi OS Console. If you use this option during the UniFi Talk setup process while a subscription is still active on another UniFi OS Console, your subscription(s) will be transferred and will no longer be accessible from that device.

If you’re still having trouble making and/or receiving calls, please contact UniFi Technical Support.

Source :
https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500000304422-UniFi-Talk-Use-the-UniFi-Talk-application

UniFi Protect – Configure location-based activity notifications

You can configure UniFi Protect location-based activity notifications so you are only notified when the user(s) are off-site. This article outlines the steps needed to set this up for your account.

In this article, you will learn how to:

Set the location of your UniFi OS Console

To set the location of your UniFi OS Console:

  1. Make sure that your UniFi OS Console has remote access enabled.
  2. In the UniFi OS settings, go to Console Settings > Time Zone / Location > Edit Location on Map. 
  3. Search for the Address or drag your UOS Console to the correct location.
  4. Adjust the Geofencing Radius slider to define your console’s on-site radius (i.e, “geofence”).
  5. Click Apply Changes when you’ve set the desired geofence.

If you experience unexpected status changes while on site, increase the geofence’s radius.

Configure your primary mobile device

Your primary mobile device will be the one used to determine whether you are on or off-site (i.e., within the geofence).

To configure your primary mobile device:

  1. Make sure cellular data is enabled on your mobile device.
  2. Make sure that the UniFi Protect mobile app has proper location permissions:
    1. For iOS devices, set the Protect mobile app’s Location Setting permission to Always. Precise Location should also be enabled.
    2. For Android devices, make sure that Protect mobile app’s location access is set to Allow all the time.
  3. Open the Protect mobile app, tap the Settings icon on the bottom-left corner of the screen followed by Primary Device; then, select the desired mobile device from the list. 
  4. To activate your UniFi OS Console’s geofence, use the Protect mobile app to go to Settings > UniFi OS Console > Network and enable the Geofencing toggle.

Configure location-based activity notifications

After you’ve configured the locations of your UniFi OS Console and primary mobile device, you can create activity notifications using your UniFi Protect web application or mobile app.

To create activity notifications using the UniFi Protect mobile app:

  1. Go to Settings > Notifications to create a new activity notification or edit an existing one.
  2. Select from Off, Default, or Custom.
    1. If you choose Custom, click the Activity tab to customize the notification for each camera.

To create or edit activity notifications using the Protect web application:

  1. Log in and go to Settings > Notifications > Activity.
  2. Adjust When to Send > Location Based to receive notifications when you are off site (When I’m Away) or when all users are off site (When Everyone is Away).
  3. Go back and customize the notifications for your cameras.

Troubleshooting inaccurate location tracking

The Protect mobile app uses GPS and communication with the UniFi OS Console to provide an accurate location.

If you are experiencing location inaccuracies, follow the device-specific steps below to improve the mobile app’s location tracking:

For iOS / iPadOS devices:

  1. Disable Low Power mode, as it may prevent the app from sending location status updates.
  2. Enable Background App Refresh and Cellular Data for the UniFi Protect mobile app.
  3. Disable VPN or Mobile Hotspot if they interfere with location accuracy.

For Android devices:

  1. Select High Accuracy mode for mobile phone location tracking, if available.
  2. Disable data saving settings.
  3. Disable battery optimization for the UniFi Protect mobile app by tapping Settings > Battery > Battery Optimization > Don’t Optimize.
  4. Disable power saving mode to ensure it isn’t auto-enabled once your phone battery is low.
  5. If your mobile has a Deep Sleep feature, disable it for the UniFi Protect mobile app to make sure you don’t receive location status updates after opening it.

    Source :
    https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/360037982314-UniFi-Protect-Configure-location-based-activity-notifications

UniFi Protect – Manage motion detection and privacy zones

This article describes how to set camera zones and configure motion detection behavior on your UniFi Protect system.

Camera zones overview

There are three different types of camera zone settings you can use:

  • Motion Zones, which tell the camera to recognize motion in specific zones and trigger certain actions, e.g. record footage and create Motion Detections for you to review later
  • Privacy Zones, which let you block out certain areas on the video recordings
  • Smart Detection (AI and G4 camera series), which let you create Events for certain types of motion, e.g. when the camera detects a person

Set up motion zones

Motion zones are specific zones where the camera will detect and record motion.

To trigger and record motion events and also trigger motion alerts, the camera recording settings must be set to Always or Detections.

For more information on recording settings, see UniFi Protect – View camera streams and manage recordings.

To set up a motion zone on the web application:

  1. Go to the Devices section and select the desired camera.
  2. On the right side panel, select Zones > Expand Motion Zones > Add Motion Zone.
  3. Create the Motion Zone by clicking on the four corners of its perimeter. You can further adjust the corners by dragging them with your cursor.
  4. Adjust the zone’s detection sensitivity based on your camera’s surroundings using the slider node below the feed window.”
unifi-protect-manage-motion-detection-privacy-zones-1.png

To set up a motion zone on the mobile app:

  1. Select the desired camera on the home screen.
  2. Tap on the Settings icon in the upper-right corner of your screen, then select Motion Zones > Add Motion Zone.
  3. Create the Motion Zone by clicking on the four corners of its perimeter. You can further adjust the corners by dragging them with your cursor.
  4. Adjust the zone’s detection sensitivity based on your camera’s surroundings using the slider node below the feed window.

Please note that adjusting the recording setting to Never disables motion detection recording and alerts.

When setting up zones, you can adjust the zone sensitivity. Setting a higher value will make your camera more sensitive, making it more likely to detect and log more subtle motions (e.g., small object movements).

If you’re getting an increased amount of motion events due to minor movements such as moving branches, decrease zone sensitivity to prevent excessive minor motion event logging.

unifi-protect-mobile-motion-zone-frame.png

Set up Smart Detection zones

Smart Detection Zones create events when specific motions are detected (e.g., a person’s movement).

Currently Smart Detection zones only supports person detection, meaning that you will only be notified when this specific motion event occurs.

The Smart Detection feature is only available for G4 and AI series cameras, except for G4 Instant.

To set up Smart Detection zones:

  1. Go to Devices > Properties panel > Recordings and enable Person detection.
  2. Go to the Zones section, click Add new zone, and name it.
  3. Create the Smart Detection Zone by clicking on the four corners of its perimeter. You can further adjust the corners by dragging them with your cursor.
  4. Adjust the zone’s detection sensitivity based on your camera’s surroundings using the slider node below the feed window.
unifi-protect-manage-motion-detection-privacy-zones-2.png

Set up privacy zones

You can set privacy zones for each of your cameras, which block live playback and recordings of content within the specified area. Instead, you will see a blacked-out image.

To set up a privacy zone on the web application:

  1. Go to the Devices section and select the desired camera.
  2. On the right side panel, select Zones > Expand Privacy Zones > Add Privacy Zone.
  3. Create the Privacy Zone by clicking on the four corners of its perimeter. You can further adjust the corners by dragging them with your cursor.
unifi-protect-manage-motion-detection-privacy-zones-3.png
unifi-protect-manage-motion-detection-privacy-zones-4.png

To set up a privacy zone on the mobile app:

  1. Select the desired camera on the home screen.
  2. Tap on the Settings icon in the upper-right corner of your screen, then select Privacy Zones > Add Privacy Zone.
  3. Create the Privacy Zone by clicking on the four corners of its perimeter. You can further adjust the corners by dragging them with your cursor.
unifi-protect-privacy-zone-mobile-app-frame.png

Source :
https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/360056987954-UniFi-Protect-Manage-motion-detection-and-privacy-zones

UniFi Protect – Manage Live Footage and Recordings

The UniFi Protect mobile and web applications allow you to view live and recorded footage as well as adjust the image and video playback quality. 

Live View

By default, the video bitrate of your cameras is automatically reduced during prolonged periods of low motion frequency in order to reduce storage utilization. You may choose a specific resolution by changing the Viewer Quality to Low or High on the Protect web application by hovering over the Live View, or on the mobile app within the Live View’s specific settings.

Note: If your bandwidth is limited, you may experience unstable playback while viewing a high quality live feed.

Recordings and Detections

Your recording’s duration and quality will depend on the camera’s Recording Mode. The When to Record setting can be set to Always, Never or Detections. Image quality and frame rate can be adjusted using the Recording Quality setting.

Note that:

  • A higher frame rate will give you smoother video playback while a lower frame rate will ensure better picture quality.
  • Recording with higher image quality will require more storage space than lower quality ones.

You can download the Detection clips from the mobile app by tapping the Share icon > Export clip, or from the web application by selecting the detection and clicking the Download icon.

Adjust the Camera Picture Settings

Most image quality issues can be resolved by adjusting the camera picture settings, which are specific to each camera and found within Devices > select a camera > Settings.

The camera’s image is dull, dark, or distorted

To correct imagery that appears dark, dull, or distorted:

  1. Open the camera’s settings and select Adjust Camera Picture.
  2. Adjust the Brightness, Contrast, and Hue settings for the camera.

Note: There is no definite way of setting this for all cameras in any environment. Try adjusting these settings to achieve the desired image quality outcome.

The camera recording quality is low

To improve a camera’s recording quality, open its Recording Mode settings and increase the Frame Rate and Image Quality settings as described above.

The camera’s image is harshly lit

Harsh lighting creates a strong contrast that can make it difficult to see smaller, finer details in your live feeds and recordings. To resolve this, try enabling the HDR feature (or WDR depending on the camera model) in the Camera Picture settings.

The camera is out of focus (G3 Pro, G4 Pro, G4 PTZ cameras only)

If your G3 Pro, G4 Pro, or G4 PTZ cameras appear to be out of focus:

  • Make sure there are no objects between the camera and its focal point that may affect its ability to auto-focus.
  • Try manually setting the focal point with the Focus Camera Picture setting.

The camera isn’t switching to Night (IR) Mode

If your cameras are not switching to Night (IR) mode, or are rapidly alternating between Night and Day Mode, verify that:

  • Each camera’s infrared setting is set to Auto.
  • There are no external light sources, such as ambient lights in front of a camera, affecting integrated light sensors.
  • There are no obstructions near the front of the camera. Obstructions can cause the camera’s infrared light to reflect back at its sensor, causing it to switch back and forth between Night and Day Modes.

Night (IR) Mode imagery is blurry

If your Night (IR) Mode imagery is blurry:

  • Carefully clean your camera’s lens or dome using a soft cloth and isopropyl alcohol. The alcohol’s concentration should not exceed 70%; otherwise, you risk damaging its surface. Be sure to remove all residue to prevent unwanted reflections.
  • Ensure that no obstructions near the camera’s lens are causing IR reflections.
  • (For Dome cameras) Make sure that the dome cover is tightly secured to the lens housing. The rubber gasket should be firmly fastened to the dome’s surface and the dome should be in the locked position.

    Source :
    https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/360058867233-UniFi-Protect-Manage-Live-Footage-and-Recordings

UniFi Protect – Optimizing G4 Dome’s Night Mode

The G4 Dome camera is equipped with infrared LEDs to give it night vision. However, some factors may cause these LEDs to produce glares on the camera’s feed. The most common causes of glaring and poor resolution are:

https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/gKNf23tWOFE

Reflections from nearby objects

Per its installation guide, the G4 Dome should be installed at least 60 centimeters (cm), or 24 inches, away from neighboring walls and the ceiling. If nearby objects or fixtures, such as a wall corner or overhang, are closer than that, they may reflect infrared light into the camera and create a glare.

Ceiling-mounting near a wall corner

Below, you can see how mounting the G4 Dome to the ceiling with objects in the foreground can result in poor image quality.

1_G4_Dome_ceiling_mounting_near_a_wall_corner_1.png
1_G4_Dome_ceiling_mounting_near_a_wall_corner_2.jpg

Ceiling-mounting near overhangs

The camera below is too close to the pillar so it appears in the camera’s field of view (FoV).

2_G4_Dome_ceiling_mounting_near_overhangs_1.png
2_G4_Dome_ceiling_mounting_near_overhangs_2.jpg

Wall-mounting too close to the ceiling

The camera below doesn’t have at least 60 cm of separation from the ceiling and its image quality is diminished as a result.

3_G4_Dome_wall_mounting_too_close_to_the_ceiling_1.png
3_G4_Dome_wall_mounting_too_close_to_the_ceiling_2.jpg

Residue on the bubble cover or lens

While installing the G4 Dome, its lens and bubble cover may collect dust, oil stains, and fingerprints. This can also occur if you wipe the lens or bubble cover incorrectly. 

If there is residue on the G4 Dome’s lens or bubble cover, clean them with either lens wipes, a lens cloth with a lens cleaning solution, or a soft cleaning cloth and rubbing alcohol. Continue to do this periodically to prevent distorted image quality due to dirty lens and cover surfaces.

Oil stains or fingerprints on the bubble cover or lens

When oil stains stick to the bubble cover or lens, the infrared lights become diffused by the foggy surface.

The image below shows the camera’s bubble cover marked with fingerprints.

4_G4_Dome_fingerprints_on_lens_1.png

The image below shows a lens with oil stains.

4_G4_Dome_residue_on_bubble_cover_or_lens_2.png

Below, you can see how image quality with a clean bubble cover is markedly better than that of an oil-stained equivalent.

4_G4_Dome_residue_on_bubble_cover_or_lens_3.jpg
4_G4_Dome_residue_on_bubble_cover_or_lens_4.jpg

Moisture droplets on the bubble cover

When moisture droplets stick to the bubble cover, the camera’s infrared lights become scattered by the trapped moisture, like in the example directly below.

To avoid reduced image quality due to moisture droplets, wipe the bubble cover’s exterior with a lens cloth.

5_G4_Dome_moisture_droplets_on_the_bubble_cover_1.png
5_G4_Dome_moisture_droplets_on_the_bubble_cover_2.jpg

Bubble cover not properly locked in place

The G4 Dome’s removable bubble cover has a locking mechanism to ensure an airtight seal. When the bubble cover is not attached properly, the camera’s infrared lights can be reflected back into its lens. 

To mount the bubble cover correctly:

  1. Align the small indentations on the cover and camera.
  2. Rotate the cover clockwise to securely fasten its rubber lining. The sealing strips should not be visible.

The example images below show the G4 Dome when its bubble cover is properly attached (left), and when it’s not (right).

6_G4_Dome_correct_vs_incorrect_bubble_cover_attachment_2_correct.png

Here, you can see the G4 Dome’s image quality when its bubble cover is properly attached.

6_G4_Dome_bubble_cover_not_securely_attached_3.jpg

Here, you can see how its image quality is greatly reduced by an incorrectly attached cover.

6_G4_Dome_bubble_cover_not_securely_attached_4.jpg

The rubber seal surrounding the lens is damaged

When the rubber seal surrounding the lens is damaged, infrared light can leak in and distort the camera feed.

The images below show a normal seal (left) and a damaged one (right).

7_G4_Dome_rubber_seal_surrounding_the_lens_normal_vs_damaged.png


Source :
https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/1500008633161-UniFi-Protect-Optimizing-G4-Dome-s-Night-Mode

UniFi Protect – Optimizing Camera Connectivity

This article describes how to access your UniFi Protect application locally or remotely, the factors that create access issues, and how to solve said issues.

How to connect to UniFi Protect

There are two ways to access your UniFi Protect application:

  • Locally by accessing the IP address of the UniFi OS Console hosting Protect; or
  • Remotely on the Protect web application (unifi.ui.com ) or mobile app (iOS / Android ).

Note: Remote access must be enabled in your Protect application. It is enabled by default.

To enable Remote Access in your UniFi Protect application:

  1. Access the UniFi OS Console hosting Protect via its IP address. 
    1. If you don’t know your UniFi OS Console’s IP address , use the WiFiman app (iOS / Android ) to locate it on your WiFi network.
  2. Log in to your Ubiquiti SSO account.
  3. Go to the System Settings > Advanced menu, and enable the Remote Access toggle.

Identifying issues

To identify potential reasons for Protect connectivity issues:

  • Try accessing your UniFi OS Console locally by entering its IP address in your web browser, or remotely via Protect web application (unifi.ui.com ) or mobile app.
  • Use different mobile devices, ideally running different operating systems (iOS, Android).
  • Use different supported browsers, such as Chrome, Firefox, or Safari, on different computers.
  • Connect to different client locations, such as:
    • A local network with the same subnet as the Protect application.
    • A mobile carrier network via a mobile device or tethering.
    • A remote network, such as a workplace or public WiFi network.
  • Have multiple users, ideally with different system roles, attempt to access the Protect application.

Note: Note your observations. They may be helpful if you need to contact our technical support team.

My camera streams load slowly or buffer frequently

To identify potential reasons for slow stream loading and/or frequent buffering:

  • Check the stability of network connection:
    • Perform a speed test using the Wifiman app while connected to the same network as your UniFi OS Console. UniFi Protect should perform well with a network connection better than 5 Mbps and decently with a connection of at least 2.5 Mbps. Below this, performance may suffer.
  • Ensure that your computer or mobile network is not limiting bandwidth:
    • A VPN could be preventing client devices from making a peer-to-peer connection with your UniFi OS Console, meaning that all data is first relayed through Ubiquiti’s Remote Management Service—leading to diminished performance. If so, disable the VPN.
    • Check if there’s a subnet conflict where the UniFi OS Console is on a different subnet than the client, but still on LAN. If the client needs to reach your UniFi OS Console’s subnet but doesn’t have a route, it will hit the gateway (the local router), which knows how to route to the UniFi OS Console. If a VPN is enabled and there’s a configured route on the VPN that goes to another network with the same subnet, it will override. 
  • Inspect your UniFi OS Console’s performance data by making sure you haven’t exceeded its maximum supported camera limit . If so, streaming performance will be diminished.
  • Check your computer’s CPU utilization. A lower-specialization computer may not be capable of playing back multiple video streams. If the CPU utilization is nearing 100%, try playing back fewer video streams (e.g., fewer cameras on the live view matrix).

I can access Protect locally but not remotely

If you can’t access the Protect application remotely:

  1. Check if Remote Access is enabled:
    1. If it is enabled , try disabling it and enabling again.
  2. Confirm that you have permission to access Protect remotely. For more information, see UniFi Protect – Add and manage users .
  3. Visit status.ui.com to see if there are any issues with Ubiquiti’s Remote Management Service currently being resolved.

I can’t access Protect from the mobile app

If you can’t access Protect from the mobile app:

  1. Verify that the UniFi Protect mobile app is updated to the latest version.
  2. Ensure that the UniFi Protect mobile app is not restricted from accessing WiFi or cellular data:
    1. For iOS devices , go to the Settings > Cellular Data menu and make sure UniFi Protect is toggled on.
    2. For Android devices , go to the Settings > WiFi & Internet > Data Usage > Cellular Data Usage menu, select UniFi Protect, and make sure WiFi and cellular data are not disabled in the App data usage section.
  3. Disable VPN if one is enabled since some VPNs may block WebRTC connectivity, which is used by Protect.
    1. For Android devices with VPN enabled , try disabling the Private DNS in the Settings > WiFi & Internet > Private DNS menu. On some WiFi and mobile carrier networks, certain Private DNS providers such as CloudFlare’s 1.1.1.1 may interfere with WebRTC.
  4. Disable or remove any third-party security or privacy apps that may interfere with network connectivity.
  5. Force-quit the mobile app and open it again.
  6. Uninstall the mobile app, reinstall, and open it.

I can’t access Protect from my web browser

If you’re having trouble accessing Protect from a web browser, but you can connect with the mobile app or a web browser on a different network, there may be an issue with your network configuration. For more information, see the Advanced troubleshooting processes section. 

If you have a UniFi Cloud Key Gen2 Plus (UCK G2 Plus) updated to Version 2.0.24 running Protect application Version 1.14.0 or higher , it operates via UniFi OS and, therefore, can be accessed remotely at unifi.ui.com , not protect.ui.com.

If you don’t see your Cloud Key-hosted Protect application on unifi.ui.com , make sure your UCK G2 Plus’s firmware is up to date. For more information, see UniFi – How to manage & upgrade the Cloud Key .

If your Cloud Key’s firmware is up to date and can see the Protect application at unifi.ui.com but can’t access it , check if Remote Access is enabled. The recent firmware upgrade might have disabled Remote Access functionality. Follow the steps in the How to connect to UniFi Protect section.

I can’t access Protect on a specific browser

Browser-specific access failures are most often caused by third-party software, such as a browser extension or an application on the host computer.

Common extensions, software, and other features known to cause issues include:

  • uBlock Origin
  • Privacy Badger
  • WebRTC Leak Prevent
  • Various VPN services, such as Tunnelbear
  • Ad or traffic blockers that interfere with WebRTC connectivity used by UniFi Protect

To troubleshoot browser issues:

  1. Disable all suspected third-party security or privacy-related browser extensions and software.
  2. If you can now access Protect , re-enable the extensions and software, one at a time, and test your Protect access after each one. This will help you identify the inhibiting software.
  3. (For Chrome only ) Disable the feature flag, Anonymize local IPs exposed by WebRTC :
    1. Copy and paste the following into your address bar: chrome://flags/#enable-webrtc-hide-local-ips-with-mdns
    2. Select Disabled , then restart Chrome.

Once you’ve found the inhibiting software, leave it disabled or uninstall it. If it’s essential, however, contact the developer’s support team for further guidance on how to configure it so it doesn’t prevent Protect access.

I’m a new user and see a No Controllers Detected notification

If you’re a new user signing in via unifi.ui.com or the Protect mobile app and the UniFi OS Console that hosts your Protect application isn’t appearing , make sure that your user permissions include remote access to the UniFi OS Console. For more information on creating users, see UniFi Protect – Add and manage users .

In some cases, a new user can accept a Protect application invitation, log in to their Ubiquiti account via web browser, initially see their UniFi OS Console, then receive a No Controllers Detected notification.

If you’re a new user and see a No Controllers Detected notification after trying to access Protect web application :

  1. Make sure that your UniFi OS Console and Protect application versions are up to date.
  2. Make sure that you have permission to remotely access the UniFi Protect application. For more information, see UniFi Protect – Add and manage users .
  3. Verify that you are a verified and active user by going to unifi.ui.com , clicking on your UniFi OS Console, navigating to the Users menu, and checking your user status.
  4. If this doesn’t resolve the issue , delete the custom users and user roles created, reboot the UniFi OS Console, and recreate the users:
    1. Log in to your UniFi OS Console from the Owner account.
    2. Go to unifi.ui.com , click on your UniFi OS Console, navigate to the Users menu, and delete all custom users and user groups. 
    3. Click on the dot grid icon in the top-right corner of the dashboard, navigate to Protect > Roles , and delete all custom user roles. 
    4. Click on the dot grid icon in the top-right corner of the dashboard, click the  Settings > Advanced tab on the left side of the following screen, and click Restart Device .
    5. Once the device reboots, log in again with the Owner account and recreate all desired users, groups, and roles. 

Advanced troubleshooting processes

Check if a WebRTC connection can be established

UniFi Protect uses WebRTC technology to establish connections between your UniFi OS Console and client devices through NAT and firewalls, such as a UniFi gateway, without requiring explicit port forwarding or the revision of firewall rules.

Typically, you won’t need to make any changes to your network, device, or client configurations in order to access Protect locally or remotely.

However, to establish a WebRTC connection needed to access Protect, both networks (i.e., the one that your Protect application connects to and the one that your client device(s) connect to) must meet these requirements:

  • Reliable access to Internet and DNS service
  • Adequate bandwidth for basic connectivity and video transfer
  • Outbound TCP connection capability on Port 443
  • Outbound UDP connection capability on Ports 0–65535

    Note: Port forwarding is not required for TCP or UDP connectivity.
  • A firewall configured to accept solicited, inbound UDP traffic
  • No network security appliances (e.g., IPS) or services blocking WebRTC (e.g., STUN or DTLS)
  • No gateways configured to use Symmetric NAT, which either block peer-to-peer connections, force the use of a relay server (i.e., TURN), or cause said relay to fail

Note: For more information on the technical aspects of WebRTC, please visit webrtc.org .

Troubleshooting WebRTC connection issues caused by Symmetric NAT

Symmetric NAT , while uncommon, can cause issues when establishing WebRTC and other peer-to-peer connections because it does not maintain a 1:1 port mapping ratio for established connections, causing them to fail.

If that happens, WebRTC will attempt to connect via a relay server (i.e., TURN), which will result in either diminished connection quality or outright connection failure.

If you are behind a Symmetric NAT , you can either:

  • Establish a VPN connection between the client and Protect; or
  • Configure your router to a mode other than Symmetric NAT, such as Cone NAT.

The UniFi OS Console hosting your UniFi Protect application will automatically detect and log Symmetric NAT on its side but will be unable to determine the NAT type on the clients’ side.

If you suspect Symmetrical NAT on the console-side connection:

  1. Establish an SSH connection to your UniFi OS Console.
  2. Execute the following command: grep -Ri “symmetric” /srv/unifi-protect/logs

Any results will confirm that the connection failed due to Symmetric NAT.

Troubleshooting issues with a particular network

If you identify connectivity problems within a particular network , focus your troubleshooting efforts there. For example, if you can connect to your business’s Protect deployment from home, but not while at a friend’s house, focus on troubleshooting the latter network.

If you can’t access Protect from any remote location , focus first on the application’s on-site network.

In both cases:

  1. Verify that the UniFi OS Console hosting Protect and all client device(s) have a stable internet connection, including a valid gateway IP and DNS servers. Some DNS providers are known to cause problems, such as 1.1.1.1. Try changing it to Google’s 8.8.8.8.
  2. Verify that selected DNS servers properly resolve the following domains:
    1. Device.svc.ubnt.com
    2. Device.amplifi.com
    3. Global.stun.twilio.com
    4. Global.turn.twilio.com
  3. Review your firewall configuration to ensure it meets the requirements listed in the Check if a WebRTC connection can be established section. If you’ve configured custom firewall rules, try disabling them temporarily to test.
  4. Remove any port forwards for UniFi Protect that may have been configured incorrectly.
  5. Disable any network-level security appliance or service rules intended to block WebRTC’s internal protocols, STUN or DTLS. If you are using a UniFi gateway , the UniFi Intrusion Prevention System (IPS) does not require a specific configuration to prevent WebRTC connectivity blockage.

    Source :
    https://help.ui.com/hc/en-us/articles/360034238233-UniFi-Protect-Optimizing-Camera-Connectivity

What are webhooks?

A simple guide to connecting web apps with webhooks

By Matthew Guay · September 20, 2022

what-are-webhooks primary img

You might have seen webhooks mentioned in your apps’ settings and wondered if they’re something you should use. The answer, in a nutshell, is probably yes.

Webhooks are one way that apps can send automated messages or information to other apps. It’s how PayPal tells your accounting app when your clients pay you, how Twilio routes phone calls to your number, and how WooCommerce can notify you about new orders in Slack.

They’re a simple way your online accounts can “speak” to each other and get notified automatically when something new happens. In many cases, you’ll need to know how to use webhooks if you want to automatically push data from one app to another.

Let’s break it down, learn how to speak webhook, and get your favorite apps to talk to each other.

Here’s what we’ll cover:

What are webhooks?

Example SMS message with a sender, receiver, and message

There are two ways your apps can communicate with each other to share information: polling and webhooks. As one of our customer champion’s friends has explained it: polling is like knocking on your friend’s door and asking if they have any sugar (aka information), but you have to go and ask for it every time you want it. Webhooks are like someone tossing a bag of sugar at your house whenever they buy some. You don’t have to ask—they just automatically punt it over every time it’s available.

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Webhooks are automated messages sent from apps when something happens. They have a message—or payload—and are sent to a unique URL—essentially the app’s phone number or address. Webhooks are almost always faster than polling, and require less work on your end.

They’re much like SMS notifications. Say your bank sends you an SMS when you make a new purchase. You already told the bank your phone number, so they knew where to send the message. They type out “You just spent $10 at NewStore” and send it to your phone number +1-234-567-8900. Something happened at your bank, and you got a message about it. All is well.

Webhooks work the same way.

Example webhook data

Take another look at our example message about a new order. Bob opened your store’s website, added $10 of paper to his shopping cart, and checked out. Boom, something happened, and the app needs to tell you. Time for the webhook.

Wait: who’s the app gonna call? Just like you need to tell the bank your phone number before they can text you, for webhooks, you need to tell the originating app—your eCommerce store, in this case—the webhook URL of the receiving app, the app where you want the data to be sent.

Say you want to make an invoice for this new order. The app that creates this invoice is on the receiving end—it’s the app that needs the order data.

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You’d first open your invoice app, make an invoice template, and copy its webhook URL—something like yourapp.com/data/12345. Then open your eCommerce store app, and add that URL to its webhook settings. That URL is your invoice app’s phone number, essentially. If another app pings that URL (or if you enter the URL in your browser’s address bar), the app will notice that someone is trying to send it data.

Ok. Back to the order. Your eCommerce store got the order and knows it needs to send the details to yourapp.com/data/12345. It then writes the order in a serialization format. The simplest of those formats is called “form-encoded”, and means your customer’s order would look something like this:

Customer=bob&value=10.00&item=paper

Now your eCommerce store needs to send the message. The simplest way to send data to a webhooks URL is with an HTTP GET request. Literally, that means to add the data to the URL and ping the URL (or enter it in your browser’s address bar). The same way you can open Zapier’s about page by typing /about after zapier.com, your apps can send messages to each other by tagging extra text with a question mark on the end of a website address. Here’s the full GET request for our order:

https://yourapp.com/data/12345?Customer=bob&value=10.00&item=paper

Deep inside your invoice app, something dings and says “You’ve got mail!” and the app gets to work, making a new invoice for Bob’s $10 paper order. That’s webhooks in action.

Remember when you had to check your email to see if you had new messages—and how freeing push email (“You’ve got mail!”) was? That’s what webhooks are for your apps. They don’t have to check for new info anymore. Instead, when something happens, they can push the data to each other and not waste their time checking and waiting.

→ Ready to start using webhooks? Jump ahead to skip the geeky details—or keep reading to learn more about the terms you’ll often see used with webhooks.

That’s the simple version. Technically, webhooks are “user-defined callbacks made with HTTP” according to Jeff Lindsay, one of the first people to conceptualize webhooks. Webhooks are data and executable commands sent from one app to another over HTTP instead of through the command line in your computer, formatted in XML, JSON, or form-encoded serialization. They’re called webhooks since they’re software hooks—or functions that run when something happens—that work over the web. And they’re typically secured through obscurity—each user of an application gets a unique, random URL to send webhook data to—though they can optionally be secured with a key or signature.

Webhooks typically are used to connect two different applications. When an event happens on the trigger application, it serializes data about that event and sends it to a webhook URL from the action application—the one you want to do something based on the data from the first application. The action application can then send a callback message, often with an HTTP status code like 302 to let the trigger application know if the data was received successfully or 404 if not.

Webhooks are similar to APIs—but simpler. An API is a full language for an app with functions or calls to add, edit, and retrieve data. The difference is, with an API, you have to do the work yourself. If you build an application that connects to another with an API, your application will need to have ways to ask the other app for new data when it needs it. Webhooks, on the other hand, are for one specific part of an app, and they’re automated. You might have a webhook just for new contacts—and whenever a new contact is added, the application will push the data to the other application’s webhooks URL automatically. It’s a simple, one-to-one connection that runs automatically.

How to use webhooks

Video Thumbnail

You know the lingo, understand how apps can message each other with webhooks, and can even figure out what the serialized data means. You speak webhook.

It’s time to use it. The best way to make sure you understand how webhooks work is to test it out, try making your own webhooks, and see if they work. Or, you can jump ahead and just drop your webhook URL into an app to share data—after all, you don’t have to know how to make webhooks to use them.

Here are the resources you need:

Test webhooks with RequestBin and Postman

The quickest way to learn is to experiment—and it’s best to experiment with something you can’t break. With webhooks, there are two great tools for that: RequestBin (owned by Pipedream) and Postman.

How data appears in Requestbin

How data appears in Requestbin

RequestBin lets you create a webhooks URL and send data to it to see how it’s recognized. Go to RequestBin, click Create a RequestBin, then copy the URL it gives you.You’ll need to have a Pipedream account (created with Google or GitHub) before you can view and use a URL.

Now, serialize some data in form encoded style—or copy our example form copy above. Open a new tab, paste your RequestBin URL in the URL bar, add a ? to the end, then paste your serialized data. You’ll end up with something like this:

https://requestbin.com/19uynve1?customer=bob&value=10.00&item=paper

Press enter in your browser’s address bar, and you’ll get a simple message back: success:true. Refresh your RequestBin tab, and you’ll see the data listed at the bottom as in the screenshot above.

Click REST under INTEGRATIONS to see the data.

Click REST under INTEGRATIONS to see the data.

You can then try sending POST requests in Terminal or from your own app’s code, if you’d like, using RequestBin’s sample code. That’s a bit more complex—but gives you a way to play with JSON or XML encoding, too.

The setup in Postman

The setup in Postman

Or, use another app for that. The app Postman lets you make custom HTTP requests for an easy way to send customized data to a webhooks URL. Enter the URL, then choose the HTTP request method you want to use (GET, POST, PUT, etc), and add the body data. That’ll let you send far more detailed requests to your webhook URL without having to use more code.

Add webhooks to your apps

Testing webhooks and serializing data by hand is tricky—as is copying and pasting data from your apps. Let’s skip both, and just get our apps talking to each other.

We’re using WordPress-powered form tool Gravity Forms and document template-builder app WebMerge as the examples here—but the same general idea works in most other apps that support webhooks. Here’s essentially what you need to do:

Gravity Forms Webhook data

Open your form’s Webhook settings in Gravity Forms

First, enable webhooks in your app if they’re not already and open the webhooks settings (in Gravity Forms, for instance, you need to install an add-on; in Active Campaign or WooCommerce, you’ll find webhooks under the app’s default settings). Your app might have one set of webhook settings for the entire app—or, often, it’ll have a specific webhook for each form, document, or other items the app maintains.

We want the data to come from Gravity Forms, so we’ll open the Webhooks settings under the form we want to use. That gives us a URL field (this lets us tell Gravity Forms where we want to send the data) and options to specify the webhook HTTP request method (how to send the data).

WebMerge webhook

Each WebMerge document template has a unique webhook URL.

Now let’s get that URL from the app that will receive the data—WebMerge, in this case. In WebMerge, each document has its own “merge URL”—and it wants the data in form encoded serialization, as you can tell from the ampersands in the example data. Copy the merge URL—or whatever URL your app offers, as it may have a different name.

Tip: You’ll often find webhook URLs and related settings under the “integration”, “webhook”, or “workflow” settings, depending on your app.

Add webhooks URL to Gravity Forms

Add the webhooks URL to your trigger app so it can share data when something happens

Finally, go back to your trigger app—Gravity Forms in our case—and paste the webhook URL in Gravity Forms’ URL field. You may also be able to set the correct request method and the specific field values to ensure only the data you want is sent, and is shared with the same variable names as the receiving app uses. Save the settings, and you’re good to go.

The next time someone fills out our form that Bob ordered 10.00 of paper, Gravity Forms will send the data to WebMerge’s URL as https://www.webmerge.me/merge/149933/gxszxg?Name=Bob&Item=Paper&Value=10.00 and WebMerge will turn that into a complete invoice.

PayPal IPN

PayPal IPN is very similar to webhooks—and you can add a webhook URL to PayPal to get payment notifications

Once you start using webhooks, you’ll notice them (or similar links) everywhere, in places you never thought they’d show up. PayPal, for instance, uses Instant Payment Notifications or IPNs to send notifications whenever you receive a payment. Have an app that you’d like to do something whenever you get a PayPal payment? Add its webhooks URL to PayPal’s IPN settings and that app will get a message the next time you get money.

Or take Twimlets, Twilio‘s simple apps to forward calls, record voicemail messages, start a conference call, and more. To, say, forward a call, you’ll add a familiar, webhook-style Twimlet address like http://twimlets.com/forward?PhoneNumber=415-555-1212 to your Twilio phone number settings. Want to build your own phone-powered app, or notify another app when a new call comes in? Put your webhook URL in Twilio’s settings instead.

They might go by different names, but once you notice places where apps offer to send notifications to a unique link, you’ll often have found somewhere else webhooks can work. Now that you know how to use webhooks, you can use them to make software do whatever you want.

Use webhooks in any app with Zapier

Many apps on Zapier use webhooks behind the scenes already. You may not realize it, since Zapier apps generally handle all the actual setup for you. If you come across an app that offers webhooks as an option, you can use a webhooks step in a Zap to set that up yourself using what you’ve learned about webhooks. Note: Webhooks by Zapier is a built-in tool only available to Zapier users on a paid plan or during their trial period.

Copy Webhooks URL from Zapier

Say you have an app that can send data to a webhooks URL. To connect it to other apps, you’ll make a new Zap—what we call Zapier’s automated app workflows—and choose Webhooks by Zapier as the trigger app. Select Catch Hook, which can receive a GET, POST, or PUT request from another app. Zapier will give you a unique webhooks URL—copy that, then add it to your app’s webhooks URL field in its settings.

GET requests ask the server for data. POST requests send data to a computer. PUSH requests ask the server for specific data, typically to update it.

Test webhooks in Zapier

Zapier will parse each serialized item from your webhook data

Then have your app test the URL, or perhaps just add a new item (a new form entry, contact, or whatever thing your app makes) to have your app send the data to the webhook. Test the webhook step in Zapier, and you’ll see data from the webhook listed in Zapier.

Use webhooks in action app in Zapier

You can add each data item from your webhook to another app in Zapier

Now you can use that data in another app. Select the action app—the app you want to send data to. You’ll see form fields to add data to that app. Click in the field where you want to add webhooks data and select it from the dropdown. Test your Zap and it’s now ready to use. Now the next time your trigger app sends data to the webhook, Zapier will automatically add it to the action app you selected.

Zapier webhook action

Zapier can send any data you want to a webhooks URL

The reverse works as well. Want to send data from one app to another via webhooks? Zapier can turn the data from the trigger app into a serialized list and send it to any webhooks URL you want.

First, select the trigger app you want to send data from, and set it up in Zapier as normal. Then select Webhooks as the action app, and choose how you want to send the data (POST is typically the best option for most webhook integrations).

Finally, paste the webhooks URL from the app you want to receive the data into the URL field in Zapier’s webhook settings. You can choose how to serialize the data (form or JSON are typically best). Zapier will then automatically send all of the data from your trigger app to the webhook—or you can set the specific data variables from the Data fields below.

Zapier send data to webhook URL

You can specify how Zapier serializes your data and choose the specific data it sends to your webhook

You’re now ready to use your Zap. Now whenever something new happens in your trigger app, Zapier will copy the data and send it to your other app’s webhooks URL.

Webhooks are one of the best ways to connect apps that wouldn’t otherwise work with Zapier. Have a Mac or iPhone app that doesn’t connect with Zapier? Using Alfred or Siri Shortcuts—plus a Zapier Webhooks URL—you can connect them to your Zapier workflows. Here’s how:

Or, automate any other app that uses webhooks with Zapier’s webhook integrations or use one of these popular Zap templates to get started quickly:

Add info to a Google Sheet from new Webhook POST requests

Try it

  • Google Sheets logo
  • Webhooks by Zapier logo

Google Sheets, Webhooks by Zapier

Google Sheets + Webhooks by ZapierMore details

Send webhooks with new items in RSS feeds

Try it

  • RSS by Zapier logo
  • Webhooks by Zapier logo

RSS by Zapier, Webhooks by Zapier

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POST new Facebook Lead Ads to a webhook

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Send emails with new caught webhooks

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POST new user tweets to a webhook

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Time to start using webhooks

Ok, you’ve got this. Armed with your newfound knowledge about webhooks and their confusing terminology, you’re ready to start using them in your work. Poke around your favorite web apps’ advanced settings and see if any of them support webhooks. Think through how you could use them—then give it a shot.

And bookmark this article. Next time you read something about a GET request needing to make an HTTP callback, or see a URL with ?name=bob&value=10 and such at the end, you’ll know what it actually means.

Further Reading: Want to learn more about webhooks? Read up on our Webhooks documentation page for all the details.

Source :
https://zapier.com/blog/what-are-webhooks/

Customer Guidance for Reported Zero-day Vulnerabilities in Microsoft Exchange Server

September 30, 2022 updates:

  • Added link to Microsoft Security blog in Summary.
  • Microsoft created a script for the URL Rewrite mitigation steps and modified step 6 in the Mitigations section.
  • Microsoft released the Exchange Server Emergency Mitigation Service (EMS) mitigation for this issue. More information is in the Mitigations section. 
  • Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI) guidance, and auditing AV exclusions to optimize detection, and blocking of the Exchange vulnerability exploitation in the Detections section.
  • Microsoft Sentinel hunting queries in the Detections section.

Summary

Microsoft is investigating two reported zero-day vulnerabilities affecting Microsoft Exchange Server 2013, Exchange Server 2016, and Exchange Server 2019. The first one, identified as CVE-2022-41040, is a Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) vulnerability, and the second one, identified as CVE-2022-41082, allows Remote Code Execution (RCE) when PowerShell is accessible to the attacker.  

Currently, Microsoft is aware of limited targeted attacks using these two vulnerabilities.  In these attacks, CVE-2022-41040 can enable an authenticated attacker to remotely trigger CVE-2022-41082. It should be noted that authenticated access to the vulnerable Exchange Server is necessary to successfully exploit either vulnerability.

We are working on an accelerated timeline to release a fix. Until then, we’re providing mitigations and the detections guidance below to help customers protect themselves from these attacks. 

Microsoft Exchange Online has detections and mitigations to protect customers. As always, Microsoft is monitoring these detections for malicious activity and we’ll respond accordingly if necessary to protect customers.

Microsoft Security Threat Intelligence teams have provided further analysis of observed activity along with mitigation and detection guidance in a new Microsoft Security blog.

We will also continue to provide updates here to help keep customers informed. 

Mitigations

Exchange Online customers do not need to take any action.

The current Exchange Server mitigation is to add a blocking rule in “IIS Manager -> Default Web Site -> URL Rewrite -> Actions” to block the known attack patterns. Exchange Server customers should review and choose only one of the following three mitigation options.

Option 1: For customers who have the Exchange Server Emergency Mitigation Service (EMS) enabled, Microsoft released the URL Rewrite mitigation for Exchange Server 2016 and Exchange Server 2019. The mitigation will be enabled automatically. Please see this blog post for more information on this service and how to check active mitigations.

Option 2: Microsoft created the following script for the URL Rewrite mitigation steps. https://aka.ms/EOMTv2 

Option 3: Customers can follow the below instructions, which are currently being discussed publicly and are successful in breaking current attack chains. 1. Open IIS Manager. 
2. Select Default Web Site.
3. In the Feature View, click URL Rewrite.

4. In the Actions pane on the right-hand side, click Add Rule(s)…  

5. Select Request Blocking and click OK. 

6. Add the string “.*autodiscover\.json.*\@.*Powershell.*” (excluding quotes).
7. Select Regular Expression under Using.
8. Select Abort Request under How to block and then click OK.

9. Expand the rule and select the rule with the pattern .*autodiscover\.json.*\@.*Powershell.* and click Edit under Conditions. 

10. Change the Condition input from {URL} to {REQUEST_URI}

NOTE: If you need to change any rule it is best to delete and recreate it.

Impact: There is no known effect on Exchange functionality if URL Rewrite is installed as recommended. 

Detections

Microsoft Sentinel 

Based on what we’re seeing in the wild, looking for the techniques listed below will help defenders. Our post on Web Shell Threat Hunting with Microsoft Sentinel also provides guidance on looking for web shells in general.  

The Exchange SSRF Autodiscover ProxyShell detection, which was created in response to ProxyShell, can be used for queries as there are similarities in function with this threat. Also, the new Exchange Server Suspicious File Downloads and Exchange Worker Process Making Remote Call queries specifically look for suspicious downloads or activity in IIS logs. In addition to those, we have a few more that might be helpful when looking for post-exploitation activity:

Microsoft Defender for Endpoint 
Microsoft Defender for Endpoint detects post-exploitation activity. The following alerts can be related to this threat:  

  • Possible web shell installation 
  • Possible IIS web shell
  • Suspicious Exchange Process Execution 
  • Possible exploitation of Exchange Server vulnerabilities 
  • Suspicious processes indicative of a web shell 
  • Possible IIS compromise 

Customers with Microsoft Defender Antivirus enabled can also detect the web shell malware used in exploitation of this vulnerability in-the-wild as of this writing with the following alerts:

  • ‘Chopper’ malware was detected on an IIS Web server 
  • ‘Chopper’ high-severity malware was detected 

Microsoft Defender Antivirus 
Microsoft Exchange AMSI integration and Antivirus Exclusions

Exchange supports the integration with the Antimalware Scan Interface (AMSI) since the June 2021 Quarterly Updates for Exchange. It is highly recommended to ensure these updates are installed and AMSI is working using the guidance provided by the Exchange Team, as this integration provides the best ability for Defender Antivirus to detect and block exploitation of vulnerabilities on Exchange.

Many organizations exclude Exchange directories from antivirus scans for performance reasons. It’s highly recommended to audit AV exclusions on the Exchange systems and assess if they can be removed without impacting performance and still ensure the highest level of protection. Exclusions can be managed via Group Policy, PowerShell, or systems management tools like System Center Configuration Manager.

To audit AV exclusions on an Exchange Server running Defender Antivirus, launch the Get-MpPreference command from an elevated PowerShell prompt.

If exclusions cannot be removed for Exchange processes and folders, running Quick Scan in Defender Antivirus scans Exchange directories and files regardless of exclusions.

Microsoft Defender Antivirus (EPP) provides detections and protections for components and behaviors related to this threat under the following signatures: 

Why Continuous Security Testing is a Must for Organizations Today

The global cybersecurity market is flourishing. Experts at Gartner predict that the end-user spending for the information security and risk management market will grow from $172.5 billion in 2022 to $267.3 billion in 2026.

One big area of spending includes the art of putting cybersecurity defenses under pressure, commonly known as security testing. MarketsandMarkets forecasts the global penetration testing (pentesting) market size is expected to grow at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 13.7% from 2022 to 2027. However, the costs and limitations involved in carrying out a penetration test are already hindering the market growth, and consequently, many cybersecurity professionals are making moves to find an alternative solution.

Pentests aren’t solving cybersecurity pain points

Pentesting can serve specific and important purposes for businesses. For example, prospective customers may ask for the results of one as proof of compliance. However, for certain challenges, this type of security testing methodology isn’t always the best fit.

1 — Continuously changing environments

Securing constantly changing environments within rapidly evolving threat landscapes is particularly difficult. This challenge becomes even more complicated when aligning and managing the business risk of new projects or releases. Since penetration tests focus on one moment in time, the result won’t necessarily be the same the next time you make an update.

2 — Rapid growth

It would be unusual for fast-growing businesses not to experience growing pains. For CISOs, maintaining visibility of their organization’s expanding attack surface can be particularly painful.

According to HelpNetSecurity, 45% of respondents conduct pentests only once or twice per year and 27% do it once per quarter, which is woefully insufficient given how quickly infrastructure and applications change.

3 — Cybersecurity skills shortages

As well as limitations in budgets and resources, finding the available skillsets for internal cybersecurity teams is an ongoing battle. As a result, organizations don’t have the dexterity to spot and promptly remediate specific security vulnerabilities.

While pentests can offer an outsider perspective, often it is just one person performing the test. For some organizations, there is also an issue on trust when relying on the work of just one or two people. Sándor Incze, CISO at CM.com, gives his perspective:

“Not all pentesters are equal. It’s very hard to determine if the pentester you’re hiring is good.”

4 — Cyber threats are evolving

The constant struggle to stay up to date with the latest cyberattack techniques and trends puts media organizations at risk. Hiring specialist skills for every new cyber threat type would be unrealistic and unsustainable.

HelpNetSecurity reported that it takes 71 percent of pentesters one week to one month to conduct a pentest. Then, more than 26 percent of organizations must wait between one to two weeks to get the test results, and 13 percent wait even longer than that. Given the fast pace of threat evolution, this waiting period can leave companies unaware of potential security issues and open to exploitation.

5 — Poor-fitting security testing solutions for agile environments

Continuous development lifecycles don’t align with penetration testing cycles (often performed annually.) Therefore, vulnerabilities mistakenly created during long security testing gaps can remain undiscovered for some time.

Bringing security testing into the 21st-century Impact

Cybersecurity Testing

A proven solution to these challenges is to utilize ethical hacker communities in addition to a standard penetration test. Businesses can rely on the power of these crowds to assist them in their security testing on a continuous basis. A bug bounty program is one of the most common ways to work with ethical hacker communities.

What is a bug bounty program?

Bug bounty programs allow businesses to proactively work with independent security researchers to report bugs through incentivization. Often companies will launch and manage their program through a bug bounty platform, such as Intigriti.

Organizations with high-security maturity may leave their bug bounty program open for all ethical hackers in the platform’s community to contribute to (known as a public program.) However, most businesses begin by working with a smaller pool of security talent through a private program.

How bug bounty programs support continuous security testing structures

While you’ll receive a certificate to say you’re secure at the end of a penetration test, it won’t necessarily mean that’s still the case the next time you make an update. This is where bug bounty programs work well as a follow-up to pentests and enable a continuous security testing program.

The impact of bug bounty program on cybersecurity

By launching a bug bounty program, organizations experience:

  1. More robust protection: Company data, brand, and reputation have additional protection through continuous security testing.
  2. Enabled business goals: Enhanced security posture, leading to a more secure platform for innovation and growth.
  3. Improved productivity: Increased workflow with fewer disruptions to the availability of services. More strategic IT projects that executives have prioritized, with fewer security “fires” to put out.
  4. Increased skills availability: Internal security team’s time is freed by using a community for security testing and triage.
  5. Clearer budget justification: Ability to provide more significant insights into the organization’s security posture to justify and motivate for an adequate security budget.
  6. Improved relationships: Project delays significantly decrease without the reliance on traditional pentests.

Want to know more about setting up and launching a bug bounty program?

Intigriti is the leading European-based platform for bug bounty and ethical hacking. The platform enables organizations to reduce the risk of a cyberattack by allowing Intigriti’s network of security researchers to test their digital assets for vulnerabilities continuously.

If you’re intrigued by what you’ve read and want to know about bug bounty programs, simply schedule a meeting today with one of our experts.

www.intigriti.com

Source :
https://thehackernews.com/2022/09/why-continuous-security-testing-is-must.html

Record DDoS Attack with 25.3 Billion Requests Abused HTTP/2 Multiplexing

Cybersecurity company Imperva has disclosed that it mitigated a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack with a total of over 25.3 billion requests on June 27, 2022.

The “strong attack,” which targeted an unnamed Chinese telecommunications company, is said to have lasted for four hours and peaked at 3.9 million requests per second (RPS).

“Attackers used HTTP/2 multiplexing, or combining multiple packets into one, to send multiple requests at once over individual connections,” Imperva said in a report published on September 19.

The attack was launched from a botnet that comprised nearly 170,000 different IP addresses spanning routers, security cameras, and compromised servers located in more than 180 countries, primarily the U.S., Indonesia, and Brazil.

CyberSecurity

The disclosure also comes as web infrastructure provider Akamai said it fielded a new DDoS assault aimed at a customer based in Eastern Europe on September 12, with attack traffic spiking at 704.8 million packets per second (pps).

The same victim was previously targeted on July 21, 2022, in a similar fashion in which the attack volume ramped up to 853.7 gigabits per second (Gbps) and 659.6 million pps over a period of 14 hours.

Akamai’s Craig Sparling said the company has been “bombarded relentlessly with sophisticated distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks,” indicating that the offensives could be politically motivated in the face of Russia’s ongoing war against Ukraine.

Both the disruptive attempts were UDP flood attacks where the attacker targets and overwhelms arbitrary ports on the target host with User Datagram Protocol (UDP) packets.

CyberSecurity

UDP, being both connectionless and session-less, makes it an ideal networking protocol for handling VoIP traffic. But these same traits can also render it more susceptible to exploitation.

“Without an initial handshake to ensure a legitimate connection, UDP channels can be used to send a large volume of traffic to any host,” NETSCOUT says.

“There are no internal protections that can limit the rate of a UDP flood. As a result, UDP flood DoS attacks are exceptionally dangerous because they can be executed with a limited amount of resources.”

Source :
https://thehackernews.com/2022/09/record-ddos-attack-with-253-billion.html