DIY Alarm using Home Assistant, Konnected, and Sonoff RF Bridge

[@maxkanter4020]

Dr. Zzs, count me in as another vote for an update video. I'd really like to use the new Konnected v2 products in my new home build. At the very least, I'm curious to know how your system is holding up and if you're still using it.

[@aaroncake]

Been following the Konnected project on the HASS forum however there is one major issue with this: no isolation to the ESP8266 pins. ESP8266 is 3V tolerant only and connecting alarm zones to it, even though a series resistor, is absolutely crazy. Problem with stringing out long wires connected to alarm sensors and connecting directly to a processor is that it is trivially easy to damage the processor. Nearby lightening strikes, voltages induced on the wire by nearby power wires, static discharges, shorts, opens, bad grounds and all sorts of issues can fry the ESP8266. That's not even considering malicious tampering. "Real" alarm panels buffer the zones via optoisolation, a buffer IC or multiplexor, etc. so they are fairly rock solid and tolerant of these issues. Consider an ESP9266 connected via 200 foot wire going through a conduit to an out building. Nearby lightening strike = fried processor. Speaking of tampering, as the Konnected eliminates the EOL resistors, it has no way of knowing if a zone has been tampered and the wires shorted. Real alarm systems would instantly detect a tamper. Another thing to consider is that this device has had no regulatory oversight. Real alarms go through multiple approvals before they are allowed to be used in burglary and fire detection. A Konnected device connected to a smoke zone meets no requirements and, I'd wager, would cause some issues with an insurance company. In many cases, alarms are legally required to have a certain amount of backup power. Check the manual for an alarm system. They will specify the runtime needed based on the use; burglary, fire, both. Minimum siren calculations and zone protection charts will be there to help the installer size the battery. Again, could be an insurance problem if the unthinkable were to happen. Ignoring for a bit those issues, the simple lack of processor pin protection makes this device a non-starter. While slightly more expensive, an actual alarm panel is pretty inexpensive (

[@Mrcaffinebean]

I would think the lights and audio would really send them running. That’s very cool.

[@EsotericArctos]

Watching this a year later, there have been a lot of changes. Would you consider doing another video on the newest ways to integrate sensors for an alarm system? It might make a change from the focus everyone seems to have on LED's at the moment.

[@Drew1918]

Good video! I look forward to the possibility of an update.

[@JesseProjects]

If you want to test your "glass break" sensors, you can usually just shake a ring of keys by the window to simulate it (at least, that's how I used to test them 10 years ago when I installed them).

[@mrphyslaw]

Just a thought about your trigger conditions. It is MUCH easier to put everything in a group. This way you can just add new devices to that group whenever you are inevitably changing Home Assistant.

[@James02876]

I love the sentry cannon idea. I've built a small laser turret suitable for playing with the cat. I'm unfamiliar with python, so I wouldn't be much help with your setup, but if you ever have questions about node red I'm happy to share.

[@DrZzs]

Thanks! I really do need to learn nodeRed. Someday....

[@PCman50]

Great video. I had a self monitored alarm system since the 1990's using Caddx NX8 interfaced through Homeseer.. Even used X10 as part the integration. It all worked great until Comcast decided to block the common email port (forgot the port no ) used by millions of people back in the days. Anyway I had ver 1.7 homeseer and it did not allow me to change the email notification port to text me if there was a security breach. Homeseer offered a fix but only if you paid a rather hefty price tag to do a newer complete upgrade, which I did try but was overwhelmed at the complexity of their new version of Homeseer. Then came along newer easier wifi devices, alexa. And yes then Home Assistant. I purchased and was going to use a New DSC security system with an envisalink adaptor that allowed full control of the DSC alarm system including text or email if the system was triggered. This turned out to likewise be very complex to interface, and I'm older now (retired) and don't have the desire or time to fidget with things as much these days, so after spending all the money I put it on hold. Now comes along Konnected and after watching this video looks like a no brainer to just hook that little board up to my existing wired sensors and, sure sounds pretty easy. If Anyone has any pros or cons on using Konnected to monitor their home with I'd love to hear about them.

[@mahmahmahmuh]

That would be port 25 (open relay) - and yes, it was a good move by Comcast and everyone else to shut it. Port 25 was a spammers delight ;-)

[@PCman50]

@@mahmahmahmuh yes thank you, you are correct it's been awhile. For a year or two there was a free service that would forward port 25 to the Comcast port somehow and I could still make it work. But it one day disappeared. That said Homeseer is not open source or such a simple thing would have been resolved. Home Assistant is amazing in features, and the community has resolved any problem I've ever had.

[@dad311]

Great video. I had the same issue, old alarm system that didn't work. I replaced my system with an $150.00 Honeywell system and then added an Ensisalink interface which will interface with HA. I now have full access to all the wired sensors. I pay $8.99 a month for monitoring. The reason I went this route is because my home insurance co gives me $250.00 credit each year for having a MONITORED system, so it pays for itself!

[@areks4397]

I honestly can't understand how people monitor themselves. For me it's quite counter intuitive. I want someone to be alert at all times because I can't. I sleep, I work, I get drunk, I go out of city, etc. But to each their own I guess!

[@dad311]

@@areks4397 I dont monitor myself. I do monitor the front and back doors, garage doors and the back patio. With the cams and HA, I always know the status of everything at my house.

[@areks4397]

@@dad311 I know, I was just "chatting" about how people monitor themselves instead of paying other companies like you and I do. Sorry if it wasn't a welcomed comment.

[@DrZzs]

I think most of the alarm system monitoring companies are WAY over charging for what they do. And that is evidenced by how eager they are to sell you the monitoring service. I don't fault anyone for wanting someone else to monitor their system. But for me, either I'll monitor it or no one will. So, I'm glad I can do it myself :) All comments are welcome :)

[@dad311]

I agree alarm monitoring can be expensive, free this and free that, then $30 a month forever. However, if monitoring is 8.99 a month and your insurance co gives a discount, then it becomes free or better than free! Also with Invisalink you can also have full integration with HA with all the bells and whistles.

[@adamhowley8037]

I like how you put it in the secrets file. You know almost every livestream we get to see a password or API token haha

[@DrZzs]

haha! ya, we're all family here! I can share my pw's freely :)

[@davegilmore2564]

When you get the Huckleberry working, you have to be sure to add an audio clip of deep machine gun fire playing through all of your speakers as it fires.

[@ThatGuyOG_Rust]

Nice video. Currently I’m switching from smart things to home assistant. I’m hoping I can set up my alarm panel a bit like how I have my smart things alarm set up that as soon as the last person leaves our house the alarm arms as soon as one of those persons return home the alarm disarmed. Sensually no one that lives in the home will need to arm or disarm the alarm

[@infernoerrooke]

I happened to pause the video at just the right moment. I have a screen cap of @drzzs sleeping.on the job!

[@DrZzs]

I wann see it!

[@infernoerrooke]

imgur.com/a/boLwkL1

[@demps7765]

Doc, you Rock my man. That is so awesome. Thanks for all that you do with this.

[@DrZzs]

Thank you for your help too! And thanks for contributing during the streams!

[@nics8040]

@@DrZzs where can you get free siren mp3's?

[@scottinokc]

Get out of my head, Doc! I've been working on something similar and this was just the info I needed to finish.

[@DrZzs]

Perfect! Still tuned into the same "Genius Inspiration" EPS channel!

[@JD12ish]

Help: I need a gas sensor with 433MHz capability that is compatible with the Sonoff RF Bridge. Any ideas on a specific make+model would be vastly appreciated.

[@stevew7291]

Great video! (and that's coming from an old (very old) TV News guy, back in the day.) I'm a newbie to the home automation world. I moving into a new home in a few weeks. I'm told that it is "pre-wired" for an alarm system, although I haven't seen it yet. Can you point me in the right direction for info on the following: 1) I'm good with your explanation on setting up home automation with Home Assistant and Konnected. 2) Likewise with adding an alarm system with sensors, motion detectors, etc. 3) What I need is info on is adding security cameras into the mix. I'm looking at Lorex and/or Reolink for outside cameras. Can those be added to Home Assistant? I'm especially interested in triggering them to start recording should an alarm senor trip. Thanks in advance for your help! BTW. I find it amazing on how professional monitoring companies promote how fast they respond to an alarm. What most people don't realize is that the real problem is how long it takes the police to get to your home. Home alarm activation calls are always a LOW priority for police departments (unless your Bill Gates or other 1%'ers) Response time can take anywhere from 15 - 60+ minutes or longer. Cheers.

[@DrZzs]

cool, thanks! I don't know those camera brands exactly, but generally what you'll want is some sort of NVR software that can aggregate any kind of camera. BlueIris is a very good one. It's $60 but for what you get that's not a bad price. You'll need a decent computer to run it on. Something older and used is fine, but it will need to be on all the time. Another option is MotionEye, which has an addon for Hassio. It's not as feature rich as BlueIris, but it does the same work and is pretty easy to use. If you run it as an addon you'll be running it on the same computer as your Home Assistant, so that would need to be something more than just an Rpi. Once you get your cameras into something like BI or ME you can get motion to trigger automations in HA, or to record on the cameras, or whatever else you can imagine. Quindor (Intermit Tech) is more of a camera pro than I am. He'll tell you to get wired cameras (Power over Ethernet). That's good advice, especially if you're building a house. You'll want to make sure they run network cable to the locations where you'll want to put the cameras before they finish building though, or you'll be mostly stuck with wifi cameras (like me). Hope that helps!

[@TrillasAdventures]

konnected has been on my list for a while!

[@DrZzs]

Now's the time. Nate does have the code on github, but what you're really buying is the custom board with terminals and power connection and such to attach the sensors.

[@TrillasAdventures]

thanks i commented on one of your other videos about the sonoffs.. the units i just recieved came with firmware 1.6.0.. and is failing to create final state ssid ota. Am i stuck doing the usb method to upgrade to tasmota or should i use firmware 2.6.0? furthermore they are V1 boards so i need one of those nice headers to fit into the holes in the board?

[@MartinPugh]

Hi DrZzs, any reason for not using the Konnected component instead of the manual alarm component? I get using the manual alarm if you've used the Sonoff approach but with the Konnected boards would you not be better using the component?

[@thegoonspot]

Konnected just connects the sensors to home assistant. the manual alarm uses the sensors to automate the switched deices (ie alarm siren)

[@fbarberi]

It would be great to be able to integrate a 4x4 physical keyboard via esphome to activate or deactivate the alarm or send different codes to trigger notifications (I bought one and I can't get it to work, I'll wait for your video Dr.!).

[@durranels6148]

Nice explanation DrZzs. Two questions: have you managed to convert this to Node red yet and arm and disarm get notifications) off an apple watch?

[@ianhird85]

Hello I really like your videos easy to follow and understand, just a quick question is there a way when the alarm is not armed I could control my smart bulbs with the same PIR sensors I.E when I walk I to room the light come on

[@DrZzs]

Thanks! yes, you can do that with automations. The trigger would be the same, but the action in the automation would be switch.turn_on, and then the name of the switch as the entity_id. That's probably not the most helpful explanation. Use the automations I have here as a starting point and do some experimenting. You could also try using the Automations editor if you're worried about knowing the right yaml formatting. They've been trying to make it easier to use for beginners.

[@chaibas5891]

Awesome video! Did you make your alarm soundtrack yourself? Would you share it for others?

[@gregkohl9275]

Great video. I got everything to work and to trigger my siren from an old school alarm system I had in the house. Only issue was when I disarmed the siren didn't stop. Assuming I would need an automation when in a state of disarm to turn off that switch?

[@DrZzs]

Ah yes. I shoulda done that.

[@randolphleary5336]

That's exactly what I need. I need my professional monitoring company to still receive the radio signal from my old alarm panel... Is your old alarm panel being triggered, thereby turning on the siren or are you just triggering the siren directly via home assistant-> konnected?

[@Banjoba]

I'm interested to see if you still have this working in your home?

[@ChiragChaudhari]

DrZzs I know this video is a bit older but It helped me get my alarm and siren going in no time. However, I am unable to... 1. After the " trigger_time: xxx " is expired the alarm goes back to ARMED_X state but does not TRIGGER again. 2. If anyone of those Trigger Sensor is in ON state prior to ARMING of the alarm, they do NOT trigger the alarm. And how can I tell those snakes to back (turn of siren) after the triggered alarm is DISARMED?

[@ForwardEngineering]

Does this still apply to the 2020 latest konnected board? I have a rpi4 and konnected 6 zone board. Its added to home assistant but from most of the things im reading it supposed to be much simpler to add as I have all my binary sensors in the system is there no alarm panel that can just utilize and select the binary sensors and use them via GUI config?

[@marcmysterio8682]

Great video mate , always something new, keep them coming.. 👏👏👏

[@DrZzs]

Thanks!

[@alexandrostzakis9789]

Hello! I followed your guide and everything went smooth. I have a nodemcu with konnected firmware (DIY). I use pin D1,D2,D5,D6,D7,RX to each zone to my main alarm panel. (Parallel connection, main alarm panel is working). The problem is that the zone connected from my alarm panel to pin "RX" interferes with sensor state on my alarm keypad when node mcu goes out of power. Example : Alarm keypad shows zone 6 as open. Zone 6 from alarm panel is also connected to pin "RX" on node mcu. Home assistant also shows zone 6 as open. (which is good). Now, if node mcu goes out of power my alarm keypad shows the zone 6 as closed! Every other zone that is connected to pins D1,D2 etc. does not change the sensor state on my alarm keypad. It doesnt matter if node mcu is powered on or off etc. Do you have any clue why is this happening? Sorry for my English. It is not my native language.

[@Mrcaffinebean]

So random strange question. Can I change the panel in love lace if the alarm is triggered? My thought being that I don’t want to allow an intruder to access my lights and such when the alarm is triggered.

[@prashanthjayaram4949]

Hi Drzzs.. I tried your tutorial and it works. I have a question. When I am arming the alarm, if there is any door or window open, is there any way to send a tts alerting me to make sure to close ? Right now I can arm even though a window is open. And I don't have a way of making the alarm trigger in this scenario. In other words I need to see if there is a pre-trigger state when I put the code and arm the alarm.. thanks again for your help

[@DrZzs]

good question. I don't know if there is something like that built into the Alarm Panel component, but I'm sure you could do it with some creative automation. Probably the way to do it would be to make an automation that is triggered whenever the alarm panel entity enters one of the armed states. Then set a condition for each door/window sensor, that if any of them are open the automation continues and sends you a message. You could probably make a template that would also enter the name of the sensor that is open into the message it sends. I'm sure this is possible, I'm not sure exactly how to write that automation. Do some tinkering, look for some examples and maybe ask in the Home Assistant server on discord for some help with the Template part. Hope that helps!

[@victorarrocha453]

@@DrZzs Hello DrZzs, as expected, very good videos always..!!! I´m a new Home Assistant user.....do you find a solution to avoid arm the system is any door or windows is open? I will appreciate your comments. Regards!

[@Parrot4859]

Wouldn't it be possible to group the sensors in groups.yaml to make the automations easier? Also a big thanks for this video!!! I love it

[@DrZzs]

yes probably. I can't claim to be the most efficient automation writer. If you have an example send it to me and I'll include it with mine for others to use.

[@markmacmurdo5897]

Great video. Thanks for making!

[@DrZzs]

You're welcome. A lot has changed. I think an update video would be good. Maybe someday.

[@aamrani]

Awesome as usual! Any idea where to find siren/beacon as the ones showed in the thumbnail ?

[@DrZzs]

amzn.to/2RTA6gN I'm actually kinda surprised you can buy fake police lights to put in your car. What I did is use our RGB programmable LEDs and just set them to the "Police All" effect. You could use something like RGB bulbs too.

[@hebardhome4936]

Do you have any examples for a script or automation that checks to see if all the appropriate sensors are in the appropriate state for the alarm to work, before arming. I.e. windows and doors closed...

[@MoAnwar]

I love your videos!!! Thank you for making it easy for us mortals.

[@adtwomey]

I really did know I could do some this like this. anyway 1. Can I use my old key pad and HA key pad. 2. now my motion sensors can in HA can I use it of other thing?? nice video by the way.

[@DrZzs]

Thanks! yes if you get your sensors in HA you can use them for other things (in my examples I used them for garage lights turning on with motion). I don't know about your existing keypad. It might be possible to use it with HA, but it also might be more trouble than it's worth. Sorry I wouldn't know much else about how to do that.

[@lucasch.159]

This is F...ing awsome. I will be back for that video, once I get all the parts (xiaomi gateway and Zeegbee door contacts and motion sensors.

[@DrZzs]

Awesome! Thanks I'd like to hear how you like the Xiaomi gateway and zigbee. Let us know how it goes!

[@lucasch.159]

@@DrZzs Sure do. Stay tuned at your Facebook group, because more than likely something will not work as expected, as I will need some assistance and advice anyway. 😉

[@DrZzs]

:) I'll try fortunately there are a lot of really smart dudes in there all the time that'll probably help you before I even get the chance.

[@adrianbishop694]

This is actually what i use for my alarm system, 2 gateways and multiple zigbee sensors. The gateways can be used to play the siren sounds also. i also use the Yet another alarm panel, this has a few more options than the manual alarm panel and is controlled in the same way

[@lucasch.159]

@@adrianbishop694 That's cool. Are you member of DrZzs Facebook group? I am asking in case I would need some support. I also have plans to implement in further future (apart from alarm panel with keypad) something like nfc reader or fob reader to arm/disarm my "alarm".

[@mrFractures]

We share the same goals in life... remote controlled Nerf machine gun. That's something worth pursuing. This week I added a MQTT based control panel to my envisalink/DSC alarm system. I used the MQTT manual alarm component in HA and the MQTT Alarm Control Panel app by ThanksMister installed on a cheap Fire tablet. So far is working great.

[@DrZzs]

Fantastic! I won't give up on the Huckleberry. I might need to re-think the controls a bit, but eventually I'll get it working :)

[@chrispeterson6941]

Awesome! I’ve been wanting for this!

[@DrZzs]

I did it for you man! (and Luis :)

[@chrispeterson6941]

DrZzs Your awesome thanks for everything!!

[@filippomazzetto3740]

Cosa devo impostare su actions e service per far suonare la sirena collegata su D8 invece delle notifiche ? Quale e ' il codice ?

[@adamhodson8337]

Great video, how do you specify which devices only trigger in arm home mode?

[@DrZzs]

good idea! So you maybe wouldn't include motion sensors for example? You'd change the conditions so the automation with all the triggers has the condition that the alarm be "armed_away" and then make another similar automation (just copy and change the alias), but leave out the sensors you don't want to trigger when it's in armed_home. Then set the condition so the alarm has to be in the "armed_home" state for those to work. That's a really good idea. I hadn't thought of that. The way I have it, if someone wanders around the house in the middle of the night, they would set off the motion detectors and sound the alarm. That'd be bad. If you need an example of that automation let me know. I could add it to the "gist". Thanks!

[@adamhodson8337]

@@DrZzs awesome! Well I'm just about to start my Home Assistant journey after watching probably 90% of your videos I feel confident I can achieve most things. I've been a long time reader of the community. RPI3 and Hass.io this weekend! I'll let you know if I need an automation example set!

[@DrZzs]

Awesome! Welcome aboard Adam! We're here if you get stuck.

[@jongriffith4293]

So, let's presume we have no pre-wired security system in our 1973 home. Would we still use the Konnected system or would we just create our own switches and sensors?

[@DrZzs]

Yes. I’d use the Sonoff RF bridge and some of those 2 code door sensors. There are links in the description and I’ve got a video about how to get them setup with TASMOTA and Home Assistant linked in the video also. Hope that helps!

[@anonomas7123]

is it possible too disarm the alarm when a known device connects to wifi?

[@sanyak1973]

you're my inspiration to make my own HA ^^

[@DrZzs]

Awesome!

[@garymcleanuk]

Can you use this system to use your existing sensors as presenter detectors while the alarm is disarmed. I.e. it’s night time, someone walks into a room and sets the PIR sensor off, thus turning on the rooms lights etc. Something I’ve been looking st combining all in one.

[@DrZzs]

yes you sure can. That's similar to what I did with our garage door lights and the tts message that plays if someone leaves the backdoor open. Having door and motion sensors can be very useful for a lot of things besides the alarm system. You can look at my example Automations for the garage lights in my automations.yaml github.com/Snipercaine/DrZzs-HA

[@mrteausaable]

Hello, do you have a video cover how to setup Alexa to speech and control switches just like your examples?

[@DrZzs]

I do, but it is out-dated badly. Here's the most recent instructions on how to set-up Alexa as a media player: community.home-assistant.io/t/echo-devices-alexa-as-media-player-testers-needed/58639/201 Once you have that setup you can use the "media_player.alexa_tts" service like I did in these examples. I need to do another video about setting up Alexa Media Player. It is pretty simple though. Follow Keaton's instructions from that link. Everything you need is there.

[@SauRoNZA]

Hi +DrZzs have you got any advice for using a Sonoff SV to hookup to an alarm system (Paradox/Spectra 1738) and use the PGM outputs to get the current status of the system while also triggering the alarm using the relay? I am as far as needing to configured the relay in "dry contact" mode and using the keyswitch function on the alarm, where I'm lost is how to get the status out using the PGM and how to wire it exactly.

[@DrZzs]

That's an interesting use for the SV. I don't know much about PGM, but I expect the way to use it as a state monitor would be to connect one wire to one of the free GPIO pins on the SV, connect the other to ground. Then in Tasmota (assuming you're using Tasmota) set that GPIO pin as a switch. You'd then have to look in the Console and see what pops up when the PGM signal changes. Then use that output in Home Assistant to setup a binary_sensor that would indicate the state of your alarm. I know that's a little vague and probably doesn't give you enough detail, but that's where I would start. No promise it will work. Sorry I don't have a more sure solution for you.

[@SauRoNZA]

@@DrZzs yeah my suspicion is the same to do it much like you've done it in the videos with the reed switches as it should be of similar use. I just thought I'd ask if you've dabbled with it before struggling down a rabbit hole. Down here in South Africa I'm pretty sure my alarm company is getting the status as well as the zone of the alarm when trigger over PGM to their radio relay. I'm hoping if I bridge into that already configured PGM nothing explodes and that I can get the same information out. So yeah the idea is to get "status" over PGM and then use the relay connected to the "switch/button" on the alarm board to arm/disarm. Presently I have RF remote to do that so it should be pretty simple. Tasmota + Home Assistant for damn sure. Will let you know if I succeed, maybe get to it over the holidays once I find a working soldering iron since mine has magically seen it's tips disappear. **** Konnected seems like a great alternative to replacing my problem but I suspect my insurance company combined with armed response won't like it.

[@mikefarm9851]

@@SauRoNZA Hi, SauRonZA, today, I joined one of DrZzs KZbin channel looking for insight as I have the same setup as you (old Napco Xpress 600 - very little telemetry/msg) that I've program the PGM to output when the panel is Armed. Note, that the Napco will put out a +12V between the PGM/Ground pin. Most of the application that uses the ES board is either 3.3V or 5V. I've asked the forum, and they say to get a NodeMCU that can sense 3.3V and can interact with HomeAssistant. I have that on order. For now, to check if the panel is armed, what I do is feed the 12V to a 12V relay, that turns on the High Voltage (120v here in the US). And I have a IP camera connected to that high voltage line so it boots up when the alarm is armed and I can monitor it with my IP camera app. If I can see image, it means the panel is arm (it trigger the HV relay, powering on the camera) - poor man monitoring. You can put a lamp onto the, but there is no way to monitor it remotely.

[@vaughanza]

Another great video, thanks

[@DrZzs]

You are very welcome Vaughan!

[@CharudattUplap]

Is Konnected project , a open source project ? any place I can find schematic for this project for a DIY idea

[@DrZzs]

Here's the github for Konnected. github.com/konnected-io/konnected-security Good luck!

[@BrandonKeilman]

How do you make Alexa speak from HA? I'm sure I'm missing something easy. Awesome vids as always

[@BrandonKeilman]

A little peeking in your configs and I saw what you were calling. github.com/keatontaylor/custom_components/blob/master/media_player/alexa.py VERY cool and easy to set up. Question, did you have to enter the captcha? And if so, how long does that last for?

[@DrZzs]

yes you do have to do the captcha. it seems to last a couple months at least. I have had to redo it once since I first installed it, but I'm not sure if it expired or if it was a change in the alexa.py script.

[@areks4397]

I have an alarm system that uses cellular connection as backup. Those who use HA as an alarm system, how do you account for a thief cutting your wires or messing with your home's electricity? That's the main thing stopping me from using HA as an alarmsystem.

[@DrZzs]

good questions. My power panel is inside the house so no one can get to the panel and cut the power without triggering the alarm. My first idea would be to have a battery back-up on the machine running your HA (and your router). That would keep the alarm alive if the power was out to everything else. There are battery hats you can put on an rpi. I don't know how good they might be. Another thing you could do is set an automation that would trigger if the Konnected board (or whatever you use as an alarm hub) becomes "unavailable". That would still require battery backup of some kind. If we come up with some good examples of some kind of Tamper-proof automation I'll post it.

[@areks4397]

@@DrZzs Thanks a lot! I don't know how the thief work in the US, but here they often cut power and internet from outside (mfers....) that's why GSM alarms are reasonably popular here, it's a lot harder to mess them up from the outside. I'll stay tuned, thanks for all the content you upload!

[@Fourtrax01]

I have a battery backup for my network home assistant and everything the alarm needs so they would have to cut my internet to do any good. the alarm would still go off i just wouldn't be notified on my phone wherever I am.

[@Tensopiseth]

so can you using voice control? after i update HASSIO i still can't find the way to using voice control.

[@pangit9999]

You should set up a HA Switch plate by your front door to arm and disarm the alarm

[@DrZzs]

you're dang right I should! I've got all the parts finally so I'll be building my first real HASP tomorrow. Very excited!

[@nicolapassarelli7880]

Good, but a guide for alarm only a hass, rfbridge and binarysensor ?? Tanks

[@DrZzs]

Thanks! Check out the video. There's a link in that section of the video. Or here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/hZe2k3x8fq-Dq8U just to make it easier for you :)

[@StewartAlbert]

great explanation. you're hilarious!

[@jaimepetralanda8146]

Can I put multiple codes as pin like a rf control, like the ones they sell online that look like car alarm

[@DrZzs]

I do believe you can have more than one pin. I don't know if you can directly use an RF code, but if you have an RF bridge you can set an automation that arms or disarms the alarm when you press the button on the remote, just like a car. Hope that helps!

[@charlesromney]

Does anyone knows of a siren device for the alarm system?

[@OldCurmudgeon3DP]

Is it just me or is the audio delayed about 250ms? Now to get HA to read from existing Honeywell wireless devices. Yep, P.I.C.N.I.C. problem in chair not in computer. Or vice versa.

[@Alexxxxxx19]

I had the alarm panel on my configuration.yaml, and it just dotn show up...

[@studi0z]

you're awesome ! keep up this amazing videos

[@DrZzs]

Thanks man!

[@studi0z]

@@DrZzs you Rock ! just ordered Konnected

[@koenzele9579]

please make a video about the ha switch plate

[@DrZzs]

it's in the works. Might be the next one I put out depending on how fast I can get it working for myself.

[@JohnWeland]

Hell yeah!

[@DrZzs]

Thanks Johnny!

[@jackcoats4146]

I have an un-monitored IRIS system. But how could I migrate this system to HA? Any sugestions is appreciated!

[@DrZzs]

Tell me some more about your system and I'll give you my best guess at getting it working in HA. If it has wired sensors, then I'd recommend Konnected. If it's wireless, then you may be able to find the frequency and use a bridge (sonoff or something else) to intercept the codes and send them to Home Assistant.

[@jackcoats4146]

@@DrZzs - what I have is a fairly long list. It is an Iris by Lowe's system, that is self monitored (I hate paying other folks for services I can provide myself). It does home automation for us also (lights on/of, thermostat control, etc). All the sensors are wireless (mainly zigbee and z-wave). Iris Hub version 2. Pretty reliable. It plugs in wired to my switch and talks wireless to zigbee and z-wave. Also does some wifi, not sure if it is native or through my wifi switch. -- it has some builtin battery backup, and optional cell modem for backup network connection (I don't use). 2 glass break sensors (Utilitech Glass Break Sensor), many contact sensors (several windows and 2 doors, also give temperature info, called Iris Contact Sensors - magnet on one side, reed switch with controller/battery on the other), 2 wireless controls for garden hoses by Orbit (seasonal, I bring them in once things get cold), a couple of door hinge sensors by NYCE, several Iris Smart Plugs, a NYCE Tilt Sensor on the garage door, a NYCE Door Hinge - I had 3, now down to one because they eat batteries if on outside doors, I think the temp gets to them). one Utilitech Indoor Siren (I just wish I put it where I could use AC rather than batteries all the time), two Iris Smart Fob that I just leave in the cars, so they are sensed when I get in the driveway, They also have 4 programmable buttons on them. Iris Keypad to turn the alarm state of the system on/off manually, as well as the Iris App on phones (iPhone and Android - also allow remote monitoring). We have 3 samsung cameras that are wifi, but not connected to Iris, use via a Samsung app called SmartCam a FING network monitor (FING.IO) that does a good job at telling me who is at the house (because their wifi connected phone is there, or not. the Fing also monitors the network connection and does logging. Great system, just not connected to the overall system). And if I was dreaming, I would also like to integrate my PLEX system (see plex.tv but that is a whole additional bag of worms). In addition I use AcuRite weather station for complete weather station functions, and 3 sensors in hard to reach places with it that log humidity and temperaturs, but all that goes through AcuRite.com. Also has some control for on/off via Amazon Alexa. 3 in this house. Since there is quite an investment, I don't want to throw it all away, but I would like to migrate to HA. Thanks for the interest

[@DrZzs]

holy cow! You do have quite the system already! First step might be sifting through the available components in the Home Assistant docs to see if there are already some integrations available (you probably already looked ): www.home-assistant.io/components I just did a quick search for you but didn't find anything for Iris, Utilitech, Orbit, AcuRite, or NYCE. Man, over 1200 components compatible with Home Assistant, and you managed to have 5 that aren't! So you may have to get a little more hackish to get them to play with Home Assistant. There are certainly ways to get Zigbee and Z-wave devices working with Home Assistant. You can find those on the Components page. For the rest I guess I'd suggest posting in the Home Assistant Forums. And see if anyone else is working on getting those branded devices working with HA. If you're really lucky some of them might use simple codes on a common frequency (like 433) that could be snagged with a Bridge and brought into HA that way. You can always put in the request with the developers to create those components, and depending on your skills you may be able to help create those components. Good Luck!

[@jackcoats4146]

@@DrZzs -- Thanks for the hint for where to go... I enjoy your videos. Keep it up! .. Take care.

[@dannytech4709]

Muy Bueno ! Rambo 😀 !

[@Gaatech]

Has anybody just used a NODE MCU without the Konnected board and got is working. I have and can get the board to sense a door opening but cant get the alarm to sound. Under switches i have a siren which manually turn the buzzer connected to pin D8 on

[@dison4linux]

Does the NodeMCU have enough current to drive the buzzer? I have my NodeMCU connected to a relay which switches 12V on/off to a traditional Elk hard wired alarm siren.

[@Gaatech]

@@dison4linux only testing with a small pcb type 5v buzzer of now. It works as i can turn the buzzer on and off through HA switch.

[@lancetroutt3567]

Can you do multiple codes for different people?

[@DrZzs]

Good question. I don't think so. There is something about templates for the codes, so maybe that's a route to try. www.home-assistant.io/components/alarm_control_panel.manual/#armed_custom_bypassarmed_homearmed_awayarmed_nightdisarmedtriggered

[@markopl96]

That's all rly cool but this system has one huge security vulnerability. You can use wifi jammer to block wireless communication and Your system is dead. You should never use wireless communication with security alarm, ofc sometimes you don't have other option. So you can change it to wired ethernet or at least add new functionality to ha so ha can ping that nodemcu and if it's not responding its notify You.

[@DrZzs]

good point. I don't have anything in my house valuable enough to attract thieves sophisticated enough to bring a wifi jammer. I store my diamonds in a secret vault. Even I don't know where it is ;) That is a good idea to set something in HA so it will notify you if it can't reach the Konnected board. There are certainly times when the wifi just drops for no good reason. It would be nice to know if the alarm isn't working during those times. Do you have an example of what that automation would look like? I haven't used something like that before. Thanks!

[@markopl96]

@@DrZzs Of Course, I do(partially) :P I'm doing it like that. in device_tracker add: - platform: ping hosts: ping_device_name: IP in known_devices add or this should be added automatically after restart: ping_device_name: hide_if_away: false icon: mac: name: my_pc #for example picture: track: true In sensors: - platform: template sensors: sensor_name: value_template: '{% if is_state("device_tracker.ping_device_name", "home") %}online{% else %}offline{% endif %}' #this will map the status from device tracker home/away to online/offline And in customize: device_tracker.ping_device_name: hidden: true #becoluse we don't need to see this entity sensor.sensor_name: friendly_name: "Friendly name if you like" --------------------- 'ping_device_name' and 'sensor_name' - names of entities can be whatever you like Hopefully, I don't forgot anything. This should give you a sensor with online/offline state. I'm not using it for any automation yet so can't help You there, but I believe its gonna be like any other automation. Hope You found it helpful. If got any questions feel free to contact me :). Thanks for great videos. Regards from Poland Marek

[@justatiger6268]

I'm waiting for the video tutorial on how to connect my miniguns to my home-automation network.

[@ericastanton2010]

what is the api host? Is that the ip address of Hassio on virtual box?

[@DrZzs]

yes, it should be the ip address of your hassio

[@jandrop6431]

don´t you need a script to stop the alarm and all the events?

[@DrZzs]

The disarm service stops it.

[@tomexplorador855]

have you used Siri to arm and disarm the alarm?

[@DrZzs]

I have not. It might be possible, but you'd probably have to trick Siri (or Alexa, or Google Home). They have some security measures when it comes to locks and things so that a robber doesn't just tell them to unlock or disarm.

[@MauricioReyno]

What happens if the intruder say “Alexa, sound off” or “set volume to 0%”?

[@sethkazzim731]

will they know it is coming from Alexa?

[@BrunoHorta]

hahaha, i love the snakes part :) very video cool man

[@DrZzs]

Thanks! I couldn't find a good clip of someone dumping snakes on someone else. I'll just have to film that myself and add it later :)

[@BrunoHorta]

@@DrZzs ehhehe :) TOP TOP TOP

[@gregkohl9275]

Has anyone else have an issue with an alarm code that starts with a zero?The log shows an invalid passcode but once I use a code that doesn’t start with zero I am good.

[@TheNightbodom]

I notice this issue. You have to put passcode in ' ' like '0123' and it will work with zero first digit.

[@nikolab5353]

I want to start publishing videos about Home Assistant and Automation but I need some "cool" name. Does someone have any good one?

[@DrZzs]

Nikola isn't a bad name to use. Reminds everyone of Prof Tesla. And he was awesome!

[@halidsalih3102]

Hi, Thanks for the video How do I create a secret file containing the secret code?

[@halidsalih3102]

thanks I found the answer here www.home-assistant.io/docs/configuration/secrets/

[@ronm6585]

Thanks, good video. Lol, snakes?

[@ryanmilne1987]

Just seeing a head is stressing me out!

[@MinhPhamGators]

Your head is a little green in this episode. Green background?

[@DrZzs]

Could be. I don't recall. I might have been sick :)

[@MinhPhamGators]

@@DrZzs Just wanted to make sure that it's not the Sonoff that's causing it, because I'm ordering a bag full of those things to play with.

[@TulioCamargo179]

ah you NEED to know NodeRED...for real...pfsense too...great pieces of software

[@DrZzs]

I know, I'm behind the times... I keep saying I'll take some time to learn nodered but I still haven't. I haven't tried pfsense at all yet. I'll look into that. Thanks!

[@djvincon]

@@DrZzs pfSense is the freaking shitniz... Total network control for nerds.

[@SomeoneElseInTheComments]

Okay, it didn't check out. ( 3:55 ) Now what? Window is reporting closed 100% of the time.

[@DrZzs]

time to trouble shoot that sensor. Start with the mechanical stuff. When you open the window do you loose continuity between the wires going to that sensor? If the sensor seems to be working then what do you have the sensor connected to? is it connected to a Konnected board or something else? When you ground the contact where the sensor is connected to the board does the window change states? If not then the problem is either the board or its connection to home assistant. I can't remember now if there's a UI for the Konnected boards. I'm kinda thinking there isn't. So you may have to just jump to checking the Konnected board's connection to Home Assistant. Are there any sensors on the Konnected board that change states when you open/close the sensors? Are there any errors in the logs? If everything seems like it should be communicating but it isn't, there may be an issue if with the two communicating on your LAN. I don't know much else about it except it can be a problem in some cases. help.konnected.io/support/solutions/articles/32000023964-set-up-hass-io-with-secure-remote-access-using-duckdns-and-nginx-proxy Even if you're not using Konnected, the trouble shooting steps are the same: make sure the sensor is working make sure the sensor is communicating with whatever device is sending the signal to HA make sure that device (Konnected or otherwise) is communicating with HA Somewhere along the line you should discover where the breakdown is. Then it's just a small matter of finding the solution :) Hope that helps.

[@StephenCable]

Snakes.... Why does it always have to be snakes....

[@DrZzs]

yes! I was tempted to put several Indiana Jones references in this video. Ultimately I settled on including the location where his hatred of snakes began. Nicely done!

[@justmyownstuff]

HA controlled door guard: kzbin.info/www/bejne/gqa8Ypp6eJKfa5I