I have migrated over to the SmartThings Home Monitor in the new Connect app and got around some of the SmartThings Home Monitor’s restrictions/limitations with this setup.
First, I use a Virtual Switch named ‘Home Security’ for setting the SmartThings Home Monitor mode which then sets the Home & Night Location modes. I also use the ‘Home Security’ Virtual Switch so I can use Alexa or Google Home voice commands to enable Armed Stay and Disarm the SmartThings Home Monitor via voice command. "Alexa, turn on Home Security", "Alexa, turn off Home Security".
Home Security Switch Off
If
Control device, Home Security = Off
Then
Change Security Mode = Disarmed
Home Security Switch On
If
Control device, Home Security = On
Then
Change Security Mode = Armed (Stay)
Then these three Automations are defaults to setup what happens when the SmartThings Home Monitor mode when triggered due to some Automation, a switch (virtual in my case) is on/off, or if I manually trigger the Security Mode change via the app by tapping on one of the three SmartThings Home Monitor settings.
Armed (Away)
If
Security Mode = Armed (Away)
Then
Notify Someone
Run scenes, Armed (Away)
- Various Control devices for Lights and Outlets = on/off
All Cameras = On
Location Mode = Away
Armed (Stay)
If
Security Mode = Armed (Stay)
Then
Notify Someone
Control Device, Home Security = On
Run scenes, Armed (Stay)
- Various Control devices for Lights and Outlets = on/off
Certain Cameras = On
Location Mode = Night
Disarmed
If
Security Mode = Disarmed
Then
Notify Someone
Control Device, Home Security = Off
Run scenes, Disarmed
- Various Control devices for Lights and Outlets = on/off
All Cameras = Off
Location Mode = Home
Now moving on to the automations that trigger SmartThings Home Monitor to happen 'Automation’ally.
Good Morning
If
Every day, 6am - 9pm and only once per day
All Conditions met
Living Room motion = Detected
All Open/Close sensors = Closed (means no one has broke in)
Location Mode = Night
Then
Control Device, Home Security = Off
Goodnight!
Every day at 9pm
If
All Conditions met
All Open/Close sensors = Closed (means no one has broke in)
Location Mode = Home
Then
Control Device, Home Security = On
Since the system is armed at 9pm, this will disarm the system in case I go somewhere after 9pm (like take out the trash, or go check the mail) via the Garage. I only use the Garage door(s) to enter and leave, so I don’t have any Front Door automations. Also, the Garage motion sensor turns on the Garage light, and I have Smart Home Lighting SmartApp set to not turn off the Garage light until 5 minutes after the Garage motion sensor has stopped detecting motion.
Going Somewhere
If
All Conditions met
Garage motion = Detected
All Open/Close sensors = Closed (means no one has broke in)
Location Mode = Night
Then
Control Device, Home Security = Off
This re-arms the Armed Stay mode after I’m done going into the Garage after 9pm. This also automation’ally enables Armed Stay when I return home after 9pm and before 6am.
Goodnight! After 9pm
Every Day, between 9pm - 6am
If
All conditions met
Garage Light = Off
All Open/Close sensors = Closed (means no one has broke in)
Location Mode = Home
Then
Control Device, Home Security = On
And finally the Away and I’m Back automations don’t use the Home Security (Virtual Switch).
Goodbye!
If
All Conditions met
Mobile device presence = Away
All Open/Close sensors = Closed
- (This means that if I left something ‘OPEN’, I won’t get the Goodbye notification from the SmartThings app. Since I also have the Android Tasker app on my smartphone, Tasker looks for the SmartThings app notifications, and when it sees the SmartThings app notification from the Armed (Away) automation above with ‘Armed Away’ in the notification, then Tasker will ‘say’, “Home Security Armed Away” on my smartphone. I’m consciously waiting to hear this notification whenever I leave to go anywhere. In fact, I use Tasker for a lot of other SmartThings notifications too so I can hear them out loud, like, ‘Front Door Opened’ and so forth.)
Then
Change security mode = Armed (Away)
I’m Back!
If
All Conditions Met
Mobile device presence = Home
Location Mode = Away
Then
Change Security Mode = Disarmed
Also, there is one other BIG ‘limitation’ in the new Connect app’s SmartThings Home Monitor. It’s missing CAMERA SUPPORT!!! So, since the new Connect app’s SmartThings Home Monitor doesn’t control Cameras at all like the old Classic app did, I resorted to using both Scenes as shown above, and the Smart Lighting SmartApp below.
Smart Lighting
Security - Turn on Cameras when Multipurpose Sensor Opens at Night
Which Devices do I want to control = All my cameras
What do I want to do = Turn On
Select Trigger = Open/Close
Which open/close sensors = ‘All of them’
Turn on when = Opened
Only when mode is = Night
And to end it all, I have a Google Home device setup to use my Google Voice account. Why? Well, I could do this with any SmartPhone too, but I like using the Google Home device since it has a booming speakerphone! Anyway, I have a contact named, Police, with its number set to the local Police departments dispatch number. So, if the SmartThings Home Monitor’s alarm goes off at night, all I have to do is say, "OK Google, Call the Police!"*