Automatically arm smart home monitor

Just to make sure everybody’s talking about the same thing…

The feature in the classic app is SHM, Smart Home Monitor.

The feature in the new V3 app is STHM, SmartThings Home Monitor.

These are two completely separate pieces of code.

Security mode set or changed (or an alert dismissed) in an automation created in the classic app will only affect SHM. .

Security mode set or changed (or an alert dismissed) in an automation created in the new V3 app will only affect STHM.

So if you have rules you created in the classic app, you will never see those change the security state in the new V3 app. You have to recreate the rule using the new V3 app to see security mode changes in the V3 app.

You probably already knew that, but just in case…

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Here are my routines which I have created and more or less its working (except 1 for which have a separate thread)
Usage: The Automation option in the NEW V3 app is STHM, SmartThings Home Monitor. All older rules were discontinued prior to introducing these from the other suite - SHM.

I’m Back ! (Default)
IF LOC = Away AND Anyone of the users present THEN Set Loc = Home Set STHM = Disarmed Notify

I’m Back (Automated)
IF Motion Sensor #1 = No Motion for an Hr AND If Motion Sensor #2 = No Motion for an Hr. ................... ## List all your motion sensors here AND Location = Home AND anyone present THEN Set STHM = Armed (Stay) Notify / etc.

Goodbye
IF No one is present for 10 min THEN Set STHM = Armed (Away) Set Location Mode = Away Notify

Good Night (Default)
IF At 23:00 hrs AND Loc = Home AND Anyone is present THEN Set Location = Night Set STHM = Armed (Stay) Notify

Good Night (Automated)
Between 7 pm to 22:59 pm (doing it once) AND Motion Sensor 1 = no movement for an hr AND Motion Sensor 2 = no movement for an hr, etc., etc. AND Loc = Home AND Anyone is home THEN Set Location = Night Notify Set STHM = Armed (Stay)

Good Morning (Default)
IF 30 Min before Sunrise AND Loc = Night AND Anyone is present THEN Set STHM = Disarmed Set Location = Home Notify

Child Came home ## when parents are away
IF LOC = Away AND Child comes home THEN NOTIFY ## Parents
Here - the bigger I’M BACK will also kick in and change modes/Locations/etc. Thus no need.

NOTE: Very important to know the LOCATION setting
NOTE: Very complex to set automated good morning since the current automation suite allows all AND conditions or ALL OR conditions. This means if multiple motion sensors they ALL need to trigger motion to move from NIGHT to HOME and Armed (Stay) to Disarmed mode. Its not practical.

How are you able to use Location on both sides of the THEN?

You aren’t. For some reason they restrict using a device/mode/STHM as both a condition and action :rage:

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Add it 1st in then. Then remove it. Go to IF and you’ll find it. Add it there. Come back to then QUICKLY, you’ll still find it available. Add it. Only with Location it works.

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!"*

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Brilliant! Thank you DaWeav for sharing your setup.

I had added a “sitter” location mode and routine in the classic app to override the SHM and was struggling to convert it’s functionality to the new app. With your setup, I added a “date night” scene that I can run manually when the babysitter arrives. It sets location mode to sitter, preventing goodnight and goodbye from triggering (I added a home location check to goodbye). Everything goes back to automatic when we get back and trigger the security mode disarm automation. If this works as expected, I’ll be able to wean myself off the classic app completely.

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I just want to update my post about Camera support in the new SmartThings app’s Smart Home Monitor. The Samsung SmartThings Camera and now recently the Arlo Cameras (Pro 2 and Q Plus) are are all listed and available for selection in the new app’s STHM responses section for cameras. I haven’t tested it yet to see if they record when the STHM is triggered, but it seems that the new app is starting to close more gaps with the old SmartThings Classic app. Not to mention that I really like using Camera Groups in the new SmartThings app. I just wish the app would allow creating shortcuts for the Camera Groups on the Android Home Screen.

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Other cameras are showing too (@RBoy)

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Interesting. But does it actually work?

No recording at all for the Arlo Pro2 4000 Base station cameras, but the Arlo Q Plus & SmartThings Camera did record when the STHM was triggered.

But, the Arlo Pro2’s still have the integration problem that they have had for three months now. Supposedly a new Arlo base station firmware was going to be released to resolve the Pro2 issue, but it hasn’t been delivered yet.

At least we know that SmartThings intent is to continue supporting 3rd party cameras in the new Connect app. That something!

Exactly! hopefully the other Arlo bugs gets worked out.

I tried to follow your example here.

"…

Home Security Switch Off
If
Control device, Home Security = Off
Then
Change Security Mode = Disarmed
…"

But I am not sure exactly what you are doing here.
Are these the fields you add in the automation
routine of the V3 app?

If so, I don’t see any option for

THEN

“Change Security Mode” = Disarmed

Am I missing something here?
Where do you get the: “Change Security Mode” from?

Thanks,
Ad.

Tap on the plus sign in the upper right
Choose “automation”
Set the If conditions
“ Change the security mode“ will be one of the options for the Then

Thank you very much!
For some reason this option did not show up when I tried before.
It is now showing up. This is puzzling.
Thanks!

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Hi Guys,
I got around to upgrading to the new app and I’m mimicking DaWeav’s setup but I have a couple of questions.

  1. For some reason when I return back into my geofenced area, instead of disabling the SMH it triggers the “Leaving” action and arms is. I know the presence sensing is working properly because I created a couple of rules to let me know when it thinks I’m out of geofence and when I’m in it and they work properly.
  2. My location is overriding the virtual “home security switch”. For instance, if I know that a friend is planning on swinging by when I’m not home I would like to be able to turn off the home security switch and not have it notify me whenever there’s a door or motion sensor is triggered. When I try this now it puts itself back into Arm (Away) mode a few moments later.
  3. Would be nice it there was a way to have my Alexa speakers tell me if there’s been an intrusion when the system is in the Arm(stay) state. Is there a way to do this?

Thanks!

You may need to consider the order events can happen in and make sure your automations do the right thing in all cases.

For example, if you had a departure automation with the conditions mobile presence away and contact sensors closed, that would also run if you open and close one of the contacts before your mobile reports you are home.

The trick is usually to make sure your departure automations can only happen when you are at home, and arrival automations when you are away. Location modes with preconditions come in handy for that sort of thing.

I’m not sure why your Geolocation mobile presence would re-trigger it’s Geolocation presence as ‘member isn’t there’ when it’s already outside the Geolocation zone and hasn’t been inside the Geolocation zone and left it again. I have done the same thing and it leaves it off, but I haven’t done it in a long time. With all the mobile presence issues SmartThings was been experiencing lately, they may have change something. I’ll have to try it again to see what happens nowadays.

I use an Alexa virtual switch with a Smart Lighting routine.

Alexa virtual switch which I simply named it ‘Intrusion’.

Smart Lighting
What do you want to control,
Intrusion

What do you want to do,
Turn On

Select Trigger
Open/Close

Which Open/Close Sensors
I selected multiple multipurpose sensors.

Turn On when,
Opened

More Options
Only when Mode is,
Night

Note: Night Mode is set when going into Armed Stay.

Alexa Routine
When Alexa virtual switch is Opened,
Then Action Messaging/Send Announcement ‘Intrusion’.

And, if your not using the Alexa Momentary virtual switch, then add turn Off the Intrusion Alexa virtual switch.

Update: Alexa virtual switch

Thank you for the feedback, I don’t believe that this is a problem in my case though.

The “Returned” automation I have setup is as follows (please pardon my syntax/notation, I’m not a programmer):

IF
{
Who: Wayne’s Galaxy S10e,
Where: Home
When: This member is at home
}
THEN
Change security mode: Disarmed

and my “Leaving” automation is:

IF, When all conditions below are met
{
All contact sensors: Closed

Who: Wayne’s Galaxy S10e,
Where: Home
When: Member isn’t at home
}
THEN
Change security mode: Armed (away)

Seems pretty straightforward to me but it’s activating the “Leaving” automation when I return to the geofence. Not sure what is the best way to troubleshoot this on the phone but when I look at the history I see that it recorded “Leaving” followed by two instances of "Armed (away). FWIW the history page does not appear to be logging everything as there are gaps in time.

Thanks for your feedback DaWeav. If you wouldn’t mind checking to see if yours is working as expected that would be helpful. It think there were some changes recently and I’m wondering if it might not be easier for me just to start over.

Regarding the “Alexa virtual switch”; I do not know this existed. When I asked about this feature maybe a year or so ago, I was given some outside application workarounds (“webcore” rings a bell)… looks like there’s been lots of progress since then. I shall investigate.