How do I set up a rule to use the chimes on my dome siren?

When I was researching options for an alarm I came across LANNouncer but it made it seem like I was going to need an Android device connected to a speaker. I guess it also works for devices already connected in Smart Things too?

I also have already read the wiki you posted which doesn’t have any info on my actual device.

Maybe you misread. I already have the Dome Siren connected to my Smart Things. It works within the Smart Home Monitor as an alarm but I am also trying to make it do it’s chime when not “armed” but just when a door opens.

Hi @Nosnibor,

I have this thread from my project posted some time ago. Check it out and see if you are interested.

So everyone is posting about how to start from scratch…I just want to get my current Z-wave siren to sound off when the door opens…is that not possible?

With LANnouncer, you do need an Android device which can be picked up relatively cheaply these days. If you want to use your existing Dome Siren, it may not be possible unless there is some kind of custom Device Handler that will allow it to make short “chirp” sounds. AFAIK, the only siren that I know that has this is the Aeon Siren. See here:

So the Dome siren has 10 sounds already on it. There is a device handler for it that I can preview all the sounds. I’m looking for something to connect the dots…“When door opens play this sound”…I really thought this would be possible.

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Easy enough…
You can use Smart Lighting app from SmartThings. If you don’t have it installed go to here:

Marketplace->SmartApps(tab)->Lights & Switches->Smart Lights->select you Siran->Turn On->When->Contact Sensor->Opens->Have it turn off (optionally) When door closes.

You can also do this via CoRe community rule engine.

The code for the app is here and needs to be installed in your IDE and than you can make your own custome rules/automations dor your house.

Then I think what you need is a SmartApp that can access those custom beep sounds. You might want to take a look at WebCore which is a community built Rules engine. Maybe @ady624 can chime in (pun intended, haha) if he knows if WebCore can access those custom beeps.

https://community.smartthings.com/t/introducing-the-new-webcore-community-forum/96259

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Can you link to the DTH you are using for the Dome siren?

Assuming that this accepts inputs then CoRE should be able to do it… you just need to know what to configure… I expect it would be reliant on a custom DTH trigger rather than selecting a device and action… should be able to work it out from the DTH :slight_smile:

Here is the link to the handler…

Still learning about core…there is a lot to catch up on.

I still recommand Smart Lighting to get the result you are looking for with the least tinkering.
Or better yet. Look at my pictorial for Smart Home Monitoring in SmartThings.



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This doesn’t allow selection of a custom tone type, which is the question being asked I believe? This will just sound the main siren, not one to the 10 chime tones…

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I appreciate the replies so far. I have set up webcore and I think it will do what I need however I have to wait to get home and test. Thanks so much for the help so far!

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So SHM may not be a bad idea it turns out… although there are other options too…

In the first post of the DTH you posted, there is a very handy guide already put together (direct link to the guide):

This gives a few options, and appears that the different chimes are actually standard via the playText command under the Audio Notification capablility… although the chime names may not reflect the actual sound the device makes i.e. a Bell could be a bark… may just need to do some playing :slight_smile:

Hope that helps!

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You’ve gotten a lot of great answers, but most of them don’t have anything to do with the particular question that you asked, I think because people are not familiar with the dome siren device and its capabilities. So let’s back up to the beginning and see if we can get you the very simple answer. :sunglasses:

First, for those unfamiliar with this device, it already has chimes built into it. It can play any of 10 different sounds. So you don’t need LANnouncer. And you can select which sound to play just by using the official smart home monitor feature, you don’t need a special smart app and you don’t need web core.

What you do need is a custom device type handler which will expose the various features of the device so that they can be used with SmartThings.

If you haven’t used custom code before, it’s pretty straightforward. Basically you are going to copy the author’s code and paste it into your own account. Here’s the FAQ for that process. (This is a clickable link)

Now you just have to get the right code to copy. In this case, the device manufacturer has worked with a community member here to create one. Here is the author’s thread for that. You can ask any further questions about that code in that thread and the author will be automatically notified when a new question is posted.

Even better, the manufacturer of this device has provided a step-by-step manual for how to use the chimes with SmartThings once you have the custom device type handler installed. I know you already provided that link once in this thread, but I wanted to put it in context here as well. :sunglasses::tada:

https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/dome-manuals/SmartThings/SmartThings+Siren+Device+Handler.pdf

So that’s it. You’ll do a one time install of the custom device type handler. You’ll set the parameters for however you want them to be following the instructions in the author’s thread. Then whenever you want to set up a rule to have the chimes sound on one or more of your sirens, just follow the step-by-step instructions in the manufacturer’s guide.

This is a nice device with a lot of options and @krlaframboise has done a great job on the custom code for it so I think you’re going to find it pretty straightforward as long as you start from the right place.

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Thank you. The final part was the missing step I needed!

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Also, note the following from the manufacturer’s manual:

Note: You should only add the Siren to SmartThings AFTER the Device Handler is created. If you already added the device, remove it and add it again into your system, and the Siren will automatically detect the Device Handler.

When they say “after the device handler is created” they mean “after you have copied the device handler to your own account and published it to yourself.” :wink:

If you don’t do it in that order, the features won’t work correctly.

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If you don’t do it in that order, the features won’t work correctly.
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Yeah I figured that out last night when I had to actually exclude the Dome a few times after I did the handler.

I just have to go read that .pdf now.

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I hope this isn’t too unrelated, but how do you like the Dome Siren? I want something to use as a doorbell chime but I haven’t found anything loud enough yet. I have the Aeon Z-Wave Doorbell that makes a cute little ding-dong that you can barely hear in the same room if you are talking or have music playing. I have LANnouncer on a Fire HD8 with the built-in speakers turned all the way up, but that’s only a little bit louder (but better than the Fire 7). I also might need to keep it from sleeping or I don’t always get the announcements in a timely manner.

I’m hoping the Dome can get louder (110 dB sounds like a lot–my 85 db Utilitech siren is ear-piercing but only does an alarm siren) and solve all my problems. :slight_smile: (What are the sounds it supports, by the way? They don’t document that anywhere and it doesn’t appear you can upload custom ones. Two doorbell-ish ones and some sort of door-open tone would be enough for me.)

Thanks to JDRoberts for explaining that I’d be able to make it work the way I want (like you) “natively,” though I might use WebCoRE since I have rules/pistons for my existing doorbell (Ring Video one one door and the Aeon on the other that I’m likely to return and replace with a simple ZigBee button since it would be cheaper and probably do me more good).

So I don’t really have anything to compare it for loudness. I mounted it upstairs and when I open my garage door that’s downstairs if I listen I can hear it ok. It has 3 loudness options I believe 95, 100 and then 105 dB. With the siren mounted outside my bedroom in the hallway I think that the alarm on high would wake me up, lol…that’s the hope at least.

It has 10 sounds preloaded but I think there is more I found with the device handler installed. 5 alarm type sounds that wouldn’t be very comfortable if someone range your doorbell. 3 chimes that make “beep” sounds that I actually use for when my doors open and then something like 4-6 musical tones that are like your old fashioned melodies some clocks or doorbells would have.

As far as quality the sound isn’t very good quality. Sometimes there is a crackle or distorted noise on the end but I noticed that every sound is a little different at a different volume.

For your use it could probably be loud enough for a doorbell but there is no “ding ding” sound. For me it covers what I got it for but I wish it was slightly larger to help the quality. Also sometimes it plays the sound more than once but that could be a ST’s error and not the Dome.

I’d rate it 7/10.

In most US jurisdictions, doorbells are restricted to being no louder than 85 dB unless you get a special license. That’s because it soon as you go above that, you do risk hearing loss if the sound is played frequently.

Smoke detector sirens and other residential safety sirens are generally allowed to go to 110 dB, but the expectation is you won’t there’s more than once or year as a test, and then only for a very brief moment.

So you aren’t going to find your bills that are as loud as the sirens. And you don’t really want to, or you do risk hearing damage. :sunglasses:

If you’re not able to hear your doorbell, then you need to start getting creative. Some people combine them with the blinking light or colored light strip. Phone or watch notifications are popular. Some have the doorbell trigger an alarm clock with an increasing sound, which is sometimes more recognizable. Many people find that a true chime sound it gets their attention the best, particularly if it’s in a two note or three note pattern, like a classic doorbell. :musical_note:

At our house, as I’ve mentioned, when my housemate is playing video games he doesn’t hear anything. Not the doorbell, not his phone, not me yelling, nothing. But what does work for us is to have a Hue light strip slightly offset from his TV. If it turns blue, he knows he needs to come help me (I’m quadriparetic).

So different things work for different people, but again you may have to get creative.

You may want to consider the Aeon doorbell ($49) instead of the dome, because it allows you to upload as many as 99 custom sounds. ( note that it has to be the “doorbell” model, not the “siren” model if you want to use custom sounds.)

That way not only do you have more choices, but you can find the exact ones that work best for you. This is a very popular device for that reason. :sunglasses: