@obycode, no issues there! I got my inspiration from Vassilis’s code and yours. Good work!
Thank you so much. I am going to use yves’s method. I like your code, I just really like the system tile.
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@Nickd, just one thing: I haven’t tested thoroughly the system status tile as I usually don’t want to mess with my alarm system, but the functionality is there.
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Thank you so much, the system tile is a nice touch. I just have 2 questions.
- How do alarm zones work? Is it like a window is a zone or a room, sorry, alarm newbie.
- Is it automatic or do you have to add each item manually? If so, how?
EDIT: Didn’t see that post. It really doesn’t matter. Still appreciate the functionality
@nickd, to answer your questions:
-
Your alarm zones were originally configured when your alarm panel was set up in your house. You should have some documentation from your installer about them. Each zone is linked to a room in your house where a sensor was installed.
-
You have to manually insert the tiles and related code for each zone. The device’s code (SecurityAlarmPanel.groovy) contains some zone examples (from my own setup), but you need to modify it according to the zones you have in your house.
As far as creating the individual sensors (if needed), you would need to execute the smartapp (arduinoAlarmController.groovy) and manually input all the zones defined at your alarm panel (should be the same zones as in the SecurityAlarmPanel device).
The smartapp will then automatically create the individual sensors for you.
Regards.
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Okay thank you. Do you know what I would ask for if I called my alarm system installer? Also, are the zones organized by a number? I know when something is open while I want to input my alarm code to arm it it says stuff like 02, and 12.
@Nickd, yes the zones usually appear at your keypad when sensors are tripped. They are organized by numbers, but you’d need to know to which location (room) they are linked; otherwise, you won’t be able to configure your ST integration.
Bye for now.
Thank you. I suppose I could just play cat and mouse by writing what triggers what zone. Thanks!
@Nickd, no, this alarm panel is not compatible with the DSC IT-100 serial interface as the panel itself is not from DSC. In fact, the IT-100 interface is valid only for the following alarm systems:
- Compatible with all PowerSeries control panels PC1616,PC1832 and PC 1864
Your options are more limited then, and the AlarmServer (with Envisalink) is the most viable option for you.
Sorry.
EDIT: I just called my security contractor and they said that they can come and replace the board and change it into a DSC PowerSeries 1864.
@Nickd, as far as I know, the AlarmServer has the same basic features. However, some people are not exposing the arm/disarm functions (they are afraid of potential security breaches) as Envisalink, by default, exposes those functions to the internet.
Also, as I said earlier, AlarmServer requires a PC or a device that runs 24/7 for the python script which deciphers any events coming from your alarm panel. There are several ST threads about that solution.
If you want to change the alarm panel, you’d need to know how many security zones your current system has and buy the equivalent DSC panel. As indicated earlier, there are several panels which interfaces with the IT-100. The last 2 digits indicate the number of zones they can support (PC1616=16 zones).
I’d recommend to use the PC1832 or PC1864 as they come with 8 on-board zones zones compared to PC-1616 which comes with only 6 on-board zones out-of-the-box.
You’d need to buy some zone extension board(s) if you have more than 8 zones (PCS 5108)
Please take into account that you’d need to also replace any wireless sensor(s) that you have if you change your panel.
All your hardwired sensors (door/window contacts, motion sensors) should be compatible.
Regards.
P.S. I just read that your installer will change your panel to the DSC-1864…
Thank you, also, we do have a motion sensor that could or could not be wireless. It doesn’t matter though as we have a cat so the away feature is useless…
@yvesracine I really like what you’ve done on your setup. I am planning to start my ST integration with my DSC pc1832. I have about 20 wireless and 4 wired.Do you know if your setup possibly integrate geo-fencing(using my smartphone as a presence sensor) to arm/disarm the DSC alarm? I would be really interested on this. Any idea would really help. Thank you in advance.
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Hi @lsibarra78,
As a foundation for what you’re trying to achieve, please take a look at:
https://github.com/yracine/device-type.myecobee/blob/master/smartapps/AwayFromHome.groovy
The smartapp triggers a series of actions when leaving the house, one of them is to activate the alarmSwitch (house
alarm system).
I’ve also developed a smartapp that integrates my house alarm panel with SmartAlarm…
Regards.
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Hi @yvesracine,
Thank you so much for your quick reply. I am a newbie on this and new in this community. I noticed that there is a Copyright on that code. Does that mean that I am unable to use this code? If I am able to use this code, will I need to integrate this code in my ST along with your original setup? Any guidance on this will be much appreciated. Thanks.
@lsibarra78, if you don’t know that much about ST, have a look at the following thread:
As far as my copyright is concerned, it is there so that I can eventually sell my smartapps later when an app store
will be made available.
For the moment, you can use my code as a foundation for yours. I understand that you will probably take
some sections of it, but not all of it.
Regards.
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@yvesracine, Thank you so much for your support. I really appreciate your expertise and knowledge as well as your guidance to provide these resources. I will let you know how my progress goes. Thanks again.
Hello everyone,
First of all I want to thank all the developers/enthusiasts here that’s making ST so much more awesome. I literally love all of you (ok maybe not that literal 
). Anyway I’ve been following obycode’s instructions and code on setting the whole thing up on my DSC alarm system (which is compatible with IT100). I connected all the hardware and published all the software including installing the arduino bits. The hub picked up the ST shield and I got to the alarm manager smartapp and all. However the arm/disarm/chime functions don’t do anything and neither are their statuses correct.
Because I’m hella dumb I accidentally bought a female/female null modem rs232 cable. To remedy this I bought 2 male/male null modem adapters for each end. Does that make the whole thing null modem or straight through? Could this be the cause of the problem? Another thing I noticed is that the pins of the rs232 shield doesn’t plug all the way into the ST shield so the rs232 is kind of loose. Not sure if that’s normal either. I took some photos of my setup and uploaded them here: http://imgur.com/a/zQF8W#0
I’m a complete novice to all this so any help would be greatly appreciated!
Hello @kevdliu I’ve not been working on this kind of integration for a while, but the way your arduino RS232 is hooked up seems a bit odd.
The only way for you to know what’s going on is to use your Arduino IDE and run the Serial Monitor (under tools) to see the network traffic between the IT100 and the Arduino Mega.
First, you need to hook up your laptop to the Arduino Mega via the usb port, load the sketch, and run the monitor. If there is no handshake between the 2 at the lower level, and the messages are just gibberish, then you won’t be able to see anything at the higher layers (ThingShield and in ST).
P.S. Your cable and adapers may be a problem too as you should use a straight-through cable with a null modem adapter and not a null modem adapter with a null modem cable. A null modem adapter will already have the necessary crosslinks between the signals (TD and RD). I’d recommend to use a null modem cable with regular male-male adapters (that’s what I have at home).
Good luck!
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