I’m considering a new project to secure my home because I love stuff like this. Here’s my idea and note that I don’t own any of this equipment and is an ideal solution. It can be built up in stages.
What do you think and do you have any experience of any of these components, or suggestions?
A SmartThings Hub.
A broadband router with 4G failover (PAYG SIM).
A UPS to keep the router alive.
A box to keep the router and hub in which is secured by a smart lock - fixed to the wall.
An indoor siren.
Door and window sensors.
Presence sensor.
Lock for trip switches (or trip cupboard).
Dummy siren box outside.
Ring Floodlight Cam outside (maybe two).
Smart lights which will flash different colours if the alarm sounds.
Maybe a Cocoon camera for indoors.
I want to make it as difficult as possible for a burglar because I have been burgled before at two different properties and they both had standard alarms.
A burglar:-
Should not be able to trip the power if they enter the building. If they manage it, then the hub and router should continue to work.
Doesn’t take any notice of an outdoor siren - no-one does.
(Welcome! I’ve moved this to projects so that you can get individualized responses based on your own set up and requirements. )
First things first… Are you aware that SmartThings is a mostly cloud-based system? Although there is a battery backup in the hub, if you don’t have access to the cloud, there’s very little that it can do. I mean really very little. You won’t get any notifications. Not even push notifications to your own phone on your own Wi-Fi network. You can’t either arm or disarm The system unless the cloud is available to it. Routines don’t run locally. And a whole bunch of other stuff.
Basically, the only things that work without the cloud being available are the official smartlighting feature ( and then only with some devices) and some bits of smart home monitor but not the entire feature.
For example, neither the Ring integration nor Hue integration works without the cloud. And none of the presence Sensor logic works without the cloud.
In addition, SmartThings can and does push out platform updates and hub updates that you cannot postpone. This can take your entire system off-line for anywhere from 10 minutes to several hours. You’ll usually get a pre-notification email, but not always, and again you can’t refuse the downtime.
If you have a very real need for a reliable security system, which it sounds like you do, most community members would not base that on SmartThings.
You can search the forums for “reliability” or security topics and you’ll find much more discussion of all of this.
I personally use SmartThings for convenience notifications, like a reminder that the guestroom window is open when rain is expected, and it’s great at that. But I use an entirely different purpose – built security system for our security needs.
If you enjoy a diy project and are only semi-serious about real home security then ST is alright. Honestly, that’s how I feel about it (i.e. I’m not actually that worried about burglary/home invasion) and so that’s why I use door/window sensors and a z-wave siren with my hub. I tell my wife it’s a security system and it makes her feel better (shh, don’t tell).
But it sounds like you have a want/need for a real security system. Definitely try SmartThings for home automation if that interests you but consider a real security system that works on its own.
I’ve moved this to projects so that you can get individualized responses based on your own set up and requirements. )