I have a question and a few suggestions to improve the app.
Question:
Can anybody explain me how to use the token and the rest endpoint to arm/disarm the alarm?
I understand that if I paste the rest endpoint with one of the commands at the end (/armaway/pin, /disarm/pin) it execute them. However, it asks me for smartthing username and password. My understanding is that if I use the token combined with the rest endpoint it will not ask me the smartthing username and password to execute the command. But I don’t know how to build that url. I tried https://graph.api.smartthings.com/api/smartapps/installations/APP_ID/ui?access_token=TOKEN/status but it keeps asking me for the username and password. (TOKEN is the access token)
App Suggestions:
-Add Sonos to Alarm Option (use a pre-recorded alarm sound when the alarm is triggered)
-Add Sonos to the Voice Notification options (push a custom message to one or more Sonos speakers)
-Add Delays to Arm (away and stay) after a mode changes. Below is an example of what I would like to achieve. I use my phone with geofence to change my modes. If I leave the house, by leaving the geofence the mode will change and the alarm will armaway itself. Let say I return to the house late at night, my phone will change the mode to from Away to Night automatically because of geofence. Since the armstay is linked to Night mode, the alarm will go from armaway to armstay leaving me no chance to get into the house without triggering the alarm. This is where the delay comes into play, instead of going from one armaway to armstay, it should provide me a temporary disarm for an amount of time that I (user) select (5, 10 minutes, etc.).
I just love your Smart Alarm app! So far it has been working flawlessly, and I see a lot of potential in it as new z wave devices and capabilities come to market!
But when it comes to home security with ST, there are a lot of gaps, and I am trying to close as many of them as possible by linking device types and apps from multiple different developers. Recently, I asked @ethayer to share his device type code with @garyd9, so it could be implemented into garyd9’s advanced device type. They were both happy to, and they now have a vastly superior device type for my Schlage BE469 locks that enables all sorts of new capabilities and controls, and works flawlessly with the Lock Code Manager App! MAJOR thanks to them for helping out!
The next hope I have on this quest for security perfection through ST is to have your Smart Alarm app be able to trigger or respond to the built-in alarms on the Schlage BE469 deadbolts. While doing some digging, I found that @tslagle13 helped Rboy to create a device type that makes the alarm events a trigger for notificaiton. Rboy’s apps and device types are “by donation only”, but perhaps tslagle13 would be willing to help build this functionality into the device type garyd9 and ethayer collaborated on, so that Smart Alarm could use these events as a trigger to set off other sirens, strobes, lights, etc. It would also be nice if Smart Alarm could even set off the lock alarms if a motion sensor or open/close sensor triggered the alarm? Is this something that would be possible in a future update of Smart Alarm?
I don’t know about, because I don’t use them, motion sensors or locks, but my open/closed sensors already do trigger my alarm when opened, through Smart Alarm.
I’m referring to Smart Alarm setting off the 90db alarms built into the Schlage BE469 locks. I have a Fortrezz Siren/Strobe Alarm that Smart Alarm is currently able to control, but I’d like for it to be able to control/react to the alarms in the locks also.
Sorry, in no way would I ever consider myself a developer, and the code is complete Greek to me.
Just so I can clarify my understanding, I can see from the ST app that you coded the device type to control the audible alarm modes and the vibration sensitivity level that the audible alarm is triggered by, and from your post, it appears that your device type is logging the alarm events. So I guess I really have two questions:
Are the alarm events something that an app, like Smart Alarm, can watch for and react to by taking other actions, like turning on specific lights?
Is there, or can there be, the capability within the device type to have apps trigger the audible alarm in the lock by sending some sort of command?
Okay, so there is built-in functionality in the device type to allow Smart Alarm to monitor the Schlage locks for the alarm event, and then have it turn on a Fortrezz Siren/Strobe, specific lights, etc. But there isn’t a way to have Smart Alarm use the Schlage locks as yet another audible alarm. Good to know.
So, back to my original question, is there a possibility that this functionality could be included in a future release of Smart Alarm?
If the lock has an ability to activate its alarm by extrmal command, then it should be exposed by the device handler as ‘capability.alarm’. Then Smart Alarm will be able to use it as any other alarm device. However, I don"t know of any locks that provide this capability.
Sorry, to clarify, I meant is there a possibility in the future to have Smart Alarm watch for and react to the alarm notification events from the lock to trigger other actions, like turning on the lights and sounding the Fortrezz Siren/Strobe? Shame that it can’t work the other way around also, but if there isn’t a way to control the audible alarm in the locks, it isn’t the end of the world.
It would just be nice if the lock sensed tampering or an attempted forced entry, to set off the prescribed Smart Alarm functions before the intruder actually got the door open (thereby tripping the open/closed sensor).
Since there’s no “standard” tamper or forced entry device capability, I would suggest modifying the lock device handler to emulate acceleration sensor, for example, I.e. send acceleration events when tampering is detected. Then Smart Alarm would be able to trigger an alarm.
If I am not being too presumptuous, but I do need to ask this.
When will you automate the install and the update process of your Smart Alarm? I am referring to smart app like the SmartClick. Now anyone can go to @625alex SmartClick site and have the Dashboard installed automatically and have an automatic update process for getting updates/transfer of preferences from the old version? This will simplify the process for not just the newcomers to ST platform. And at the same time we the community would be happy to donate to the cause and ease of use!
And I need t ask this: what’s in it for me? Like @625alex said, it’s too much hassle for too little reward. Once upon a time SmartThings promised to give us an app store (among other great things). Like pretty much every other promise, it never came to be. So if the company that (supposedly) has a financial stake in promoting third-party apps is not pulling its weight, why should I?
I got my SmartThings hub last week, primarily to act as a home security system.
I’ve been working with Smart Alarm, which is great (thank you!), but have run into 2 problems:
Has anyone else had these problems?
Can anyone help me diagnose / fix them?
1. Pushbullet notifiactions not working. I have @625alex’s PushBullet device type installed, and @baldeagle072’s Pushbullet Notifier app working, but I can’t get Pushbullet notifications working in Smart Alarm. There have been a few instances when I’ve gotten it working, but they are the exception and I’m not sure how. I’ve tried uninstalling and reinstalling several times.
2. Redundant and missing notifications in Hello, Home. Whenever SmartAlarm does something, I get 3 to 5 notifications in the Hello, Home feed. However, sometimes I don’t get any notifications in the Hello, Home feed.
UPDATE: In the past few hours, I’ve stopped seeing all updates from Smart Alarm in the Hello, Home feed except for Home is DISARMED, which I see repeated 3 times when I set mode to back to Home. When I set back to Away, Smart Alarm seems to arm but doesn’t update the feed.
NOTE: I’ve turned off push notifications, because my wife doesn’t want to get pinged through all my testing.