Outdoor Sirens for UK? (2018)

Does anyone know if there are anyone outdoor sirens available that work with ST? I prefer one that can run from mains power because I can drill straight from the back of a 2g socket in a upstairs bedroom. But the sirens I have come across seem to be indoor devices

You could get a standard outdoor siren https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01E9P0G5K a 12V Wall Plug https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00Q2E5IXW (If you’re like me you probably have a few laying around, I never throw these away unless they’re dead) Plug it into a Z-Wave Lamp Module or Outlet and control it that way.

Does this standard siren just continuously sound when power is applied and stop when power is cut? If so I guess I can use the ST smart outlet for it. Only thing is, it doesnt look as elegant as the flat box style sirens. Is there any box style sirens?

Are you using the US frequency hub or the UK frequency hub? The device selection is somewhat different.

Oh yes sorry I should have mentioned I am using UK frequency ST Hub

OK. Fortrezz used to have an outdoor version of their siren, but they’ve discontinued it. You might still see it at some vendors.

POPP has a very expensive but elegant solar powered outdoor siren:

The D-Link zwave siren is much less expensive but is only rated for indoor use. It can handle temperatures down to -10°C but could have a problem with humidity. Or of course rain. So you would need to put it in a protective plastic box which might then muffle the sound somewhat. There are some people who have done it, but it’s obviously not the best choice.

http://www.staples.co.uk/security-cameras-alarms/cbs/223307900.html

Yale makes a nice one for the U.K. (Model SRBKZW), but it’s only sold through their distributors and it’s hard to find new. They can often be found on eBay, but I don’t know if you want to buy there.

https://products.z-wavealliance.org/products/2039

Climax has certified a nice looking one, but unfortunately I have no idea where you would buy it. You need to get in touch with them and ask.

http://www.climax.com.tw/bx32zw-zw.php

So there aren’t a lot of choices unfortunately, now that the Fortrezz is discontinued. The pocket socket idea may be your best option. I know there are some community members using Honeywell sirens with those, but I don’t know the exact models.

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BTW, @anon36505037 has previously suggested getting a dummy alarm box and putting one of the indoor sirens inside of it to protect the indoor siren from the weather. It’s a question of finding one that fits, of course, and also checking to make sure that signal still gets through, but it’s a clever idea. :sunglasses:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dummy-Alarm-Bell-Box-Flashing/dp/B00G5J5SD4

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@JDRoberts thanks for the great info. My only concern with enclosing a indoor unit into a housing is not really the rain but more the humidity and moisture in the air. In winter things get very wet outside so not sure how that will hold up. I had a look at the Yale one on ebay that looks great but doesnt say if it is Z Wave or not. Here is a link on eBay that i found: https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/253288726924

Do you know if this is a Z Wave device?

Other option I was thinking is to buy a normal siren from an existing system like Yale etc. and then somehow modify it by taking the battery out and then running it from a ST outlet plug using a DC plug and making it automatically sound as soon as power is applied. Has anyone done this?

It has the same description as the Z wave model, but with eBay you never know if the product descriptions are correct. Or just copied from some device which looks similar. I would contact the seller and ask for the model number.

As for the plug-in idea, that’s the same approach that has already been discussed upthread, such as I mentioned with the Honeywell.

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Thanks for the replies guys. The D-Link one looks really good. I might give the D-Link a try and put it inside a dummy box. Does the D-Link one run on mains power?

@anon36505037 that’s great. I think I will do that. Need to now figure out triggers. All my family members have the mobile presence installed on their mobiles. I have door contacts and motion sensors. So what I am thinking is to create a routine where: When a motion or door contact is triggered, and if all family members have a status of away then maybe wait a few seconds like 20 seconds or so and then sound the siren.

My concerns with this would be lets say one family member returns home with a dead mobile battery then ST will not detect that they are present so it will sound the siren which will be a nuisance. Second, what if there is a delay in ST picking up the presence of a family member. So ideally some sort of internal beep to indicate that the rule needs to be disabled with another method. What are you doing for your setup?

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Also, what happens if ST is offline or the siren looses contact with ST or looses internet connection? It doesnt start sounding does it?

Yes as long as there is power it sounds off.

@anon36505037 Which dummy box do you use for the D-Link siren?

Also, what exactly is webcore?

Yesterday I did a test with the presence detection using the mobile app. On my phone I ran out of mobile data few days ago and it resets tomorrow. However my presence on the ST app seems to be stuck on present from a few days ago. Even though i’ve gone out many times Does the ST app require mobile data connection? Can it not detect presence through wifi?

Also, my wife’s iPhone ran out of battery while away when we got back she turned it on and charged it but ST didnt update the presence until next morning when I actually opened the ST app. After a completely flat battery do we have to start ST app once?

Thanks @anon36505037 so technically using a mobile presence won’t be as accurate for alarm will it? Like for example if I want to create a rule as follows:

if a door contact is opened and if mobile presence of all family members is away then activate siren.

Problem would be how quickly can it detect a mobile presence and what do you do when you have mobile data of battery problem? Some sort of beeping chime like a countdown to allow it to manually be turned off via app or a password or something would be good. Any ideas?

That’s hardly fair on the cat :stuck_out_tongue:

Just clarifying, Robin, you mention webCoRE presence being the best, is that with the arrival sensors as you preferred earlier, or are both arrival sensor performance and mobile presence performance improved? What changes are in webCoRE that would affect this; is it running locally for example?

WebCore does not run locally. At the present time the only thing that runs locally is most of the official smart lights feature (if all of the devices included in a rule are using device type handlers which run locally) and some bits of smart home monitor. But no custom code runs locally, many device type handlers do not run locally, routines do not run locally, mode changes do not run locally and nothing involving presence runs locally. :disappointed_relieved:

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Thanks @anon36505037 I just installed a SmartSense Multi Sensor in the weekend on my Front Door. Was reporting nicely on my ST app and online account but this morning it seems to be showing as unavailable and last activity was it reported the temperature 11 hours ago. Tried opening and closing the door to see if that triggers it to go back online but nothing. Any ideas what can cause this? If this happens when system is armed I guess backup sensors like motion etc is essential.

Also, what happens if it becomes unavailable after a last activity of open status, will ST keep thinking it’s open and trigger the rule for it?

It seemed to have tried to connect when I opened the door and now it is stuck on Open state LOL. That is rather useless. I’ve only had it installed a few days. How good are the ST motion sensors are they just as bad? Sorry this might sound like a silly question but what is SHM you refer to?

@anon36505037 are you using the fibaro FGK-101 door and window sensors? So far i’ve got the dimmer 2 modules from fibaro and love how good they’ve been.