Smart Home Monitor

SmartApps & Automations
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Hey Guys,

Good job overall on the new iOS App… I just was testing out the Smart Home Monitor app this morning and I feel like it’s lacking a handful of features in comparison to gecko’s Smart Alarm. Here’s a few things off the top of my head -

  1. Ability to trigger modes based on “routine”
  2. Ability to have entry and exit delays
  3. Integration with some sort of button

The “routine” integration is huge. I integrate with with my door locks so that when you punch in certain codes it triggers specific routines. I treat the door locks like my alarm keypads so that when I come home, I punch in a specific code to unlock the door and turn the alarm off. If I punch in another code, it will only unlock the door and not turn the alarm off… I even have a 911 code that will send out text messages to friends if I’m in trouble.

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Yes, you can arm/disarm SHM from the Routines. There’s a separate config entry for that. It’s not tied to “Modes” like Smart Alarm was.

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Mind sharing with us how you set it up. It’s really interesting.

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As an author of Smart Alarm, I’m glad to see that SmartThings gave the new security app the center stage it deserves. The Smart Home Monitor is very well designed and tightly integrated with the rest of SmartThings ecosystem. Well done SmartThings!

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Sure -

I use Erik Thayer’s user code manager with my Schlage PIN code locks. Essentially you can add any “user” and have it trigger actions or notify someone when a code is used. I have multiple pins for different things. If you punch in 8911 for example it will text multiple people that I need help. Or if you type another code I have it run one “routine”. Etc. The user lock manager is available in the forums/github

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You can? Am I missing something?

I guess I’m just used to the workflow for your app vs. this one. Although this one is a little bit more “streamlined” it doesn’t provide as much customization.

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I would love to see that implemented. As well as fixing the issue I’ve got with 2 open/close sensors saying open when they’re really closed (in Things, and in Doors & Locks, and visually)

1 Like
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I think I might have found a bug…or maybe a quirk…you decide. I sent a message to support.

I started using the new Smart Home Monitor today. I think there is a bug between how it handles Push notifications and the Door Open/Close Smartapp.

I configured Smart Home Monitor to push a message to my cell if my door sensors or locks “triggered” when Armed.

However, on my door sensors config, I still had the Door Open/Close Smartapp from a previous configuration. But I had the Push notification turned “off”

I noticed if my phone number was still in the Door Open/Close Smartapp, I would get Push Notifications, even when not armed. When I removed my phone number from Door Open/Close app, the Push Notifications stopped. I think this is a bug……I should be able to leave my number in the Door Open/Close app with Push turned off and get no messages until the Smart Home Monitor app is “armed” and starts to Push from it’s app, correct?

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@miketx, I was looking for a similar topic because I noticed in my Notifications that all of a sudden I’m getting notifications for every motion sensor, and I have a lot! Did you ever hear back from support?

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No, I haven’t heard anything back yet.

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@miketx, I actually figured out my issue. There’s apparently a new app called Motion Alerts associated to the original Dashboard area set up for motion. Deleting the area in the Motion Dashboard and adding it back in - skipping the option for notification set up - resolves the notification spamming issue! I reported that to Support last night as well. Their reply indicated that this didn’t sound like it was suppose to happen.

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When disarming after the alarm has been triggered are the parameters we selected supposed to revert?

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I too would love this. I’m in the middle of upgrading the sensors for our house and ST is going to take on a more security-oriented role, and I’d love to prevent false alarms.

For the short term (maybe long term?) I sticky-taped an old iPhone to the doorframe to control the SHM modes but it’d also be nice to have a way to let the dog out at night without triggering a siren or something. Maybe if the door is unlocked before opening, disarm temporarily?

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You would still need to wait for the unlock event to be received and processed before opening the door. With events happening very close to each other, it wouldn’t be surprising if the events came in out of order.

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That’s why you need an entry delay in SHM.

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This! Intruders may not kill me, but my wife will if another false alarm goes off!

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Quick and dirty (and not finished) smart app based on lots of other smart apps out there

The idea is, you make a Routine that just disables the SHM (Call it Disarm SHM for example)

This app lets you pick a lock, enter a code, and select a routine to run on unlock. Eventually I’ll add the delayed “run second routine” code - need more ideas for that.

Seems like the event structure changed a bit since a lot of the code out there was written BTW. this code looks for the unlock code in the descriptive text, which seems to reliably work.

Welcome suggestions for making it better, but seems to be reasonable. You could have multiple lock codes, unlocking with a different code without disarming the alarm would still set off SHM unless you have some other reason for it to turn off (like presence)

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Doh - I was reading along the conversation about intruders, alarms, delayed entry, etc., then got to the statement above…

“Why on earth would I would an app which lets somebody pick the lock…” I thought to myself…

Ah - he means “select” or “choose” the lock…not “pick” the lock… :laughing:

One of those times where a perfectly valid choice of phrasing has a very unintended second meaning.

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My issue. I was directed to move my questions here for help with SHM. First, my set up is fairly simple. I only have 4 sensors and 1 alarm. I have more on hand, but I can’t get what I have to be dependable and I am waiting until then before I add more. (Right now, I want to box it all up and send it back!) My problem is ST is not dependable on sensors actually realizing a door was opened or closed. It will not send me a message every time. (However, with the upgrade recently, it seems to be doing better at that. But, it does not sense “presence” of a cell phone based upon GPS and a Geofence at all. Now, with SHM, I would like to set up my alarm such that if I set the MODE to AWAY or NIGHT, if any of my doors are opened the alarm goes off. It is fairly simple IFTTT. However, in SHM, if I select DISARM, it will not take. (There is no SAVE button, so I assume if I select DISARM it is automatically saved.) If I get out of that page and go back it, SHM goes right back to AWAY (ARMED). I had to unplug my alarm. Also, I only want it set up to sent me texts and notifications if the system is ARMED. When I am home, I don’t want texts or notifications. Our phones were going crazy when we are home, so I had to go into multiple pages in ST to turn off those texts and notifications. That took hours. So, where I am now: all notifications are turned off, my alarm is unplugged. and ST is useless to me.
Please help.
Bill

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Maybe I’m missing some things about SHM, so let me know if I’ve gone “turbo” on this:

  1. I have more then 3 modes for my house; I have a ‘vacation mode’ as well and that turns on more sensors than normal (as well as the routine turns down my thermostat). Can SHM handle more than the built in 3 modes (Arm/away, Arm/Stay, Disarm) ?

  2. I’m also finding that SHM won’t let me do everything native. I still need to use the “switch changes mode” app so I can arm the system via a light switch as I walk out the door.

  3. Can’t we SMS more then 1 person ?

  4. And we need better control of the siren. We should be able to trigger it for a short instance and not have it just on or off. I had written an app to turn in on for 5 seconds and go off but I’m TRYING to be really good and only use supported apps this time around. (until the V3 hub comes out and we do this all again ! ). This would go a long way to keeping the neighbors ‘less mad’ at me for the false alarms.

Maybe I should read the SHM manual ? :grimacing:

Thanks in advance

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