Suggestions for a DIY perimeter alarm system?

Hi all,

I have been thinking about a perimeter alarm system lately. Smartthings is great for home automation but i regret to say that the cloud dependency and general instability are major showstoppers for security purposes. AND i have a totally ST based setup for both automation and security at the moment.

The project i am investigating includes the following key parts:

  1. A number of outdoor IP cameras (ideally hardwired via Ethernet)
  2. A number of z-wave motion sensors (are there any outdoor ones?)
  3. A home automation system that RUNS LOCALLY, such as indigo, OpenHAB, home-assistant (suggestions are welcome).
  4. A z-wave USB stick (suggestions are again welcome)
  5. Sighthound software running on a capable Mac/PC which is connected to a UPS
  6. One indoor (Aeotec) and one outdoor (Popp solar powered) siren. Both are z-wave.
  7. Two z-wave open/close sensors.

What i want to create is a simple but efficient perimeter security system for my home.

I will not get into trivialities like the number of possible entry points and such. For simplicity’s sake let’s just assume that i only have one entry point that i need to secure.

A single IP cam is looking over the area of interest and Sighthound can detect the presence of a human form. The motion sensor as well can register the thermal signature of a possible intruder.

A very simple rule runs, as follows:

IF Sighthound detects a human form AND the motion sensor registers something THEN sound both sirens at max volume.
IF Sighthound detects a human form OR the motion sensor registers something THEN sound the internal siren at low volume.

In both cases, Sighthound sends rich (with photo) notification of the event via e-mail and ideally via push notification (iOS) as well.

What do you people think about the above setup? Would it work? Would it be reliable?
Can someone propose how to connect Sighthound with the home automation system?
Sighthound can run external commands in case of an event, by the way.

I am eagerly awaiting your comments/observations/objections.

Thank you very much in advance.

Bump. Anyone?

surprised no one has responded, bumped in the hopes…

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Most Devices designed for outdoor use use zigbee, not zwave, because zigbee travels somewhat better through rain, snow, and high humidity because of the type of signal modulation it uses. (DSSS vs FSK). Or they use other frequencies altogether. So there just aren’t many outdoor security systems based on Z wave.

Add to that that these days most outdoor security cameras have their own built-in motion sensors which will work much better then separate inexpensive PIR sensors for a number of technical reasons, and I think most people would just approach this problem differently. You select the cameras that you want and choose a system with built in motion sensors and sirens. And maybe you add additional inexpensive motion activated lights as well.

But I don’t see many people using standalone motion sensors outdoors these days. They just get too many false alarms.

One of the most popular DIY camera systems is the Arlo and there is an option with a siren.

https://www.amazon.com/Arlo-Pro-Security-System-Siren/dp/B01LR8PG52

But there are a number of other brands as well. So I would start from the cameras and I think you can find a combination of features that you want that way.

If you really want to look into outdoor motion sensors, there is an FAQ in the forums with a lot of discussion about many different options.

But if you want cameras anyway, I’d just start by looking at cameras. :sunglasses:

Dear JD,

Thanks for getting back. I used to have an Arlo (old one) setup in the past.

What I really want is a system with zero cloud dependency. I was looking into integrating some IP cameras with software like Sighthound which can differentiate between motion and people.

I want smth that can trigger an alarm ONLY IF a human is seen in the perimeter.

I am looking at 6 cameras so cost is another consideration, apart from local operation.

I have seen the Blink XT and the Netatmo welcome.

Thanks for letting me know about the PIR motion sensors.

Please get back with any thoughts/suggestions.

Thanks a lot

Στάλθηκε από το iPhone μου

21 Μαρ 2017, 18:39, ο/η JDRoberts <smartthings@discoursemail.commailto:smartthings@discoursemail.com> έγραψε:

[https://avatars.discourse.org/v2/letter/j/e19adc/45.png] JDRobertshttps://community.smartthings.com/users/jdroberts Helpful
March 21

Most Devices designed for outdoor use use zigbee, not zwave, because zigbee travels somewhat better through rain, snow, and high humidity because of the type of signal modulation it uses. (DSSS vs FSK). Or they use other frequencies altogether. So there just aren’t many outdoor security systems based on Z wave.

Add to that that these days most outdoor security cameras have their own built-in motion sensors which will work much better then separate inexpensive PIR sensors for a number of technical reasons, and I think most people would just approach this problem differently. You select the cameras that you want and choose a system with built in motion sensors and sirens. And maybe you add additional inexpensive motion activated lights as well.

But I don’t see many people using standalone motion sensors outdoors these days. They just get too many false alarms.

One of the most popular DIY camera systems is the Arlo and there is an option with a siren.

amazon.comhttps://www.amazon.com/Arlo-Pro-Security-System-Siren/dp/B01LR8PG52
[https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/31B9WFlXwdL.SY400.jpg]
Arlo Pro Security System with Siren - 1 Rechargeable Wire-Free HD Camera with Audio, Indoor/Outdoor, Night Vision (VMS4130)https://www.amazon.com/Arlo-Pro-Security-System-Siren/dp/B01LR8PG52

Arlo Pro is a 100% wire-free indoor/outdoor security camera with rechargeable batteries and audio and can be added to any Arlo base station system. Arlo Pro includes rechargeable batteries, motion and …

$229.99

But there are a number of other brands as well. So I would start from the cameras and I think you can find a combination of features that you want that way.

If you really want to look into outdoor motion sensors, there is an FAQ in the forums with a lot of discussion about many different options.

[https://avatars.discourse.org/v2/letter/m/9de053/40.png] FAQ: Do you know of an outdoor motion sensor?https://community.smartthings.com/t/faq-do-you-know-of-an-outdoor-motion-sensor/1513?source_topic_id=72963 FAQhttps://community.smartthings.com/c/devices-integrations/faq

I am looking for outdoor motion sensors to monitor my yard. I bought a pair of the Aeon Labs Aeotec Z-Wave Multi-Sensor and am quite unhappy with them. Even on the lowest sensitivity setting it randomly sends alerts, some perhaps due to clouds changing the lighting (even though PIR is not supposed to be susceptible to this) and others I can’t explain at all. With several false alerts a day this thing is just useless. The Smartthings Motion sensor works great, I have some in my house, but it is indoor rated only. The Schlage / Nexia motion sensor is also indoor use only. I am hoping someone has come across an outdoor rated motion sensor they have been able to pair with the Smartthings hub.

But if you want cameras anyway, I’d just start by looking at cameras. [:sunglasses:]

I understand. That’s getting more complicated. I think it’s definitely doable but again I would start from the security side, not the home automation side. Especially since you want everything to run locally.

I like indigo to run a fully local Z wave indoor lights and sensors system. And I’m fine with a home automation system which has a few outdoor Z wave pocket sockets or receptacles on the outside walls of the house. But once you get outdoors and into the yard, I personally don’t use Z wave for a project like you’re describing.

@pstuart or @Belgarion might have some ideas. But I think your best bet might be to go to a security forum instead.

2 Likes

Ring floodlight cam may suit your needs, I have the doorbell, i like it but the person detection you hit on is here for the floodlight cam. Not sure if it will then be added to my doorbell. Ring does integrate with IFTTT and smartthings and i am most interested in keeping people away before they do something bad which sounds liek you as well. Here is their demo video: https://youtu.be/2-d5PeET0co

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I was thinking about indigo myself.

What troubles me is false alarms if the system is exclusively based on the video feed / person detection.
(I have tested sighthound and my first impressions are rather good regarding person detection.)

This is why I was considering the motion sensor redundancy.

My number one priority this time is 100% local operation.

Any security forums you would recommend?

I have the Ring doorbell as well. I will check the floodlight cam out, but I am betting it is cloud based which is a show stopper for me at this time.

The netatmo outdoor camera looks good (I have an indoor netatmo welcome which works great) but again I think it is cloud based.

I am looking for similar functionality but without over complicated stuff that is beyond my paygrade :slight_smile:

So, I will be trying out the floodlight cam with the hopes that the facial detection gets extended to my doorbell and that it actually can prevent false alarms while armed as a perimeter alarm.

My goals would be when armed and a person (not a racoon :slight_smile: ) enters a alarmed zone, an alarm sounds automatically and no falsies is a must. I would prefer but doubt Ring will offer this but also, when someone enters a alarmed zone, alarm goes off and soon as they leave the area, it turns off, like immediately (not preset time annoying everyone longer than necessary, enter zone alarm on, stay in zone alarm on, leave zone alarm off) My thoughts are an alarm should only be on when intruder enters a zone and doesn’t leave the zone. They run off, alarm can turn off immediately lessening annoyance associated with alarms and false alarms. If it’s on, intruder is present kinda thing.

I’ll certainly post results after I work it all out.

Thanks,
riz

Personally I would go with POE security cameras unless you really cant find a way to run a line. Cameras that have batteries/WiFi are way too limited and not as reliable.

Check out the two companies below they have good security equipment and prices are reasonable. There is actually some integration with Smartthings and Foscam also. These cameras also come with built in motion sensors and IR for night. I am also looking at these companies for security equipment.

HIKVISION

Foxcam

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Cocoontech’s security forum is worth a try. It’s active, there are quite a few expert posters, and they’re open to any brand for a solution. They do have more arguments than we tend to have in this forum, but they are usually resolved pretty quickly and don’t get too bad. Discussions are highly technical and there’s a lot of maker type projects with Arduino’s or other board projects, so it’s not like a general consumer forum. And they don’t typically discuss SmartThings or other cloud-based systems. But it might match what you’re looking for, particularly since you want an all local system.

http://cocoontech.com/forums/forum/14-home-security/

Thank you very much. Just posted on the Coccoontech forum.

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