When i unlock my Yale Keyless Connected Smart Lock (http://www.yale.co.uk/en/yale/couk/productsdb/smart-locks/Keyless-Connected-Smart-Lock/) manually using a pin code a message is sent to the Z-Wave Lock Device Handler that i am using with it (i can see this happening in the log). However, if i unlock manually using the key tag that came with the lock no message is sent. The log shows nothing.
I was really hoping to use this unlock message to disarm smart home monitor in case geofencing fails, which it did today when my wife got home, unlocked the door using the key tag and triggered the siren! i was not very popular
I have put a log.debug call right at the top of parse() in my device handler but it never executes. i guess this isn’t supported unless there’s something i’m doing wrong?
This appears to be a manufacturer issue, nothing to do with SmartThings. Unlocking with the RFID fob is treated by the lock as the same as a manual operation and no Z wave message is sent.
From the Vesternet review:
One thing to note is that only PIN code operations are reported over Z-Wave, RFID and Remote Keyfob events aren’t reported, neither can you manage those user types from the Z-Wave controller.
The best thing to do would be to contact Yale support and ask them about the feature. The lock designers appear to believe you will use one or the other protocol, but not both.
You could add an open/close sensor to the door and that way at least you would get a status every time the door opened.
Thanks for the reply. That’s a shame I can’t really see why Yale would choose not to report these events. I’ll get in touch with their support but i doubt they will be able to do much as it would require a firmware update (is that even possible?!).
Thanks for the open/close sensor suggestion. I had pondered this but am concerned that the door open event (which i would use to disarm home monitor) would not be guaranteed to trigger before the motion sensor (which i also have in that room) detects an intrusion and sets off the siren!
I just need a reliable way to determine when myself or my wife return home. So far i have been using geofencing with our phones as presence sensors.
Do you know if the presence sensor (that comes with the starter kit) is more accurate than the mobile app for detecting presence? I could try switching to this but if it just uses GPS then i can’t see how it would be better. hmmm
I have had excellent customer service from Yale. When my ZigBee lock turned out to have old firmware, they sent me a new module for free and it worked perfectly.
In contrast to that is the support from Kwikset, who pushed me off on their distributor when I had a problem and the distributor denied any support.
“Our lock communicates with Samsung using the Z-Wave protocol, unfortunately at the moment there is no support in Z-Wave for RFID and we are therefore unable to broadcast these messages. We are working with our partners including Samsung to find a way around this and will provide updates via our website and social media.”
I wouldn’t think Z-wave support for RFID is the issue as surely the key tag and lock communicate via RFID but the lock then just sends the unlock notification via Z-wave to SmartThings?
I’m currently investigating improving presence detection reliability with an iBeacon but from what i have read on this forum this can also fail due to the iBeacon detection app running on a mobile device failing to send a notification to SmartThings because of a flakey cellular data connection (BeaconThings doesn’t retry if it fails to connect apparently).
Switching this around might help i.e. i carry a small iBeacon device around and use an iOS device running BeaconThings permanently plugged in at home and connected to my wi-fi network. Then when the iOS device detects my portable iBeacon device (when i get home) it can reliably send a notification to SmartThings using wi-fi.
No idea if this will work, and carrying an iBeacon device around that will need its batteries replaced periodically is not ideal
This is exactly what we do at our house. My housemate just keeps his in his backpack and mine is on my wheelchair.
Depending on the brand of IBeacon, there are things you can do to improve battery life, but most are set up to last about three years. So we have not found the batteries to be an issue in any way. But we’re using estimote beacons.
“Stickers” are flat ones which are intended to be stuck on bicycles, gym bags, etc. their battery life is about a year, but they don’t have an adjustable detection zone, it’s always about 3 m.
.I know some of the less expensive beacons do have shorter battery life, but it’s still typically in months. Just check the specs on any brand you’re considering buying.
Wearables
In addition to estimote stickers, there are some I beacons which are intended to be wearables.
The RAD Dot From radius networks is a wearable form that is used for conferences. You can put it on a key fob or wear at on a wristband. Inexpensive, but I don’t know what its battery life is.
In any case, we have a tablet which is used as a home automation center on each side of the house and we just run the IBeacon app on that. That has worked very well for us.
By the way, from an engineering standpoint I agree that the Yale support answer makes no sense. They don’t need RFID to send a Z wave message. The lock just has to be smart enough to know that the event occurred. My guess is that it’s probably a battery conservation issue for them. Again, I don’t think they expected people to be using both technologies.
Thanks for the info on iBeacons! I have been looking around to see what devices are available in the UK and so far there seems to be less choice than in the US. This also seems to be the case with compatible SmartThings devices in general
I work for a pretty large tech company (we have an IoT department) and have managed to find someone who has an iBeacon device that i can try with BeaconThings. When i meet up with him tomorrow i will see if he has any tips for sourcing these things!
You mention you use a variety of Beacon apps on iOS devices in your home. Beecon+ for example. I can’t get BeaconThings working on my iPad (it’s an Air 2 so does support iBeacons) due to it being an iPhone app and the UI not scaling correctly. This is a real shame as it is well integrated into SmartThings and SmartRules but i understand Brice @obycode is a bit snowed under with other work so BeaconThings is on the back burner.
Ideally i need to run a SmartThings routine when i approach my house with the beacon, which would unlock the door and disarm home monitor. With BeaconThings i could have done this with SmartRules. How could i achieve this with Beecon+ or an alternative app? You mention the Maker IFTTT channel. If i hooked this up to a Beecon+ trigger i could then action something in SmartThings. To run a Routine though i would have to set up a virtual switch?
Any tips on how you have solved this would be great
Yes, that’s exactly how I do it. I like the Beecon+ app A lot because of the custom detection range. As I’ve mentioned, I have one region which I want essentially limited to the length of the wheelchair ramp at my front door.
So it’s really very easy. I set up the maker channel on IFTTT. that gives me a personal maker code.
Using Beecon+, I set it up to send a trigger to IFTTT whenever I enter the IBeecon region. That becomes the “if” in my IFTTT Recipe. The ability to send these IFTTT triggers is a built-in feature in this app, so it’s very easy.
The " that" is turning on a virtual switch in SmartThings. That completes the recipe.
Then I can tie that switch coming on to anything I want in Smartthings, using either the official smart lights feature or a routine.
There is a smartapp in the marketplace in the smart things mobile app which can tie a routine to a switch. It is very popular and has been around for a long time, so it uses the older terminology, “home phrase” instead of “routine” but it means the same thing.
Open the SmartThings mobile app, choose the marketplace icon at the bottom right, select “Smartapps” at the top right of the marketplace page, choose “lights and switches” and scroll down until you find it.
This works very well for my purposes. You Just have to remember when you are setting up the Ibeacons that it is a 360° field. And it goes through walls. and ceilings. So if you are using the longer detection range one beacon may cover several rooms.
I can’t really see why Yale would choose not to report these events. I’ll get in touch with their support but i doubt they will be able to do much as it would require a firmware update (is that even possible?!).
But we’re using estimote beacons.
