I just recently installed a Blue by ADT security system. It's super-basic (just a bunch of door sensors, really). I really just got it because my insurance requires me to have a centralized security system where I live. I do all my security stuff with other equipment, but now I also have these sensors.
They don't do a whole lot for me, but I wonder if I could somehow integrated them into my HE setup. Is there any kind of connector or API that I could use to get the status of these sensors, yet keep them paired to the Blue hub?
I'm not familiar with ADT Blue but I took a look at their website briefly. There are usually a couple of options for integrating third party security systems (or anything for that matter).
One is if there is an API or web service (or MQTT in some cases) that allows someone to build a custom integration between HE and the ADT cloud service. It looks like ADT might actually provide such an interface, so perhaps someone will write a custom integration, though I am guessing you would need to be some sort of certified ADT partner. Ideally this would link Blue to HE's own HSM app and provide pretty seamless integration. But someone would have to be willing to write and support the code to do that. And the cloud-based nature of the connection would be less than ideal.
The second method is some sort of hardware interface. I have a Vista Ademco/Honeywell panel (which ADT also uses on some of their more commercial installations) and a third-party board that looks to the panel like a keypad but provides a telnet interface. The advantage to this approach is it does not rely on any cloud service to provide integration and it is usually very zippy with little or no lag. I doubt if there is such an option for Blue since it is not a traditional alarm system in that sense.
Another integration method is using a third party connector like IFTTT. Here I think you might be in luck. Blue does have support for IFTTT, which would allow you to build some basic connectors between HE and Blue using IFTTT as a middle man. You'd need to install IFTTT support on HE (it's a built-in app and very straightforward) and then hop over to the IFTTT website to see what sorts of devices / alerts Blue exposes to IFTTT. Most of these likely require the creation of a number of virtual devices on the HE side (usually switches) that are then manipulated by IFTTT based on messages from Blue. Messages can also flow the opposite direction. This would not provide integration with HE's HSM system (though you could fake it with lots of complicated rules) but it may be all you need. There are a couple of disadvantages to this method, though. You are relying not only on the ADT cloud but also the ITFFF cloud. There is often lag time (sometimes pretty noticeable) and there are multiple cloud failure points. And you are limited to what Blue exposes to IFTTT. If it exposes individual sensor status so much the better. If not you may at least be able to arm/disarm/query Blue. IFTTT is free for the first few applets but beyond three it requires a subscription. But if it's available now and meets your needs otherwise, that may outweigh any disadvantages. If you're not familiar with IFTTT take a look at their website and feel free to ask questions.
Lastly from the web site it looks as if the Blue sensors are actually ZWave. You could probably reuse them with HSM if you wanted to ditch Blue and switch to HSM.
I'll check out the IFTTT route. I can't disconnect the sensors from the Blue hub, so I can't just reuse them as z-wave sensors. But IFTTT integration might work.
Maybe I'll look into what ADT provides in terms of being able to write a connector. I could certainly do that from a technical level. But on the other hand, when I consider all the interactions I had with the ADT Blue people so far, I doubt they will be very useful at all.
Note: I really can't recommend Blue I have to say. It's all been pretty horrible so far. I use them because I have few choices in my area and at least it satisfies the requirement for the insurance company. Beyond that, it seems to be pretty horrible.
Does the Blue by ADT system recognize other Z Wave sensors? If so, would it be possible to scrap the door sensors that were supplied with it and use other generic Z Wave sensors that both systems could see? HE for automations, and Blue for security?
Another option could be a service like Noonlight. They can offer monitoring certificates that homeowners insurance co’s might accept. Probably no guarantee a given company will if they are very particular, but maybe worth asking yours if this would satisfy their requirements.
This would be an add-on to Hubitat and sensors paired directly to the hub.
