Using Abode sensors

[lsbrodsky]

I have just started with HE and am excited. I want to migrate my automations away from Abode for a variety of reasons, but I am heavily invested in their sensors. All of theses sensors are Climax, the same frequency as user available sensors, but "proprietary". I have searched everything I can find in the community forum but cannot find whether any clever person has found a way to use these Abode sensors, after deleting from Abode, in HE. Any success? Thank you!
Larry

[bobbyD]

@lsbrodsky

found a way to use these Abode sensors

Abode uses 433 MHz frequency, which Hubitat Elevation doesn't support directly. You may be able to find a bridge and integrate them that way. I think you might find some community efforts
specific to 433 MHz bridges and/or Abode API integration.

[lsbrodsky]

Thanks. I guess I should have realized that the Abode frequency was not Z-Wave or Zigbee. I'll do some searching on bridges.

[SmartHomePrimer]

As Bobby mentioned, because the sensors don't use Zigbee or Z-Wave you would need a 433MHz bridge. The Abode hub can already act as a bridge of sorts, so I would suggest exploring this community if you're OK with the connection relying on their cloud API

[RELEASE] Abode Alarm system driver

You can control Abode alarm status from Hubitat, as well as act on real-time updates of Abode status changes, CUE automations, and actions from Mobile clients. 2020-07-18T07:00:00Z (UTC) Version 1.0.1 features Can be installed via Hubitat Package Manager Login to the API Portal -- supports MFA auth Arm/disarm Abode from Hubitat driver page or Rule Machine Synchronize Abode-initiated mode changes with Hubitat Mode / HSM Copy Abode timeline events to Hubitat device events Subscribe to Abode eve…

There is an unofficial python library that allow Home Assistant to communicate locally with the Abode hub. If you don't mind the extra "bridge" you could install HA on a RPi which is very simple with their pre-built images, and then possibly use the HE driver/app named Home Assistant Device Bridge to bring the HA entities into HE where automation is a lot simpler to manage.

[lsbrodsky]

Thanks for trying to help but I don't think that meets my parameters of capabilities and desires. First of all, I know the concept of flashing and have done so with an older Raspberry Pi in a stand-alone energy monitor attached to my PC, but not flashing Tasmota to a Sonoff bridge. I could probably struggle my way through that with some help. But I have no idea what to do with the bridge or how to employ a raspberry pi or use it. Is the RPi used to somehow link the Hubitat and the bridge?
I want to completely get away from my Abode hub. The battery has failed and the Gen1 unit is no longer supported.

[SmartHomePrimer]

@lsbrodsky

I want to completely get away from my Abode hub.

Understood.

@lsbrodsky

I know the concept of flashing and have done so with an older Raspberry Pi in a stand-alone energy monitor attached to my PC, but not flashing Tasmota to a Sonoff bridge. I could probably struggle my way through that with some help. But I have no idea what to do with the bridge or how to employ a raspberry pi or use it. Is the RPi used to somehow link the Hubitat and the bridge?

You misunderstand. It's literally just writing an image to an SD card and inserting the card into the Raspberry Pi. Takes about 15 minutes or less and you are running Home Assistant. Pretty crazy how simple it is to get going. Now, learning to navigate around HA can take a bit of getting used to, but it's not bad.

The Home Assistant Device Bridge I linked to, is a driver with companion app that was written by a couple of Hubitat Community members. It allows devices that create what Home Assistant calls entities, to be imported into Hubitat. The device then shows up in your HE device list and responds just like a device that is directly joined to Hubitat. This is great when you have devices that are compatible with Home Assistant, but not yet compatible (or may never be compatible for one reason of another) with Hubitat.

Something to consider even if you don't intend to use the Abode hub. But I can almost guarantee that you will spend a lot less time getting the Abode hub locally connected to Hubitat by way of bridging it through Home Assistant, than you'll likely spend trying to get 433MHz sensors bridged to Hubiitat. You need to do what's right for you though.

Best of luck with whatever path you choose.

[lsbrodsky]

OK, I am interested. If I can try to repeat what you have said, to my understanding, HA is written to an SD card which is placed in an RPi. Then there is a driver in Hubitat that allows the HA/RPi to talk to the Hubitat(the HA Device Bridge?). But, in my thinking I need a Sonoff bridge pickup the 433 MHz sensors and some here have said I need to flash that with Tasmota. Your answer to that is to simply bridge the Abode hub through HA. Right or close to right? Thanks
Larry

[aaiyar]

@lsbrodsky

Your answer to that is to simply bridge the Abode hub through HA. Right or close to right?

That is exactly what @SmartHomePrimer is suggesting.

[lsbrodsky]

OK, thank you for the confirmation. However, my motivation right now is to try to move away from the Abode Hub, thus my questions about a Sonoff Bridge. I understand that is probably more complicated than bridging using the Abode Hub. I now have a RPi on order so I think I might try what SmartHomePrimer has suggested first as I learn about Hubitat. But ultimately I need to buy Zigbee sensors or figure out how to use my existing Abode sensors without the Abode Hub.