V2 Iris Keypad setup howto needed

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#14

Yes, I meant Keypad Device Settings, not Keypad App.

From my original message:
Here is what I want to do:
Press "PARTIAL" for activating the security Arm to Night with contact sensors active but motion detectors not active.
Press "ON" to activate all sensors Arm to Away.
Enter code and "OFF" to disarm the system for either of the above.

Yes, I want to use the HSM app for home security. I was frustrated because although I had searched all the topics on the Iris V2 Keypad, I could not find anything definitive in how to get it set up other than reading that others got it to work and that the driver supported it. I did finally get it working, perhaps not in the "right" way. Nonetheless, it is working. The problem for a new user is knowing what questions to ask (or search for prior topics). If one has no experience, one often does not even know what questions to ask. If I am trying to get a keypad configured, it makes sense that I would search for keypad information, not for the LCM or HSM app information. That is why I posted my topic.

The next thing I will tackle is my CT101 Radio Thermostat.

#15

These are fair points. The user documentation is pretty well linked to and promoted, but not everyone follows the same path to learning about Hubitat. Many will do exactly what you did, just right onto the forum and quickly get frustrated. Not that the forum isn't a helpful place for information, but everyone is on a different level, and so much is often unintentionally assumed in conversations. There's room for improvement of course. The Hubitat Elevation docs are a work in progress and still have many gaps. It's probably a good idea to have some sort of matrices that can point the device types to the document covering the app that will be needed for automation.

Having specific setup documents for every type of device with Hubitat is a bit much, so I don't expect they'll go for that. There's also a lot of model variations for many of the device types too. Iris keypad, for example, has four different versions.

#16

Yes, some sort of matrices to guide one to relevant resources would be very helpful. Specific device help is good also, but perhaps an overall topic area for setup with sub-topics for different device types and within that, questions and answers about specific devices would be a good way to organize things to make them easier for the novice (like me) to find the correct information.

For example, there is already a "Getting Started" topic area. However, there is no order to the message topics in that area. What would help is something like

"Getting Started"
Hub
Installation
Configuration
Dashboard
Configuration
Adding and Configuring Tiles
Devices
Compatible Devices List
Connecting and Configuring Devices
Zigbee
Z-Wave
Apps
App definitions
App configuration (examples)
Settings
Description and examples

This might be a starting point for organizing the information to make it easier to find. Hopefully, this will help stimulate some ideas to make the forum better.

Edit: All my indentations disappeared so it is not as easy to see what I was trying to picture.

#17

docs.hubitat.com has that structure. The community area is for QA and sharing primarily. The problem with trying to organize info in the forum, is everyone (myself included) gets onto other topics within a thread, because its interesting, and frankly, that's what the forum is for.

#18

Yes, but while the docs have structure, the docs lack specifics. The community area has specifics but lack a usable structure. If the community had a structure generally paralleling the docs structure, it would be more useful.

#19

Yeah, I get your point. The docs should be general so they can serve multiple users and device types. The forum is a challenge for sure. There is a supported devices "wiki" on the forum that has generally stayed pretty well organized, although it's not necessarily up to date in every respect, but it can be edited by anyone here.

Search is the best way to find things on the forum, but Discourse search leaves a lot to be desired. I sometimes just use Google and it directs me back to the forum if I put Hubitat in the search string. The issue is the same on SmartThings because they use Discourse as well. You basically do best by asking and waiting a lot of the time, since we're all acting as human search engines to compensate for the weak search engine in Discourse.

Also, in case you missed the categories organization on the forum, there's a Wiki category. Once the documentation moved to an actual Wiki page, the forum wiki didn't get much love.

#20

Stephen is puzzled: why is something I'm not intended to use, the first thing I see after I pair a device? Answer: not much thought has been put into process yet. Process-oriented people like me have had to chill. But I hear that much work is being put into the interface as we speak... it can't come soon enough for me :wink:

I agree that Hubitat provides too many options on day one to make the transition from Iris very easy. One thing that calmed me down was being told that there are many ways to accomplish the same thing in Hubitat. If you are searching for "best practices"... there may not be an accepted one yet. A couple times I've wanted to give up, but having spent days building a spreadsheet of all the alternatives to Iris, I found Hubitat was the winner. It's the most capable and uses the most of my existing devices.

Just keep asking questions til you understand. I've been asking several a day, for a couple weeks. I might be an Iris Transition expert soon!

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#21

I think you hit the nail on the head. I see all these boxes with lines indicating that I should enter information I want in them. Then I don't know how to get it to take until I click on one of the box headers above the text I entered and it took. Now I am told I should not have done so but used an app separate from the device setup to accomplish what I did. It is far from intuitive. However, I am rapidly getting up to speed. I have most of the functionality of my Iris system now being handled by Hubitat, including turning on a couple of lights using two V2 Iris smart plugs.

It is just too bad that all my 1st gen Iris contact sensors, motion detectors, and cameras will be essentially useless at the end of the month. I will hang on to them in the hopes that when Lowe's releases the information, enough will be available for the 1st gen devices to be usable again.

The only exception might be the cameras which may be able to operate as IP cameras over WiFi or hard wired connection. Streaming video might be out but it may be possible to configure them to capture still images or a video stream to the computer. It is tricky, but I have been able to do both using VLC. Unfortunately, the cameras do not appear to have the capability to use a micro-SD card although a slot is there.

#22

There is a group called SystronicsRF who are working on a hub that can use Iris Gen1 devices. But they just entered beta. Don't trash those little gadgets, but don't hold your breath either. I'm thinking I might eventually use them in one of my properties and do Hubitat for the others.

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#23

Very interesting! It will be interesting to see when it becomes available and at what price.

#24

Iris users also sent a bunch of V1 devices to Hubitat, fingers crossed.

#25

Let me know how you make out with the CT101, this is gonna be my next project as well. I'm hoping its gonna be as easy as the install on Iris.

How to Set Up the Radio Thermostat CT 101
#29

Click the link icon right below the post you’re interested in, then the “+ new topic” option that pops up.

#30

Maybe I did it wrong but that did not actually move the stuff to another thread as I've seen it done before. That's a link not a "split"

#31

No, that allows you to post another topic based on the one you're interested in. Splitting can only be done by admins.

#32

:man_shrugging: IMHO the end result is pretty much the same, a new topic is started and the relevant info from the old topic is available right in the first post.

As @SmartHomePrimer said, anyone can do that but only admins can actually move individual posts (which may or may not happen).

#34

Ah I see, I must be thinking of how discourse handled this in the ST forum. You could still see the actual post you linked to in the new thread (I think, haven’t been to the ST forum in months now), whereas with HE it appears to be just a text hyperlink. Agreed, that is less useful.

#35

I copied the CT-101 Radio Thermostat Setup Howto information to a new topic. I am going to delete it here since it is not pertinent to the Keypad setup.

#36

I agree with StephenH on the documentation for keypad support for the transition from Iris to Hubitat. This is may first day on Hubitat & have not accomplished much at all. All I want Hubitat for is a simple Iris door contact sensor, an Iris/Utilitech Siren, and the Iris Gen2 Keypad.

I have all of the above devices paired, along with LCM & HSM apps...but that's as far I can get.

For the life of me I can't figure out how to get the keypad to arm/disarm the contact sensor via a 4 digit code from the keypad.
Can someone here tell me:

  1. Can the Iris Gen2 Keypad be programmed to arm/disarm the contact sensor via a 4 digit code input by me as well set HOME, AWAY, PANIC? If so, where is this code set in LCM?

  2. Can the keypad be used to turn off the siren? If so, where is this done? I got the siren to sound 15 seconds after the contact sensor was opened, but can figure out where to turn the siren off.

I see in this thread where you're not supposed to set the codes in the keypad device once it is paired but rather use the LCM app. Some of the fields in the LCM app I don't understand.

Again, this is my first day at trying this all out and have not accomplished much...tired and frustrated now. I just want a simple security system with Hubitat with a couple of Iris contact sensors, 2 keypads, and a siren.
Is this possible with Hubitat? Is there a "Dummies Guide to Hubitat?" LOL

Thanks for any pointers!

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#37

Okay, this is certainly not intuitive. The LCM is for setting up your 4 digit codes. The HSM is where you set how it works.

When you go into the section of the HSM that covers "Configure Arming/Disarming/Cancel Options" there is a section for "Use keypad to arm/disarm." Under that are two options: "Use this keypad(s) for arm/disarm, partial for Home" and "Use this keypad(s) for arm/disarm, partial for Night. The second is the one I use. Arm is for all sensors. Night is for contact sensors only (wouldn't want the alarm going off when one of us has to get up during the night). I don't have a specific "Home" mode configured. Away and Night are all I need. essentially, I would prefer that Hubitat simplify this to just "Away" and "Partial" since I don't see much difference between what I would set for "Home" and what I have set for "Night." To me, Home is pretty much the same as "Disarm" as I would want the smoke/CO and glass break sensors active even if we are home but I don't necessarily want the contact sensors active and have to disarm them every time I want to go in or out during the day.

I have three contact sensors active along with five motion detectors plus the smoke/CO detector and the glass break sensor. I also have the Utilitech siren.

Since Hubitat does not support cameras (yet), I just used two phones we are not using, a Moto X and a Moto G, both 1st gen, with the Alfred app to provide the video support my Iris cameras have been providing. It will be more steps to arm/disarm everything as I don't necessarily want the cameras active all the time, just when we are away. However, now I have all the functionality that I had with the Iris system, so I am content.

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