What to use for home security?

I highly recommend that you check out the community Envisalink Integration app. Being able to leverage your security sensors to trigger or to act as conditionals for various home automations is extremely useful. Each of your zones will show up as a child device of your security system in your device list and you can use the various states of each device in your automations. Also, I like the ability of incorporating my sensors as tiles in my Hubitat Dashboard so you can customize a graphic interface to your liking (much better than the dated looking interface of the native Envisalink EyezOn app IMHO).

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@Madcodger : If you have another to do, Abode is similar, with the advantage that the unofficial HE integration works well, if you add the recent "logon" edit to the driver. Their monitoring is about $20/month. The company's CS and their cams get complaints, but based on personal experience, their security system hardware and monitoring are solid

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Just installed it for an older EVL2.
Seems to work great!
I'm sure I'll be thinking about how to incorporate it.
I've already programmed security to turn on overnight and to turn on the cameras with it.
I don't know how I'll work in the window and door contacts, but I'm sure I'll think of something!
Again, no motions since the SP visit, lol.

@velvetfoot ,
Glad to hear its working for you!
Believe me, you will be amazed at how helpful your sensors can be with your home automations beyond just their security functions.

BTW, since you are on a DSC panel, you may find that the DSC wireless system is very helpful for some applications since their “vanishing” wireless door/window sensors have an amazing battery life (advertised as 5-8 years) and also have amazing range (I use it as a sensor for my mailbox on a 10,000 sqft property . . . house itself is just under 4,000 sqft). As an example of the range, even in a metal mailbox it works when the mailbox door is opened).

Since I also have object recognition from my security cameras integrated with Hubitat via Camect (they can distinguish various types of vehicles such as USPS vs. FedEx vs. UPS etc), I receive notifications and an audio announcement that the “mail has been delivered” when the camera that faces out towards the mailbox sees a USPS truck AND the mailbox door is opened.

I also like that Envisalink integration with Hubitat also allows me to arm the house via voice control at any time as I use the Alexa integration as well. It is a very nice convenience as I do not normally have the house arm automatically on a schedule. Stay Arming is usually done as part of the bedtime routine and varies in time day to day.

Also, you can set the zone type for your motion detectors to “24hr Non-Alarm” (I think it is zone type [26] on my DSC panel) so that you can still use your motion detectors for home automation motion control lighting without having your pets calling in the state troopers, LOL. Of course, the Envisalink Integration will then allow you to incorporate these sensors into whatever automation (lighting etc) you wish.

I have my exterior cameras on and recording 24/7, but like you, I use the Envisalink Integration to control some of the my cameras (I only have certain interior cameras, e.g. those in more private areas of the house, turned on when my security system is armed and in away mode).

Assuming you have Hubitat integrated thermostats (I use Ecobees), other ideas include having Hubitat turn off your HVAC when an exterior door or window has been left open for a certain amount of time to save on energy costs (and to automatically turn it back on when the door/window is closed).

If you are somewhat of a hobbyist and tinkerer when it comes to Hubitat as I am, I think you will have fun figuring out all sorts of ways to leverage the application of your “security” sensors when they are integrated into Hubitat via Envisalink.

Anyway, good luck and enjoy!

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Correct! I'm using Sengled and they suck.

Thanks for the tips!

I've just added disarm to what happens when a car arrives home.

No Alex or fancy cameras-I have the dumb, yet economical, Harbor Freight model.

It's been years since I fooled around with my dsc system; I'm afraid I'll mess it up because I forgot mostly what I did when I set it up, although I did take fairly good notes.

I didn't realize the wireless sensors had good range. I know they have good life, the controller tells me if one is flagging, and it takes a common battery. I might have noticed that the plastic case might get brittle from being in the sun on the window, since I cracked a battery cover while removing. I've got a Hue motion in my mailbox now-range has improved with C8-it's way back in there-I wonder if the mailman thinks it's a camera, lol.

I have an ordinary zigbee contact sensor on the package bin. Both mailbox and bin are pretty far away, so I'm pleased it works.

I'm trying to incorporate some control as well as status in my dashboard. Is there a way to turn the system on, say in "home" mode, to eliminate all that chirping during exit delay? The only control attributes that seem to be available is for "switch", and that's "on" or "off", "on" being the chirping.

Sorry for potentially derailing this thread, although the subject does contain "home security". :slight_smile:

Hi @velvetfoot, you would have to go into the “installation” (not “user”) manual to select the correct panel “attributes” to program your DSC panel (this cannot be done AFAIK thru the Invisalink Integration or Hubitat).

The system I self-installed over 20 years ago in my home was the old DSC Power864 system (its the one that uses the PC5020 main panel motherboard). I don’t have the installation manual in hand at the moment but if the DSC panel you are using is a similar series, I can photograph that section of the installation manual later today that has the instructions on how to do this and post it here for you.

I too have the installation manual, so thanks, but don't bother.

I think that when the switch on the device pages switches to "on", it sets something or other to arm away, which is the chirping mode. If arm home, no excessive chirps. I was just wondering if there was an easy way to change that.

It's not a big deal. As I've said, I don't think I'll use that tile much anyway.

I think I did it.
As I said, I doubt I'll use that tile.
But, I changed line 206 in the driver code from ArmAway to ArmHome.
That seems to have done it.

It is so difficult to get through all the posts without being horrified by the cruel things people say. The billions of frogs around the world must have had their hearts skip a beat when they saw that. Please use your words more carefully.

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Glad that worked for you!

I have two tiles set up for Arming, one for Arm Away and one for Arm Home. That way, the countdown timer chirp only occurs when I am arming when leaving the house. Also, if I forget to arm the house when I am away, or if I have to reset the system when we are away, say if the alarm goes off with a false alarm and I want to remotely disable a particular sensor (usually its a motion sensor that may have been triggered by something other than an intruder) I can re-arm Away remotely off the dashboard.

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