Add a native "Security Alarm System" integration component to Home Assistant Core as a default package of pre-made Blueprints making it simpler for new users to setup an easy-to-use custom DIY Home Security Alarm?

[Fanful]

@paddy0174

I can see, that you desperately want that alarm system, but you should at least take into account, what others think about it.

Where do you see that? I haven’t even voted for this FR. I would have no use for it.

[paddy0174 (Patrick)]

Ups, sorry, I confused you with the OP!

[Hedda]

@Fanful

Point is - you think the feature would be useful, vote for it. You want to discuss its details, this is the place. You don’t like the idea, just don’t vote for it. There’s no point fighting against it with people who would like to see it. It’s just some weird gatekeeping.

Exactly! I do not undrstand why people who do not want this feature come here to argue why they do not want it.

Constructive feedback is always welcome but a deeper discussions about liability can really not be considered as constructive here at this point.

What is the definition of trolling again?

[paddy0174 (Patrick)]

So the feedback you want, is only if people are for your requests?

That’s not how this forum (and the world) works. You have an idea, you write a proposal, and then people discuss it.

Like it or not, if you make a propsal, you’ll have to argue for it and if things come up, that aren’t going your way, you will have to accept them.

It’s not your choice, what people can write here!

[neliss]

@paddy0174

Whoever develops an alarm system, should be intelligent enough, to give it the possibility to integrate into HA

Thank you, I will just take this as a compliment

@tom_l

I am also extremely happy with Alarmo

Thanks!

I just came here to express my support for the discussion about this feature. Thanks @Hedda for your initiative!

It’s a shame some guy with too much spare time during covid pandemic had to step up to fill the gap (for the time being), this is definitely a missing key feature in HA.
I haven’t been sued in years so HA has nothing to worry about.

I don’t want to hijack the topic, but until some HA developers join in the discussion, I’d like to hear in which direction you think alarmo should grow (or shrink) to be more likely to be adopted.

[paddy0174 (Patrick)]

@neliss

Thank you, I will just take this as a compliment

And you should!

@neliss

It’s a shame some guy with too much spare time during covid pandemic had to step up to fill the gap (for the time being), this is definitely a missing key feature in HA.

I wouldn’t say that, sounds more like a lucky fortune for us.

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@Hedda
I just saw that you had changed the first post a few times, and re-read it completly.

I have to apologize to you, I was the whole time under the impression, that you’re proposing some kind of hardware built by HA for an alarm system. I have honestly no idea, why I got that out of my first read, but re-reading my responses, I see that I’m arguing against something, that doesn’t seem to be your intention.

I’m truly sorry!

[tom_l]

@neliss

I’d like to hear in which direction you think alarmo should grow (or shrink) to be more likely to be adopted.

I’d like to see it stay as a custom integration.

That way you have control over the release cycle and interface.

But if you are interested in moving it to the core, to be adopted you would have to completely redesign it. No more nice config panel. Users would have to select sensors and alarm outputs during configuration (or re-configuration) of the integration using config flow and all the automation features would have to be dropped in favour of blueprints. That would not simplify things for users IMO.

The other option would be to make it an add-on instead of an integration. You could have any web interface you wanted then. Unfortunately this means you would be limiting it to HA OS users, and possibly container users if you maintained a plain Docker version as well. There are issues with restoring add-on sensors after a HA restart too that would require a blueprint, unless you used mqtt.

Thank you for your continued work on this BTW. It is a really useful addition to Home Assistant.

[Hedda]

@paddy0174

I have to apologize to you, I was the whole time under the impression, that you’re proposing some kind of hardware built by HA for an alarm system. I have honestly no idea, why I got that out of my first read, but re-reading my responses, I see that I’m arguing against something, that doesn’t seem to be your intention.

I am not requesting hardware here. This is a pure software request, a custom software package with all processes needed to run a virtual alarm system inside a single software integration component. This feature request is also totally hardware independent, as the idea is it would work with any sensors of the right type, similar to Alarmo, such as for example any Zigbee or Z-Wave sensors or DIY sensors made with ESPHome or Tasmota.

So I am basically requesting a Blueprint suite with a combination of Automatios and Scripts that is packaged as a generic security alarm controller Blueprint automation/script that you can take control of.

[Hedda]

FYI, while much less advanced than what is asked for here, two examples of such pure software native integration components are the new ” Generic Thermostat” and ”Generic Hygrostat” (by @elupus) that allow you to create DIY termostats and hygrostats based on your existing sensors and switches:

Generic Thermostat

Generic hygrostat

Another similar generic software solution in the core is the ”Water Heater” integration:

Water heater

[Edwin_D]

A major difference between offerings like Verisure and other systems that are advertised as alarm system, is that that they provide certification for insurance companies. This is something that Home assistant or Alarmo cannot provide, exactly due to the nature of HA being open and allowing all kinds of integrations and devices to be used.

@Hedda

This subject is currently very on-topic for the use case of recommending and helping people new to Home Assistant with installing/replacing a security alarm system for the homes of friends and family members now that 2G and/or 3G GSM-mobile networks that many commercial security alarm system control panels depend on are deprecated and being shutdown in many parts of the world in favour of 4G and 5G LTE-mobile networks, (unless you want to retro-fit your old commercial security alarm system control panel a ESPHome based “Konnected” device ).

So in my opinion one should definitely not recommend replacing a certified alarm system with DIY alarm system like functionality, with components that may or may not be designed with alarm use in mind, on a system which reliability may be compromised by integrations that have nothing to do with security, and are therefore not tested as rigorously. With connectivity that is not guaranteed.

It is for the same reason Hubitat claims to NOT be an alarm system. And the same should apply to HA. I would also not trust it enough to act as a host for a panic button, stable as HA may be for me. An alarm should be designed and maintained by dedicated people, with security and reliability in mind, using components designed for the job. The same goes for a panic button you mentioned: don’t trust the health of elders to HA. Use a dedicated system.

I use Alarmo and really like it. But I do not consider it a replacement for an alarm system. So any arguments pertaining to real alarm systems should not be considered in favour of this request. Alarmo is at best a good approximation.

As for DIY alarm like functionality, which I think is nice functionality for HA to have: It definitely has its merits. I use it. But: I do not see the advantage of making something like it core functionality, nor do I think adding it to HA core will make it more user friendly.

Having HA developers responsible for building and maintaining it would digress from improving Home Automation in general. So it would likely be less polished then Alarmo, and taking away from time that could be invested in other functionality that is not already there. Alarmo is there, it does it all, and does it well. It can be updated quickly in case of errors, not bound to HA release cycle. If any one can do better, they canintegrate that too.