For some odd reason I have only just realised that I don’t need to buy a ready made alarm package to use as my home alarm. I can instead use’ bits and pieces’ of what I already have (sensors etc).
However, my only stumbling block is what to use to arm and disarm the alarm so I’m after some ideas please.
This could, I’m guessing, be a wireless keypad or, for better aesthetics, some sort of very small touchpad screen that can operate in kiosk mode to display just a keypad? Or any other ideas
Schedule, electronic door lock, zone based. I’ve never used the keypad that was included in my system.
Smart door lock is something I’m holding off on installing at the moment as I’m waiting for more that are compatible with Apple Homekey to become available. Also, my doors are typical UK PVC door multipoint locks and there aren’t a lot of smart locks on the market that fit.
Zone based would be an idea but I would want the alarm to arm at night when we’re at home in bed but suppose I could somehow add a schedule to that.
I would have one state armed at night (doors / windows) and another state with all sensors enabled for when no one is at home.
You could also buy a cheap RFID tag and set up your phone to arm/disarm with that. One at your night stand, one outside the door for example.
Good ideas. I’ll look at how I can implement them into an automation(s).
Thanks
I have a DSC alarm connected to HA through an Envisalink.
I use my other sensors like motion lights to supplement my alarm system.
My alarm arms “away” mode when all occupants leave the house. It disarms when any of the occupants return to the home zone. It arms “home” mode after the goodnight automation has been run and I put my phone on the wireless charger. It disarms “home” mode when I lift my phone off the charger in the morning.
Has worked perfectly for years 
We do also have a Hive KEYPAD001 Zigbee panel for cat sitters etc. using Alarmo to give them their own individual codes etc.
Thanks. I’ll have to look at Alarmo because I’ve seen it mentioned a couple of times this morning already.
@Neil_Brownlee I hope you are still active… I see you have experience with the Hive Keypad001.
I have just got a 2nd hand unit and I am trying to get it work with alarmo… I have been trying and failing for 3 days now, setting it up, removing it, banging head on the desk and it is close to going back on ebay and getting repaced with a ring keypad rev2 (as they seem to work better “they say”.
I have alarmo working arm and disarm and showing my door sensors, they are cheap tuya (flashed with openbekken to remove them from the cloud) sensors and do not work to trigger the alarm as other expensive sensors do, but they do work once I set them to trigger by mqtt automation and this side all works in a fashion.
I have the keypad setup and I can arm and disarm alarmo no problems via the keypad but… the big block in the road that I am stuck on is getting alarmo to tell the keypad it is alarmed or disarmed. I have tried loads of different mqtt settings but I keep getting errors .
here is the latest error
error 2024-01-08 15:38:17: Publish ‘set’ ‘command’ to ‘0x000d6ffffec6f7b9’ failed: ‘Error: command is not a object, got string (“DISARM”)’
error 2024-01-08 15:38:40: No converter available for ‘state’ (“disarmed”)
error 2024-01-08 15:38:40: No converter available for ‘event’ (“COMMAND_NOT_ALLOWED”)
error 2024-01-08 15:38:40: Publish ‘set’ ‘command’ to ‘0x000d6ffffec6f7b9’ failed: ‘Error: command is not a object, got string (“DISARM”)’
error 2024-01-08 15:39:21: No converter available for ‘event’ (“ARM_AWAY”)
error 2024-01-08 15:39:21: No converter available for ‘delay’ (60)
error 2024-01-08 15:39:21: No converter available for ‘state’ (“arming”)
error 2024-01-08 15:39:21: No converter available for ‘event’ (“COMMAND_NOT_ALLOWED”)
error 2024-01-08 15:39:21: Publish ‘set’ ‘command’ to ‘0x000d6ffffec6f7b9’ failed: ‘Error: command is not a object, got string (“ARM_AWAY”)’
error 2024-01-08 15:41:13: Publish ‘set’ ‘arm_mode’ to ‘0x000d6ffffec6f7b9’ failed: ‘Error: CommandResponse 0x000d6ffffec6f7b9/1 ssIasAce.panelStatusChanged({“panelstatus”:3,“secondsremain”:0,“audiblenotif”:0,“alarmstatus”:0}, {“sendWhen”:“fastpoll”,“timeout”:10000,“disableResponse”:false,“disableRecovery”:false,“disableDefaultResponse”:true,“direction”:1,“srcEndpoint”:null,“reservedBits”:0,“manufacturerCode”:null,“transactionSequenceNumber”:null,“writeUndiv”:false}) failed (Data request failed with error: ‘MAC transaction expired’ (240))’
error 2024-01-08 15:44:22: Publish ‘set’ ‘arm_mode’ to ‘0x000d6ffffec6f7b9’ failed: ‘Error: CommandResponse 0x000d6ffffec6f7b9/1 ssIasAce.panelStatusChanged({“panelstatus”:0,“secondsremain”:0,“audiblenotif”:0,“alarmstatus”:0}, {“sendWhen”:“fastpoll”,“timeout”:10000,“disableResponse”:false,“disableRecovery”:false,“disableDefaultResponse”:true,“direction”:1,“srcEndpoint”:null,“reservedBits”:0,“manufacturerCode”:null,“transactionSequenceNumber”:null,“writeUndiv”:false}) failed (Data request failed with error: ‘MAC transaction expired’ (240))’
D I need to tell alarmo to publish mqtt to the topic set in the hive keypad blueprint? or what settings do I need to configure to the alarmo to tell the keypad the alarm is set or disabled ??
I can provide more info if needed.
I use a blueprint. Let me get the link for you 
https://community.home-assistant.io/t/zigbee2mqtt-control-alarmo-via-keypad/420016
@Neil_Brownlee Thanks for the quick reply with that blueprint.
I have tried it and I am still not able to get alarmo to tell the keypad it is armed or disarmed.
the keypad will send the arm instruction to alarmo ok and alarmo will arm but I am sure alarmo should then reply back to the keypad that it is now armed and this is not working as it should giving me the error no converter for xyz…
This may be my cheapass zigbee2mqtt usb dongle not playing well with others or I could have the mqtt settings wrong in alarmo & the blueprint. or HA has updates that has broken the way things used to work…
Its looking like I may have to get a ring keypad rev2 and try that instead.
cheers again
Chris