it would be nice the ability to switch between “armed” states in the Alarm.
This because, as stupid example, if I am home and I have armed_home on the alarm and than I decide to go to sleep and switch to armed_night, I have to disarm the alarm everytime to be able to re-arm it on the night state.
I think this might be a good improvment and I didn’t find anything like this not even on custom cards.
It shouldn’t be a change only in the card, but also on the component itself because when I use automation I still need to disarm to than arm in a different status (which is not big deal, but pointless).
Please note, I don’t mean to change the state without entering the code, I still understand the needs for a code to be entered, what I mean is to be able to enter the code to switch to a different state rather than just to “disarmed”.
The component reflects how real alarm panels work (and they work that way for security reasons).
Switching arming modes is not meant to be a casual operation. After the panel is armed (in any mode) you must first supply your security code to disarm it or, for the systems that allow it, to switch to another arming mode.
The whole idea is to ensure no one can alter the current arming mode without first identifying themselves (via their security code). Changing from armed_home to armed_night has significant implications in terms of which sensors are now eligible to report a security violation. That’s why an alarm panel requires a person to identify themselves prior to allowing a change in arming mode.
Well, I was doing the example of an “arm_home” state.
But let’s say I come home from work, and I have a 30sec time to disarm my alarm before it goes crazy and calls the police, instead of simply disarm it, it still might be nice to be able to put it in arm_home state where some internal sensor don’t trigger the alarm, but external windows and doors can.
I believe the scenario is that you are inside the house and have set armed_home then, later in the evening, you switch it to the more restrictive armed_night.
I tend to agree. This acts exactly like any physical alarm I’ve ever owned/installed/used.
Even with multiple different arm modes such as part arm, perimeter arm, full arm, every one has to be cancelled before changing to another, you can’t simply jump from perimeter to part arm.
Having said that, you could probably achieve want you want in some way through script. You could have a button for example that only runs when in armed_home mode, and could set armed_night, assuming it’s a more additive security zone by setting the status and coding the PIN into the call.
I don’t know how it works on your alarm panel, but my system does not allow that. If it is in armed_away it must first be disarmed (enter the security code) before it can be set to any other mode. That’s fairly standard behavior for alarm panels.
On my system, I can set armed_home without a security code. So if it is in armed_away mode, I must first disarm it with my security code then I can push its stay button (without a security code) to arm it in armed_home.
I see your point, I guess I will stick with automations for now.
My idea was, a smart home should be smart to the point that if I can put a code to disarm an alarm, I should be able to use the same input to arm it in another rather than having to imput it twice for the same function, you know… make things easier… isn’t that the point of home automation? ^^
I might be wrong for many people maybe… but my baseline idea is to make things easier with those tools, the fact that “old” alarm system had the two pass between a “disarm” state in the meanwhile doesn’t mean is the right thing, because things can happen while the alarm is disarmed… you can get distracted and forget to arm it or by extreme… someone might enter in the exact moment you disarm and close the window/door just before you arm it again (yes is extreme, but still not impossible)
If you dont think the same, well agree to disagree I guess
Oh I don’t have an alarm panel, in fact, I don’t have my own house yet… I am just on the study phase for when I will have one…
And again, maybe I wasn’t clear enought because I wasn’t thinking on all the possible implementation/integration of the alarm panel, but I was actually referring to the manual one.
Alarm panels have been designed for security which is the ‘right thing’ for them. They’re designed to be reliable and effective. There are very good security reasons for the design decisions they’ve made for enabling/disabling arming modes.
Yes but not at the expense of undermining the security system.
I just don’t see the point on having to go to a completely insecure state to then raise the security again I guess
What I mean is, I don’t see how that can make a system less reliable and effective, is not disabling the security, if something, is preveneting the security to go completely off
Again, it might be me, it might be simply that I still don’t know something… like the “good security reasons for the design decisions they’ve made for enabling/disabling arming modes.”, if there is one, please enlight me if you know it.
Otherwise, it might simply be no one thought about that… it might also be an actually good thing and none of the existing system have it because no one tought it might be an interesting feature… or because there was no “intelligence” in those boards to be able to switch across modes without the risk to be “hacked” (ex. wire-jumper some connections to simulate a change of state).
Don’t get it personal, it was an idea I tought it could be useful
Well yes, I am already doing that.
Once I leave the house it disarm the alarm and re-arm it on away mode and when I arrive it does the same to arm_home.
My point was to be able, with the code, to switch to away_night once I am in bed without having to disarm it first that cannot be done with the device_tracker, unless we improve the room presence detection and we have an automation with every-family-member condition to autoamte that
Yes, that’s true, I tought having a code was still having a level of control and security to it
There are ways to do it, my idea was to make it possible with the current system without, in my opinion, risking to affect the security of it.
Not in the least. I’m actually amused. You don’t even own an alarm panel yet you feel you know how they should operate.
Before making statements like that, i encourage you to read an alarm panel’s programming manual to understand how many ways it can be configured and why it can be configured that way.
To have an idea on how things work (or should work) you don’t really need to own them actually, you just need brain and some “thinking capacity”
Regairding the “you feel you know how they should operate”, well, I have ideas on how an alarm system should operate, yes, that’s quite normal I would say,
I never sayd it was the best idea or the right one, I am absolutely open on understand why it is not, if you care to explain.
If you have some documentation that can explain why is not a good idea, I would absolutely love to read that, regarding manuals, each company and manufacturer might have differen way to operate.
But again, reading a manual that tells you how that specific model can operate still will never explain you the “why” that model operate that way and not another way or why a feature that alows you to switch across states is not available, correct me if I am wrong
