Best Hardwired Alarm System Integration?

I’m setting up a new installation and finding out I have been spoiled by the automation features of an Omni Pro II alarm system. I have already purchased a Honeywell Vista 21IP and I’m finding out that integration can be a problem. I will switch if there is a better wired alarm system out there that integrates well with HA. My biggest concern is not being able to control output relays with automation scripts or control Lutron Caseta switches based on signals from the alarm system.

I don’t know about best but there are a few different ones that will integrate well with a vista21. You can use an envasilink board, or alarm decoder for about $100 or so dollars or if you don’t mind doing a bit of circuit building you can use my interface design which can be built very inexpensively.

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Cool. Are you able to activate relays?

All integrations can activate relays since they can all send keypad commands. *7xx- on (where xx is the output number) and *8xx - off

Update: Things are looking good. I installed the AlarmDecoder AD2USB and so far I’m able to wait 30 minutes after alarm away and then close a water valve. I also ordered the components to try Alain’s integration solution.

@TexasGreg How is your system working? Are you happy with the route you went or would you have done anything differently/picked different equipment?

@Dilbert66 Thanks for making your code available! It looks awesome. Do you have any recommendations for alarm panels/systems to work with it? It looks like I will need to upgrade my old DSC XR20 system to get with modern times. With the savings if I DIY an interface based on your plans, that might help pay for a new panel and keypads instead of purchasing envasilink or alarm decoder.

I’m not familiar with the DSC XR20 but I do have an implementation for the DSC Powerseries using ESPhome if you get one of those panels (they are not the latest from DSC but will work). The latest DSC panel versions use a completely different bus structure so are not compatible. I like the older dsc systems as they are very powerful , have tons of options , are fairly inexpensive and the bus is pretty well known.

See here:

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I’m very happy with Alain’s solution. I tried the commercial options and his is better.

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Thanks guys. I’m an idiot – I have a DMP XR20, which of course is not a DSC.

For anyone coming across this later with a DMP, here are a few things I’ve learned:

The current XR20 panel can communicate in some rudimentary central station protocols and might be able to be reverse engineered in some way.

BUT it may be an EASIER option to simply swap out the main panel with a newer model that has ethernet (hopefully able to keep current keypads).

There are some recent developments on integrating DMP panels (via @baddienatalie):
https://git.natnat.xyz/hass-dmp-integration/dmp