[Custom Component] Alarmo - browser managed alarm system

[OftenPerplexed]

Hi, looking at Alarmo (with my new Ring Keypad 2) and reading through on Github for installation, it mentions using the UI under “Integrations”.

I am on RPi 4 Model B:
Home Assistant 2023.6.3
Supervisor 2023.06.4
Operating System 10.3
Frontend 20230608.0 - latest

But “Alarmo” is not included in Settings > Integrations - am I missing something?
I’m quite happy to follow the manual installation process but feel that the UI pathway might offer a more pain-free option?

Is it because I am on the Pi OS version of HA?

Thank you.

[neliss]

Alarmo is a third party integration, so you need to install+update it via HACS.

[ChrisXY (Christian)]

okay then I have to create a separate template sensor for everything. An option in the sensor would be nice.

[OftenPerplexed]

Alarmo is a third party integration, so you need to install+update it via HACS.

Thank you @neliss I realised after I posted ^^^ that it was HACS…

Please excuse my “new to HA” status, but I cannot find Alarmo under “Add-ons” etc. When you say “so you need to install+update it via HACS” is that in the main HA GUI? I’m probably being dumb!

[EDIT]: IGNORE! Found it - too many acronyms!!! Thanks again…

[paddy0174 (Patrick)]

An option doesn’t make much sense, as this clearly is an edge case. Most sensors work as binary_sensors in this field, Homematic seems once again doing it’s own thing, leaving people with a system that only works good in their closed, proprietary environment…

I’d strongly advise to get some useful sensors from Aqara or Silvercrest/Lidl or XX that simply work out of the box with most home automation systems. I know, not what you wanna hear, especially after investing that much money in Homematic, but honestly, in more than 1000 posts you’re the first who is experiencing this… Shines some special light on Homematic, doesn’t it?

[OftenPerplexed]

A few days of tinkering with Alarmo and simply working “out of the box” in latest HA on Pi4
Integrated Ring Keypad V2 using Synchronize Ring Alarm Keypad v2 with Alarmo and again, this is also working fine.

A quick question though:
I have successfully re-purposed my old Boundary Alarm Z Wave 700 (S2) sensors (PIRs & Door/Window sensors) following the liquidation of that company. With the Door sensors, they expose two window_door_is_open entities/properties:

binary_sensor.node_16_window_door_is_open
binary_sensor.node_16_window_door_is_open_2

Which as far as I can see simply report the same status on an open or close event.
Is this perhaps a fail-over? Would it seem safe to just use the first one only (NOT _2)?

[paddy0174 (Patrick)]

That has something to do with retaining MQTT messages, let’s call it a hickup.

To solve it do this:

1. Try to delete the first (the one without the _2) entry, if it won’t let you, move on to step2, otherwise to step 7
2. Download MQTT Explorer and run it (there is a portable version available)
3. Log into your MQTT topic by entering user and pw for your MQTT server
4. Search for messages that identify the first of your sensors. Eg. search for “node_16_window_door_is open” and you’ll find a few messages with it.
5. Go ahead and delete all the found messages for this device
6. Go back to HA and delete the entry (should work now)
7. Rename the second entry by deleting the _2 and save it

MQTT Explorer is really helpful in these situations, as you can see, what your topics and messages really say, and to delete entries that are orphaned or simply wrong. Sometimes it even helps to delete whole topics, most of them will get re-send by the MQTT device anyway.

EDIT:

MQTT Explorer

[OftenPerplexed]

Thank you @paddy0174 I will give that a whirl…

[Cybex (John Pals)]

I just started using Alarmo and I am sure I am missing something here. Smoke detectors are “Always On” which is good. But how can I create an action specifically when a smoke detector is triggered? At the “Action” tab I can select modes “Home, Away, Night”, but I am missing “Fire or Always On”.

[BigBahJohn]

Hope this is the right place to ask this question.

When Alarmo is set, then a door is open for example, the Alarmo Card says was a trigger by the following sensors…but you can’t read the sensor. Is there a way to display the sensor large enough to read on the car?

This is the situation I am describing:

Thanks

[neliss]

Could you open a feature request issue in the alarmo-card project on GitHub for this?

[scooby]

Hi All,

Need some help. My alarm got triggered over the weekend due to a motion. After checking everything, I could not see anything obvious. So I am guessing it could be a false alarm. How can I prevent a false trigger? Thank you

[scooby]

Never mind, found the solution in post 623. Thank you

[scooby]

Hi again

I am getting “Required key ‘service’ is missing.” error when I am trying to create an action. Any thoughts?

Thank you

[paddy0174 (Patrick)]

Yep, first thought: why is a member, that is signed up for more than two years still not knowing how to get fast and reliable answers?

With code! Please, post the code you’re trying to get to work, as crystal balls seem not that competitive these days, at least mine isn’t.

[scooby]

I am glad that you found it funny. This is what you get when you get crystal balls from Pondland or DollarTree, Get some proper Crystal Balls.

Next time when you write a comment like this, think about the person on the other side. They could have some disability, some medical issues or genuinely cannot remember the process to get the answer. There was no need to write a snotty comment.

[paddy0174 (Patrick)]

Yes, I thought it is a little funny. I think, it is way nicer as telling someone in three words “post the code”.

And yes, it surprises me every time, when someone is not able to take at least one close look into the pinned topic in every forum and sub-forum. And what surprises me even more, is that someone who already knows how to post some code (according to a few of your posts), has read more than two days in the forum and has already created nearly 50 posts him/herself, doesn’t even bother to show that little respect against all the people that are here to help.

Have you ever thought about what people might think, that are here in their free time, trying to give something back to the community by giving support to others, free of charge, and the majority of people asking questions, doesn’t even bother to make it a little easier to give that support and help?

Or do you think, any kind of disabilty, medical issue or whatever, entitles people to do just as they like? In my world, people try to be nice and if they have questions, they try their best, the same wayas I try my best to give good and reliable answers.

Moving on, do you have some code to post, that shows what you are trying to do? The error message points into the direction that you’re missing a service to call, something like switch.turn_on or light.turn_off. As we don’t know anything about your doings, beside that you had a false alarm, it is not possible to narrow down where you even try to do that. Is it a service that has to do with Alarmo like alarmo.arm or is it something you want to happen in case of an alarm, or, or, or.

Let us know, preferrable with some code, how you’re getting along and if you still have problems.

EDIT: here is the link to the pinned topic:

How to help us help you - or How to ask a good question

Before we begin… This forum is not a helpdesk The people here don’t work for Home Assistant, that’s an open source project. We are volunteering our free time to help others. Not all topics may get an answer, never mind one that helps you solve your problem. [image] This also isn’t a general home automation forum, this is a forum for Home Assistant and things related to it. Any question about Home Assistant, and about using things with Home Assistant, is welcome here. We can’t help you with e…

[scooby]

Few things comes to mind but lets leave it at that. Here is the script and code.

Script:

alias: S50001-05 - Alarm Triggered - Turn All Lights ON.
sequence:
  - condition: numeric_state
    entity_id: sensor.ms_dining_room_illuminance
    below: 50
    value_template: "{{ states('sensor.ms_dining_room_illuminance') | float(0) < 50 }}"
  - service: light.turn_on
    data: {}
    target:
      entity_id: light.all_lights_group
mode: single
icon: mdi:script-outline

Set up an action:

Event: Alarm is triggered
Mode: Away
Task:
  - service: script.s50001_05_alarm_triggered_turn_all_lights_on
    entity_id: script.s50001_05_alarm_triggered_turn_all_lights_on
    data: {}
Name: Test

When I attempt to save this action, I get an error:
Required key 'service' is missing.

[scooby]

Above code worked fine in version 1.9.9

[paddy0174 (Patrick)]

Event: Alarm is triggered
Mode: Away
Task:
  - service: script.s50001_05_alarm_triggered_turn_all_lights_on
    entity_id: script.s50001_05_alarm_triggered_turn_all_lights_on
    data: {}
Name: Test

You need to set a service to call, not the script. Like this:

Event: Alarm is triggered
Mode: Away
Task:
  - service: script.turn_on
    entity_id: script.s50001_05_alarm_triggered_turn_all_lights_on
    data: {}
Name: Test

You tell HA what it should do (calling a script) and afterwards you tell HA which script you want to call.

And for the other things, if you want to talk about, please send me a PM!