I currently have an old HKC non-monitored alarm system in my house which has no network connectivity and all the sensors are wired.
I would like to upgrade that to something that can be controlled via Home Assistant and that can use the existing sensors/siren/wiring if possible.
What do people recommend?
What would be the benefit of a âsmartâ alarm system? What is a smart alarm system anyway 
Here, Iâve used a normal alarm system that can control a couple of relays. Those relays are coupled to a raspberry pi, so I know when the alarm is armed/disarmed, siren is on/off, âŚ
I ordered a remote and soldered some wires to it, and this way I can arm the alarm or activate the panic alarm.
The point would be to not have to remember to always set the alarm myself at night (set a schedule), when leaving the house (you can auto turn on based on presence sensor), activate-deactivate remotely, push notifications when it goes off. Ideally if I can somehow get my âdumbâ HKC system to talk to Hassio it would be great.
I did find the konnected.io solution which seems to just connect into the existing wiring which looks like a simple enough setup but I can see a problem with the fact that it would be a DIY install and not a professional so insurance company will not like that I bet
Can your HKC system control relays ? Does it have a remote control ? If so, itâs quite easy to integrate.
I am not sure, it has a standard keypad with an LCD and the main board in a cupboard where all the wires go. How is your relay solution set up?
I just thought I would chime in on âwhyâ as I am in something of the same boat. new house, with no alarm system, and lots of HA stuff so far.
To me if (and it is a big if as it was not pre-wired, and I really do not like wireless alarm sensors) I had good door, window and motion sensors for an alarm, using those as well for home automation is a big benefit - warning of doors or windows left open as a simple example, but also things like activating lights based on them, capturing and forwarding video.
I am very concerned about typical home automation sensors for use for an alarm, I want a ârealâ alarm panel, and a real CO (UL approved) monitoring central station. But I also want visibility of everything on the alarm in HA, and maybe some control (I am a bit torn about the control aspects, i.e. HA controlling the alarm, for security reasons - convenient, but an attack vector that may not be worth it).
I had an Elk M1G at my last house, and was quite happy with it, though they have done little to improve that system in years. Many years. Some addon stuff, but the M1G board I think is many years old. Maybe it was just perfect then, but⌠worries me they are not investing. Worries me for the companyâs longevity. So Iâm looking to see what the alternatives are.
FWIW.
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I agree on the security concern aspect. Easiest fix for me would be to rip out the existing system and replace it with Konnected since it takes my existing wiring but I would trust a dedicated system even more.
I only have door/window sensors right now so anything that I want to add like motion sensors would not work directly with Konnected so would need to be added via SmartThings etc
Maybe one from the list below which has HA integration is the sweet spot
Ultimately, adding that to anything that controls the alarm system, like HA, still poses security risks if someone does get in and has control of the arming/disarming. But since it took me like 1 day to set up one media player card I hope no hacker will have the patience haha
To each of his ownâŚThe only difference between your ârealâ alarm and DYI alarm is who to call the police. To be fairâŚif your home is broken inâŚitâs too late/done. The next step is what one could do to reduce the damageâŚsiren that wakes up the neighbor, call law enforcement. You could do that with HA. Iâm done paying ADT stupid fee.
The only difference between your ârealâ alarm and DYI alarm is who to call the police.
Honestly for me an alarm systemâs notification is not so much about burglary, but fire. And many (most?) locations will not permit an automated call to the fire department. Having the alarm system call me, and me call the fire⌠well, all I need to do is count how many missed calls I have on my phone from being out of range, in loud environments, not having the phone on my body (e.g. swimming), etc.
And it does make quite a lot of difference how quickly one can call the fire department.
I also realize a lot of people do not hook smokes up to their alarm system; I think that is quite foolish. Studies have shown that fire is not deterred by signs outside saying âprotected by ADTâ. 
Thatâs what home insurance is for 
Besides, there are tons of things you could do to minimize fire risks instead of paying someone to monitor it. And these solutions doesnât cost monthly fee.
Speaking of which, what fire alarm/CO2 detectors are out there that play nice with HA?
Heard that the nest one is nice but the battery version dies quickly.
Iâve had the battery version for about four years without replacing the battery. Would be great except Google taking away the third party integrations.
Thatâs what home insurance is for
Besides, there are tons of things you could do to minimize fire risks instead of paying someone to monitor it. And these solutions doesnât cost monthly fee.
Depending on your insurance, you may save enough to pay the monitoring fee. I was paying about $24/mo which included cellular backup at my last house, and got something like $200 discount. Not equal, I admit, but significant.
I have tried the DIY alarm route using Konnected, SmartThings and Home Assistant. From my experience, it is not something I would recommend to most people unless they want the bare minimum of security in their home. To repurpose your wired sensors for home automation, then Konnected works just fine, though the cost of the module is not that much cheaper than buying Zigbee/Z-Wave sensors, or getting a Ring Alarm system.
Does your alarm system still function (does the siren sound off if alarm is triggered?) without a monthly monitoring service? If so, Konnected sell a slightly more expensive version of their module that lets you connect the sensors to HA but keep existing alarm functionality. THis solution would work for my friend since she wanted to keep the siren functionality to scare off intruders, but was fine with self monitoring using cameras and Home Assistant. Maybe this is enough security for you?
If you want more than the bare minimum of security in your house, then I would try the Ring Alarm. The alarm kit goes on sale often and the monthly monitoring fee is affordable ($15/month, I believe). Plus, your insurance company would like it. There is a way to use Ring sensors in HA with the use of a Hassio add-on, but that may stop working when the Ring API changes.
Ok I found something that will let me use my existing alarm and just add HA integration to it via Konnected. They actually do a interface which just sits on top of an existing system and you donât lose any of its functionality (https://konnected.io/products/konnected-alarm-panel-interface-for-wired-security-systems)
It is not cheap at $200 but replacing my whole system is about 3 times that so not bad as I can install it myself.
Yes, that is the new Konnected product I was talking about. I wish it was released before I bought the previous model, but at least it exists now.
Make sure you read the documentation and confirm your wired alarm system is compatible with Konnected. Installation isnât the easiest, so be patient when installing and good luck!
Ditch the old alarm panel and use Konnected. The sensors you currently have should show in Home Assistant, then you can use the Manual Alarm Panel or Manual MQTT Alarm Panel.
Thatâs what I would look at doing.
Either that or shell out for something professional on the list as the main panel, but utilise your existing sensors.
PIR and Door sensors should be compatible with any panel on the market still (provided it can do wired)
Do you know if Konnected (and/or Noonlight depending on how it works) can support cellular backup or is it only internet based CO reporting?
Also, is the Konnected system connected only locally to Home Assistant or does it require cloud services (other than reporting through Noonlight for monitoring)?
No, Konnected is local wifi only.
I can still control it and see if it is triggered remotely via Nabu and HA, I have it set to get push notifications on my phone when it goes off.
As @sd_dracula said. Konnected runs local.
Its a way to bring all your sensors into Home Assistant. You can then setup Manual Alarm Panel component in Home Assistant and Home Assistant becomes your alarm system.
You can set Home Assistant to send notification s out via various methods, such as pushbullet and in some countries SMS.
Its a DIY alarm solution, but itâs pretty economical.
If you want a professional system, youâd be replacing your existing alarm board and paying someone to come and install it.