Run a self-contained local alarm system on the Konnected Alarm Panel itself.
The Konnected Alarm Panel can now be used in a whole new way! Since the original Konnected Alarm Panel was launched in 2017, the concept has been to integrate the wired sensors and devices of a traditional wired alarm system into a smart home app or hub. The Konnected panel didn’t do the actual alarm system logic—this was done by SmartThings, Home Assistant, Hubitat, or other smart home platforms—until now!
A new Standalone Alarm Panel feature is now available for Home Assistant users on both the WiFi-only Alarm Panel and Alarm Panel Pro running our latest firmware.
Here’s the rundown on the new feature, copied from our knowledge base article on the Standalone Alarm System. Let us know what you think!
The Standalone Alarm Panel feature makes your Konnected Alarm Panel even smarter, running the alarm system logic locally on the device. This means that even if Home Assistant is down or unreachable, your alarm system will still trigger a local alarm! There are some pros and cons to this approach, and the Standalone Alarm System may not be suitable for everyone.
Requirements to use the Standalone Alarm System
- All zones and sirens/outputs for your alarm are wired to a single Konnected Alarm Panel or Alarm Panel Pro board. The Standalone Alarm System runs self-contained on a single board.
- You are a Home Assistant user. We’re still working on support for this feature in other smart home platforms including SmartThings and Alexa.
- Your device is using Konnected’s latest Alarm Panel firmware (made with ESPHome).
If you have a multi-board setup (more than one Konnected panel in the same home), or integrate other non-Konnected sensors such as wireless door/window sensors into your alarm system, then the Standalone Alarm System feature is not a fit for you. In this case, you should continue using the smart home platform as the logic of the alarm system.
How it works in Home Assistant
The Standalone Alarm System feature is built upon the Alarm Control Panel core component in Home Assistant, and natively appears in the Home Assistant user interface as an Alarm Panel that can be armed and disarmed:
Up to four arming modes are supported:
- Disarmed
- Armed Away
- Armed Home
- Armed Night (optional)
Just like a traditional alarm system, the Armed Away mode is used when you are away from your home, arming the perimeter and interior sensors. Armed Home and optionally Armed Night modes are for when the alarm is armed while occupants are at home, and will commonly include perimeter/entry sensors and bypass interior sensors.
One or more numeric codes can be defined, and Home Assistant will automatically present a keypad to enter the code when disarming.
Codes are optional, and you can alternatively automate the arming and disarming of your alarm with the full power of Home Assistant automations and service calls, using any triggers you want!
The Konnected Alarm appears independently of the individual zones and sensors on the panel, so you still have full access to each individual input and output wired to the Konnected Alarm Panel. Here’s how a simple Alarm Panel device with two doors, a motion sensor, siren, and piezo buzzer looks in Home Assistant:
Setting up the Standalone Alarm System
Use the Konnected app to easily set up the Standalone Alarm System and update your device firmware in minutes. If you prefer to self-manage your firmware configuration using ESPHome’s open-source tools, see the ESPHome Alarm Control Panel Component (warning: advanced) for documentation.
This guide will focus on using the Konnected app to set up the Standalone Alarm System.
Set up Input and Output Zones
Using the Konnected app, first set up the zones (sensors and outputs) that are wired to the panel and make up your alarm system. Discover your Konnected Alarm Panel in the app, then tap on Settings from the device info screen. Tap Zone Settings to set up the name, type, and options for each zone.
Be sure to also add your siren, strobe, or other output in the Zone Settings section. The built-in ALARM and OUT zones on the Konnected Alarm Panel also must be initially set up in this section.
Enable the Standalone Alarm System
From the main Settings screen, tap Standalone Alarm System and check the Enabled toggle to enable the feature.
You can name the alarm system. This name will appear in the Home Assistant UI as well as be used by voice assistants (in the future). The default name is Konnected Alarm if left blank.
Disarm Codes
Optionally add one or more numeric codes that are used for disarming the alarm. If you do not add any codes, the alarm can be disarmed with a single tap.
Enable Zones to be Monitored by the Alarm System
In the Zones/Sensors section, the available zones that you have set up previously will appear here. Tap on each zone to Enable it to be monitored by the Standalone Alarm System. All enabled zones will be monitored and will trigger the alarm when in Armed Away mode. You can bypass individual zones in Armed Home and Armed Night modes by checking the bypass option checkboxes under each zone.
Each zone also has a Trigger mode option that can be set, which is relevant if you use the Entry Delay feature (see below). By default, zones are triggered in Delayed mode, which means that if the Entry Delay is set and the zone is opened, the alarm will initiate the entry delay before triggering the alarm.
Set the zone to Instant trigger mode to bypass the entry delay for that zone. For example, windows or doors that are not normally used for entry/exit may be set to instantly trigger the alarm when opened by setting this mode.
The Delayed follower trigger mode is useful for interior motion sensors. These zones trigger the alarm instantly if they are triggered first, but act like a delayed zone if triggered during the entry delay. This offers better protection if someone enters the premises via an unprotected entry. If there is a PIR motion sensor that catches motion after someone enters in an unusual manner, it will trigger the alarm instantly, but won’t trigger if it catches you after entering through a delayed entry zone.
Alarm Responses
The Alarm Response section allows you to set what happens when an alarm is triggered. Typically this includes turning on a siren or strobe physically connected to the panel. Each output zone that has been set up in the Zone Settings section is available for use as an Alarm Response.
Tap on each output and tap the Enabled toggle to enable that output to trigger in response to an alarm.
Outputs that are set up as On/Off switches, like a siren or strobe, can be set to either turn on or turn off in response to an alarm. Optionally, a duration can also be set when turn on is selected to automatically turn off the siren/strobe after a set period of time.
If a siren/strobe is triggered due to an alarm, and the alarm is disarmed or cleared, the siren/strobe will automatically turn off.
You can set more advanced alarm responses, such as notifications, external device triggers, etc by using Home Assistant automations based on the state of the alarm_control_panel.konnected_* entity that is created.
Entry/Exit Delay
An entry and/or exit delay can be set so that the alarm works like a traditional alarm system that is armed and disarmed from inside the protected area. If not set, the alarm will arm instantly when armed, and trigger instantly whenever any zone is opened. All delays should be entered in seconds.
Entry delay is activated when the alarm system is armed, and a zone set to Delayed trigger mode is tripped. When set, you will have the given number of seconds to disarm the alarm before the alarm is triggered.
Exit delay is activated when arming the alarm in Away mode. When set, you will have the given number of seconds to exit before the alarm is fully armed.
Arming Delay is similar to Exit delay, but for the Home and/or Night arming modes. If set, the system will delay for the given number of seconds before fully arming in those modes, after being given an arming command.
