I need to follow up with my contacts at FrontPoint. But has anyone else made any progress?
Not here, would seem like this would work, just need Alarm.com to play… Thanks for trying!
As of Monday, FrontPoint is waiting for Alarm.com to reply. They said the turnaround is usually 2 days or so. Hope to know more by the end of the week.
I’ve been considering getting an alarm for the house and was really looking at the Go Control from 2gig, which from what my research has shown me is the same from Alarm.com?
Has anyone used the this system with any type of workability with the vera2?
Is there any other security system that is compatible with the vera2?
There seems to be a lot of discussion on getting these to work together with no luck yet. Any more information on this? Is it worth getting and waiting for compatibility issues to be resolved later?
My wife is really pushing for a security system, and I’d like to get the best/most compatible one with vera2 for future expansion, etc.
Any help or insight is apprecatated, and I do appoligize inadvance if any of the questions have already been answered, I have read the thread, but may have missed something.
There are a lot that are compatible, look here:
I went with DSC in the end due to availability and price of the parts.
I second strangely’s advice. DSC is the way to go. It can be installed as a diy or find a security company that uses the DSC PowerSeries equipment if you want to have someone install it.
- Garrett
Go with DSC…works GREAT!!! I did research with 2gigs, got it and returned it. It is not that it doesn’t work, it is that it is another system to integrate with Zwave, different than Vera. My A/C controllers are 2Gigs and work great with the Vera, but the Alarm is very sophisticated that can run by itself without Vera.
The DSC took me a while but it is very simple. I almost gave up because the cable interface I had bought to connect the IT100 (the RS232 to USB) cannot be just any cheap cable, so *** buy the one that MiCasaVerde recommends (~ $20), and the communication will be perfect. I was going crazy with another one I had, so by intuition, was able to get the other one, and solved all the problems. I am able to arm/disarm, and I cancelled my monitoring service, I now do it myself with the notifications it provides. But…you need to read a lot on the Wikis and you will be fine.
You need a good installer to set the panel, the keypads, etc. I bought everything through Amazon and replaced my old Honeywell panel.
[quote=“Ary, post:67, topic:168620”]Go with DSC…works GREAT!!! I did research with 2gigs, got it and returned it. It is not that it doesn’t work, it is that it is another system to integrate with Zwave, different than Vera. My A/C controllers are 2Gigs and work great with the Vera, but the Alarm is very sophisticated that can run by itself without Vera.
The DSC took me a while but it is very simple. I almost gave up because the cable interface I had bought to connect the IT100 (the RS232 to USB) cannot be just any cheap cable, so *** buy the one that MiCasaVerde recommends (~ $20), and the communication will be perfect. I was going crazy with another one I had, so by intuition, was able to get the other one, and solved all the problems. I am able to arm/disarm, and I cancelled my monitoring service, I now do it myself with the notifications it provides. But…you need to read a lot on the Wikis and you will be fine.
You need a good installer to set the panel, the keypads, etc. I bought everything through Amazon and replaced my old Honeywell panel.[/quote]
While this can be true for some, others (like me) have a monitoring contract. Also, this doesn’t help to prevent someone cutting a phone line/internet line/etc. I don’t have a phone line, and while my internet is extremely reliable, the network panel is easily accessed and cords cut. It’s at the same spot on every home in the community.
… you can fallback to can still to a 3G Modem, or localized SMS (native in the Alarm system).
Having Vera monitor the Alarm doesn’t prohibit those options, and is really the for the purposes of Automation, not a replacement for professional [Alarm only] monitoring.
It also shouldn’t prohibit native monitoring, although you’d need to check your monitoring contract/company
cutting a phone line/internet line/etc.GSM blockers, whilst illegal in the US, are readily available to stop your Alarm system from using it's SMS/GSM circuit, if you're that keen to get into someone's place. 8)
PurduGuy, any update from the FrontPoint/Alarm.com contacts about getting the Simon XT 1.4 version to play nicely with the Vera regarding lock control? I have heard that the Z-wave protocol only allows for the Primary controller to utilize the encryption keys needed to unlock a z-wave lock. Do you know if that is true? Any further information you could offer would be great!
The lock can only be associated with one primary controller at a time.
- Garrett
I haven’t heard anything, and my last email went unanswered. I can try again.
@garrettwp:
Every network will only have 1 primary controller, all others are secondary. Vera attempts to send the encryption keys (it said something like “Sending encryption keys” in the status window), but the device is incapable of receiving properly them at this time. I’m hopeful that more can be done.
-Jacob
I have a 2gig go controller with Alarm.com too…and I have been trying to add it as a slave to my vera lite. My intent was to be able to get sensor data from my hardwired doors/windows/motion sensors. I was finally told that 2 gig does not communicate this info. Have you figured out a way to access the 2gig system this way?
Hopeful!!! :
I just got the Simon XTi panel, monitored by LiveWatch. I am considering purchasing the Vera Lite to control all of my non security-related items. According to MiCasaVerde the Simon XTi is not supported on the same z wave network.
One of my goals is to find a way to enable the HomeLink garage door buttons in our vehicles to initiate a scene on the Vera that would include triggering a garage door (considering a dry contact switch for that). Also within this scene, in addition to setting the lights based on time of day, I would want Vera to send a signal to the alarm system to arm or disarm, depending on the existing status.
A work around I thought up is as follows. I am looking for input from those of you who are experienced with this stuff – I’m a noob with regards to z wave.
My thinking is that I can create a bridge between Simon and Vera using dry contact switches and keyfobs. To allow Vera to arm/disarm the alarm (I’ll refer to this as link1) I would wire a dry contact switch (connected to the Vera network) to a keyfob (connected to the Simon network). I would then use the same method to provide alarm status feedback from Simon to Vera: A Simon networked dry contact hard wired to a Vera networked keyfob (link2).
Programming-wise, I would set up a rule in Simon such that whenever the system is armed, turn link2 ‘on’; and when disarmed, turn link2 ‘off’. In this way, Vera would always know the current state of the alarm.
For garage doors and any other doors that I want Vera to have status visibility to, I’d simply add a second set of sensors.
Is my line of thinking correct here? What pitfalls am I overlooking here? Better solutions?
Thanks for any feedback.
[quote=“dlbyers, post:74, topic:168620”]I just got the Simon XTi panel, monitored by LiveWatch. I am considering purchasing the Vera Lite to control all of my non security-related items. According to MiCasaVerde the Simon XTi is not supported on the same z wave network.
One of my goals is to find a way to enable the HomeLink garage door buttons in our vehicles to initiate a scene on the Vera that would include triggering a garage door (considering a dry contact switch for that). Also within this scene, in addition to setting the lights based on time of day, I would want Vera to send a signal to the alarm system to arm or disarm, depending on the existing status.
A work around I thought up is as follows. I am looking for input from those of you who are experienced with this stuff – I’m a noob with regards to z wave.
My thinking is that I can create a bridge between Simon and Vera using dry contact switches and keyfobs. To allow Vera to arm/disarm the alarm (I’ll refer to this as link1) I would wire a dry contact switch (connected to the Vera network) to a keyfob (connected to the Simon network). I would then use the same method to provide alarm status feedback from Simon to Vera: A Simon networked dry contact hard wired to a Vera networked keyfob (link2).
Programming-wise, I would set up a rule in Simon such that whenever the system is armed, turn link2 ‘on’; and when disarmed, turn link2 ‘off’. In this way, Vera would always know the current state of the alarm.
For garage doors and any other doors that I want Vera to have status visibility to, I’d simply add a second set of sensors.
Is my line of thinking correct here? What pitfalls am I overlooking here? Better solutions?
Thanks for any feedback.[/quote]
I considered things like that, and gave up. I have issues with Z-Wave sensors, and the delay of sending commands via the GSM link was too slow for me to tolerate. And not having the locks integrated was the dealbreaker.
Technically the can be on the same Z-Wave network, but they aren’t integrated too well. The alarm sensors are totally isolated, and Vera doesn’t get any idea what the alarm sensors current state is. Door locks are either controlled by the primary controller, be it the alarm panel or Vera, but never by both.
You could do that dry contacts/keyfob trick to handle arm/disarm, and use something like the “Wayne-Dalton WDHA-12R HomeSettings Wireless Gateway” to get commands from your home link buttons. That would trigger Vera to arm/disarm the system, and control the garage door.
However, I should note (and this is the paranoid side of me talking), if someone steals your car, and has your home address, they simply drive it home, hit the button, open the garage door, disarm the security, and are in. I know people that it has happened to (not the alarm thing, but the car stealing and going to the empty house scenario) when it was stolen from an airport lot. For that reason, I only let Vera arm my security system (where no code is needed). I always have to enter a code to disarm, which is separate from the code that opens my deadbolt.
Thanks PurdueGuy.
I share the security concerns… Nevertheless I am weighing whether it is useful for me to invest in a Vera Lite, or just live with the limited automation control functionality provided by the Simon XTi.
You mentioned that both can coexist on the same network & that Vera will not have visibility to Simon’s sensors. Is there any communication capability between the systems at all then that would justify them being on the same network? Can Vera arm the alarm system or check for armed status without jumping through the hoops mentioned above?
Also, from your experience can a lockset disarm the alarm when the proper code is entered on its keypad?
Vera can not interface with the Simon XTi. There is no communication interface for both of them to interact with one another and as you mentioned in your previous post, there is no plugin for the alarm panel.
- Garrett
[quote=“dlbyers, post:76, topic:168620”]Thanks PurdueGuy.
I share the security concerns… Nevertheless I am weighing whether it is useful for me to invest in a Vera Lite, or just live with the limited automation control functionality provided by the Simon XTi.
You mentioned that both can coexist on the same network & that Vera will not have visibility to Simon’s sensors. Is there any communication capability between the systems at all then that would justify them being on the same network? Can Vera arm the alarm system or check for armed status without jumping through the hoops mentioned above?
Also, from your experience can a lockset disarm the alarm when the proper code is entered on its keypad?[/quote]
As Garrett said, no.
About all you can do:
Setup the network in the Simon, replicate that to Vera (or vice-versa). Each can control lights independently, maybe the thermostats. Only the primary can control locks and get notified of lock events.
You can setup rudimentary scened in the Simon XT (via the web) to do things (turn lights on/off) when the system is armed/disarmed/breached. You can set up scheduled for heating/cooling.
I should also note that I had issues when replicating the Z-Wave network, perhaps since mine is a larger network. Around 85% of the devices were transferred, and not the rest. And the names don’t transfer. It wasn’t fun turning 50 lights on/off via the Simon web interface, and then wait 10 seconds for the command to figure out which light was which!
@purdueguy, didn’t you end up getting the ELK? I believe I followed your lead with that…
I’m wondering if we can somehow interface the ELK with Alarm.com, then in turn use the outputs that are now availble in the ELK plugin to utilize Alarm.com’s features and triggers such as geo-arming…
I have a Simon XT still plugged in and chiming out the sensors that were installed to it, but now the ELK is running everything with the Wireless GE module to use the Simon’s sensors, I would love to have a reason to re-purpose the Simon. I’m watching this thread closely.
[quote=“big517, post:79, topic:168620”]@purdueguy, didn’t you end up getting the ELK? I believe I followed your lead with that…
I’m wondering if we can somehow interface the ELK with Alarm.com, then in turn use the outputs that are now availble in the ELK plugin to utilize Alarm.com’s features and triggers such as geo-arming…
I have a Simon XT still plugged in and chiming out the sensors that were installed to it, but now the ELK is running everything with the Wireless GE module to use the Simon’s sensors, I would love to have a reason to re-purpose the Simon. I’m watching this thread closely.[/quote]I ended up going with DSC. I chose that for the DSC plugin support, as well as the usage of the ION plunger sensors to I could hide them.
Since I have a computer engineering degree and do a lot of coding, I considered some scripts that would interface with the Alarm.com website for arm/disarm, but delays would be intolerable, and there is no way that would have worked for sensor updates, since those take ages to update (and motion sensors stay tripped for an hour, I believe!)