Home Automation - Lights & Security



I am sharing my experience to setting up a security system at my home. You definitely can exercise the options that companies provide but if you are a DIY person like me then you will like this post.

Before I begin, i have tried to list some advantages/disadvantages
Advantages:
  • I am not married to a wall to check my home health, it's on my phone 
  • Alexa helps control most lights 
  • I move, the security and light system move with me, no un-installation costs. you don't need to wire door and windows, it's all wireless
  • No external installation costs, other than your own time. its a weekend project
  • Great to monitor kids or pets, motion detection with Arlo works very well. 
  • No monthly costs
Disadvantages:
  • Needs time
  • The tech you use, needs to be reliable
  • No direct calls with Police departments incase of break-ins (monitoring companies may charge upto $15/month for this service)

Again, i do not recommend any of the brands that i have used at my home, you are free to buy any that work with the hardware you purchase. The following is just my experience.

Devices used:
  • Door/Window Sensors - Visonic
  • Arlo pro Netgear Cameras
  • Sirens
  • SmartThings Hub/Extenders (if needed)
Technologies:
  • ZigBee
  • Wi-fi
  • SmartThings app
  • Arlo app
Lights:
  • Sengled Element Touch (Buy in packs of 3 they are cheaper - look for deals)
First and foremost, it doesn't take a lot of time and effort to do this. it took me 2 days to set it all up. 

Scenario: 
#1. When I am away or asleep, the system can do the following:
  • detect motion in the backyard, sound off an alarm, turn on all lights in the house and send you a notification
  • detect door/window sensors, sound off an alarm, turn on all lights in the house and send you a notification
#2. When I am at home, the system can do the following:

  • detect door/window sensors, send you a notification on your phone
#3. Geofencing works great with SmartThings
  • If you walk out of your house (with your phone), the home can auto turn on Away mode and activate Scenario# 1
Technical Setup:
  1. Setup with Smartthings Hub 
    1. Setup is relatively easy, ensure you have ethernet cable ports. 
    2. SmartThings hub, Arlo uses ethernet ports
  2. Arlo Setup: follow the guidelines and its super easy. 
  3. Door/Window sensors(you may use whichever that you like, but before buying look into their battery life. You don't the ones that die every 10 days)
    1. Door sensors, primarily, work on ZigBee. Smartthings hub supports zigBee protocol (you can add a max of 40 devices on 1 hub, if you need more get an extender (samsung outlets are zigbee extenders) )
    2. Follow instructions on the door sensor to sync with smartthings hub
    3. Note: sync one at a time, otherwise they won't work. Also, all sensors look alike naming them will become tedious.
  4. Lights: I replaced all my bulbs with Sengleds. They can dim / brighten, change colors from soft white to daylight. 
    1. They work on the same ZigBee tech, so these devices will add up and then you will need an extender to add more devices. 
    2. How do I know I need an extender: the smart app will stop detecting new devices, thats your clue. Or hub will start dropping or marking 1-2 devices as unavailable. (it's really annoying)
  5. Integration: Bringing it all together. 
    1. Bring up the Samsung app
    2. you have already added "things" to your hub that will be listed in the Things page. 
    3. Go to Dashboard and setup Security
      1. You can select sensors, cams that you want to activate monitoring for. 
      2. Click Next and it takes you to the action screen
        1. Select Notifications
        2. Select Siren for alarm
        3. Select camera recording to auto record videos after sensors were activated
Finally sit back and relax, and let Smartthings do everything for you. 

Also, Alexa connects with Smartthings lights. Security cannot be controlled using alexa. Apple and Amazon have concerns about integrating security module with their bots. 

Cost Analysis:
Visonic door sensors: $14.99 each compared to others which are at minimum $30+ 
Smartthings hub & Extender: $49.00 each
Arlo Pro 3 camera with Siren: Costco $450
Sengled Lights: $12 each (9.5W - 60W/BR30 equivalent) - far cheaper than the Hue bulbs. Also, I didn't want color bulbs.

I could have replaced switches instead of buying bulbs, but I didn't want to involve an electrician or handle wires. 
That being said, I installed an ecobee4 which works great with Alexa. But if you don't want alexa, go for the ecobee3(same features no alexa)


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