Automate ELK going into "Entry Delay Active"

[beerguy]

Does anyone know of a way to have a Task turn on and then have the ELK go through its normal Entry Delay Active mode? I'm looking to have a Task turn on controlled by Homeseer and then have the ELK go through its normal steps as if someone entered the house with the Alarm set i.e. if it gets a good user code then it disarms the panel. If it gets a bad code or no code then it triggers the appropriate alarm. I don't see anything in the Automation section that looks like it would do this.

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Pat

 

[123]

Let me get this straight; is this what you want to do:

1. The M1 is armed in Away mode.
2. Homeseer activates a Task that causes the M1 to start an Entry Delay countdown.
3. The M1 is disarmed by a proper user-code.

Someone may know of a more elegant solution but here's a brute-force method:

1. Define a zone to be Burglar Entry/Exit 1.
2. Physically connect it to a relay-driven output.
3. Make a task that activates a rule to to open and close the output for 1 second.

When you fire that task it effectively triggers the zone (i.e. like opening and closing a door quickly) and causes the armed M1 to begin its Entry Delay countdown.

Not sure why you'd need it, but there it is.

 

[beerguy]

Let me get this straight; is this what you want to do:

1. The M1 is armed in Away mode.
2. Homeseer activates a Task that causes the M1 to start an Entry Delay countdown.
3. The M1 is disarmed by a proper user-code.

Someone may know of a more elegant solution but here's a brute-force method:

1. Define a zone to be Burglar Entry/Exit 1.
2. Physically connect it to a relay-driven output.
3. Make a task that activates a rule to to open and close the output for 1 second.

When you fire that task it effectively triggers the zone (i.e. like opening and closing a door quickly) and causes the armed M1 to begin its Entry Delay countdown.

Not sure why you'd need it, but there it is.

Hi 123 -
Thanks for the reply. I had thought about the hard-wired method but was hoping for a programming solution rather than hard-wired. Thanks for the idea though.

Here's what I'm trying to do and perhaps someone has a better idea:

I've got about 10 motion sensor around the house that are X-10 connected into Homeseer via a RFXCOM receiver. In Away mode I'd like those motion sensors to trigger an alarm as well as a door opening (in case someone breaks a window to get in or some other means). I've got a script in homeseer so that if any two motions trigger within 5 minutes than there must be someone moving around the house (we don't have pets). I'd like Homeseer to trigger a Task that makes the ELK panel act just like a zone went to Violated.

If there is a better way to do this I'd really appreciate the thoughts. I've considered a W800 receiver hooked into the ELK but I don't have any more serial ports. I also would like to avoid paying hundreds of dollars for all new motion sensors to connect to my ELK wireless receiver.

Thanks,

Pat

 

[123]

... I've got about 10 motion sensor around the house that are X-10 connected into Homeseer ......would like to avoid paying hundreds of dollars for all new motion sensors to connect to my ELK wireless receiver.

OK, now I get it. Homeseer acts as the middleman between the X10 Motion Sensors and the M1.

 

[tmbrown97]

Something you could test - create a zone that's a NC zone but leave it open (or vice versa)... then set it as a entry delay zone, and bypass it. I see a setting in ElkRP to un-bypass a zone. You could try sending the un-bypass then re-bypass.

Depending on how the elk handles things - that'll either cause a trip, or it'll ignore the sensor until it becomes secure and unsecure again.

Two other options I'd try:
1. using some type of X10 relay (could be as simple as a 12V wall wart to a $6 automotive relay hooked into an appliance module) to create a contact closure that's hooked into one of the input zones.
2. Connect one of the outputs on the elk to one of its own inputs to basically close a NO zone that's set to Entry Delay (this would be my preferred method). If you're out of outputs, you could send one of the outputs that are at each keypad back to the control panel over the extra wire(s) - or in fact, you could rig this up behind any keypad by hooking the keypad output to the keypad input and setting that input as the entry trigger. In fact, I'm thinking this out as I go, but I may hook one of these up just so I have a programmatical way of triggering an alarm trip - or even do two, behind two different keypads, so I have one on entry delay and one on instant...

 

[Lagerhead]

I had thought about the hard-wired method but was hoping for a programming solution rather than hard-wired.

A slight detour in the conversation: This is one of a few disappointing and frankly surprising omissions in the Elk rules. I too have a relay-to-zone wired connection -- which is absurd when you think about it -- so that I can have a rule-triggered alarm. Granted, I am relatively new to the Elk, but I have spent much installation time pondering the rule set and tweaking my system, bringing to bear a few decades of programming experience, conducting experiments when the documentation has been deficient, spending time in email conversations with Elk support, and still had to resort to a hardware approach.

What is so hard about having "activate alarm" and "violate zone" choices in the THEN list? Unless there is a significant policy issue that escapes me.

I am interested to know the result of Todd's bypass/unbypass idea.

 

[123]

.. surprising omissions in the Elk rules...

Another desirable (yet missing) command is "Activate Fire/Police/Medical Alarm". It can be done now but in a roundabout manner via a function key.

For beerguy's purposes, what's needed is a "Violate Zone" command.

 

[beerguy]

.. surprising omissions in the Elk rules...

Another desirable (yet missing) command is "Activate Fire/Police/Medical Alarm". It can be done now but in a roundabout manner via a function key.

For beerguy's purposes, what's needed is a "Violate Zone" command.

That "violate zone" command is what I was hoping to find. Clearly it doesn't exist yet. I guess I'll resort to using Output 3 and run it into a zone input. Thanks again for everyone's help.

Pat

 

[tmbrown97]

I am interested to know the result of Todd's bypass/unbypass idea.

Just tested this concept, and it did work. I took zone 32 which has nothing attached to it, and told the system it was a NC perimeter zone, then bypassed it. I then made a task which would unbypass it, and armed my system into Stay mode.

Once the countdown finished, I hit the task through ElkRM to un-bypass the zone, and instantly the countdown started happening.

Sooooo - there's another way if you don't have the outputs to spare. It does still waste an input though, as from what I've seen so far, you can't get to inputs that don't physically exist on the system.

 

[Lagerhead]

I am interested to know the result of Todd's bypass/unbypass idea.

Just tested this concept, and it did work.

Solves at least a part of the problem. Nice work.