No landline, want Omni LTe send email messages

[JonK]

Several months ago PeteC was very helpful with questions I had about X-10 signals etc. Now I have a different issue with my Omni LTe system.
 
8 or 9 years ago I was using an HAI Cellular Communications Center to be able to use house phones without a landline. It was working fine, but when I moved to a new location I still had a landline there so didn't use the C3.
 
Now I don't have a landline here. I thought I could use the C3, but now find the C3 only worked on up to 3G networks.
 
I saw online what I thought would be a solution...Leviton/HAI 20A30-1 Email Notifier, but
 
 

 

[pete_c]

Here switched my copper phone line for an Ooma VOIP box.  Works fine with the Leviton OmniPro 2 panel.
 
My personal DIY backup to the Ooma VOIP line is an LTE modem with an RJ11 telephone line and dial tone.  It is a $99 Amazon product. 
 
The Email Notifier board works for some and not for others.  It does not report to an Alarm CO.
 
Software like Homeseer / Omni Plugin, OmniLinkBridge ==> MQTT ==> Homeseer and Home Assistance  will do the same as the email board. (set  your clock and email  you status).

 

[JonK]

Thanks, Pete. Now I find out that HAI controllers are no longer supported by Leviton, not my dealer Home Controls.  So I should look at replacing that functionality with something that will have a longer useful service life.
 
Sounds as if the Omni plugin will let me continue to use my LTe panel, so question is: which controller should I choose? Home Controls tech support recommends an Elk panel...you mentioned Homeseer. Which Homeseer...could I get by with the RPi version since I have just small home environment with probably 20 switches, 1 Tstat and some assorted sensors?
 
I am new to the Omnilink bridge, MQTT and Home Assistant, so will have to learn all those technologies, but I can do that. Sounds as if that may be what I need.
 
BTW, I do not need central station monitoring, nor a landline at all, but that brings up another question...if I have no phones attached, LTe console shows "Phone Trouble" message...how to disable that from appearing?
 
Thanks very much, you are extremely helpful...

 

[pete_c]

The OmniPro panel you have shouldn't fail you.  There are folks here that have been using it since initially sold by HAI. Issues with the panel have been mostly related to security wiring of zones, outputs, et al and lightning stuff...
 
Sounds as if the Omni plugin will let me continue to use my LTe panel, so question is: which controller should I choose? Home Controls tech support recommends an Elk panel...you mentioned Homeseer. Which Homeseer...could I get by with the RPi version since I have just small home environment with probably 20 switches, 1 Tstat and some assorted sensors?
 
The Homeseer Omni plugin works fine via the Ethernet plug in.
 
Homeseer was originally written for Windows use.  Today it will run in Linux (well the RPi) or Windows.  The Homeseer Omni Plugin will work fine with your configuration.  It is very plugnplay.
 
The OmniLinkBridge software also works fine with the Omni Panel.  You need to know a bit about MQTT to use it.  It also talks to Home Assistant and or Homeseer.
 
The Elk panel is the "other" combo panel (combo security and automation) that many users here use today or have used in the past.
 
You could keep your wired sensors and light switches and just connect them to the Elk panel.
 
Today there are no matching in technology combo panels like the OmniPro and Elk panels.  They were the first and only ones that offered said features of multiple automation technologies and security.  
 
"Phone Trouble" message...how to disable that from appearing?
 
Disable the phone connection using PCA.
 
While you have PCA up use the help menu to configure the phone and reverse the instructions.
 
You really only need to use PCA when first time configuring the panel, adding automation et al.  Afterwards you never need it.
 
In PCA go to set up and then Digital communicator and remove all that is configured.

 

[pete_c]

Here mostly Linux these days. 
 
I do have a Windows 2016 server running with many Windows applications that I still use.  IE: Like PCA, HAI designer software, Homeseer touchscreen designer software, et al.  I RDP to the server via my Linux laptops or desktop(s) here or Windows tablets.

 

[pete_c]

Been testing the Ring alarm system in house #2.  It is all wireless Z-Wave sensors with batteries.
 
It is a cloud connected system (which I really didn't want to use)
 
The Ring alarm hub is POE wired to the network.  It has a built in back up battery and a cellular modem in it.
 
I have seen it fail over to the cellular modem.
 
I have installed the Ring to MQTT bridge which I like such that I do not need to use my cell phone to watch or manage it.
 
I can manage it now with either Homeseer or Home Assistant.
 
That said I use the contact sensors and make TTS announcements to Alexa devices in house #2.  I am using the devices now in my automation schema there.

Response times from the Ring cloud to the Amazon cloud to the Amazon Alexa devices is reasonably quick which surprised me.

Recently added garage door wireless sensors and they work fine.  There is a ZWave repeater in the house.
 
I had an issue with one PIR battery fail a few weeks ago after less than a year of running it.  I am guessing I got the Ring system with old batteries from Amazon.
 
I installed Lithium batteries in the PIR and it still shows 100%.
 
I am mentioning this system because it is very reasonably priced and the yearly monitoring is also very reasonable.
 
I am not a wireless or cloud person here.  

 

[pete_c]

Thinking you can still find / purchase the original Snaplink for Windows.  This was sold on a USB stick and it has email functions.
 
I tested it on Windows 10 and it works fine.  You would have to leave it running 24/7.
 
Snaplink
 
I see it on Ebay as item number: 2640714003436 

I used to use this on my touchscreen tabletop tablets before running OmniTouchPro.

 

[JonK]

I ordered the Snaplink stick, and I think that will be a good solution. I don't mind leaving my PC on since it draws little power with an SSD main drive and I can spin down the external drive when it's not needed.
 
I am still getting the "Phone Line Dead Trouble Now" message even after de-activating all of the digital communicator fields in Dealer PC Access.

 

[pete_c]

Good news @JonK
 
Another way would be to install the OmniLinkBridge application on a RPi and only use the email functions on it and nothing else.  This application works in Windows and Linux (with Mono).  There is no GUI on it unless you use Homeseer and or HA software.
 
Missed one on the dialer...from the help screen...
 
Dialing: Telephone Access
 
This setting in the Setup->Dialing tab allows you to turn the local (in-house) and remote telephone control feature on or off. The setting is selectable from the drop-down list. The default setting for Telephone Access is On.
 
If set to On, the HAI Controller will allow local and remote telephone access as described in the Telephone Control section of your Owner's Manual.
 
If this value is set to Off, the HAI Controller will never answer incoming calls and will not work on the in-house phones. Dial outs will still occur and the system will operate normally when the HAI Controller dials out.
 
If you do not have your HAI Controller connected to a phone line, set Telephone Access to Off to keep the system from displaying the "PHONE LINE DEAD" error screen.

 

[JonK]

Set up Snap-Link and that works fine. However, it's been years since I set up (or rather didn't) the temperature sensor setpoints, and searching the online HAI help section, I didn't see how to do that.

 

[pete_c]

I apologize as I just read this...
 
Load up PCS and go to temperature sensors / status / left click on the temperature sensor.

 

[JonK]

Hi Pete,
 
I did get the temp sensors set up correctly, but I am not receiving email notifications from Snap-Link. I'll attach a screenshot of my SnapLink email setup...maybe you could check it against yours and see where I have made an error in configuration...
 


 

 

[pete_c]

Try changing the port settings to this:
 
SMTP Port: 587

 

[JonK]

I changed the SMTP port to 465 because that's what the SMTP setting is for gmail in my Thunderbird accounts options, but it still isn't sending alerts.
 
Attached is the current setting page.
 
Also, how does the temperature alarm logic work? I see that the temperature exceeds the high setpoint, an alarm is triggered and several minutes later, even though the temp is still above the high setpoint, the alarm is reset. Is there just one alarm and that's it?

 

[pete_c]

Try port 587.  465 is using SSL.  Do a test to see if port 587 works.
 
Yes; thinking it is just one alert whether set high or low.