Integrating a Security System with Homeseer?

[Deadeye]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'm still pretty new with Homeseer but I've been setting up some automated lighting so far and slowly want to add more automation when I can.

I was thinking of doing my own DIY security kit to secure my home, but I was curious if it was possible to integrate a security system with Homeseer so that they could possibly send events or signals to each other? For example, I was hoping that if motion was detected in a room, I could get Homeseer to turn on the lights for an hour or so. And if an alarm event was triggered that it could send a signal to Homeseer to start flashing all of the light modules. I don't even know if something like this is possible, but if it is, I want to make sure that I purchase a security system that is compatible. I did some searching in the forums and a lot of the posts seemed really old, so I was hoping that something might have been developed in that time.
Thanks in advance!

[TeleFragger]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'm still pretty new with Homeseer but I've been setting up some automated lighting so far and slowly want to add more automation when I can.

ahhh the bait and hook!!!! your on the line now!!!!! ENJOY THE FUN!!!!!

I was thinking of doing my own DIY security kit to secure my home, but I was curious if it was possible to integrate a security system with Homeseer so that they could possibly send events or signals to each other?

Exactly... that is the beauty... I get emails on arm/disarm alarm so i know when kids are home... this go round im going to setup users so each person that disarms the alarm will have their name in the email so i know WHO is home.

For example, I was hoping that if motion was detected in a room, I could get Homeseer to turn on the lights for an hour or so. And if an alarm event was triggered that it could send a signal to Homeseer to start flashing all of the light modules.

all of that is possible and you dont need the "alarm" part to do most of that. motion could be a zwave motion or x10 motion... motion picked up by Homeseer will then do as you wish... email, txt, lights on, heck unbolt door lock, fill dogs water bowl...
what do you want it to do... the thoughts are endless LOL....

here is an example... In HS3, this works for me and slowly trying it in HS4....
garage door open (alarm sensor)
homeseer sees door open and
a. triggers motion in garage
b. turns lights on
after x amount of time with no motion...
lights off

now i hit the motion as you learn...

my kids/wife would open garage door and lights on, but no motion triggered if they just closed the door and never walked in. now i force trigger motion just for that case, lights off when no motion....

I don't even know if something like this is possible, but if it is, I want to make sure that I purchase a security system that is compatible. I did some searching in the forums and a lot of the posts seemed really old, so I was hoping that something might have been developed in that time.
Thanks in advance!

dude you have no idea what is possible!!!!!!

so alarms are where you just search and see what others are using and go from there... see what keypads they have, sensors and what you like.

me personally, i moved into a house with an old adt system. I was able to remove the panel, drop a ge concord 4 box in its place and program. all the door/window sensors and glass breaks are wireless so im golden. Bought a superbus 2000 home automation module that connects the alarm to my homeseer box via serial port and boom.. im good!!!!!

I believe DCS is the system thta is natively in homeseer and highly recommended as well...

IF I were building a house or possibly in my next house, I will be looking at the Elk M1-Gold....


enjoy and welcome to the fun of home automation!!!!!!

start small... start simple and expand.. make sure to finish each piece before moving onto the next will make it easier. Also document what you do as well!!!!!!

[The Profit]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, but I'm still pretty new with Homeseer but I've been setting up some automated lighting so far and slowly want to add more automation when I can.

I was thinking of doing my own DIY security kit to secure my home, but I was curious if it was possible to integrate a security system with Homeseer so that they could possibly send events or signals to each other? For example, I was hoping that if motion was detected in a room, I could get Homeseer to turn on the lights for an hour or so. And if an alarm event was triggered that it could send a signal to Homeseer to start flashing all of the light modules. I don't even know if something like this is possible, but if it is, I want to make sure that I purchase a security system that is compatible. I did some searching in the forums and a lot of the posts seemed really old, so I was hoping that something might have been developed in that time.
Thanks in advance!

There are a few security systems that work with Homeseer, I personally use the DSC 1832/1864 system. My alarm system motion sensors are wireless and because of the power saving features (I think once every 5 min), they aren’t the best for motion detection for lights so I just use z-wave motion sensors for lighting. If you use a wired motion sensor with the DSC then they will trigger more often.

If you are thinking of a DIY alarm system where you use z-wave motion sensors and z-wave door/window sensors, I’m not one that would recommend it. I have had several z-wave motion sensors trigger motion in a room where there was no motion, so the reliability for security use is just not there. (In my opinion). It doesn’t matter if a light goes on from time to time because of a faulty z-wave motion sensor but for something as critical as home security, it’s best to stick with one of the security systems out there that work with Homeseer.


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[tenholde]

ELK-M1G

[logbuilder]

Here am using HS3 and Blue Iris to create an automated DYI security system. Blue Iris controls several cameras, detects motion, notifies HS3 which then triggers an event. House status changes are initiated via a HSTouch app and are sent to Blue Iris so that the cameras are being monitored in the context of the current house status (ie. AWAY is quite different from OCCUPIED). The HSTouch app can view the cameras. Z-Wave door and window sensors everywhere. All nicely integrated and running on a single Win10 headless server. Very stable. No monthly fees.

[TeleFragger]

Here am using HS3 and Blue Iris to create an automated DYI security system. Blue Iris controls several cameras, detects motion, notifies HS3 which then triggers an event. House status changes are initiated via a HSTouch app and are sent to Blue Iris so that the cameras are being monitored in the context of the current house status (ie. AWAY is quite different from OCCUPIED). The HSTouch app can view the cameras. Z-Wave door and window sensors everywhere. All nicely integrated and running on a single Win10 headless server. Very stable. No monthly fees.

what cameras? when i move im leaving behind my cctv for next owners. its coax 2mp cameras so i want to upg anyway.

also blue iris box.. how beefy?

[cc4005]

also blue iris box.. how beefy?

Depends a lot on how many cameras and how you have them configured (frame rate etc) but here are 2 data points...

I have blue iris running with 3 cameras along with a small HS3 setup at a weekend property on an anemic Celeron J3455 with 4GB RAM (ACEPC AK1 mini PC I bought on sale for $150) and it hovers around 40-50% CPU utilization which has been fine. Did ok with RAM with 2 cameras but now with 3rd it stays around 80%. So...it manages but resources are stretched although without HS3 it would be fine. Clip archive is on a 2TB external SSD.

At another location I've gradually gotten up to 11 cameras with BI on a dedicated i5-6500 with 24GB RAM. RAM utilization seldom gets over 30% but CPU is over-taxed, hovering in upper-70s and hitting 90-100% when I'm remoting in to view clips. I'll be upgrading that box to an i7-8700 (+/-) soon and move the current box to the remote location to replace the celeron. The i5-6500 was plenty for the first 6 cameras or so, and I don't see a need for more than 16GB RAM. Clips archive is on a 6TB HDD.

Just my experience. Lots of discussion of this on ipcamtalk.com from folks more knowledgeable than I am. If you haven't yet, I suggest you spend some time reading there.

[Uncle Michael]

what cameras? when i move im leaving behind my cctv for next owners. its coax 2mp cameras so i want to upg anyway.
also blue iris box.. how beefy?

Here's a discussion I found useful: https://ipcamtalk.com/wiki/choosing-...for-blue-iris/

Check the 'Navigation' side bar for additional articles.
Note too that the HDD is an important factor, not just the CPU. There are drives that are designed specifically for video storage. I use a 2 TB WD Purple drive in a referb HP tower with an 8th gen i5. It's loafing with 6 cameras.

[TeleFragger]

yeah thats my point. i want to integrate cameras into HS as well, but to me a dedicated dvr box that is meant to handle 8 cameras seems to be nice, cheap and works... just not integrated...

[logbuilder]

The integration with HS3 is essential IMO. When camera motion is detected, there are lots of things that you might want to do. When away, I would want to turn on outside floodlights, sound a siren, and send notifications. If sleeping, different actions. Or if a door sensor is opened while away, then trigger all the cameras. Blue Iris is not the only thing that integrates well. I just know it does from my experience. BTW, there is a Blue Iris plugin for HS3.

[The Profit]

The integration with HS3 is essential IMO. When camera motion is detected, there are lots of things that you might want to do. When away, I would want to turn on outside floodlights, sound a siren, and send notifications. If sleeping, different actions. Or if a door sensor is opened while away, then trigger all the cameras. Blue Iris is not the only thing that integrates well. I just know it does from my experience. BTW, there is a Blue Iris plugin for HS3.

How are you not getting tons of false triggers? Even with following Blue Iris how-to videos to lessen false triggers I still have shadows, fog, bugs, rain, car headlights...etc that set them off all the time. I would love to learn about how you have it set up to the point where you would sound an alarm based on a camera trigger.


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[logbuilder]

How are you not getting tons of false triggers? Even with following Blue Iris how-to videos to lessen false triggers I still have shadows, fog, bugs, rain, car headlights...etc that set them off all the time. I would love to learn about how you have it set up to the point where you would sound an alarm based on a camera trigger.


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Totally agree on using outdoor cameras for definitive motion detection. In my mind, the outdoor ones are mainly for recording events. However, I have indoor cameras too. When those trigger, it is usually not false. Also, I do have one outside camera monitoring a critical ingress point to my property which doesn't have shadow problems and is therefore pretty accurate when it triggers. I do have to clear spider webs every once in a while. But your concern is very valid. In the newest version of Blue Iris they have an AI based motion detection. Sounds like it has potential but it is cloud based. I am on a satellite with about 1 sec of propagation delay and data caps so I'm not overly excited about it.

[Pete]

Here still only OK with using video algorithm to detect motion outdoors. Use Zoneminder motion detection as an addendum to the motion detection and have noticed now too that th cameras with their better CPUs are doing motion detection OK.

Historically here have used wired outdoor Optex PIRs and wired driveway sensors.

Trying something new these day using a Hikvision wireless video doorbell (RTSP, ONVIF and JPG captures) with built in PIR and video algorithms for motion detection.

I did try the Ring Doorbell for a time but did not like to use the cloud dependancy apps.


Personally here have always stuck to wired IP cameras.

New thing now is using a little plugin for ONVIF to MQTT PIR messages. I am impressed with it and the Hikvision Doorbell allows for saving to SD card motion events up to 256Gb plus using an external NVR (via ONVIF or RTSP).

[Deadeye]

Sorry! My notifications from this board were going to my spam folder. I'm a little behind the curve now. Gotta catch up before this post goes stale!

dude you have no idea what is possible!!!!!!
I believe DCS is the system thta is natively in homeseer and highly recommended as well...
IF I were building a house or possibly in my next house, I will be looking at the Elk M1-Gold....
enjoy and welcome to the fun of home automation!!!!!!
start small... start simple and expand.. make sure to finish each piece before moving onto the next will make it easier. Also document what you do as well!!!!!!

Yeah, I heard DCS was the way to go. I heard rumours that they were working on a DIY all in one kit and was going to see if I could find something that would meet my needs (basically a complete security system that could integrate with Homeseer).
I've heard of ELK, but they're just an intermediary between the security and the automation systems, no? They're listed as a "Cross Platform control". Is there a way to do it with just a security system and Homeseer (like it seems you have)?
I'm starting VERY small at the moment. I have Homeseer with a couple of light modules and Blue Iris for cameras (still adding cameras). I just need to remember to document things. Embarrassment

There are a few security systems that work with Homeseer, I personally use the DSC 1832/1864 system. My alarm system motion sensors are wireless and because of the power saving features (I think once every 5 min), they aren’t the best for motion detection for lights so I just use z-wave motion sensors for lighting. If you use a wired motion sensor with the DSC then they will trigger more often.
If you are thinking of a DIY alarm system where you use z-wave motion sensors and z-wave door/window sensors, I’m not one that would recommend it. I have had several z-wave motion sensors trigger motion in a room where there was no motion, so the reliability for security use is just not there. (In my opinion). It doesn’t matter if a light goes on from time to time because of a faulty z-wave motion sensor but for something as critical as home security, it’s best to stick with one of the security systems out there that work with Homeseer.

Wow, 5-minute intervals between scans? That's horrible! No, I need a better scan time than that. I have a small house and I don't mind doing the hard wiring. I was going to probably go with a DSC panel and hard-wired motion/door/window sensors that I could install myself (I already got some second hand wired sensors that I can install, I just need to pick the security "brain"). I just want to make sure that I choose the proper security system that will work with Homeseer. I don't want to have separate (or wireless) z-wave sensors to do the automation. I agree I want my security system to stand on its own (wired) as I don't trust wireless/zwave/Homeseer to handle my security, I just want to try to use the security system's sensors to do some automation tasks.

ELK-M1G

I looked at the M1G and I'm not sure what it is. Is it a security system? Is it better than one of the "Big boy" security systems? I don't know what a "Cross Platform control" really means.

Here am using HS3 and Blue Iris to create an automated DYI security system. Blue Iris controls several cameras, detects motion, notifies HS3 which then triggers an event. House status changes are initiated via a HSTouch app and are sent to Blue Iris so that the cameras are being monitored in the context of the current house status (ie. AWAY is quite different from OCCUPIED). The HSTouch app can view the cameras. Z-Wave door and window sensors everywhere. All nicely integrated and running on a single Win10 headless server. Very stable. No monthly fees.

That's what I also currently have, but my cameras are only for outside, so I can't really use them for motion sensors indoors (though, it would be AWESOME if I could get Blue Iris to communicate with Homeseer to turn on indoor lights when motion is detected on a doorbell camera between certain hours).
How do you get Blue Iris to communicate with Homeseer? That's the sort of inter-system communication that I need to learn about. Do you have any good sites/YouTube channels that cover stuff like this? How does the HSTouch app view the cameras?
I currently have it all running on a Windows 10 box and it seems pretty solid (I'm currently having some issues with Blue Iris with cameras just becoming unavailable until I restart the service, but I'm working with tech support to see if we can resolve).
But I don't think I would trust the zwave sensors. I've heard way to many negative things about their reliability. I'm pretty set on a separate hard-wired security system for reliability, but this adds another layer of complexity to get them to work with each other.

also blue iris box.. how beefy?

BI just chews up the CPU as cc4005 mentioned, especially when you add more cameras or do a continuous recording.

The integration with HS3 is essential IMO. When camera motion is detected, there are lots of things that you might want to do. When away, I would want to turn on outside floodlights, sound a siren, and send notifications. If sleeping, different actions. Or if a door sensor is opened while away, then trigger all the cameras. Blue Iris is not the only thing that integrates well. I just know it does from my experience. BTW, there is a Blue Iris plugin for HS3.

YES! This is what I want as well. This is just a nice to have though on top of the security system. I guess I need to look up how to use HS3 Plugins?

[Deadeye]

BTW, there is a Blue Iris plugin for HS3.

Is this the plugin you were referring to?
https://shop.homeseer.com/products/b...lug-in-for-hs3
I didn't realize that you had to pay for plugins.