How To Interface Wired Motion Sensors With HomeSeer?

[NetworkGuy]

I'm wiring up all my rooms and hallways for motion sensors so I can know where motion is (or is not) for lighting and other purposes. Some will go outdoors as well.

My question is how to interface these motion sensors to my HomeSeer system?

Is there some kind of hardware device available (e.g. like a phone punch down block) to connect the motion sensor wires together with some way to communicate to my HomeSeer system? If not, how do folks make the "connection"?

Thanks!
Dave

[rmasonjr]

You can use an ADIO board, a Raspberry Pi or an Arduino. Those are some quick ways to wire up and interface to HS via their respective plugins. You can also use an alarm panel like a DSC or HAI/Leviton.

[NetworkGuy]

You can use an ADIO board, a Raspberry Pi or an Arduino. Those are some quick ways to wire up and interface to HS via their respective plugins. You can also use an alarm panel like a DSC or HAI/Leviton.

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm a bit unfamiliar with how to connect and use either a Raspberry Pi or Arduino device. I wasn't aware of the ADIO-100, and I'm not sure what a DSC is either. A quick search showed some information about the ADIO-100 (HomeSeer device). I have quite a few "zones" (every door, window and many motion sensors - may have ~20+ motion sensors after wiring), so may need several ADIO-100 devices if I were to go that route.

With that said, I have access to an older (NEW/unused) HAI panel (I think it's an OmniPro II, but not sure until I dig it out of parent's garage), but wasn't sure about using it - mostly because I have no clue how to wire and/or program it. I may have someone wire up a computer network, and one company suggested an alarm panel to control everything, but I forget the make/model they like/use - I expect that there should be some way to interface my HomeSeer system to their alarm panel if I were to go that way. They are completely unfamiliar with HAI/Leviton, so I'm not sure of using it if I have them perform the home wiring.

If I can find someone familiar with my available HAI/Leviton unit, would this device provide any useful benefits over the ADIO-100 or a typical alarm panel?

I've followed HAI for a long time - long before they were bought out by Leviton, so I know it includes other technologies (e.g. UPB), and can perform many home automation tasks, but not sure about today's typical alarm panels.

Appreciate any further help and suggestions.

Thanks,
Dave

[Krumpy]

You might want to consider the ELK security panel as well.

[rmasonjr]

Thanks for the suggestions. I'm a bit unfamiliar with how to connect and use either a Raspberry Pi or Arduino device. I wasn't aware of the ADIO-100, and I'm not sure what a DSC is either. A quick search showed some information about the ADIO-100 (HomeSeer device). I have quite a few "zones" (every door, window and many motion sensors - may have ~20+ motion sensors after wiring), so may need several ADIO-100 devices if I were to go that route.

With that said, I have access to an older (NEW/unused) HAI panel (I think it's an OmniPro II, but not sure until I dig it out of parent's garage), but wasn't sure about using it - mostly because I have no clue how to wire and/or program it. I may have someone wire up a computer network, and one company suggested an alarm panel to control everything, but I forget the make/model they like/use - I expect that there should be some way to interface my HomeSeer system to their alarm panel if I were to go that way. They are completely unfamiliar with HAI/Leviton, so I'm not sure of using it if I have them perform the home wiring.

If I can find someone familiar with my available HAI/Leviton unit, would this device provide any useful benefits over the ADIO-100 or a typical alarm panel?

I've followed HAI for a long time - long before they were bought out by Leviton, so I know it includes other technologies (e.g. UPB), and can perform many home automation tasks, but not sure about today's typical alarm panels.

Appreciate any further help and suggestions.

Thanks,
Dave

@Pete is a wealth of information on the HAI/Leviton panel and I'm the author of the HAI (now OMNI) plugin. If you have an ethernet-based HAI panel, it's just a matter of home-running the wires and configuring the plugin to talk to the panel.

[usLEDsupply]

I have Spuds Arduino Plugin and several arduinos around the house running everything including Motion sensors, HVAC Zones, Gas fireplace, Garden Water Relays, Compressed Air and Water pressure Sensors, Door Locks, Exhaust Fans and the list goes on (several hundred devices so far) and they are more reliable than anything else i have and the motion sensors are super quick and there is plenty of I/O for expansion so if you can handle a little learning curve setting up the arduino you will be running in no time

[Black Cat]

Perfect use for a ZUNO.

[Pete]

If I can find someone familiar with my available HAI/Leviton unit, would this device provide any useful benefits over the ADIO-100 or a typical alarm panel?

The HAI combination security / automation panel would also provide standard alarm (monitoring) security.

Personally I would dig up the OmniPro 2 panel and utilize it.

Ideally it is one with a network port on it. You could then connect the panel to Homeseer via Rob's Omni plugin.



It is not difficult to wire up. The base will provide you with 16 zones.

Wiring is the same for all of this stuff with 2 wires for just switches and 4 wires for PIRs (12VDC and 2 wires for switch).

A professional alarm installer can get wires anywhere in your home with the proper tools and the wires are skinny at 22/4 or 22/2.

Here also have the old Ocelot / Adicon 2500 stuff (well more than that) which works fine with current Homeseer 3 Ocelot plugin.



These zones can be door sensors, windows sensors, PIR's et al.

[Monk]

Elk Alarm panel

The ELK is an outstanding choice of alarm panel and is how I manage wired things such as motion detecting for occupancy based rules, etc.
In conjunction with the UltraM1G plugin it is super! What type of wired sensors are you using?

[Krumpy]

The ELK is an outstanding choice of alarm panel and is how I manage wired things such as motion detecting for occupancy based rules, etc.
In conjunction with the UltraM1G plugin it is super! What type of wired sensors are you using?

And it allows one to program rules into the ELK panel so to offload certain critical automation tasks off of a Windows machine. In my household anything critical is wired into the ELK with associated rules to control.

[Pete]

Yes both ELK and Leviton are very good combo panels. Built to last forever (literally).

OP mentioned above in post #3:

With that said, I have access to an older (NEW/unused) HAI panel (I think it's an OmniPro II, but not sure until I dig it out of parent's garage), but wasn't sure about using it - mostly because I have no clue how to wire and/or program it.

This panel if newer one with an Ethernet port would provide a free device to use.

[DeLicious]

A lot of people are suggesting security panels, and of course that's an outstanding way to go.

I've gone a little different tack and have been using monoprice zwave door sensors. They have contact closure sensors inside that you can attach the wires to and have it send a zwave message to your system.

I'm probably end up migrating to a simple panel as everyone suggests, but it's adequate for my purposes at the moment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[integlikewhoa]

A lot of people are suggesting security panels, and of course that's an outstanding way to go.

I've gone a little different tack and have been using monoprice zwave door sensors. They have contact closure sensors inside that you can attach the wires to and have it send a zwave message to your system.

I'm probably end up migrating to a simple panel as everyone suggests, but it's adequate for my purposes at the moment.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

You still have to find power for the motions and then you have to worry about battery in the z-wave door sensor.

[Pete]

Typically here have utilized very skinny 22/4 and 22/2 wires to the panel subcontracted for one home and post construction baby steps for another home.

The alarm company was subcontracted by the GC for one new home build. They wired every door, window, installed for two consoles and PIRs in just about every room. I did change the home run wires as I built a wiring closet in the middle of the home and they had originally planned on a home run in one of the two bedroom walk in closets. They labeled all of the wires and company put a sticker by the home run with a reference to the alarm company. I was lucky here as I did call the alarm company for a quote to install a panel and terminate all of the wiring. The quote for a basic panel and termination was around $6 k. I DIY'd using a purchased OmniPro 2 and switches, PIRs for less than $2K.

On an already built 2 story home (using an OmniPro 2) did baby steps ==> maybe 2-3 years one run at a time. It was time consuming but reasonable in cost. I did purchase tools over the years to run the wires making endeavors a bit easier.

Started with 16 zones, then 32 and finally 48 zones and added one expansion panel to the mix over the years. The expansion panel has it's own power supply and uses two batteries instead of one.

The panel has 12VDC plus a battery backup which works fine.