HomeKit Security System

Question

Created Jun ’17

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It looks like you can create a HomeKit security system accessory that will support things like arm, disarm, status, etc. In this case you would have a security system that has it's own sensors using some protocol that is independent of HomeKit. The securuty system is simply controlled by HomeKit.

What if you wanted to use HomeKit sensors? Say you create a HomeKit secutity system accessory, and then have some HomeKit sensors. It seems like you would have to set up an automation for each HomeKit sensor so that when it was triggered it would send informaiton to the HomeKit secuity system accessory, which would act on the sensor data. If a home had 25 window/door sensors, 2 cameras, 3 smoke detectors, and 5 motion detectors, that's 35 sensors, and 35 automations to keep current. Is this the only way to accomplish this? Is there a better way to create a HomeKit security system based on HomiKit sensors?

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Answer 1

jotwee OP

Jun ’17

depending on what you want to achieve, you can combine sensors into one trigger.

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Answer 2

zach.m OP

Jun ’17

I don’t see how to do that. I can see how to have a single trigger have multiple actions, but I don't see how to have one of many sensors perform a single action unless I have a automation set up for every sensor to do the same thing.

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Answer 3

jotwee OP

Jun ’17

be more precise about what you want to achieve.

a Trigger can have more than one event and more than one condition.

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Answer 4

zach.m OP

Jul ’17

I appreciate the help. I’ll try to explain this better.

Let’s take a example. Say I have 10 HomeKit windows sensors installed. If any one window sensor is opened I want to send myself an email.

I wrote an iOS app to do this. With the HomeKit API I can get notified if any of the window sensors are opened and then I can send an email. This works great but the problem is that this will only work with the iOS app running. If you know of a way to keep this running in the background I would love to know how.

I can also create a HomeKit security accessory that runs all the time that could get notified when any of the windows sensors have been opened, and the security accessory could then send an email. My question is how to get any 1 of the 10 window sensors to tell my security accessory that it was opened. I could go into the Home app, create 10 separate automations for each of the 10 window sensors and each of these automations will send something to my security accessory. That works, but it seems really awkward and error prone to have to do this especially if one of the automations get messed up. If you know how my security accessory can monitor the 10 HomeKit window sensors without setting up 10 separate automations, I would like to know how.

Thanks.

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Answer 5

KMT OP

Jul ’17

Since this is about backgrounding, which you can't employ - have you seen this about HK & device alerts?

h ttp://time.com/4480681/apple-home-homekit-notifications/

And for refrerence on homes/rooms/zones/accessories/services etc: https://forums.developer.apple.com/message/239378#239378

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Answer 6

zach.m OP

Jul ’17

OK, I think I get this now. I need two things. First, I need to create an app that sets up all the sensors into a single trigger which then triggers an event to my security accessory. This trigger is persistent in HomeKit after my app quits. Second, I need a security accessory that would handle this event and is able to do anyting else that needs to be done.

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Answer 7

jotwee OP

Jul ’17

I would use Homebridge with the IFTTT plugin and create just one trigger with all sensors which trigger an ifttt event that sends an email.

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