Arm or disarm the alarm using the Orbiters
| This page was written by Pluto and imported with their permission when LinuxMCE branched off in February, 2007. In general any information should apply to LinuxMCE. However, this page should be edited to reflect changes to LinuxMCE and remove old references to Pluto. |
How to set it up
In Pluto admin, choose wizard, devices, security. Here you will need to add all of the sensors in your house, such as motion detectors, glass break sensors, smoke detectors and so on. In most cases these are controlled by a security panel that has a computer interface, such as an RS-232 port. If this is the case, be sure to add the security panel first on the wizard, devices, interfaces page. You can also rig your own security sensors using standard input outputs. For example the GC 100s which are normally used for infrared control also have inputs. Feel free to mix and match. For example you can add an alarm panel on the interfaces page, and then add 2 glass break sensors on the security page. In the "controlled via" pulldown, be sure to choose the alarm panel. You can then hook and other glass break sensor to the input on the GC 100. Then on the security page at a third glass break sensor, but this time the "controlled via" pulldown should be set to the GC 100. In this way all three sensors will be treated as a glass break, and it makes no difference to Pluto two of them are using an alarm panel and the third is using a GC 100.
in Pluto admin, the wizard, security, settings by alert type page lets you select various options for different types of alerts, such as how long to wait after leaving the house before security sensors are armed. The wizard, security, active sensors page lets you indicate what sensors are active when the houses in a given mode. The mode is selected on orbiter. The house can be and one of six modes: unarmed, armed away from the home, armed at home, sleeping, entertaining, and armed extended away. For each sensor and each mode you can indicate what action Pluto should take when the sensors tripped, such has fire a security breach event, make an announcement, ignore it, etc. There are no hard rules for what sensors are active during which modes. If you could, for example, state that when you are at home and the mode is "unarmed" your motion detectors fire a security breach, and when the mode is "armed away from the home" the motion detectors do nothing. This would not make much sense of course, but Pluto allows you to do whatever you want. The default action which Pluto assumes if you don't change the settings on that page is at smoke detectors always cause a fire alert no matter what mode the houses in, door and glass break sensors cause a security breach when the house is armed or sleeping, motion detectors are ignored when the house mode is armed at home or sleeping, and when the house mode is entertaining door sensors cause an announcement to be made so you know guests have arrived.
The wizard, security, security video links page lets you indicate what cameras are able to view which sensors. Then whenever one of those sensors is triggered, Pluto will automatically archive the video from the respective cameras. And if Pluto tries to notify you of an alert, as indicated on the security notifications page, Pluto will automatically send you a snapshot from the cameras that are associated with the sensors that were triggered. The snapshot Pluto sends you will have been taken at the exact moment the sensors were triggered.
Many alarm panels also allow themselves to be armed and disarmed using the computer interface. Whenever the user changes the house mode, such as arming or disarming the system, an event is fired which the alarm panel device can use to stay synchronized. In other words, when you set the house mode to armed, not only will Pluto's security system be active, but the alarm panel's own security system will also be activated. And when you return home and shut the alarm off on Pluto's orbiter, it will also push disarm the alarm panel. On the wizard, devices, interfaces page select the advanced button next to your alarm panel, and click the documentation link to see how your alarm panel will implement this, and how to disable it or enable it for this particular panel.
on the wizard, scenarios, security scenarios page be sure the "main security panel" box is checked for each room in which you want to be able to control the alarm system. Checking that box automatically creates a scenario that takes the user to the alarm panel, allowing them to change the house mode to arm or disarm the alarm system. By default in this box is checked for every room, meaning that normally there will always be a button on every orbiter in every room to arm or disarm the alarm system.
How to use it
On the orbiter touch the security panel button, then enter your pin and choose the new house mode, such as armed at home, entertaining, etc.
