Controlling Eisy ELK Alarm in HA, can it be done?

[Bladerunner]

I have my Home Assistant Yellow up and running. I have it using the UDI integration.  This took more time than expected but got it done. I'm glad I already had the Eisy in place and fully migrated from the ISY994i. 

I can see my Eisy devices.  

I see the Elk Connector and I can see the device Home Alarm. The Home Alarm has several variables that include the alarm state and armed state, etc. These are well represented in UD Mobile and I have been able to arm the system. Works well.  

Has anyone added the Elk alarm to a Home Assistant dashboard, including buttons to arm/disarm/status etc?  

I would appreciate any info or examples.  I have a LOT to learn about the HA and its terminology. 

I'm developing an appreciation for all those nice HA dashboards I see on Youtube! 

I want to be able to build a simple dashboard for my wife that allows her to control those things important to her and simple to use.

 

[IndyMike]

@Bladerunner,

The short answer is Yes, it can be done.  I have used the ELK integration on the ISY994 for years.  I am not familiar with the PG3 ELK implementation on the PolISY and EISY.

I added the ELK integration to my HA system about a year ago.  It exists in parallel with the ISY994.  It presents a standard ELK panel to allow you to arm/disarm the system.  I don't have UD Mobile, so I went to the HA integration to allow me to monitor the system when away from home.  

I appears to be able to do most of the things the ISY did (speak, bypass zones, etc) but I have not made use of these.  If there is something specific you are looking for, let me know.

[Bladerunner]

Thanks, I did not see an Elk integration in the store so I didn't think one existed. 

I installed it in HA and it does work. The only issue seems to be that it needs a code entered to arm the system. Not sure why as I don't need it on the Elk keypads or on the UD Mobile interface. 

I wasn't sure how to edit the cards yet, that's how new I am in HA. Maybe it's possible to set an arming code in HA YAML. 

I was actually trying to use the Elk devices from the Eisy but I didn't see how to get that one going. I really need to read more on that UDI interface. 

I hope to build a simple dashboard that my wife can use just for what's important.  That's that got HA into the mix. 

 

[IndyMike]

@Bladerunner, you're correct about needing a code to Arm the Elk.  Not sure why that is.  You can certainly add your alarm code to an automation.  You can also add the Code to the configuration file and invoke it using a template.  Template Alarm Code

I honestly don't have a problem entering the code on my phone.  Now if I had Tablets in the house where other family members were involved - that would be another matter.

Dashboards are very personal.  I tend to go for lists and charts (I'm an Engineer).  Not everyone's cup of tea.  Google around and you'll likely find something that catches your eye.  Try it - if you don't like it (you probably won't at first) keep looking.  

 

[Bladerunner]

I like your dashboard. I was a computer systems engineer and data architect for my career. Suits me fine. 

And thanks for the template tip! 

HOWEVER, I am married to a very analog human. They can be hard to interface with even in simple vocal communication so I am looking for a much simpler version of a dashboard for her. Something reminiscent of the car dashboard with simple indicator lights and a few buttons. I know she occasionally looks at the big dial with the needle as she comments about it when I'm driving but those little gauges showing coolant temp, battery, etc. not so much. She REALLY dislikes that I enter addresses in the GPS with latitude and longitude. 

Kidding aside, I actually have changed things around in the house so I could get to Home Assistant just so I could build more usable dashboards for her. I have two Fire tablets that will be getting reused for this with Fully Kiosk. 

Now I just have to learn the HA ecosystem. There's a lot there. I was previously on Homeseer and ISY994i so this is quite a change. 

[Bladerunner]

That link was great to actually see the template code. 

I have not, however, in HA been able to find that template code and pull it up to mess with it. 

How do you get to the template code in HA? 

I'm trying to watch vids and learn but it's vast topic.  I have several things in Eisy that I would like to use and I can see that I need to create some states of things that make them more usable in HA. 

I see references to templates but I cannot find where to get to the actual code. It's a pain starting in something completely new. 

 

[IndyMike]

Sorry, I'm out of town so I can't really try/test anything at the moment.

Unfortunately, this is looking more and more like next level stuff...  I'd hoped that there was a simple bypass that could be used to insert the arm code.  Doesn't appear so.

The Template code actually goes in your Configuration.yaml file.  You'll need an editor to access the file (I use Studio Code Server).  There are a number of tutorials on how to install various editors and HOW TO CHECK YOUR YAML FILE FOR ERRORS.  As you probably realize, having a configuration file that is free from syntax errors does not guarantee you won't crash your system.  Have a recent backup at the ready.

There are also other Alarm Panel's that are available (manual, template, Alarmo - HACS).  

https://community.home-assistant.io/t/manual-alarm-template-alarm-or-alarmo/616032

 

[Bladerunner]

Yeah, I need to learn a lot more before I start getting this deep.  I'm a whole 4 days into my Home Assistant adventure on a new Yellow. Getting this up and running wasn't bad, now it's how deep is the lake. And it seems pretty deep. 

I just went through the migration from ISY994i to the Eisy. 

And I love that the Elk M1 I installed communicates with my serial RCS thermostat and Eisy and now can be front ended with HA as well as UD Mobile. 

I used Homeseer on Windows with a non communicating Ademco alarm panel not long ago.   I had to get off Windows on to dedicated platforms before I lost my mind. 

The whole goal for HA is to build a simple dashboard that fits my wife's needs that can be on her phone.