Thanks I’ll be over for your stuff shortly 
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So something like this you would recommend?
According to Home Assistant, this system is a cloud polling integration, so maybe not the best. The Elk system by comparison is a local push integration for Home Assistant.
No I would not recommend those “all in one” systems. Look at the Vista panels named by size of connections like the Vista 20p.
I don’t know how Home Assistant integrates with Elk. However the way other systems integrate is through the ethernet interface connection and it’s a ASCII interface. Very similar to Lutron where it’s a realtime interface where the integration listens for events.
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Found this on Woot today, is this one of the parts for the series you recommend?
That all depends. Do you have a Vista panel to connect this to? This is a IP communicator and more specifically a Cellular and IP communicator for sending alarm panel information to a monitoring service.
You would have to dig into whether or not this ALSO provides IP communication directly to the Vista panel for use with automation system integrations.
Previously people would use the eyezon.com Envisalink boards to connect to Vista panels for automation integration or for mobile app integration. I would have to do quite a bit of digging to put together a Honeywell system as I won’t work with them as often as Elk M1 Gold panels.
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Did a really quick glance through of options for Ademco Vista panels…
- Envisalink
EyezOn - EnvisaLink™ EVL-4EZR Security Module For DSC/Honeywell Panels - Ademco 4232CBM (Connected Building Module)
4232CBM - Honeywell Ademco - Alarm Decoder
Next question would be DOES your automation platform provide a ‘driver’ or plugin or app or whatever your system calls it to interface with any of those modules? Next up would be who will write one if it doesn’t exist yet?
Currently I don’t have anything. I was just perusing around.
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Always good to shop around. Head over to http://cocoontech.com/forums/page/index.html
Lots of good info on security panels and configuration. Old site, old guys good info 
This is where I go when I have questions or get stumped and looking to see if someone else hit the same issue with security panel stuff.
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Since Amazon isn’t known to be the most “do it yourself friendly” company, there are some risks to the future.
But, there’s a “Ring Alarm” user integration (apparently based on Ring’s IFTTT support) that ties in nicely with HE. I gather that others have dug into that API to make similar integrations in other environments.
With that, I directly tie the KEY things to Ring (door sensors, fire/CO alarms, etc.). I use its modes (away, home, disarmed) to determine actions and detect outside door opens via HE integration. Then i use the HE’s native devices to detect lock keypad codes (sending disarm request via the integration), and drive other actions. I make sure any HE devices involved in security issues have security of some sort (S0, S2).
Plus, I can use buttons, etc. to arm the system at night, etc. (but I don’t have any set to disarm it, for security reasons).
That lets the professional monitoring kick in for those key events (busting in the door, fires, CO, etc.) but also lets me leverage and integrated it fully into my house. And, for my tastes, alarm system integration is a CRITICAL feature. I really need my home automation to know the arming status and react to fires, etc.
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I agree and this would be my ideal system, closed enough so insurance and the company itself are comfortable to depend on its reliability, but also open enough so I can peak in and use the sensors for alternative projects. My worry with Ring is that if Amazon deems it so, they can just shut off the tap for any reason and then I am SOL, back at square one.
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Bear in mnd that basing any important alarm system on a cloud integration is a weakness, both in terms of your Internet availability the ISP’s and the cloud providers. I would be surprised if any insurer would be happy with such a setup (on which the triggering is derived) especially using IFTTT.
Having said that for any ‘monitored’ system obviously you have to signal from the premises to the station somehow.
You can mitigate most of that concern with a cellular failover / dual path which is what my alarm installer / monitoring people have installed
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