Adding device integrations

[lawtancool]

This issue is for discussion of efforts to add more device integrations to pyControl4/Home Assistant.

[lawtancool]

@Xorso I am currently working on an integration for alarm_control_panel and binary_sensor (for alarm system zones like doors, windows, motion).

Please let me know what Control4 devices you have and are willing to work on.

[lawtancool]

Another idea I had was to use the electrical power-related extra device attributes to create power consumption sensors in Home Assistant, so that we can use the new energy dashboard to track home lighting power usage.

This would, however, create a lot of sensor entities, especially for users with a lot of lights. Perhaps the sensor entities would have to be disabled by default.

[mellis]

I also have an alarm system with some door and window sensors and a motion sensor (if you want any help testing or otherwise). Oh, and a door lock.

Additionally I have some thermostats (Sensibo ones that have a direct HA integration but also some zigbee/control4 line voltage ones that control some small baseboard heaters).

[Xesyliad]

While I'm not a coder, I have a Control4 system that I can help with testing on. The main feature I'm looking for is the relays built into the EA3 that are used to switch garage doors, or sense reed switch states, etc.

[lawtancool]

Hi everyone!

The HACS integration https://github.com/lawtancool/hass-control4 has just been updated with alarm_control_panel and binary_sensor support. Please update and let me know how it goes.

[mellis]

My alarm system showed up but I can’t seem to control it at all and it doesn’t seem to detect the armed state properly (stays disarmed even when I tried arming it from control4).

I don’t see any of the door/window reed switch sensors or the motion sensor at all.

Let me know if there is anything in particular that would be helpful. I probably won’t have time to dig into myself until at least the weekend.

[Xesyliad]

Are the binary sensors the relays in the EA? As far as I can tell nothing has changed after the update for me.

[lawtancool]

@mellis Please try updating to HACS integration 1.1.1, then follow the new instructions in the README: https://github.com/lawtancool/hass-control4#additional-configuration-required-for-alarm-control-panel

I'm not sure what's going on with the binary sensors on your system - was there anything in the logs? If not, I'll make an update so that the logs print out some useful info for debugging this.

@Xesyliad The binary sensors are for contact/motion sensors from an alarm system. Relays aren't supported yet.

[mellis]

@lawtancool so I attempted to configure it but it doesn’t seem to be detecting the state properly still and can’t seem to arm it. I’m guessing I used the wrong state names, do you know how I can get the correct ones? This information isn’t available through the C4 API?

I can disarm the system now though which is progress :).

I can probably fine some time to dig into it myself as well in the next few days I think.

[lawtancool]

@mellis You can get the state names by trying to arm your system through the Control4 app. Type them into the config flow exactly as they appear in the app (case-sensitive, don't include an extra space on the end).

The Control4 API does have a way to get a list of the state names, but doesn't tell us how they correspond to the Home Assistant states (ex. Stay in Control4 = Armed Home in HA). I'll see if I can make it so that there's a drop-down in the config flow so the user can choose from the list that Control4 gives us.

[mellis]

Hmm okay, I tried updating the different state names again. I wasn't sure which to use for the last one, I also tried leaving it blank.

After I did this I can "Arm Night" from the HA dashboard and it does correctly change the alarm systems state, however that isn't reflected in HA. Similarly if I change the state from Control4 it also doesn't see the state change.

I did try reloading the integration and it then changed to an "unknown" armed state. I was then able to disarm it from HA, which did work but again the armed/disarmed state in HA did not update. I didn't notice anything in the log from the C4 integration.

[lawtancool]

@mellis Can you send a screenshot of Home Assistant -> Developer Tools -> States so I can see the extra state attributes of your alarm control panel?

[mellis]

@lawtancool here's what it looks like both disarmed and in night mode.

[lawtancool]

@mellis Thanks for the screenshots! Please update to HACS integration version 1.1.5, which should solve those issues. After you update, please delete the Control4 integration and set it up again if you encounter any errors.

It also adds a config flow field for "arm vacation mode name", so you can have all five of your alarm arming modes in HA.

Also, I noticed that your system has code_required_to_arm: false. Does your system actually arm without a code when you do it through the Control4 app? If so, I'll add some handling for that in Home Assistant. (Right now, its hardcoded to require code to arm in HA)