Electronics > Open Source Hardware

Contemplating opensource alarm system

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jpyeron:
Kinda frustrated with the insecure, featureless, overpriced choices in the industry.

Does anyone have useful thought to persuade me towards or away from this endeavor?

Goals:

1. Secure
2. Extensible with integration points
3. compliance / certifiable (e.g. UL - aware of $$$)

pqass:
Wired?  Wireless?
Type of sensors?  eg. contacts, shock, PIR, smoke detector, ...
Type of output? eg. horn, strobe, internet connectivity, ...
Remote admin/monitoring?
Integration with existing commercial sensors/output devices?

It can be as simple as a current loop (zone) with end-of-line resistor, contacts, cat5 wire, bix block, Arduino, power transistor, horn, keyswitch, low-voltage PS.

jpyeron:

--- Quote from: pqass on March 26, 2022, 08:01:41 pm ---Wired? 

--- End quote ---

Yes - primary use case.


--- Quote from: pqass on March 26, 2022, 08:01:41 pm ---Wireless?

--- End quote ---

Not one of my goals - but there is no reason to exclude it.


--- Quote from: pqass on March 26, 2022, 08:01:41 pm ---Type of sensors?  eg. contacts, shock, PIR, smoke detector, ...
Type of output? eg. horn, strobe, internet connectivity, ...

--- End quote ---

Existing (UL listed) sensors, this is more of the control panel, communications, keypads, etc.


--- Quote from: pqass on March 26, 2022, 08:01:41 pm ---Remote admin/monitoring?
Integration with existing commercial sensors/output devices?

--- End quote ---

remote admin - this is a big area for discussion. Most panels support remote programming, but some installation disable it.

remote monitoring is a must - by UL listed central stations (note: I work for a company that provides such services)


--- Quote from: pqass on March 26, 2022, 08:01:41 pm ---It can be as simple as a current loop (zone) with end-of-line resistor, contacts, cat5 wire, bix block, Arduino, power transistor, horn, keyswitch, low-voltage PS.

--- End quote ---

Any capabilities that are not (capable of being) supervised will be a non-starter. The questions then lead to how complex or simple should it be.

pqass:
Given your need for all the peripherals (sensors and output) to be commercially available, it sounds like you're really only asking about the magic box (in the central panel) that ties everything together. That is, what are its i/o capabilities?

a. # of channels: current loop sensing (for contacts, keyswitch, etc.),
b. # of channels: relay dry contacts (for horn, strobe, etc.),
c. # of channels: TTL or RS232 UART or SPI for Bluetooth, or WiFi interfaces for local admin via phone, keypad, house WiFi to access Internet,
d. Ethernet interface to access Internet via house switch,
e. # of channels: independent power supplies to light up the current loops, power for output devices if needed, and for magic box itself,
f. battery and charger

Work things backwards. Identify all the commerical perpherals that you need or eventually want.  What interfaces do they require? Is my wiring topology compatible with those interfaces, The magic box should have all those interfaces.  Is there an existing platform that has some or all of those interfaces? Can I add shields to make up for the missing functionality.

2N3055:
As someone who worked in industry for few years, my advice is not to got down that rabbit hole.

1. Connection to sensors is easy.
2. You cannot reuse any peripherals or modules (keyboards, readers or such) from current equipment. Protocols are proprietary. No standard there. No documentation. Reverse engineering them is no fun.
3. Central station communication... Good luck with that. Dozens of protocols on outdated POTS, and some TCP/IP. Some documented some not. Lots of proprietary stuff.. Ademco, Surgard, DSC, Bosch etc.....
4. Compliance? 150k - 250k USD per product... Not only all the UL and ISO EMC, low voltage, but also all security and/or fire standards and codes..

You can throw together something that can read standard sensors with relays, with tamper supervision, arduino, horn (use commercial one), some keyboard and alphanumeric LCD. Add in  Raspbery Pi and touch screen interface, and web display status. For your own fun and use ...
More than that, no way you keep your sanity with open source based full product.
You will get certifiable long before your alarm panel...

You're seriously underestimating time and effort needed.

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