ESPHome: Sirens, Buzzers and outputs on Konnected Alarm Panels

How to use and customize outputs on Konnected Alarm Panels to control sirens, buzzers, relays or lights.

Default Outputs

6-Zone Konnected Alarm Panels each have one output configured for the ALRM or OUT zone on the device. It can be accessed in Home Assistant as an on/off switch as switch.alarm or as light.warning_beep.

The Alarm Panel Pro has three default outputs configured:

1. ALRM1 as an on/off switch: switch.alarm1
   
2. ALRM2 as an on/off switch: switch.alarm2
3. OUT1 as a buzzer/warning beep: light.warning_beep
4. OUT2 is not configured

Note: The warning_beep is exposed to Home Assistant as a light entity to take advantage of ESPHome's light effects to make beeping sounds.

Customizing Outputs & Effects

Changing Output Zones

Change input zones to output zones by customizing the ESPHome configuration. See articles in this section about ESPHome customization for your specific device model. Copy the extended configuration list of packages into your firmware config and remove the packages defining input zones for the zones you want to change.

In this configuration example, change zone4 and zone5 to outputs (switches) by removing zone4.yaml and zone5.yaml from the packages list, and redefining those zones below:

substitutions:
  name: alarm-panel-xxxxxx
packages:
  remote_package:
    url: http://github.com/konnected-io/konnected-esphome
    ref: master
    refresh: 5min
    files:
      - packages/alarm-panel-esp8266-base.yaml
      - packages/alarm-panel/zone1.yaml
      - packages/alarm-panel/zone2.yaml
      - packages/alarm-panel/zone3.yaml

      - packages/alarm-panel/zone6.yaml
      - packages/alarm-panel/alarm.yaml
      - packages/wifi.yaml
      - packages/warning-beep.yaml
      - packages/status-led.yaml

switch:
  - platform: gpio
    pin: $zone4
    name: output4
  - platform: gpio
    pin: $zone4
    name: output5

esphome:
  name: ${name}
  name_add_mac_suffix: false
api:
  encryption:
    key: UNIQUE_GENERATED_KEY_FOR_HOME_ASSISTANT
wifi:
  ssid: !secret wifi_ssid
  password: !secret wifi_password

web_server:
logger:
ota:

Zones 1-5 on the 6-zone Alarm Panels and zones 1-8 on the Alarm Panel Pro may be configured as outputs in this way.

Beeping Effects for Warning Beep

The warning_beep entity is designed to be used with the piezo buzzer that is included with Konnected Alarm Panel kits. It allows you to create beeping effects that can be used to indicate entry/exit delay warnings, alarms, or door-open chimes.

A repeating "beep beep beep beep" sound is made by using the strobe effect in ESPHome. This is useful to turn on when the alarm is pending, during the entry or exit delay. For example in an Home Assistant automation:

- service: light.turn_on
  target:
    entity_id: light.warning_beep
  data:
    effect: strobe

or in an ESPHome action:

- light.turn_on
    id: warning_beep
    effect: strobe

Change Warning Beep Zone

By default, the warning_beep is configured on zone out or out1. To change that, add a line in the substitutions section of your ESPHome config to redefine it:

substitutions:
  warning_beep_pin: $zone5

Change the Warning Beep Speed

By default, the warning beep pulses every 100ms, to change this:

substitutions:
  warning_beep_pulse_time: 500ms