EnvisalinkController

EnvisalinkController is an extension for Reactor (Multi-System) that makes entities available for Eyezon Envisalink EVL4-connected Honeywell and DSC alarm panels.

NOTE: At this moment, only Honeywell Vista panels have been implemented and tested.

Installation

Installation of this controller is the same as for other extension controllers:

Create, if it doesn't already exist, an ext subdirectory in your config directory;
Create, if it doesn't already exist, an EnvisalinkController subdirectory under your config/ext directory;
Unzip the contents of the distribution archive into the directory created in step 2;
Add the controller to the controllers section of reactor.yaml.

The following is a sample configuration:

controllers:
  - id: envisalink
    enabled: true
    implementation: EnvisalinkController
    name: Envisalink
    config:
      host: "192.168.0.139"
      #port: 4025
      #password: user
      panel: honeywell
      usercode: "1234"
      partitions: 1
      zones: 32

If you have multiple Envisalink devices, you may create an additional controller instance for each, making sure to give each a unique controller ID.

Configuration

Config Key	Description
`host`	(string) The IP address or hostname of the Envisalink controller on your LAN. This is required and there is no default. Your EVL4 should have a fixed IP address (either statically configured on the controller, or via DHCP address reservation).
`port`	(int) The port number. This key is optional; the default is 4025.
`panel`	(string) The type of panel connected; must be `honeywell` or `dsc`. Currently, only Honeywell panels are supported. This key is optional; the default is `honeywell`.
`password`	(string) The password for login to the EVL4 locally (optional, default: `user`). The password for your EVL4 can be changed in its local web interface.
`usercode`	(string) The four-digit user code (as a quote-enclosed string) to use for arming/disarming actions. This is required and there is no default. For better security, you can create a separate user code that is "arm-only" (cannot disarm, also known as a maid code) to allow Reactor to arm the system, but require manual disarm by a human at a keypad. Under no circumstances should you use the installer code.
`partitions`	(int) The number of partitions in your system. Most residential systems use only one partition. This value is optional; default is 1. You may set this to 0 to keep the Controller from publishing partitional-related entities.
`zones`	(int) The zone capacity of your system. If you're not sure, open the Envisalink UI or your account on their web site and see what it reports. The default is 64. You may specify 0 to keep the Controller from publishing zone-related entities.

Attributes

Panel status information is made available in various attributes added to the system entity for the Controller instance (that is, the entity having ID system).

| Attribute | Description |
| battery_maintenance.charging | (boolean) Charging state of the battery (see Peculiarities, below). |
| battery_maintenance.rechargeable | (boolean) This value is always true. |
| battery_maintenance.replace | (boolean) This value is always null, because the EVL4 does not/can not report the maintenance condition of the panel battery. |
| battery_maintenance.state | (string) Will be normal, or maintenance if a low-battery condition is reported by the panel. |
| battery_power.level | (real) Battery level reported by panel (see Peculiarities below). |
| battery_power.since | (timestamp) Time at which the battery level was last updated. |
| power_source.source | (string) Will be ac when AC power is available, battery otherwise. |
| security_mode.mode | (string) Arming state of the panel: disarmed, away, stay, instant, or max (see Peculiarities below). |
| security_mode.ready | (boolean) true if the panel is ready to arm when disarmed. |
| string_sensor.value | (string) Message string displayed on alphanumeric keypads. |
| sys_system.state | (boolean) true when EnvisalinkController is connected to the panel; false otherwise. |
| x_envisalink.reconnects | (int) Count of reconnects to the EVL4 since startup; if this number is growing, it indicates a connection stability problem. |
| x_envisalink.status | (array of strings) Human-readable status information derived from the (binary) status word. Possible strings include: ARMED STAY, LOW BATTERY, FIRE, READY, SYSTEM TROUBLE, ALARM (FIRE ZONE), ARMED (INSTANT), CHIME, BYPASS, AC PRESENT, ARMED AWAY, ALARM IN MEMORY, ALARM. These strings are stable and will appear in English only, even if the panel is configured for another language. |
| x_envisalink.status_mask | (int) Status reported by a EVL4 (two byte word). Individual bits in this word convey status/icon information. |
| x_envisalink.zones_faulted | (array of entity IDs) List of faulted zones. The IDs in the list are not canonical, so if you use these you may need to apply the controller's ID as a prefix. For example, if your controller instance has ID alarm, and zone 1 is faulted, you would see zone01 in this list, and to get its canonical ID would need to expand it to alarm>zone01. |

Each partition and zone published will have an entity with the binary_sensor capability to reflect its state. For partitions, the true (tripped) state means the partition is ready to arm. For zones, the true (tripped) state means the zone is faulted (e.g. door open).

The in_alarm entity has the binary_sensor capability and will be true when the panel is in alarm. The trouble entity has the binary_sensor capability and will be true when the panel signals trouble (e.g. low battery on a wireless zone, tamper, etc.).

Actions

The security_mode.set_mode action can be used to change the arming state of the panel. It relies on the user code configured in the usercode key. See Peculiarities below.

The x_envisalink.send_command action can be used to send raw keypad data to the panel. That is, a string sent via this action is the same as the equivalent buttons being pressed on a keypad. The EVL4 supports characters 0-9, * and # in this data.

Peculiarities

Zone open/faulted status will update almost instantly when a zone faults, but restore is time-based for Honeywell panels, so it may take up to a minute for a zone to restore. That is, if you open a door, the open status will be reported immediately, but the closed status may take up to a minute to follow. See the Envisalink documentation for further explanation.
There's no message or command that exposes the full list of zones and zone names in use at the panel. The controller will attempt to gradually learn the zone names by parsing the alphanumeric message displayed when a zone is faulted. The names of zone entities can be changed by using the Rename button for the related entity in the Entities list.
Honeywell panels don't report detailed battery status, so the battery will always show charging when AC power is available, and the battery level will be either 1 or 0 (0 is reported when the panel signals LOW BATTERY).
Only one network connection at a time is supported by the Envisalink, so if something else is connected to it, this controller cannot connect. There is a proxy available at npmjs.com that you could use to support multiple connections if necessary.
Not all (Honeywell) panels support max (maximum) arming (similar to away but without the entry delay). The command is ignored if the mode is not supported.
With great power comes great responsibility.

Support

If you need support, please post in the Multi-System Reactor category on the Smarthome.Community. Please be sure to read and follow the posting guidelines.

Updated: 2024-Jul-10