I have finally found something good, and I am so excited to introduce you all to Konnected.
Konnected is a device that allows you to convert your old wired alarm system into a smart alarm
system.
But but but before we begin, you should know that Konnected provided this device for testing,
which of course, did not impact my opinion.
So, let's talk about Konnected.
If you want to get started, you will need four things.
First, you'll need an existing wired security system.
Konnected works with most wired security systems such as Honeywell, Brinx, and even my old
GE alarm which I've never activated and never used.
Second, you need a Konnected kit.
Konnected kits start at $89.00, and they sell a 6, 12, 18, and 24 zone kit.
If you have more than 24 sensors, the kits are expandable.
If you're confused by the term 'zone.'
I think it's probably wise, right now, to think of zone as sensor, especially if you
want to use your wired sensors in automated rules.
To determine how many sensors or zones your home has, you're going to need to do a bit
of sleuthing.
First, you can check your old alarm panel as sometimes you'll find that the installer
has provided zone information written on the inside cover.
This was not the case for me.
If this fails, you can check your wiring panel.
And sometimes you'll find that the zones are written here, which again, was not the case
for me.
If you're stuck, you have two options.
Option one, you can count the number of wires inside your wiring panel.
Option two, you can go around the house and count the number of wired sensors that you
have.
Based on my count, I went with a 6 zone kit.
The third thing you will need is a compatible hub.
Konnected works with SmartThings, Home Assistant, OpenHAB, and Hubitat.
The hub will provide the software needed to control your connected devices.
Finally, Konnected requires a 2.4GHz network connection.
And as far as installation process, I'm really not going to dig into that.
I am going to link to Konnected's website with instructions in the description box below.
In short, I'll say that installation is about moving wires from your old alarm system's
motherboard to Konnected's motherboard.
In total it should take about an hour, but it took me more like 2 or 3 hours because
my wires weren't labeled which made it really difficult to identify the different sensors.
Beyond that, the installation process is really dependent on the hub that you choose.
SmartThings requires a custom integration which is available on GitHub.
And once you connect Konnected to SmartThings, all of your zones will magically appear within
the app.
SmartThings users will find their zones listed under Konnected which is found in the SmartApp
section of the SmartThings Classic app.
From here, you can assign a sensor type and name each zone.
Since my wires weren't labeled, I really had to play process of elimination here.
I went through all of the zones and called them contact sensors and based on process
of elimination, I was able to identify three contact sensors, but of the three, only one
worked well which is more than likely a wiring issue and not a Konnected issue.
One of my sensors just doesn't work at all and one is somewhat intermittent.
The one that does work, works beautifully.
To troubleshoot the issues I dug out my recessed wires as another user mentioned that it might
be an installation issue and a Konnected team member felt the delay might be due to the
use of a resistor wire.
I wasn't able to pinpoint the the issue, and I think that's important to call out because
it's possible that you're going to be able to use all of your wired sensors, but it's
also quite probable that you might not.
I am not blaming Konnected for this though.
I definitely think it's either my lack of knowledge about the system or an installation
issue.
Fortunantly for me, identifying the motion sensor was easy and it works great.
I usually get an alert on my phone in about 3 or 4 seconds once it's triggered.
Finally, I identified a siren, but it's not working properly.
According to Konnected, older sirens sometimes require a siren driver to work.
I could replace the siren for about $8, but as I use my Arlo siren with SmartThings, I
decided just to keep things as is.
With the sensors in place, I moved on to rules which you can create using either SmartThings
Classic or Connect.
I used Connect.
For example, you might say, "If security mode is armed, and I'm home (which is based
on my phone's presence), and my wired motion sensor detects motion, then sound my Arlo
alarm, turn lights red, and send a text."
You will also find that the sensors will work with Smart Home Monitor and, if you want to
attach them to a third-party service, you can do that using Noonlight which is $9.99
per month, and adds burglary and fire monitoring via a U.S. based, UL-listed monitoring center.
As far as other third-party integrations, that will depend on your hub of choice.
SmartThings users can use their wired sensors to create rules via IFTTT or Stringify and
you can also use your favorite voice assistant with the most interesting integration offered
by Amazon Echo, which you can set to announce motion and contact sensor activity.
"Konnected Sensor Open - Please Subscribe to Rose's YouTube Channel"
If you have an old, wired alarm system, Konnected gets a thumbs up.
I know I focused a bit on the couple of sensors that didn't work for me, but I expected that
going into this project, and I also expected that I would find some sensors that worked,
and they did.
To me, being able to use a couple of the sensors that have been sitting around for six years
collecting dust is a win.
If you all want to learn more about Konnected, I will link to their website below, or feel
free to drop a question in the comment section, and I will see y'all soon.