Creating a Reliable Anti-False Positive Security System

General
1

I’ve recently undertaken the challenge of setting up a smart security system for my home, and I must say, it’s been quite the learning experience! My goal was to create a system that’s not only functional but also reliable, minimizing false alarms which can be a real nuisance. After some research and trial and error, I’ve managed to put together a setup that’s working beautifully. Here’s a brief overview of what I did and some tips for anyone looking to do the same.

The Setup
I started with a combination of cameras, PIR sensors, and Blue Iris software. The cameras I chose were a mix of Dahua and Wyze models, and I configured them with specific settings to optimize performance. For the PIR sensors, I went with Z-Wave models from NEO Coolcam, specifically the NAD-PD01Z. These sensors have been fantastic, but I did have to tweak their sensitivity settings to avoid false triggers from things like pets or temperature fluctuations.

Configuration Tips

  1. Camera Configuration: I set my Dahua cameras to use H265 encoding for better compression and lower bandwidth usage. The main stream was configured at 1080p with 15 FPS, while a secondary stream was set up at 704x576 for motion detection. This dual-stream setup helps reduce the load on my network while still providing clear footage when needed.
  2. Blue Iris Setup: This software has been a lifesaver. It integrates seamlessly with Home Assistant and provides robust motion detection capabilities. I spent some time tweaking the motion sensitivity settings to ensure it ignores minor movements like leaves blowing in front of the camera but still catches anything suspicious.
  3. PIR Sensors: These were configured with a motion sensitivity of 60 and a re-trigger delay of 8 seconds. This helps prevent multiple alerts for the same event, which can be overwhelming.

Integration with Home Assistant
I used MQTT to integrate all my security sensors into Home Assistant. This involved setting up binary sensors for both the cameras and PIRs. The automation I created triggers an alert only if three or more sensors are activated within a 90-second window. This multi-sensor approach greatly reduces false positives.

Automation Details
Here’s a snippet of the automation I set up:
yaml

  • id: “110020”
    alias: Alarm - Combined (3+ triggers)
    description: Combine 3 different camera and motion triggers within 90s before setting off Alarm
    trigger:
    • platform: state
      entity_id: group.security
      from: “off”
      to: “on”
      condition:
      and:
      • condition: template
        value_template: >
        {%- set counter = namespace(total=0) %}
        {%- for sensor in expand(‘group.security’) | map(attribute=‘last_changed’) %}
        {%- if now() - sensor < timedelta(seconds=90) %}
        {%- set counter.total = counter.total + 1 %}
        {%- endif %}
        {%- endfor %}
        {{ iif(counter.total > 2 and counter.total <5, true, false) }}
      • condition: state
        entity_id: device_tracker.idevice_housemaid
        state: “not_home”
        action:
    • service: notify.emergency
      data_template:
      title: “ALARM!”
      message: >
      {{ “3 or more sensors triggered:” }}
      {% for sensor in expand(‘group.security’) -%}
      {%- if sensor.state == “on” -%}
      {{- " * " + state_attr(sensor.entity_id, ‘friendly_name’).partition(’ ')[0] + “\n” -}}
      {% endif %}
      {%- endfor %}

Final Thoughts
This setup has been incredibly effective. I’ve had a few minor hiccups, like adjusting the sensitivity of the PIR sensors, but overall, it’s been a huge improvement over my previous system. I’d highly recommend this approach to anyone looking to create a reliable security system. It’s a bit of work upfront, but the peace of mind it provides is well worth it!

If anyone has questions or suggestions, feel free to reach out. I’d love to hear about others’ experiences and any tips they might have for improving this setup further. Happy automating! :rocket: