Contents |
Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
| = | Reboot the device. |
| ! | Configure the device via prompts. |
| C | Sets or retrieves configuration parameters. |
| L | Emulate virtual zone opens and closes. |
| \x01\x01\x01 | Send Function Key #1 |
| \x02\x02\x02 | Send Function Key #2 |
| \x03\x03\x03 | Send Function Key #3 |
| \x04\x04\x04 | Send Function Key #4 |
| 0123456789*# | Send key to panel |
Reboot
Rebooting the device is as simple as sending = to it.
During the boot process you can trigger a firmware upload by sending a second = to the device after the !boot message is received. At this point you'll receive a !load and can begin uploading.
Zone Emulation
Zone Expander Emulation allows the AlarmDecoder to act in place of a physical expander board and make use of virtual zones with your panel. After enabling it on both the panel and the AlarmDecoder you can begin opening and closing zones, which will be relayed back to the panel.
The L command can be used to open or close zones. There are two parameters: the zone and the state. The zone is a zero-padded two-digit number and the state is either 0 or 1.
Example - open zone 12:
- L121\r
Example - close zone 12:
- L120\r
Function Keys
The specialty function keys are identified by ASCII character codes 1 through 4. In order to prevent false positives these must be sent three times in a row.
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| \x01\x01\x01 | Function Key #1 |
| \x02\x02\x02 | Function Key #2 |
| \x03\x03\x03 | Function Key #3 |
| \x04\x04\x04 | Function Key #4 |
Device Configuration
The AlarmDecoder configuration can be viewed or modified in one of two ways: prompted or programmatically.
Prompted
If you send ! followed by a carriage return you will be prompted to configure each field. This prompt also includes a basic description of the setting as well as it's current value.
You may hit enter to keep the current value or provide a new one.
Example:
!>Ademco/DSC Mode A/D (A) :> !>Keypad Address (18) :> !WARNING. Do not enable a module if the physical module exists on the system. !Zone Expanders Y/N Max allowed: 02 !>expander module #01 ZN 09-16 (N) :> !>expander module #02 ZN 17-24 (N) :> !>expander module #03 ZN 25-32 (N) :> !>expander module #04 ZN 33-40 (N) :> !>expander module #05 ZN 41-48 (Y) :> !Relay Modules Y/N Max allowed: 04 !>relay module #01 (Y) :> !>relay module #02 (N) :> !>relay module #03 (N) :> !>relay module #04 (N) :> !>Emulate Long Range Radio Y/N: (Y) :> !>ZoneTracker track zone restore Y/N: (N) :> !>Address Filter Mask (ffffffff) :> !>Deduplicate (N) :> !>Config Bits (ff04) :>
Programmatic
You may retrieve all of the current device settings by sending C to the panel followed by a carriage return (\r).
Retrieving settings:
- Send: C\r
- Response: !CONFIG>ADDRESS=18&CONFIGBITS=ff00&LRR=N&EXP=NNNNN&REL=NNNN&MASK=ffffffff&DEDUPLICATE=N
It can also be used to set values:
- Send: CADDRESS=20\r
- Response: !>ADDRESS=20
The same command may be used to set multiple values:
- Send: CADDRESS=20&DEDUPLICATE=Y\r
- Response: !>ADDRESS=20&DEDUPLICATE=Y
Configuration Parameters
| Name | Default Value | Valid Values (Regex) | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| ADDRESS | 18 | [0-9]{2} | Keypad address assigned to the AlarmDecoder. |
| CONFIGBITS | FF00 | [0-9a-f]{4} | Special settings for the device. See CONFIGBITS for more information. |
| MASK | FFFFFFFF | [0-9a-f]{8} | Address mask used to filter for keypad alphanumeric messages. |
| EXP | NNNNN | [YN]{5} | Emulation of zone expanders 1-5 |
| REL | NNNN | [YN]{4} | Emulation of relay expanders 1-4 |
| LRR | N | [YN] | Emulation of Long Range Radio expander |
| DEDUPLICATE | N | [YN] | If enabled, removes duplicate alphanumeric keypad messages. |
CONFIGBITS
CONFIGBITS is a setting that's used to enable special functionality on the AlarmDecoder. You can enable these by masking the correct bits.
| Mask | Description |
|---|---|
| 0x0001 | Enable reporting of AUI messages. |
| 0x0002 | Enable reporting of keypress events. |
| 0x0004 | Disable prompts for L and | commands. |
| 0x0008 | Enable the prefixing of panel messages with !KMP. |
| 0x0100 | Enable reporting of RFX messages. |
Message Types
There are several types of messages produced by the AlarmDecoder. These include: Keypad, Relay Expander, Zone Expander, RFX, LRR, and AUI.
- All lines starting with ! are informational.
- Lines that start with !> are prompts.
- All other lines are panel data in the form of a Keypad message.
Keypad
Keypad messages are by far the most common message type produced by the AlarmDecoder. These messages also have an optional header that can be enabled in the CONFIGBITS. This setting prefixes all keypad messages with !KPM:.
Format
| [001000010000--------],010,[f70700060010808c08020000],"ARMED ***STAY** ZONE BYPASSED " | |||
| Bit field | Numeric code | Raw data | Alphanumeric Keypad Message |
|---|---|---|---|
| [001000010000--------] | 010 | [f70700060010808c08020000] | "ARMED ***STAY** ZONE BYPASSED " |
Bit field
The bit field present on the keypad messages is where you're going to get most of the information on your alarm system's current state. These are all represented by a zero or one aside from the one exception. (beep)
| Position | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Indicates if the panel is READY |
| 2 | Indicates if the panel is ARMED AWAY |
| 3 | Indicates if the panel is ARMED HOME |
| 4 | Indicates if the keypad backlight is on |
| 5 | Indicates if the keypad is in programming mode |
| 6 | Number (1-7) indicating how many beeps are associated with the message |
| 7 | Indicates that a zone has been bypassed |
| 8 | Indicates if the panel is on AC power |
| 9 | Indicates if the chime is enabled |
| 10 | Indicates that an alarm has occurred. This is sticky and will be cleared after a second disarm. |
| 11 | Indicates that an alarm is currently sounding. This is cleared after the first disarm. |
| 12 | Indicates that the battery is low |
| 13 | Indicates that entry delay is off (ARMED INSTANT/MAX) |
| 14 | Indicates that there is a fire |
| 15 | Indicates a system issue |
| 16 | Indicates that the panel is only watching the perimeter (ARMED STAY/NIGHT) |
| 17 | Unused |
| 18 | Unused |
| 19 | Unused |
| 20 | Unused |
Numeric Code
This number specifies which zone is affected by the message. For example, if this message is for CHECK ZONE 22 then the numeric code would be 022. Most of the time this is zero-padded base10, but there are rare occurrences where this may be base16, such as ECP bus failures.
Raw data
This is the binary data associated with the message. It includes all of the bit field entries that were separated out for you in the first field, as well as the rest of the message for debugging and exploratory purposes.
There is one important piece of data included only in this field: the keypad address mask. The four bytes starting at position 2 (zero-indexed) indicate which keypads this message is intended for.
Inside this mask each bit represents a specific keypad. Each byte represents a group of eight keypad addresses, which the least-significant-bit being the start of the range.
| Byte | Addresses |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0-7 |
| 2 | 8-15 |
| 3 | 16-23 |
| 4 | 24-31 |
For example:
- f70700060010808c08020000 - our keypad address mask is 07000600.
Using the above mask example of 07000600 we find that this message was destined for keypads 0, 1, 2, 17 and 18.
There is one special case: system messages will have no address mask bits set and are intended for common keypads or monitoring multiple zones.
For the most part the address mask details only become really important when you're working with a setup that has multiple partitions since the AlarmDecoder will see all messages by default.
Alphanumeric Keypad Message
This section is the data that would be displayed on your keypad's screen.
Zone Expander
If you have one or more zone expanders connected to the alarm panel you will be able to see messages from the expanders as zones are faulted and restored. On DSC panels all zones are expressed as EXP messages.
Examples
Example of zone expander at address 7, channel 1 faulting and then restoring:
!EXP:07,01,01 !EXP:07,01,00
Format
| !EXP:07,01,01 | |||
| Header | Zone Expander Address | Expander Channel | Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| !EXP | 07 | 01 | 01 |
Zone Expander Address
This is the address that the zone expander occupies.
Expander Channel
This is the channel generating the message.
Data
00 and 01 indicate that the zone is restored and faulted, respectively.
Relay Expander
If you have one or more relay expanders connected to your alarm panel you will be able to see messages when the relays are opened or closed.
Examples
Examples of a relay expander at address 12, relay #1 closing and then opening:
!REL:12,01,01 !REL:12,01,00
Format
| !REL:12,01,01 | |||
| Header | Relay Expander Address | Expander Channel | Data |
|---|---|---|---|
| !REL | 12 | 01 | 01 |
Relay Expander Address
This is the address that the relay expander occupies.
Expander Channel
This is the channel generating the message.
Data
00 and 01 indicate that the relay is opened and closed, respectively.
RFX
If you have an RF receiver attached to your panel you will see messages from any 5800 RF device in range of the receiver, regardless of whether or not the panel was configured to listen to it.
This also functions when the system is ARMED STAY. Normally you won't see fault messages for interior zones when armed this way so you lose visibility of interior motion sensors. One option is to put the interior sensors on a separate partition so you still see the inside zones and the outside sensors are on their own. The other option is to listen to the !RFX messages directly which could then be used to tell your home automation system that the zones are faulted.
Examples
Example of a 5800Micra sensor faulting and restoring:
!RFX:0180036,80 !RFX:0180036,00
Example of a 5804 keyfob pressing the loop #2 button and having a low battery:
!RFX:0307854,22
Format
| !RFX:0180036,80 | |||
| Header | Serial Number | Data | |
|---|---|---|---|
| !RFX | 0180036 | 80 | |
Serial Number
This is the 7-digit serial number of the device the message originated from.
Data
The data is an 8-bit hex message with several indicators. Please refer to the 5800 SERIES TRANSMITTER INPUT LOOP IDENTIFICATION section of your programming manual for what the loops relate to for your specific device.
| Bit | Description |
|---|---|
| 1 | Unknown - Seems that the loop indicators should be ignored if set. |
| 2 | Low battery indication |
| 3 | Supervision required indication |
| 4 | Unknown |
| 5 | Loop #3 indication |
| 6 | Loop #2 indication |
| 7 | Loop #4 indication |
| 8 | Loop #1 indication |
LRR
If you have a Long Range Radio device attached or have emulation enabled the AlarmDecoder will report LRR messages from the panel to the radio.
Examples
This example shows User 12 arming and disarming the system:
!LRR:012,1,ARM_STAY !LRR:012,1,ARM_AWAY !LRR:012,1,OPEN !LRR:003,1,BYPASS
Format
| !LRR:012,1,ARM_STAY | |||
| Header | Event Data | Partition | Event Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| !LRR | 012 | 1 | ARM_STAY |
Event Data
This is either the user number of the person performing the action or the zone that was bypassed.
Partition
The panel partition the event applies to. Partition 0 indicates that it's destined for all partitions.
Event Type
This is the type of the LRR event. See below for a description and what (if any) programming fields are required for activation.
| Name | Program Fields | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ALARM_EXIT_ERROR | *59 | Indicates an error when a zone is not closed during arming |
| TROUBLE | *60 | Indicates that a zone is reporting a tamper or failure |
| BYPASS | *61 | Indicates that a zone has been bypassed |
| ACLOSS | *62 | Indicates that AC power was lost |
| LOWBAT | *63 | Low battery indication |
| TEST_CALL | *64 | Indicates a phone test when in testing mode |
| OPEN | *65, requires *66 | Indicates that the alarm is disarmed |
| ARM_AWAY | *66 | Indicates that the system was armed AWAY |
| ARM_STAY | *66 | Indicates that the system was armed STAY |
| RFLOWBAT | *67 | Low battery indication for the RF transmitter |
| CANCEL | *68 | Indicates that the alarm was canceled after second disarm |
| RESTORE | *70 | Indicates that the alarm was restored |
| TROUBLE_RESTORE | *71 | Indicates that the trouble event was restored |
| BYPASS_RESTORE | *72 | Indicates that the bypassed zonew as restored |
| AC_RESTORE | *73 | Indicates that AC power was restored |
| LOWBAT_RESTORE | *74 | Indicates that the low battery has been restored |
| RFLOWBAT_RESTORE | *75 | Indicates that the low battery on the RF transmitter has been restored. |
| TEST_RESTORE | *76 | Indicates that a zone was restored in testing mode |
| ALARM_PANIC | Indicates that there is a panic | |
| ALARM_FIRE | Indicates that there is a fire | |
| ALARM_ENTRY | Indicates that there was an entry alarm | |
| ALARM_AUX | Indicates that an auxiliary alarm type was triggered | |
| ALARM_AUDIBLE | Indicates that an audible alarm is in progress | |
| ALARM_SILENT | Indicates that there was a silent alarm | |
| ALARM_PERIMETER | Indicates that there was a perimeter alarm |
AUI
AUI messages are generated for "Advanced User Interface" keypads. These include a lot of extra data than what's destined for regular keypads.
Format
| !AUI:126600000000656c02456cf5ec01017f0002 | |||
| Header | AUI Data | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| !AUI | 126600000000656c02456cf5ec01017f0002 | ||
AUI Data
This is a large binary blob that's destined for a graphical panel. This data has not been fully decoded. Please see the AUI page for information on what has been discovered so far.
Keypress Events
Keypress events are generated when keys are pressed on a keypad and can be enabled inside CONFIGBITS.
Format
| !KPE:18 | |||
| Header | Keypad Address | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| !KPE | 18 | ||
Keypad Address
This is the address of the keypad that generated the event.