
Arduino Burglar Alarm Sends SMS - aimatt
https://github.com/mattwilliamson/arduino-sms-alarm
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sshumaker
This is really cool. I've actually been working on something really similar.

Early last year, we built a a breadboard with a Teensy microcontroller
(instead of an Arduino) to decode signals from off-the-shelf door and window
sensors. At the time, we had to reverse engineer the protocol using a
oscilloscope. :) The breadboard was tethered to an Android device, which was
the brain of the system (and this let us do other cool stuff, like video,
networking etc).

We're much further along now (with working prototype units). If you're
interesting in this kind of thing, we ARE hiring. :) (<http://elarm.com>)

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SigmundA
Both an Elk M1: [http://www.elkproducts.com/product-catalog/m1-gold-cross-
pla...](http://www.elkproducts.com/product-catalog/m1-gold-cross-platform-
control) and a HAI
Omni:[http://www.homeauto.com/Products/HAISystems/OmniPro2/omnipro...](http://www.homeauto.com/Products/HAISystems/OmniPro2/omnipro2_tech.asp)
can do this via email and can call your cell phone and speak the alarm to you
and are UL listed fire/burglar system as well as fully programmable automation
controllers.

They cost significantly more (about as much as a decent PC) but I would not
trust my property or life to anything less honestly. My Omni has been running
without reboot for years and does
security/fire/hvac/irrigation/lighting/garage door control and has an iPhone
app for control.

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ragmondo
I know it's "just" an arduino talking to another PC .. but after doing some
drilling, soldering, glueing, screwing and general arduino-ing myself (
<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N9Rj-NegE6E> ) well done on actually getting
something designed, done and "ready". If you inspire one person to pick up an
arduino then that's compliment enough !

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standingstone
I have been told that Burglar alarms that send SMS alerts are vulnerable to
blocking devices. These are allegedly available on ebay and are already being
used for this purpose.

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ajross
This isn't sending SMS over the radio network, it's hitting TelAPI over
(presumably) the land line. A jammer would prevent the reception of the SMS at
the site, which wouldn't harm this application because the whole point is that
the owner is not present and needs an alarm.

It is, however, vulnerable to the outrageous latency problems (minutes, often)
the unofficial messaging gateways have. I send my wife texts to her company
blackberry because it's convenient, but ultimately had to duplicate them to
her gmail address to ensure that she got them fast enough.

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aimatt
You're right there about the jammer. But in testing, it hasn't taken more than
20 seconds so far.

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johnohara
I know a lot of people like the Arduino Uno but IMHO the Nano has a better
layout. Bread board friendly with the same ATMega328 as the Uno.

Nice job aimatt. Good learning project.

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dlf
Really cool. It reminds me of a project my brother-in-law did to receive an
SMS when the Ph levels in his salt water aquarium change.

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joshu
I built something similar. I used a PCEngines Alix (x86, 5w, $100ish) and the
serial port on my home security system. Fun stuff!

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revelation
This seems to need a computer to actually send the SMS. Would've been far more
flexible to buy a cheap AT GSM modem.

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aimatt
But a lot more expensive

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excuse-me
Does anyone know of a cheap and simple SMS only GSM modem?

All the ones I have used were expensive industrial spec units with complex
data channels.

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gouranga
Huawei GTM900

Has serial port which takes AT commands. Easy enough to drive it.

Costs $20 a shot.

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asmithmd1
Have you tried one of these out? Where can you buy one?

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gouranga
<http://www.rfsolutions.co.uk/acatalog/RFS_GSM_Modules.html>

I have tried out. Well documented and you can get the breakout boards for $5
but I forget precisely where. Managed to get it working in UK on O2 pay as you
go. Now in junk box :(

Watch out - you need a level shifter if you're using an Arduino or something
as it has 3v3 operation. I used an old(er than me) HP lab PSU and a crudely
hacked up set of BC548 switches as a level shifter. You need an antenna and a
sim socket (my sim was cruely soldered onto 1/0.2 solid wire and plugged into
the breakout board header).

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thehigherlife
Anyone know a good source to get Arduino stuff (sensors, boards, etc.) in the
USA?

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cullen
Adafruit, Sparkfun, Pololu, Seeed Studios, Leaf Labs Also see Mouser, Digikey,
Allied, et al <http://leaflabs.com/distributors/> Radio Shack carries Arduino
now, some do anyway. My personal favorite is Adafruit because this one time, I
whined to her about her webform not accepting my
name+spamtagger@emailaddress.com and she fixed it and wrote me back in like
five minutes, no joke. I do not know her personally and that was the first
time I had ordered anything from her.

tl;dr Limor Fried is a bad ass, buy things from her store.

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rorrr
So what's the total cost?

\- What's the cheapest Arduino board that would work with this sensor?
Wouldn't it be cheaper to get a Raspberry Pi?

\- How much is the power supply?

\- It would also be cool if there was a way to send SMS over the regular
wireless, like with one of those cheap emergency cell phone plans. That would
make it a really nice alarm, no need for the internet, and it can work off a
PSU even if burglars shut down the power/internet.

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simcop2387
He shows it on a teensy, which if you're decent with a soldering iron can be
done for as little as $16 + shipping. power supply is usb so no extra cost
there. not sure how well talking to a phone would do directly but worth
checking into.

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aimatt
That's right on the money, but technically I'm using a nano. Any Arduino will
work though. There are knockoff Arduinos out there too, but I like to give
back to the Arduino organization by buying an official board.

