Create a ‘Panic’ Alarm With Aqara Hub & Siri Shortcuts

15th March 2020 The Editor 5 min read

If you’ve already read our previous article on a similar subject, you’ll know that it was all based around using the Aqara hub in the Mi Home app, which many people use on a daily basis. However, if you’re using the Aqara app, at present, you’re unable to send a notification in the same way that was mentioned in the Mi Home app, although there is a workaround which we’ll get to. This article is different from the previous one, in that we’re creating a panic alarm in the first instance, with the aforementioned workaround in order to send out a notification.

Thanks once again to u/RichardBLine in the r/Aqara SubReddit for starting me out on this and the previous ‘How to…’ article. Unlike the Mi Home app, the Aqara Home app has both scenes and automations, similar to HomeKit, however, only scenes can be converted to Siri Shortcuts.

If you prefer to watch a video tutorial of this procedure, you can check out the video below;

SCENE IN AQARA HOME
This ‘scene’ uses Aqara Home and Siri Shortcuts, however, unlike the automation in the other article that uses the Mi Home app to send a notification to phones, this will only create a panic alarm, in the event that you’re at home but you need to set off this alarm to notify others of potential danger, and also hopefully scare the person or persons away, if this is the issue at hand.

It’s very, very simple, and basically works like this; You say the ‘panic’ word or phrase to Siri, either via your iPhone, iPad, HomePod or Apple Watch, which then triggers an ‘alarm’ on the Aqara hub. For maximum effectiveness, the volume should be set to the loudest possible setting.

Open the Aqara Home app, and select the ‘scene’ tab
On the Scene page, click ‘Create’
Begin by adding an action – press ‘Add’

Select your preferred alarm sound and set the volume

Select your Aqara hub
Select ‘Play assigned alarm sound and night light…’
Then choose your preferred alarm sound and set the volume level

Change the icon if you wish

Your scene is complete. You can also test the scene by pressing the ‘test’ panel
You can change the icon for the scene, from a selection of icons
Finally, name your scene before saving it

Next, you need to add the scene to Siri Shortcuts, click ‘Add to Siri’
Select a phrase to enact the Shortcut, then save it
The scene is now added to Siri

Scene in Shortcuts app with its own tile

The scene you created will now be visible in the Shortcuts app, with its own tile. One thing to note; be careful with the phrase you choose to enact the shortcut, as phrases like ‘activate alarm’ or ‘help me’ might not always work, as Siri will sometimes thing you need to turn on an alarm on your phone, or that you require general assistance, not to trigger the alarm. In this instance I chose ‘intruder alert’ and it seemed to work fine.

WORKAROUND TO INCLUDE PUSH NOTIFICATIONS
As mentioned at the start of the article, if you want to be able to set off the alarm, and send a push notification, there is a workaround that involves the use of an Aqara Smart Plug. This requires a slightly different procedure;

You create a scene that involves the Aqara Smart plug turning ON. You then add this to Siri Shortcuts and name the Shortcut ‘Intruder alert’ etc. You then create an automation that states – IF the smart plug is turned ON, THEN turn on the alarm and send a push notification.

Start in the Automation section to create your automation

Open the Aqara app, select the ‘Automation’ tab, and click on ‘Create’
In the IF section, click on ‘Add’
select your smart plug (Mi smart plug, in this case)

For the smart plug, choose ‘Turn on’
Returning to the IF-THEN page, choose ‘Add’ in the then section
Select your Aqara hub

Select the preferred alarm sound and volume level

First part of the automation complete, click ‘Add’ to continue

Select ‘Play assigned alarm sound…’
Choose the preferred alarm sound and set the desired volume level for the alarm
Your basic automation is complete, but we still need to add a push notification…
Click ‘Add’ in the THEN section again

Select ‘Push notifications’
Select ‘Customise Notification’
Type in the preferred custom message

Click Add again in the THEN section and select the smart plug again.
We need to set the smart plug back to its original ‘OFF’ status so that the automation can be retriggered if necessary
Select the ‘Turn off’ option
Your automation is now complete, with the alarm sounding and a push notification set up
Click Save, and name your automation

Now we move onto the second part, which involves a Scene that will work with Siri Shortcuts.

Select the ‘Scene’ tab, and then select ‘Create’
Click ‘Add’ to create your Action
Select the smart plug

Select the ‘Turn on’ option
Your Scene is complete, click ‘Save’
Name the Scene

With your Scene created, you’ll now see the Siri icon at the bottom. Click the icon
Select ‘Add to Siri’ next to your Scene
Type in the ‘Panic phrase’ to create your Siri Shortcut

Once added to Siri, your scene is now added

Your Siri shortcut also appears in the Shortcuts app

Your Scene is now added to Shortcuts and is ready to use
The Shortcut will appear in the Shortcuts app with its own tile
You can also see the details of the Shortcut, in addition to turning of the ‘Show When Run’ option, if required

The custom push notification will be sent to any phone signed into the same Aqara account, both iOS and Android. Interestingly, for iOS, you’ll also automatically get a notification letting you know the alarm itself was triggered. Once the alarm is stopped, you’ll also get a notification that the alarm was disarmed.