Key Fob Notification Alert

Introduction

Have you ever worried about an elderly or disabled friend or relative? What if they need help and cant reach a phone or call out for help. What if they had a remote around their neck and could push the button to notify you directly? No need for monthly subscription this is completely free once you have purchased the hardware. This setup could be used in a multitude of applications like factories, banks, hospitals, you name it. Any time you have a user who needs to be able to easily call for help this should apply.

In this article we will monitor the button on a 1 button Key Fob remote. When this button is pressed we will submit an Event to the Particle Cloud. Upon successfully submitting this Event to the Particle cloud we will pulse the attached buzzer once letting the Key Fob user know that the message was sent successfully. Using www.IFTTT.com we will monitor this event on the Particle cloud and then send a notification to the remote user's phone. After receiving the notification the remote user will use the IFTTT Do Button app to trigger a function on the board to pulse the buzzer twice letting that user know that they received the alarm and are taking action.

The Key Fob interface receiver module and Key Fob remotes used in this application are based on the LR series transceivers offered by Linx Technologies.

What you need

Key Fob interface module: https://www.controleverything.com/content/Key-Fob?...

1 button key fob remote: https://www.controleverything.com/content/Key-Fobs...

Particle Photon module: https://www.controleverything.com/content/Particle...

Photon I2C interface shield: https://www.controleverything.com/content/I2C-Mast...

I2C mini module buzzer: https://www.controleverything.com/content/Digital-...

Step 1: Setup the Hardware

Connect all hardware for the application as shown in the photo above and in the video on the Introduction. Note that the KeyFob module mounts over the top of the Particle Photon module so you cannot see it in the picture. Once everything is connected power it up by connecting a USB cable. A simple USB micro phone charger can be used to power the setup.

Step 2: Setup Your Particle Photon and Account

Follow instructions here to setup your Particle Photon module for your WiFi network and associate it with your Particle Account so we can interface with it and flash in firmware.

Step 3: Flash Some Firmware

Go to Particle's WEB IDE(build)

Click the Target Icon on the left and make sure your Particle Photon module is connected and selected here. Click on the Libraries Icon on the left, then search Community Libraries for Fob_Alarm. Make sure the key-fob-buzzer-article.ino tab is selected, then click the Use this Example button. Now click the devices icon on the left(looks like a target) and make sure your controller is online and selected. Now click the Flash button on the left(looks like a lightning bolt) to flash the firmware into your controller. After the module is flashed with this firmware and reboots you are ready. The complete source for this firmware is available on our GitHub repo.

Step 4: IFTTT Recipe Setup

Now that all the hardware is setup and ready to go it's time to setup the IFTTT recipe to send us a notification when the key fob button is pressed.

Go to the App store on your phone and install the IF app by IFTTT. Open the app and make sure it is allowed to send notifications and it is connected to your IFTTT account. We do not need to do anything else in this app. It is just the way IFTTT can send notifications to your phone.

In your computer's web browser go to www.IFTTT.com

Here if you do not have an account go ahead and create one.

You will need two channels hooked up to your IFTTT account. The IF Notifications channel and the Particle Channel. If you have not already connected those channels to your account do so now.

Once your account is setup and the channels are connected to your IFTTT account we need to create a recipe, do that by clicking My Recipes at the top.

Click the Create a Recipe button.

Click the blue this text on the screen.

Start typing Particle in the Search channels box and you should see the Particle Channel appear. Click it.

Click on the New event published box.

In the If (Event Name) box type in eventAlarm

In the is (Event Contents) box type in Alarm

In the Device Name or ID drop down box select the module you flashed the firmware into.

Click the Create Trigger button.

Click the blue that text

Start typing IF Notifications the Search Channels box and the IF Notifications channel should appear. Click to select it.

Click on the Send a notification box

In the Notification box type in whatever you would like to receive in the Notification on your phone. I entered Grandma Alarm.

Click Create Action.

Next you can give this Recipe a title, then click the Create Recipe button.

The IFTTT recipe that will send a notification to your phone is now complete.

Step 5: IFTTT Do Button Setup

Now we need to setup the Do Button on our phone to notify the remote user that we received the Alarm and are taking action.

Go to the App store on your phone and install the IFTTT Do Button app.

Open the Do Button App and click the icon in the bottom right corner to create a recipe.

Click the Plus button to add a new recipe.

Click Channels at the top

Scroll down and select the Particle Channel which should show up as CONNECTED.

Click the Create a New Recipe button.

Click the Call a function button.

Type in a title for the button. I entered Acknowledge Alarm.

Click the drop down box for Function Name, then select ConfirmAlarm on "particle module name".

You can leave the Function Input as the default since we are not monitoring the input in our Function in the Particle Photon module.

Finally click the Add button.