Looking for Apple Home Device to send iMessage Alert

TidBITS Talk
1

I am hoping to find an Apple Home Device that I can trigger with a relay and send an iMessage as an alert. The relay is either normally open or normally closed and rated at 5A, 28VDC. Opening or closing the relay would cause the device to send an iMessage to a programmed iCloud email, acting as an alert that the relay has triggered (changed state).

Any possibiities?

Thanks, Dave

2

If you figure out a way to send an automated iMessage I’d love to hear it. I use Pushcut to send a notification instead.

3

I’m no expert, but I would think that Shortcuts would be able to do this if anything can.

4

This Eve product does a similar job but I cannot think of a way that you could adapt it for your needs.

5

Thanks. I had found that yesterday, too. I ordered one from Apple.

There are two ways it might work:

  1. Hack into it and replace magnetic sensor output with the two wires
  2. Build a little electromagnet circuit into my two wires and trip the
    magnetic sensor with that.

I will examine the device when I get it next week and decide which is
the preferred way to interface it. Then figure out how to make it
behave with Apple Home to send out iMessage alert.

You would think there is some simpler device to do this, and that’s why
I ask!

Thanks,

Dave

6

Number 2 sounds promising - replacing the magnet with an electromagnet powered by the relay.

The iOS shortcuts app has ways to trigger notifications from Homekit events.

7

I received the Eve Door & Window Wireless Contact Sensor and it will probably work.

I opened it up and it would be difficult to tap two wires into it, so I am going to use #2 = electromagnet to trigger it.

With Apple Home I can set it to notify me when there is a change in the state of the sensor. I get notifiications for both open and closed, so I can have the electromagnet off almost all of the time to save battery life in both the sensor and the electromagnet.

I probably don’t need to worry about sending an iMessage, since Apple Home sends the notification.

If anything changes, I will post again.

Dave